Bye-son!

We didn't see any buffalo on our drive across Canada, but we did see all other manner of furry creatures - moose, deer, bears, mountain goats, fish, etc.  The suburban was cramped and the hours were long, but thanks to my age and an insurance requirement I didn't have to get behind the wheel myself.

On the eve of the Brigade's official start, when teams will all arrive and register, we have been set up for a whole day.  We sank the canoe, so we could get that experience over with early to hopefully avoid future events in more dire situations.  The canoe does not handle well with a few tons of water in it, and even worse when someone sits in the canoe with said water in it - sank to the gunnels, the canoe took a nose dive.  The auto-drain does not work either - it is a good way to scuttle the canoe if we wish to, but it fails at doing it's job.  Also, kayak pumps don't quite do the job of draining all that water.  At least we won't have to do any self rescues on this trip.

I keep falling into the routine of camping.  I pack things, eat meals, go out in the canoe, and through it all I forget about where I am.  I then look up, and in the horizon, a stunning mountain-scape.  I will definitely come here again after this trip is up.

Good news!  We have a lot of interest in our canoe for sale after the trip.  We may make ba