Highlights and Transitions

Transitioning to Canada

After a wonderful couple of days in the Portland and Seattle area and closing the book on the Lewis and Clark trek, I officially started for home by heading north into Canada and then east. I didn’t make it to Vancouver (by the time I got there I was done with the heavy traffic and spaghetti bowl highways around the big urban areas in the Portland, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle corridor), but will reserve that for another trip. Instead of touring Vancouver, I stayed at a lovely little campground just outside of Ft. Langley, British Columbia for several days. Ft. Langley proved to be the perfect place to hang out and catch my breath before hitting the road toward the Canadian Rockies.

As I was regrouping for the trip home, I learned that September 30 was National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, a national holiday with schools, banks, and many businesses closed. Since the United States has no such holiday, I wanted to know what this one was about so I looked it up. Turns out that the day commemorates the survivors of the residential schools in Canada that Indigenous children were forced to attend, as well as those who died in those schools. As the Canadian government puts it: the day is set aside to “honour the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

This commemorative day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, also on September 30, which the Indigenous communities in Canada have used for a number of years as a way to raise awareness of the history of these residential schools. The annual remembrance reminds us of the intergenerational impacts of residential schools on children, families, and communities, and is intended to honor the Indigenous children who were lost in the residential school system. The orange shirt symbolizes the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem that many Indigenous children experienced, and inspires opportunities for communities to come together in reconciliation and hope.

This holiday is only five years old, and is a tangible result of the 94 calls to action that were published in 2015 by the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission after a yearslong effort to study the history of the residential schools and figure out how to move forward together in light of that history. Canada, like the U.S., is a work in progress, and very few of the calls to action have had any actual action, but at least this is an important step in the right direction. Canada has a long, terrible track record of dealing with indigenous populations, just as the United States does. But reconciliation? What a concept! To my knowledge, the U.S. government has never seriously considered anything remotely similar.

After my brief immersion into the U.S. empire-building policies that led to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and all the Indian wars and destruction of culture that came later, I find it interesting that one of the first things I learned about Canada upon entering the country is how they are trying to deal with their own fraught racist history. They are choosing to face it head on instead of trying to cover it up and pretend it didn’t happen. The United States could learn something from these Canadians.

Of course, there are pockets of people and groups in the U.S. who are doing just the opposite of our current administration when it comes to exposing and addressing and reconciling our own fraught history. President Joe Biden issued a proclamation to honor National Indigenous People’s Day rather than Columbus Day. But Columbus Day remains the official federal holiday, and Indigenous People’s Day is recognized only in a piecemeal way throughout the U.S.

There is other evidence that some organizations and people are moving in a positive direction on this issue of helping indigenous culture and its beauty become more accessible to the broader nonindigenous community. I read in my morning news recently that the Detroit Institute of Arts is opening a new exhibition entitled Where Stories Continue: Anishinaabe Art Today. If you don’t already know, the DIA is a premiere art museum and has one of the best collections in the country. Anyone making a trip to Detroit should find time to go visit. Detroit as a city is a vibrant, lively community with a rich history. Many groups and individuals are working tirelessly to help the city achieve its full potential as a diverse, welcoming, artsy place with lots of music and cultural festivals throughout the year. The DIA is one of the city’s crown jewels. This new exhibition showcases over 90 pieces of contemporary Native American art from various midwestern-based Anishinaabe artists. It will be there until April 2026 so I will be able to go see it when I get back.

Meets and Greets on the Trip West

Now that I’m in Canada and headed east, I thought I’d look back and share a few of the highlights of the trip west. One of the joyful experiences of a long road trip is taking opportunities to meet up with people - sometimes for the first time, and sometimes to renew ties. Here some of the memorable meetups I had on the way west, sort of working my way backward:

This is Allison.

