Day 23- Al's Excellent Adventure, Vancouver and Beyond!

Day 23: From Fog to Flushes—Minnesota Edition

Today I left North Dakota and headed toward Minneapolis. Once again, I found myself driving through endless fog. At this point, I think the fog is following me. 

After being spoiled by majestic mountains and jaw-dropping views, today’s drive felt like watching paint dry—on a wall that’s already beige. Thank God for music, cell phone coverage, and my own ability to  plan my next vacation in my mind. 😎

I met up with my buddy Dale, who spends his spring and summer up here running a concrete company—because apparently, he enjoys both hard labor and seasonal weather mood swings. We hung out and he took me to his Saturday night poker game. Now that was a change of pace. Compared to our usual poker nights in Wakulla Station, this game was like the Indy 500. I barely had time to breathe before it was my turn again.  The game was very fast-paced, and that is much better as our game here in Florida.

I bought in with $25 worth of chips, started off hot, then promptly got smacked by reality. The low point? There was a King and Queen of diamonds on the board, I had the Jack, and I thought, “Boom! Flush!” But nope—someone else had the Ace. Naturally. That hand wiped me out, so I bought back in for $20.  I ended up cashing out with $60. So, I walked away with a whopping $15 profit and the smug satisfaction of not losing. 

Dale? He ended up losing around $10, but at one point he had a mountain of chips in front of him. That was before he got cold, wandered off, and came back wrapped in a random blanket like a sad poker-playing ghost. We mocked him endlessly, because that’s what real friendship looks like.

After poker, we grabbed dinner, and as we left, I looked up and saw the moon glowing bright red. Like “apocalyptic fireball red.” I googled it—no eclipse, no blood moon. Just wildfire haze turning the moon into a crimson orb of mystery. Naturally, I took photos, they came out pretty well!

So yeah, not the most thrilling day, but hanging with Dale, gambling a little, and spotting a possibly evil moon made it pretty memorable. Tomorrow: sightseeing and pretending we're locals. Stay tuned.

Day 22: Al's Excellent Adventure, Vancouver and Beyond

Day Whatever-I’ve-Lost-Track: From Mountains to Minot

Today I drove about 12 hours from Calgary to Minot, North Dakota. It was a very different vibe from the rest of this trip—gone were the mountains, glaciers, and twisty scenic roads. Instead, I got a whole lot of flat. Flat in Alberta. Flat in Saskatchewan. Flat in North Dakota. If this drive had a soundtrack, it would’ve been a dial tone.

Once I got a good distance past Calgary, trains started popping up alongside the highway like they were racing me. There were a lot of them—like Canada was having a nationwide train parade and forgot to send invites.I snapped a picture, but fair warning: you might need to zoom in about 300% and squint like you're trying to read the fine print on a car lease. Still counts as photographic evidence. 

In eastern Alberta, there was a lot of snow on the ground. I read they got a decent snowfall yesterday. Or maybe they just cleared all of Alberta and dumped it into one spot along my route? Either way, snow in July feels like Canada’s final prank before I left. (Pics or it didn’t happen—don’t worry, I got you.)

While driving, I spotted a tiny, strange-looking plane doing loop-de-loops like it was bored too. It flew left to right… then right to left… then pointed straight at me for a second. I thought I was in a North Dakota remake of Top Gun: Crop Duster Edition. (Pics also included, obviously 😎)

Another strange moment: when I got to Moose Jaw (yes, that’s a real place, not a Canadian cartoon), I noticed what looked like a wall of rain, or maybe fog.  It was just hovering in the distance. I kept driving toward it, but it never got any closer. It was like some kind of weather mirage.  After about 20 minutes of chasing this mysterious sky-wall, I had a troubling thought, what if the flat-earthers are right, and that’s the edge? 😎

I half-expected to see a sign that said, “Turn back now before you fall off.”

Now, let’s talk about the U.S. border crossing. It was... not warm and fuzzy. Way more intense than Canada. I was hit with a rapid-fire interrogation:

"What’s in your luggage?"

"What’s in your trunk?"

