#42 Frodo

Hey there, another week is over.

On Sunday, I took the car to explore a few lakes. The first stop was Clearwater Lake. Of course, I accidentally drove onto private property first 😂. Once I found the public access, I was disappointed. It was just a narrow strip of sand with a half-eaten fish, the rest was overgrown. And the water was rather brownish instead of clear as the name suggests. The only beautiful thing was a group of pelicans flying in the distance 😁. After that, I went to One Eye Lake, which was actually really beautiful and clear. Lastly, I wanted to go to Miner Lake. On the way there, we passed one of our spots from winter. The "road" was horrifying and I drove along it endlessly. After over half an hour and 15 kilometers, I turned back without seeing the lake because I didn't want to put more kilometers on the car. Jordan then told me that the lake is about 20 kilometers deep in the forest. Sadly, I didn't see anything except moose and bear droppings.

One part of work this week was extremely annoying. We had to attach a plastic sheet between the ground and the wood as a protection in the event space. However, it didn't fit in the gaps and some supports were blocking it. I didn't want to cut the plastic because it costs $30 per sheet. After some desperate thinking, Jenny took over this task the next day and, well, she handled the material a bit more roughly, but at least it's finally installed 😅. I also got a small project of my own. I have to build the exterior wall on the "little tower" of the house. It's quite difficult to build a straight wall with all the different angles, but the view is spectacular while working 😁😍.

And now, let's talk about something that has been occupying me since March and finally came to an end last night.

From searching for a car to buying it

My search for a car actually started at the end of March. I had already planned to leave my current place at the end of April/beginning of May. I have to say that Facebook (Marketplace) was really the main place for me, and I found a really nice old truck quite early on. It was so nostalgically beautiful that I felt like I fell in love and could already see myself driving it on the roads of Canada 😂. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, so the search continued. But I still had my departure set for the beginning of May. With the help of German Facebook travel groups, I found a truck that fit perfectly into my (low) budget. I made the first payment so that the car could be checked, but then the couple's second car broke down, so they couldn't sell the truck anymore. So the search continued, and when I say continued, I really mean continued. I can't describe this part in detail without turning it into a real novel. :D Since I live really far away from everything, I knew that I had to buy my car not in my area but in Vancouver. So I shifted my search there, and this search became a real odyssey. To summarize: I probably messaged over 30 people who all had cars in "good" to "very good" condition. Since I didn't want to go to Vancouver just to look at a car, I always asked for a "car inspection". In Canada, there is no official inspection like the TÜV in Germany. A car inspection checks the car once and lists all possible defects and soon-to-be repairs. In theory, it gives me an overview of what possible costs I might have and it's also a good negotiation basis. But no matter how much the car was praised, it always ended when it came to the car inspection. Either I didn't get any more replies or it was declined. And then I always ask myself why someone would praise their car so much if they don't want it to be inspected. So the search continued week after week. I had to gradually increase my budget, and Jenny & David allowed me to stay for another month. Then another person in the Facebook group contacted me, and since she was coming from Anahaim Lake, she wanted to come by so I could check out the car. It would have been a Jeep. But of course, this one broke down on the way to me too, so it was no longer available. And the search continued.

Actually, Jenny and David also have a red truck from a former employee. Jenny didn't want to sell it but wanted to make it available for the future workers. But eventually, Jenny took pity on me and said that if I don't find anything by the end of May, I can have the truck. But my search continued anyway, and THEN it happened. I found a car. Funny enough, it's the same Ford Edge that we have here, so I already knew the car. Since the seller also came from Anahaim Lake, I could drive by for a visit. That was also the reason why I was there and met the other Germans. Last Friday, I took a few test drives, and then it was a done deal. The only problem was that I had to go down to Vancouver because Alessandra (the seller) was flying back to Germany and didn't have a way to fly from Williams Lake with her dogs.

So the next problem to solve was how to get to Vancouver cost-effectively. The only option was to fly down. The flights, even though they are quite short, are quite expensive, but I had no other choice. Since David and Jenny are in the middle of a workshop, they couldn't drive me to Williams Lake, so I needed a driver who also asked for a decent price. Fortunately, Sonja, the Jeep owner's wife, had to go to Vancouver, so she could give me a ride.

