I have arrived!

Well it finally feels real. I'm actually here: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Just in case you're wondering, they do not live in igloos, the ground is not covered with snow year round, and it is not so remote that I am cutoff from communication with the rest of the world. So far I can tell you that it is beautiful, cool still, and very light outside-even at 10:30 at night. I'm looking forward to the 24-hour daylight in June. Megan, James and I might be going out Aurora viewing tonight. They do that often. Actually the picture to the right is one they took a couple weeks ago. Tonight the northern lights are supposed to be especially bright and it's going to be clear. Apparently those two things don't happen very often at the same time. I got here at a perfect time.

The trip up was very good. I got on the train in Hornepayne Wednesday at 3:50 and ran into snow shortly after.

I arrived in Winnipeg Thursday morning around 7. At least that's when I woke up. I must have missed an announcement because most people were gone from my car and I didn't know where we were, or what time it was for that matter because we moved into another time zone. I eventually found out that we were in Winnipeg and the train wasn't leaving until noon. So I woke up fully and got off the train and walked around the city for a few hours. I went down to the river for a while, walked, read my book. I read about some of the history of Manitoba. After it got a bit too cold I walked in the other direction past VIA and found a little mall, which wasn't completely open yet at 9:30am, but there was a coffee shop open so I had breakfast there.

I went through the Assiniboine valley and soon I was in Saskatchewan. I went to sleep and in the morning I woke up in Alberta-we arrived in Edmonton early: 5:45 am. A friend drove me to the International Airport (thanks Cori!) and helped me get my bags checked and all that fun stuff. My flight left at 11 and I arrived in Yellowknife at 12:30. My first time flying was a success! I couldn't stop taking pictures of the clouds. It's such an upside down, beautiful view seeing them from above.

Megan met me at the airport and we went for lunch, did a bit of shopping, and she gave me a tour of the city. I'm excited to explore it! There's so much beauty here that I don't get to see usually. There is a lake in my Aunt and Uncle's backyard, and a field of rock and trees leading to the water's edge.

Today was full of new-ness and excitement, with endless possibilites for the summer in front of me. I can't wait to find out what the rest will bring!