Hi folks,
Some of you have already grumbled a bit because I haven’t been in touch for so long. But honestly, I’m way too busy. After all, I run a company with several female employees and one male employee, so I have a lot to do. Leopold, Leona Loewenfeld, Hilde, Ursula and Annie Way count on me.
Annie Way is the most trouble-free. Except she’s gotten pretty dirty lately. That’s because we haven’t had a downpour since the 62-hour continuous rain in Jasper. Ursula can’t even get her windshield clean at the gas station. If she does not forget to clean the windshield after refueling. Most of the time she forgets. Then she whines at me afterwards. What can I do about it, I’m the sloth!
The refueling works very well in the meantime. Ursula also already has the confidence to march into the store at co.op gas stations and say, “I have to pay inside, they don’t accept my credit card at the pump.” Until last week, she always left looking for another gas station, PetroCanada for example, or Esso or Mobil. But now we have also conquered co.op.
I still remember the disaster in Norway when AdBlue was due for refilling for the first time. Annie Way stunk for months after that. And those of you who know what AdBlue is can imagine what she stank of. That was not good.
In the meantime, Ursula has already refilled DEF twice. Professionally. And the few drops that missed didn’t end up in the interior of Annie Way. After all, on the ground outdoors is not a problem. Those of you who know what AdBlue is also know that it’s something that comes naturally.
Still, you don’t want to smell it. Or rather, that’s why you don’t want to smell it.
Annie Way doesn’t smell too bad for being on the road for two months already.
Everything is going very smoothly. I do my job really well. Leona and Leopold have also calmed down again, now they play a bit on old married couple. They joke a lot. They don’t particularly like the fact that they can’t see what’s happening when sitting on the passenger seat next to Ursula. But the fact that they are allowed to sit in the front is something they take a lot of pride in.
I am the voice from the background. And since I’m having so much fun with Hilde, time goes by even faster. When we drive, we always play “Who will see the next bear first?” By now we have seen so many black bears, including babies, that we have stopped counting. Leopold and Leona haven’t seen a single one yet – only the grizzly. That’s what you get for sitting in the front!
Since we barely have radio reception anymore, Ursula has attached a screw-shaped USB stick to one of the cables of Annie Way’s GPS-rear camera-radio, thinking that at least then it’s good for something. Navita is not at all familiar with Canada. Tom-Tommi is a bit more clever, but he doesn’t manage addresses, only the route to the city center of the particular village where we are going. Google takes us everywhere, right up to the campsite office. “You have arrived at your destination.” That’s why Ursula always uses her cell phone as GPS when she has Wi-Fi before she leaves.
So far we have found our way everywhere. Without any problems.
But I wanted to tell you about the USB stick that is now dangling from Navita. Ursula got it for her retirement. Last year in July. Although she was only starting her sabbatical. She did not officially retire until March 1, 2023.
On the USB stick there are 80 songs that her colleagues have chosen for her. They last for about 250 km.
What can I say … The songs themselves are not the problem. I took the liberty of noting that we’ve heard them a hell of a lot now. But Ursula does not listen to me. We drive away, and the songs start right where we stopped last time. If we go further than 250 km, then the whole thing starts all over again.
And what is even worse (a less well behaved sloth would use completely different words now) is the fact that the Ursula sings along. She gets better at the lyrics every time. There is hardly a song anymore where she has to switch to Lalala. So many times we have heard it all. I think that’s blatant sloth torture, but Ursula just says, “Sally, that’s the song Johanna chose for me. And that’s from Peter. And this one from Gabi. And that one is from Beate. And Dschi Dschei Wischer is from Markus.” I am powerless there. If I, as the boss, am simply ignored like that … but if Hilde were to make a wish, I would agree to it as well.
As for the quality of Ursula’s vocal performances, I can well understand that she has never seen a bear during her hikes. In fact, she sings when she walks. If I could, I would run away too. But I can’t. After all, I am the boss here.
What else was going on last month … We have already been on the road for two months. A third of the time in North America is over. At first I thought, half a year – that’s infinitely long. Folks, that’s not at all. Time is still flying by, and that’s despite the fact that we’re getting really comfortable.
Socks. In the meantime, Ursula is also a professional when it comes to dryers. She has black socks only. And a pair with bumblebees. Actually they are bees, but Ursula says they are bumblebees. Because she got them from a friend who likes bumblebees. Although the friend also said they are bees.
Recently, a pair of blue socks came out of the dryer. Wherever from. Since they were Ursula’s exact size, she took them with her and wears them occasionally. With the massive amount of socks in the sock bag, an extra pair doesn’t matter at all.
In Barkerville, she bought a T-shirt that said Barkerville. Purple of course. In the two days she’s been wearing it, she’s been addressed seven times, “You were in Barkerville!” And then people wanted to know what it was like and if it was worth going. Ursula always talked about it with great enthusiasm.
Ah yes, the gas problem. Is there a step up from a gas tank that is bolted way too tight? What is the worst case?
When the gas goes out exactly when it’s sub-zero, there’s snow outside, and it’s raining extremely hard. AT 11 pm. And you don’t want to open the back doors of Annie Way because a torrent of water will pour onto the mattress no matter how much plastic sheeting you put over the bed.
