Within minutes after leaving Williston, we crossed into Montana -- Big Sky Country. No picture can do it justice, but we'll try.
We also caught our first glimpse of a mountain. These are in the middle of Montana, and provide the only break in what has been almost 200 miles of wheat fields. I'll let you know if I figure out their name.
First stop in Canada is at Lethbridge, south of Calgary, to clear customs. This border crossing was a little different than those we're used to in Fort Erie. First, it was done by phone, with the customs office 50 miles south at the border. Second, they required that we bring a shotgun into Canada, as part of the FSG (full survival gear) package that airplanes are required to carry when travelling in the "sparsely settled areas" of Canada (i.e. everything more than 100 miles north of the U.S. border.) For other air travelers, the usual procedure of having the Flight Service Stations notify customs of your arrival as part of a flight plan changed as of July 1, 1996 -- but no one in the U.S. told us. The Canadian customs folks were quite tolerant however, as the bugs in the new system get worked out between the Canadian and U.S. sides.
At the Flight Service Station in Lethbridge we get the news that the weather is supposed to stay glorious along our route for the next 2 days. This is a mixed blessing, as we'll get to Alaska quicker, but won't be stopping in Calgary to visit Banff and the Banff Springs Hotel. But I am assured there are hot springs in Fairbanks, so all is not lost. Now, if only I can find a golf course on the Arctic Circle....
Tomorrow we meet the Alaska Highway for the first time, in Dawson Creek. See you then.
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