#57 Big days

Evening or good morning to you.

Another slightly longer post today. The audio version today is also very special at almost 1:30 hours. 😂 However, I focus more on points and get into some situations very well. So if you have a long road ahead of you again – here you go:

https://bit.ly/3PQSma3

Last Saturday I actually wanted to go to Bella Coola. This is a very small fishing town and has nothing to offer other than the small harbor. I set off around midday in bad weather and it didn't get any better. After a brief pause for relief, I was about to continue driving when suddenly a deafening squeaking noise came from my car. The brakes didn't sound good at all and it was so loud that I thought I couldn't continue driving like that and so I turned around after about two hours. But after just a few hundred meters the noise stopped again and so I turned back towards Bella Coola. On the way there is a mountain that has to be climbed extremely steeply and in a serpentine manner. The journey was horror. The autumnal and persistently cloudy weather and the heavy rain caused fatigue on the one hand and simply the danger of landslides on the other. It's always scary when you see the stones and rocks on the right side of the road or partly on the highway. But the worst thing was the abyss. Once you're over the edge, you'll be given a few more seconds of free flight before you crash after an estimated 500 meters. It really wasn't pleasant. When I stopped to take a photo, I could already smell it. An unbelievable smell. So I walked around the car and yeah... my right front wheel was smoking really well. 😅 So I waited 45 minutes until the brakes cooled down before actually driving back. Luckily I saw two bears on the way back. I really needed that after this sobering day. ❤️🐻Oh, and I had my first game crossing in my life on the way back. I had no control over the car for a short time because the deer jumped onto the road out of nowhere and then wanted to go back again and I had changed the steering wheel from one too sharp turn to the next and after a few swerves everyone involved only had a short shock carried and the deer could jump their way. 😅 First game crossing in my life and it was so incredibly close, so I really thought I had caught it.

Monday was a perfect Monday right from the start. On Sunday evening I was already thinking about how I would install the ceiling paneling on my own. I simply wanted to temporarily attach a board to the other side and then I could always “put down” one side. It wasn't even five past eight when Jenny came out and explained to me for the THIRD time that the board I had attached was wrong and for the umpteenth time she explained to me that it didn't work that way and peep... I stood up the scaffolding and thought to myself, I won't be able to do it anymore😡...... To forget these skills so much, there's just no point in explaining something to her, for example that this is only temporary until I have a solution. I was about to implement this on Monday when she started talking...But that wasn't all. I wanted to add more boards and attached the first board directly to the beam. Jenny then said that this couldn't be done and that I had to finish flush with the last board. But this was completely crooked and should not have been used there at all. It just looks like shit and then she says that all the pieces are the same length. In the photo you can see how “the same length” they are. Maybe they are, but then Jenny just worked incredibly poorly at the beginning. 😅 And then she had the nerve to tell me that my boards were too short and therefore didn't fit perfectly with a roof beam. Hey?! Maybe yours were just too long Jenny?! You see, I can get into it very well.😂

At lunch she also said that we both broke the quad together. I also said that it's too bad that I haven't used the quad for over a week because I know that it absolutely needs to be repaired. But I know who tried to get new hay with the quad on Monday evening anyway... She also said that she had bought a new electric chainsaw (I checked: $250) and of course Fatih and I had the old one If you break your chainsaw (who else...), only YOU ALLLLLEEEIIIIIINNNEEE can use it. I also thought to myself that I don't care at all, but then she should slowly start sawing firewood. So really, she never makes any mistakes herself and never breaks anything. It's always different. That was another lunch with a lot of admiration for the mountains, which always ground me. Because: I love everything here. I love this landscape, the nature, the neighbors with their negative characteristics, Troops & Daisy, .... BUT the work and now unfortunately even spending time with Jenny is simply unbearable anymore. Once I have “eaten” a person, it is very difficult to convince myself otherwise. Jenny really has incredibly good and positive qualities, I don't want to doubt that, but at the moment it's mostly the negative ones and they're a bit stressful. Why don't I change jobs? As I said, I actually love everything here. On top of that, I no longer have a working car or a work permit. In theory, I would no longer be allowed to work and therefore finding new work would be difficult. Especially since my one-year accounts for WWOOFING, for example, have already expired. That's why I always look at nature when Jenny shoots the next bird and remember and am incredibly grateful for this view while I'm working.❤️

For the first time, the lodge received two very bad reviews, which I would just like to encourage here so as not to make it too long.

