Oh So Close!

The wait is rapidly coming to an end! The ski field here opens this friday coming, just under 1 week away! Hell yeah!

We have had a really interesting transition over the last month into what feels like true winter for me. We had our first snow in town a few weeks back. The night it first fell at home we were like a bunch of 5 year old kids on Christmas morning, it was so exciting. Since then it snowed more, a whole lot more really! Our street is quiet and small and doesn't get a lot of attention from the snow plough chaps. It has become common for there to be a good 10cm (sometimes more) on our street. The temps plummeted for a while a week back, as we were getting some artic blasts coming down from the north. We were getting down to about -20 degrees. One day at work while servicing the outside spa it was -8, and I think the coldest I rode my trusty little bike to work was about -13. Riding the bike has been pretty exciting though as there was a fair bit of ice built up on the road and carparks (a couple of sections were like riding over a bumpy ice rink - good times!!) Made it a bit of a challenge - fun though! In the last few days the temp has risen to be a bit more comfortable. Conversation at work the other morning just after I arrived at about 845am seems a bit ridiculous looking back:

Me (whilst making my morning coffee): ....what a beautiful morning eh, and the temperature has definitely risen.
Erin (who has been at work for a couple of hours already): Yeah, its only -7 this morning, looks like we are coming out of the cold snap.
Me: Really! I thought it had warmed up a bit. Its so much more comfortable out there.

It wasn't until I thought about what I had said, saying how comfortable -7 was! Ha, ridiculous! It was only a few months back where 30 was a comfortable temp!

Since then we have had some epic dry snow in town, probably somewhere around 30cm in the last 2 days. Its chaos, the roads disappear, and the whole town transforms into a winter wonderland. Lovin it!

Have managed a couple of days on the board so far. We did a trip a few hours east for a days riding at Lake Louise a week ago. They didn't have a lot of snow but it was a mean day to get back on the board after about 14 months or so off, and we had a super fun crew so made for a rad day. Got out yesterday for my first ever urban jib session. With enough snow in the streets in town here there is every opportunity to go and play on little features. We hit the skatepark for an hour or two playing on the little half pipe and then some boxes followed by a fun hip someone had built in amongst some trees. Good times really. One little stack for the day, good to get the first one out of the way for the season. Hopefully not too many more to come....! haha

So come next Friday our lives here are going to change quite dramatically. I have arranged hours with work to be able to ride 4-5 days a week which I'm pumped for. It feels like everyone is about to wake up and go nuts, as this is what we have been waiting for and what we came for!

So camera has grown some little plastic legs and gone for a walk. Will find the little fella soon and get some pics up here to give you all a hint of the Revelstoke snow as it is now, but attached are a couple from the last month or two. Halloween and backyard firepit we got at home. I'll hold off on the winter pics until I can go chase a few good shots!

Peace

Got Work - Now the Wait...

Work came along in Revelstoke! Been at a hotel called Days Inn for about 4 or so weeks now. Job number 7 for the year happens to be.......housekeeping!! haha Seemed there was not too much going but they took me on. So plan is to crank out as much work pre season to get a little savings together. Come the season I am super keen to cut back on hours hard! When the snow hits my job changes a bit. Getting a parking job at the hotel for all the sledders who come in, and just the maintenance guy job I think - just maintaining the spas and fixing shit. This would be mint as parking is 3.30 - 10 or so at night, and then one full day of maintenance a week, so..........5 or 6 days of riding a week! Gona be so good!

Have hit a couple of hikes too. Revelstoke is a great place! The hills are mint and massive. Hiked 1300 vert meters to a glacier a week ago with my buddy Sean (in the pic). It was amazing! Revelstoke is really just what I was looking for I think. Everyone is predicting a massive snow winter which is mean. Hope it all comes together. Had our first dusting up the hills night before last, getting pumped!!

Anyways, for now I am becoming mean at making beds and scrubbing dunnies. haha not much to report on, laying low and (trying) to save cash. Mean.

Revelstoke

All has happened fairly quickly since leaving Calgary. I arrived in Revelstoke and have really fallen in love with it. Seems like a small town nestled at the bottom of a ski-field that has 1700m vert (boom!!) that seems to revolve around adventure outdoor living year round. It is a real town without the "resort" feel of many other ski towns seem to have. Quiet right now but definitely will get its hustle on when the season is on. Had a few nights out on the beers with some good entertainment coming from it

Have moved into a place with 4 others that i met at the backpackers. a few Canadians and an Ozy chap. its mint. one other Canadian fella to come. so will be a good size flat and everyone is keen on the ski-bum lifestyle so should be ideal. photos to will come...

