Time Flies

My easy camp life came to an end in the middle of September.  It was a bit of an adjustment for me.  I had to remember to buy food and remember how to cook again!  Anyone got a good recipe for toast?  Or KD?

My fire base camp had officially closed a few days earlier and all the firefighters, kitchen and cleaning staff were gone.  Crews were still day-basing at that location, so it was not really abandoned when I hooked up the fifth wheel and bumped down the 5km of dusty gravel road before hitting the highway to unemployment, and freedom.

I had already repaired and replaced the electric brake wiring that the rabbits (?) had chewed off while I was camped on the airstrip, but I thought it was time to get the wheel bearings re-packed.  Since a place in Rocky Mountain House had the best price when I checked a couple years ago, I dropped it off there on the way home.

It was a good summer job, but it was nice not to have to count the days before returning, and I was glad to be free once again.  Besides, the grass at home still needed mowing, the deck needed sealing, and Hailey had mice to catch.

Once at home however, it wasn’t long before the urge to wander returned, so the truck camper was recruited from it’s spot beside the house, and we were off to Banff, Lake Louise and area to visit some friends, check out the scenery, and enjoy the first weekend not working all summer!

I even acted as a tourist for a while, and went for a stroll up Johnston Canyon before the crowds got too thick.

On the return trip home I decided to take the somewhat remote Trunk road, and was lucky enough to run into a group of wild horses.  They were right at roadside, but by the time I got stopped and whipped out my phone for a photo, they had moved off a bit.

  

It was a very enjoyable drive on a beautiful fall day, and I checked out a few side roads and potential camp spots as well.

On the home front, I had an old HP laptop that had refused to boot up no matter how many times I tried it.  I was pretty sure I had most of the important files off of it, but you never know for sure.  On a whim, just before tossing it in the recycle bin, I tried it one more time and what do you know!  It booted up just fine – several times.  But on the first successful boot, I hooked it to a remote drive and backed up absolutely everything.  Whew!

I thought I was done with work for quite some time, but then I got a call from a guy who needed some photos – from the air.  So I spent a few hours on my next weekend (!) taking some, and lets just say that my new flat screen TV is rather nice.  Only problem is; now he is trying to convince me to spend some time up north of Ft McMurray this fall/winter making some more money.  Sounds cold to me.  I prefer my cold in a can by my lawn chair in Arizona, while wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

The fifth wheel is now back at home – providing me with my internet at home, like it does on the road.  But with overnight temps dipping below freezing sometimes now, I guess it is time to winterize – even if it is for only a few weeks.  Better safe than sorry.

 

When Ms Hailey spotted the 5th wheel back in the yard, she went right inside, and spent the next few hours there.  Perhaps she is trying to tell me something ;-).