Both a German and an English couple have rated the lodge negatively on various websites. Somehow I think more and more often about what I would change if I had the lodge. 😂 Of course I have no idea about the business and I imagine it to be a bit simple, but let's see what ideas come to mind. 😅 But here are the criticisms.

The grounds, as well as the sauna and whirlpool, are in poor condition

I completely agree. The outdoor area is visually a horror. Sure, it's a construction site, but a construction site can also look neat if you keep it tidy. Not possible here because Jenny is very messy and leaves a lot lying around. There have also been huge tree trunks lying in the middle of the path since I've been here. The seating and fire options are completely overgrown. Even the entrance to the “Deer Cabin” is overgrown. It doesn't take a day to trim this area with the grass trimmer and it would look better straight away. The path to the lake is also a bit overgrown in one place. Just use the hedge trimmer that is also available and it would be a much more pleasant way to the lake without having branches in your face.

Incorrect prices for meals and drinks

I can not confirm this. When I checked, the prices were current.

Incorrect information about possible attractions

That is actually the case. For example, the website offers a tour of the Chilcotin River. However, this is located on the land of indigenous peoples. They closed the access last year so that no one is allowed there anymore. Of course, tours are no longer possible.

There would also be a tour to a kind of canyon that I haven't been to yet. By the way, it costs a mere $600. The joke is that every customer coming from Williams Lake has to pass this point and can drive there themselves. Jenny didn't do this tour either and then she didn't do anything else. No plan.

Other attractions are also not possible. The “hiking path” on the site is overgrown and there are also fallen trees lying around. “Renting” bikes is also not possible because none of the six existing bikes work. The solution here would be a repair kit and a shed or a weatherproof shelter so that they don't have to stand under the open sky all the time. I could go on...

Do not put toilet paper in the toilet.

That's correct. Unfortunately, this is the case when you live a little away from civilization and you have to use certain sewage systems that you definitely don't want to be clogged with toilet paper. The toilet paper can actually be burned in a fire in almost all cabins.

It's probably a bit strange for us Westerners, but that's the way it is. This information about toilet paper could also be presented with the technical explanation on the website. So as a little information about how the system works and why you should pay attention to it. Technical education in everyday life.

The criticisms could be continued, but Jenny's reaction is better.

She couldn't figure it out and was upset about it all day and also commented that it was disappointing as she had over 100 guests so far who all gave 5 stars and tips and that the couple had said that all along they had a great time and pipapo...... It's just too good and Jenny is really bad at dealing with headwinds.

And now we come to an incomprehensible phenomenon: the imaginary increase in the price of the property. I asked Jenny why they bought the property. She said that they didn't buy it as a lodge (that's why you buy a lodge?!?), but rather for the workshop customers. Whatever the reason they built the Fox and Wolf Cabin, the five existing cabins can completely cover the workshops taking place here. And I was told the purchase price of Jenny and David's properties (yep, there are two) without them knowing. And that's crazy, because I asked Jenny what she would want for the property later if she were to sell. Then she said 5 million. I thought to myself that that was a good sum, but if everything here lasts and she really implements all her ideas, then that would be understandable. But then she said... no, now it's worth five million, when I'm done I won't sell it for less than $10.5 million." 10.5 million!!!!! Never in my life! (I know, never say never, but... ) Never in their life will such a rich person buy a house built like this. In addition to this unrealistic idea, it is an absurd price increase. Because even if I'm kind enough to round up the purchase price, they "only" paid a million for it if the information is correct. And now Jenny thinks that with two cabins and the leaning extension she has increased the value by four million?! This house already has so many places that absolutely need to be done. Leaks, water points, wood damaged by water, swollen and warped boards, etc...

Due to the length only one point. It is claimed on the internet that this lodge has a garden. This is not available. So it already exists, it just hasn't been done for over 5 years. There are isolated places everywhere that could be planted.

I would still do that too.

I'll keep it short: I would continue, it sounds like. stupid, but create a public Instagram account that simply shows lodge life throughout. The landscape is so incredibly beautiful and with social media you can reach so many people these days if you do it well. Like I said, I'm just rambling here and it's probably more difficult than I thought. 😅 You could also record videos again and again with the drone. The first few hours in the morning are sometimes so magical with the fog and the rising sun... And of course you could check out my construction site successes there. 😁

I would also make the cabins mouse safe. It is unbelievable that people are exposed to the danger of having mice in their bed for the price.