Of course, you could remove the mattress … Why didn’t Ursula come up with this idea?
Because she was pissed off when the heating went out.
First. But then she was like, “Sally, it’s going to be freezing tonight.” So she tucked us all in and gave herself four layers. It expresses the cold of a night in layers. Tonight will be a three-layer night, she says, if it’s above 5 degrees Celsius. Below that there are four layers, that is, two quilts and two sleeping bags. From 15 degrees she sleeps with only a quilt.
This gas-thing happened in Jasper. And who was on the site next to us in Jasper? – That’s right: Donna and Paul! (And briefly the grizzly. A little longer the Elks.) The next day, when the sun was shining, Paul appeared with the right tools, and it didn’t take long to solve the problem. Ursula connected the new propaine container herself so that she would be able to replace it. After that, they headed off to a hardware store and Ursula got herself an appropriate no-idea-what-that-is-called and has been looking very confidently to the future of gas supply ever since.
In Dawson Creek, a not-so-small small town, she had a little health problem. If I judge Ursula correctly, she waits in such cases until the problem solves itself. But something was different this time. She even did some research on the Internet and seemed a little nervous.
So off to find a doctor. Center number one: “We don’t take walk-ins. XY take walk-ins.” Okay.
XY heard in amazement that they take walk-ins. “No, not today. Next week again, you can make an appointment.”
Dawson Creek’s third health center was closed. For a moment Ursula thought about going to the hospital and asking for help.
But then she sat back and said, “Never mind, Sally, it’s nothing that’s particularly urgent. There’s plenty of time when I get home. It’ll take at least three days for someone to pick up at Andrea’s, and then they’ll give me an appointment in three weeks, but it still works out.” Andrea is her primary care physician, whom she visits once every few years, usually just to chat with her for a bit. Only before the trip she was there just as a precaution. That’s when Andrea wanted to give her a rabies vaccination in case she got bitten by an animal. Ursula said that if she is bitten by an animal in Canada or the USA, it will probably be a bear or a rattlesnake, so rabies would be the least of her problems. Andrea accepted this. – And as for Ursula’s health, she waited until the problem solved itself. The day after the search for a doctor everything was okay again.
Speaking of animals. Besides the bears, what is the other animal that causes Ursula to flee into Annie Way and close the doors? And even set off Annie Way’s alarm to make the critter go away?
Well, guess what! What can it be? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not a mosquito.
Would you like another hint? No butterfly.
No Elk or moose either … Did you know that moose are about as tall as Annie Way? And when Ursula is sitting in Annie Way and an Elk walks by (which has happened several times), they are eye-to-eye! Yet an Elk is much smaller than a moose!
So, back to the beast that drove Ursula back into Annie Way in the middle of the most beautiful forest.
And if someone wants to etch now: No, it is not the sloth.
It’s a Red Squirrel, a stinkin’ squirrel.
Fact. Happened the other day. Ursula was sitting on Pink Mountain in front of Annie Way in her comfortable chair eating noodle soup. Then a squirrel appeared on a branch and insulted her. Loudly. And then the squirrel came down from the tree and hopped toward Ursula, scolding. Ursula scolded back, but the squirrel didn’t care. It simply jumped on the back of the chair. That’s when Ursula grabbed her soup plate and spoon and fled into Annie Way. Before she could even put things on the table, the squirrel was already on the step. But then Ursula showed the animal who is the boss in Annie Way – namely me! – and slammed the door.
She laughed and said, “Sally, just a minute ago I was trying to hang the bear bell on a branch so a bear wouldn’t show up … when what I needed was a squirrel bell! – That’s what people get for feeding animals!”
By the way, the squirrel did not give up. We could hear it making its way under Annie Way. Ursula finally activated Annie Way’s interior alarm by turning on the ignition. When the entrance step at the sliding door is extended, Annie Way starts to whine terribly so that you won’t drive away – would be much too dangerous.
That worked. As of now, we have a working squirrel alarm. The beast couldn’t believe it, though, and came back a little later, sat down on Ursula’s chair, which was still outside, and then climbed on Annie Way again. Ignition key in and slightly turned … This time the squirrel did not come back.
Meanwhile we are now so far north that we have less than six hours of darkness. Actually, it doesn’t really get dark anymore. And we are so far west that back home in Austria the day is almost over when we get up. And in Austria it is already the next morning when we go to bed. Nine hours time difference. That’s quite a lot.
Guys, I can’t tell you how much we are enjoying it here. The gang is working fine, everyone is doing their job, I’ll make sure of that. And what we get to see, Hilde and I – Leopold and Leona don’t, because they have to sit in front – is indescribable. Ursula said that sometimes she can’t believe all the things she experiences. We feel the same way.
The other day someone asked if Ursula was homesick. No, she isn’t. Not at all. But she’s totally looking forward to seeing the people she loves spending time with at home.
So, that was the latest news after two months in Canada. We are on the Alaska Highway. I am already curious. And relaxed at the same time. Canada-relaxed, so to speak.
Take care!
Yours, Sally