Hooked up with a couple of French girls travelling the same way as me for a while so spent the last week touring Edmonton and Calgary, oil country (and also Redneck country). This is the land of oil and massive Pick Up trucks. We rented a modest size car - which wasn't easy (and wasn't even possible to get a manual here) and did a bit of a road trip to the amazing Rockies. Along the way we came across crazy named places such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (where the local tribes used to stampede herds of bison over cliffs for food (and probably fun) and one unfortunate brave got a bit close to the falling bison, hence the name!) and Medicine Hat.
Also came across the World's Biggest Truck, aptly named Titan, in some coal mining town just over the border in British Columbia. Check out the pics. In Banff at the moment and chilling out in the middle of the Rockies, admiring the snow capped peaks and learning to snowboarding and stretching the legs and lungs. On first hike out we had to turn back after our trail had been obliterated by a recent avalanche and I started sinking a bit too deep in the snow for comfort! Should've brought the snowshoes. This is bear country but luckily haven't come accross any yet - do you know those critters can reach speeds of nearly 40mph?