We don’t know how to be at home anymore. Without a job, or local mountains that are in season, of interest, and within Marta’s currently limited scrambling ability, we toil away on projects for month after month.
Marta got busy with her small laptop and very large second screen, publishing her books and editing videos.
I clean out the simulator room and build a serious warehouse for 25 year old car parts I take some time to help the less fortunate. Danny has only two Delicas, and they were both broken. Of course, he knew they were both broken when buying them, so you can’t have too much sympathy. Our two Canadian Delicas – Puma and Delicu get a major refresh. The problem with living in a van for months is you have lots of ideas for improvements.Some minor engine work on Delicu. Now when she breaks, it’s my fault.Even a little bit of time for flying.
We have to be back in Spain by mid-September, and the plan was always to spend the summer in far northern Canada, which I’ve never seen. Our plans to take friends from Poland with us (in the second Delica) fell through, a welcome simplification in my overcomplicated life.
We roll out of Calgary on July 4th, one day ahead of schedule. Puma (a 2000 Delica) has an 8000 lb winch and a serious steel bumper. Makes me feel a little safer when out in the 95% of Canada that is untamed wilderness. We take the Icefields Parkway north. Gorgeous, and it makes you wonder why we travel the world when there is so much beauty in our backyard.The town of Jasper is rebuilding after burning down in a forest fire in 2024. There is a lot of forest in Canada, and a lot of people who like living in the forest. Expect a lot more of this.
I flew into Jasper a week before it burned. That trip is documented here
Mount Robson is a beast, towering 3 km above us. On my glider trip two years ago, I got up close on that snowy face.The sign showing the indigenous name of Mount Robson. I appreciate low cost virtue signalling as much as the next guy, but I’d like to see some mountaineer call for rescue and use this name. At least Denali is an easily said and understood word.At our riverside camp spot, we meet these nice people who share their fire and beer. He’s a industrial automation engineer, and told us about the sensors and logic used to make sure you don’t accidentally pick up the locomotive when dumping out train loads of coal.
He also tells us about the remote areas we are driving to. Turns out there are places in Canada where white folks are not welcome.
We drive 40km up a logging road by McBride and struggle up BC brush for hours to get up in the alpine. Wow we are out of shape.Naska (the dog) is going to PatagoniaThe next day we go for a walk on a trail. Yes, Marta is actually on a published trail in this photo. This nasty plant belongs in the Baja, not in the soft undergrowth beneath 500 year old cedars54 degrees latitude. Will be interesting to contrast to 64 degrees.
Marta and Chester's Maleficent Adventures 