Allison and I were camping neighbors for one night in Fort Langley, British Columbia. She has been living solo “out of” her van (as opposed to living “in” it, which is an important distinction for her) for about a year. She has travelled all over the U.S. and Canada, and gave me some important tips for my trip across Canada. We shared experiences of driving and boondocking and wished we had had more time to get better acquainted. You can find her on Instagram at boldertoursntravel.

This is Terry and her dog Tucker.

We first met back in February when I drove to Taos for the creativity retreat. I knew she lived near Portland, so as I got closer to the coast I reached out and we arranged to meet. She suggested a hike at one of the falls in the Columbia River Gorge and I’m so glad she did! What a great afternoon! We had so much fun that I lost track of time and missed my check-in deadline at the winery where I was planning to stay that night. No matter. I pivoted and found a nearby state park, which turned out to be a much better choice to set me up for the exploring I did the next day. Thanks Terry!

This is Carolyn and Mike.

Mike is my first cousin who I don’t see nearly often enough. They live in Hood River, Oregon (which is right on the Lewis and Clark trail), up on one of the nearby mountains. From their backyard patio (where they are sitting) you can look in one direction and see Mount Adams and look in the opposite direction and see Mount Hood. On the platter in front of them is a freshly caught salmon (purchased at a roadside fish shack) grilled to perfection. What a special time together! Seeing Jessica (their daughter), witnessing the salmon net fishing by Native Americans, and kayaking on the Columbia River were special unexpected bonuses of hanging out with you two. Thanks so much for your generous hospitality!

This is Denise.

Denise and I happen to be members of the same Facebook group, and when I mentioned to the group that I was travelling the Lewis and Clark trail, she invited me to contact her if I was going to be driving through Lewiston, Montana. As it happened I was, so I did make contact and we met for a lovely lunch in downtown Lewiston. She is a traveler also (motorcycles, not vans), and we shared stories of ourselves and our roadtrips. What a treat to meet such an interesting person in this interesting way (I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, but this is one of the reasons I stay connected to it)

This is Kim.

Kim is co-owner with her husband of Echo Ridge Cellars, a family-owned winery in Echo, Oregon. She was a gracious Harvest Host host, welcoming both Sadie and I to her tasting room. I sampled eight different wines, ordered a charcuterie plate to have with my wine, then bought two bottles to take home. It is a popular establishment that hosts events and live music. So glad I found it!

This is “Swede” Troedsson.

Swede has an interesting marketing strategy for his book, Smokejumper 2. As I was exiting my van to take a walk around historic Dillon, Montana, Swede approached me asking, “Do you know who Hank Williams, Jr. is?” I said “of course” and he said, “well, I saved his life!” He had the book in his hand, and turned right to the page that told the story. Five minutes later I was handing over a $20 bill. I mean, I had to buy it, right? He was so friendly and enthusiastic that I didn’t mind being accosted in the parking lot. And to think this is the second volume of his stories as a smokejumper. Quite a character!

This is Darian.

Darian is one of the many national park rangers I met on my way west. I think this was in Montana. These park staffers are knowledgeable, friendly, welcoming, and love it when people visit the national parks. In Darian’s case, I was asking about the beadwork I saw in the museum, and it turns out that in the summer season he leads demonstrations on the craftsmanship behind the beading. He disappeared for a moment to the offices behind the front desk, and returned with this example of beadwork that he had done. What a nice guy! And typical of all the park employees I encountered. I worry for their jobs… we need people like Darian in our lives.

Next Steps

I am currently camping in Jasper National Park for a few days, having travelled far enough east to cross the Continental Divide, drive into the province of Alberta, and enter the world of the Mountain Time Zone. I’m slowing myself down and meandering my way east, with a few planned stays while in and near the mountains, and no plans for what happens after I go through Calgary. Stay tuned!

This is my campsite near Jasper for the next few nights. You can see the charred mountainside in the background. The area is still recovering from a devastating fire that ripped through this area in 2024. Thousands of trees lost, many of them in this campground.