Out of my own interest, I would permanently put the two caravans in the parking lot. So that employees can live there permanently and do not have to suddenly move spontaneously. That's annoying. What's more, they don't disturb the field of vision. I've always refused the caravan because they're over 800 meters away and I definitely don't want to walk that far to use the toilet or shower. There would also be a bathroom right next to the parking lot and you would be in the WiFi area. I have more ideas, but the blog is already very long. 😅

Oh...why I didn't implement some points myself, such as the garden and/or the bicycle shed. No thanks, I know Jenny won't like it because it wasn't her idea and therefore she doesn't want it. I just remember the table leg. I would really like to change or clean up a lot of things here on the premises, but no, I don't want to sacrifice my free time for that anymore.

So I shorten the week and jump to Friday. Because on Friday I had to saw a piece of chipboard to size for a new project. This was wavy due to the wet storage, so my circular saw got jammed very quickly. Jenny came straight away and explained to me what I was doing wrong again and how to do it better. I couldn't take it anymore and told her that I didn't ask. Then she did what? Correct explained it to me again and explained to me again why she wanted to explain it to me. Whereupon I told her again that I hadn't asked. Well, she was a bit pissed off after I “hit” her a bit. She wasn't used to that. She used my lack of sleep as an excuse for my tone. I actually have a bit of it at the moment because of a squirrel, but that would go beyond the scope (but I think it's told at the beginning of the audio). But once again she didn't see that she was... the problem is and she doesn't have to share her ideas with me over and over again unless I ask her. After all, I ask when I have a QUESTION and don't want an explanation out of nowhere when I don't have one.

Phew, that was pretty Jenny-y, I just realized. I'm excited to see how the audio recording turns out. 😂

The weekend came as a very good change, because this time David and I went to Bella Coola together. On the way there we stopped at two spots that were known for grizzly bears and what can I tell you - I saw six (!) grizzly bears that day❤️🐻🥰. Once a mother with her two boys. It is incredible to be able to observe these animals from 15 - 20 meters. They are so impressive and beautiful and I am so incredibly grateful to be able to see these animals in nature. The face is really sugar and also the little ears and when the two boys played with each other, that was just sweet! ❤️😍Unfortunately, David may have brought broken batteries with him, so we couldn't use the camera and had to use the old binoculars + cell phone method. 😁 It really is an absolute gift to be able to see this nature from this perspective. We arrived in Bella Coola in the late afternoon without any brakes overheating. Why were we there anyway? David & Jenny have a pretty nice boat there (we're not talking about wasting money here), which only has one problem: it doesn't work. ⛴ But so that someone can take a look, David and I spent a night there. And do you know what I heard for the first time there...sea seals. You might be thinking. Seals sound cute, but no! No shit, they sound like the zombies from The Walking Dead. If David hadn't told me that they were seals, I would have thought otherwise. It sounded really super scary at times. But we spent the day there while sea eagles and seagulls flew by and the seals poked their heads out of the water just in front of the boat. The view was also great. The fjords with the light of the setting sun. If you drove along the fjords for an hour, you would be at the ocean. But since the boat wasn't working, we spent the night in the harbor, which was surprisingly really pleasant. I didn't think there was so much space on a boat.

The next day (this Sunday) we cleaned the boat a bit and then crawled through the window one last time. Unfortunately, this was necessary because the lock had become too rusty due to the salt water (neither Jenny nor David had been there for over a year) and the door could not be opened.

Since the camera wasn't working and it was raining, we didn't stop at the spots again, but we did see a mother bear with her cub. It was so small, it must have been born this year. I can't tell you how cute it is when a little bear scratches his little button nose with his little paws. Then my heart melts. It was incredibly sweet!

Here I have summarized the video recordings of the last bears. Sometimes it's nicer to see videos instead of pictures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ke8PanUuKc

Unfortunately I don't know why the video stalls all the time. Sorry.

Oh, and by the way, I was allowed to drive the Jeep back. But I have to say I like the truck more. This is a little heavier on the road and is easier to steer. The Jeep sometimes “jumps” when the super highway had a few waves and that was always a moment of shock, especially when driving on a slope. 😂 But still nice to drive. It's really cool what kind of driving experience I can gain here.

Somehow I noticed that most of the blog today was about Jenny. Such a crap. 😁 I would like to say again that I am still grateful to be here. Nature compensates for the time with Jenny. And I hope that despite all this topic, people don't forget that I simply saw ten bears over the last two weekends. TEN! How cool is that! And not in a zoo, but 20 meters away in nature! And these are the moments that I will remember and they are simply unbelievable, impressive, beautiful, overwhelming, unique, phenomenal, ... ❤️🐻

And with this strong news I end the blog.

Dig in.

Until next week

Samuel