"Open your trunk!"

"Got any marijuana, cannabis, THC, CBD, alphabet soup?"

"Any alcohol? Tobacco? Fruit? Meat? Uncooked meat?"

Apparently, smuggling a raw brisket into North Dakota is a thing now. But hey—I wasn't detained, so chalk that up as a win. 😎

Made it to the Hyatt House in Minot, which is hopping thanks to a wedding party. Nothing says "welcome to America" like sharing an elevator with a tipsy groomsman holding a Bud Light and a plastic-wrapped tux.

Tomorrow, it's a 7-hour drive to Minnesota, where I’ll meet up with my buddy Dale. The scenery (and danger level) may dip for a bit, but fear not: things might get weird again in Chattanooga.

Stay tuned.

Day 21: Al's Excellent Adventure, Vancouver and Beyond!

I'm pretty sure I'm on day 22, but I'm not sure where I messed up on the numbering. 

Day Whatever: Of Bears, Lakes, and Hot Chocolate (With a Side of Brandy Memories)

Today’s adventure was a tour to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. It had everything: rain, cold, wind, potential snow flurries, and tourist-level bear drama.

So, we're cruising down the highway when someone yells, "Bear!" Naturally, we all press our faces to the windows like kids at a zoo. I saw one bear. Someone else swears there were two. It was about 75 yards away, and everyone was pretty excited.

But me? I was like, “Eh.” Because I saw a friggin’ bear on Tuesday. Not just from a bus window—no, no. This bear was eating berries off a tree, minding its own business until it decided to take a casual stroll toward my car, passed right by me like I wasn’t even worth sniffing. That, my friends, is how you see a bear. And if I haven’t mentioned it yet: I SAW A FRIGGIN’ BEAR!

Anyway…

Despite the less-than-tropical forecast, I layered up, slapped on a hat, and embraced the cold. Snow in July? Sure, why not. Moraine Lake was stunning, even though it was cloaked in clouds. We climbed the Rockpile Trail and got a group photo, lots of fun there were lots of rocks to climb, hence the name. My knee’s really been struggling on this trip—I definitely haven’t gone easy on it.

Lake Louise came next, and by then it was officially hot chocolate o’clock. The cold triggered a deep memory of freezing at Giants Stadium, sipping hot chocolate... and pouring in a little blackberry brandy for warmth (allegedly). But I digress, that is a story for another time.

After that, we visited Vermilion Lakes—very pretty, but let’s be honest, it’s hard to shine next to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Emerald Lake still holds the crown in my book.

Next stop: Banff. We wandered the town, and I grabbed some very forgettable pizza. But then I stumbled into an art gallery that completely redeemed the stop. The artist, Jeff Walker, creates breathtaking photo-art pieces. Not sure if he just enhances photos digitally or goes full Wyland and paints over them, but either way, they were beautiful.

Our guide pointed out fresh snow on the mountaintops, which was so unbelievable, snow in July feels illegal.

On the way back, we hit Two Jack Lake (pretty, but again, not Emerald Lake pretty), then ended at Lake Minnewanka where—get this—people were swimming. In the water. In actual July snow weather. I’ve seen some wild things on this trip, but that one’s going in the record books.

The group on the tour was great—folks from all over: Toronto, Australia, Japan, Sarasota, France, and one mystery man of unknown origin. It was a solid crew, and after lunch, the sun even made a surprise cameo! It warmed up to the 50s, which at this point felt borderline tropical.

Now I'm nearing the end of the exciting part of my trip. Tomorrow, it’s off to Minot, North Dakota (say it with me: “Why not, Minot?”). Then a couple of days in Minnesota with my buddy Dale, then Cincinnati, Chattanooga to visit with other good friends., and finally—who knows.

Still waiting to see when I’ll get my car back. Could be ready by the 21st. Fingers crossed. It’s either that, shell out $700 for a flight from Tallahassee, spend time driving it back from idaho, hotels, gas, etc., or try to have it transported. Decisions, decisions...

One day at a time. Let's see what happens.

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Day 21 Pictures 2

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