On Thursday, we headed towards Vancouver. The plan was to take care of the purchase and insurance on Thursday and then drive back to Tatla Lake on Friday morning. However, Sonja is a very cautious driver who likes to drive below the speed limit, about 10-20 km/h slower, so we "chug-chugged" together for eleven hours, along with another young man we picked up in Williams Lake, to get to Vancouver... On the way, I saw something that I had never seen in Canada before: a moving train 😅. Trains are not the main mode of transportation here and there aren't many train tracks. So it was quite interesting to see. Especially since Canadian trains, true to Canada, are extremely long. One thing train conductors definitely have is an amazing view throughout the journey as they constantly drive along the river and through the valley, which looks incredibly beautiful from the road. When we encountered a construction site where we were driving very slowly, an eagle glided by just a few meters away from me. It looked so cool. The landscape was, of course, also breathtaking. Especially the city of Hope was mind-blowing.

Since we arrived quite late on Thursday, we went straight to the hostel, and I went to bed at 11 PM but couldn't sleep. The typical hostel reason: snoring. The entire dormitory, which consisted of several open cabins, was quiet. Except for the one where the snorer was lying. And of course, there's always someone who gets annoyed by loud breathing. This person was lying right above the snorer 😂. Eventually, I fell asleep and at seven in the morning, we were on the move again (or so I thought). My plan was for Alessandra and Eileen to pick me up early around eight, and we would be at the insurance company by nine so that I wouldn't arrive home too late. Besides, I wanted to buy two things in Vancouver, which would also take some time. So I waited and waited... Alessandra then messaged me that they had to take care of some other problems (not related to the car 😁) and they were also stuck in traffic. I messaged the people from whom I wanted to buy something, letting them know that I would arrive between 11 AM and 1 PM to pick up the items. Alessandra and Eileen then picked me up around 2 PM, and by then, I was a bit annoyed because I knew the journey ahead of me, but it couldn't be changed anymore, so it was okay. We went to the insurance company, and then I drove Alessandra and Eileen to their hotel. At 4 PM, I started the engine of my first car for the first time. I never thought that I would buy my first car in Canada 🚗😁 The two sellers from Facebook were so kind and told me that the items were outside and I just had to put the money in the mailbox. So I set off to the first stop, which according to Google Maps was about 40 minutes away. But what can I say, I drove right into rush hour. It was crazy. I don't understand how people can endure it. The traffic, the noise, and the unbelievably slow speed of the cars. On Thursday, on the way to the hostel, I tried to record all the noises for a moment. Oh man, I'm not used to that anymore. Let's just say this: Here, the geese annoy me because they are too loud, so you can imagine how it was for me in Vancouver 😂 This drive seemed endless, at one traffic light, I needed five attempts to get through. It was really bad. After I picked up the first item, I wanted to go to the second one. Unfortunately, I chose an exit too early and ended up on the highway. Once you're on it here, you're on it. 😅 Since I would have to drive on it later anyway, I decided not to turn around (it would have meant a huge detour) and just drove home. So after a two-hour fight in city traffic, I finally headed towards Tatla. This time, I took a different route, and my goodness, it was beautiful 🏞😍 Even though I only saw a fraction of it, but more on that later. This route first leads along the ocean and then is replaced by mountains and forests. The view, I was so annoyed that I had to drive and could only take short glances. It was truly magnificent. I stopped for a meal break in Squamish and then continued. Since I unfortunately left Vancouver much later than planned, I couldn't avoid the problem I wanted to avoid: darkness. From 9 PM onwards, it got really dark, and luckily, I couldn't be distracted by the landscape anymore 😅 However, thanks to the headlights, I could constantly see the rocks lying by the roadside, and those are like three by three meters, something you definitely don't want on the hood of your car. With the darkness came the fear of wildlife. Fortunately, I only encountered five deer and a small group of wild horses. And so I drove for hours and kilometers. What can I say: After twelve hours (4:15 AM) and over 800 kilometers, I finally arrived home and went to bed. I hope this was my first and last twelve-hour drive. I want to point out that this is not recommended 😅. I had a few moments where I had to scold myself out loud to keep myself awake 😂 And if you don't make a turn here, you don't end up in a ditch, but with bad luck, you'll have a few (hundred) meters of free flight before the impact. So the relief was quite big to have arrived unharmed. I then slept half of today and somehow, my daily rhythm was a bit off. You can probably tell because it's now 1 AM and I'm eating dinner and writing this blog 😂

Of course, my car also gets a name. As a loyal Lord of the Rings fan, it was clear to me from the start that it had to be a Lord of the Rings character. Since I always wanted a truck, the name Gimli was always in my mind. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. Another possible name could have been Galadriel 😅. But since Frodo and Sam embark on their adventure together in Lord of the Rings, I thought, then it will be Frodo. So I found my Frodo, and we can go on some adventures together 😁

Since this blog post is incredibly long again, I'll spare you additional information.

Have a great Sunday!

Samuel