On the hunt for work and right now am more or less ready to do anything. I'm sure something ideal will pop up soon. Until then life is sweet job hunting and enjoying the home I have decided on for winter. Got a mean feeling about the upcoming months!! Time to hit the fitness again to get some shape back for the season. Bring it all on!! Yeow!

I Met Jesus In Calgary

Has been some time since my last post. Pretty much spent some time chilling down in Oliver at Rick's campground. It was mint and cheap. Got some river tubing in - tick. Climbed a big hill for a sweet view - tick and other than that just chilled in the sun for about a week.

Then went up to Summerland and became a roofer for a week. I now know how to re-shingle a roof, kind of....

Then Laura who I know from QT came through, picked me up and took me to Penticton where her Auntie and Uncle (Carl and Wendy) put us up in the Casino and took us out sailing on Lake Okanagan - tick!! After the sailing and a couple nights in the casino which included drinking too much, Laura and I had no idea what to do. Laura was deciding whether to head East to go home for school and I was unemployed and keen for something new. Ended up missioning East with Laura, having a wreckless night in Banff and then another night in Calgary. It just happened.

Today I decided to boost back into the mountains, the real mountains! The rockies are amazing!! Have arrived in a town called Revelstoke and think its gona be a mint place to chill while winter rolls in and then maybe for winter, we'll see. So I have checked in and job hunt starts tomorrow. Nice.

But story of this post. TODAY I MET JESUS. I roll into the Greyhound station in Calgary this today, get a ticket and head to the cafe to grab some lunch. A guy who looks like half homeless and half biker guesses I'm from NZ and says "lets grab a table and shot the shit while we wait for our busses. I'll teach you about around here and you can teach me about your home". I had time to kill so thought why not. Anyway, long story short this fella tells me he is actually Jesus and I am safe cause he has decided I'm a good guy. But to stay in Calgary cause it isn't safe anywhere else! This is all the while he challenges me to an arm wrestle, shows me his wallet which has "Drink Fight Fuck" embroided on it, he drinks beers, goes out to smoke every now and again, and describes how he got himself admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he defeated Satan who is now in chains for eternity! I am not kidding, this guy was 100% serious. I thought he was great.

Taking It Easy And Hitching In Oliver

So I got some work, more or less!! I went up to Summerland last Thursday (awesome name for a town) for a days roofing with Dan, a friend of Katie's (a sweet girl I met on the bus between Whistler and Vancouver). It was all good and looks as though Dan can give me work through September starting in a week. Nice.

However, this post is more about getting between Oliver and Summerland. They are about maybe 60km apart.

To get up to Summerland for the days work on Thursday I caught a ride with Robin (mentioned Robin last post). I went hiking with his group on the way up to Summerland, of which the average age is about 60! Was good fun though.

After work on Thursday and learning the job won't start for a week or so I decided to go back to Oliver to relax for the week. So threw the thumb out for... A dude, about 65yrs old, in his beat up pickup truck and dressed like a hippy pulls over. Great I think, throw my pack in the tray, climb into the cab where he has ZZ Top blearing from the cassette player. I yell "I'm heading to Oliver" and he yells back "Oliver Express" and thats all we say, for 10 mins anyway. The dude then turns the music down and asks if I have anything to smoke!! haha classic. As it turned out I did so we had a cheeky smoke. The rest of the trip I spent listening to this old fella tell me crazy stories of him taking rich American woman into the woods, getting them hammered on magic mushrooms and having a "good time with them" Sounded kinda creepish but was funny to listen too! Then this poor fella has to put up with these woman forever writing to him telling him they love him! Hilarious!! He then invited me to his place to check out his 1960's snowmobiles of which I had heard all about in detail....crack up times, crack up dude!!

Then went back up to Summerland yesterday with Katie and her brother Jamie (they were in Oliver on holiday) to spend the night with Dan and his wife Toni and their son, plus two young nephews they were looking after. Was a good day and night.

Katie and her bro headed back to Vancouver today so I hitched back to Oliver again. I got picked up by a good Indian fella who was driving a sweet 1970s something hotrod pickup. Nice. Anyways, not too much longer he picks up another hitchhiker. Nothing funny about this except the guy was a full blown cowboy! So here I am, sitting between the cowboy and Indian in a red hotrod pickup....! Thought it was fairly comical!

Anyways, more r+r for me for the next few days. Hoping the work will kick off during next week at some stage. We will see.

To Oliver

So as mentioned we finished work at the cherry orchard on monday and I managed to buy the bike off that Quebec guy - Joeslyn. So last day at the cherry orchard camp we all got up for communal pancakes, then we tidied up camp, got our pay cheques, bottles of wine, and pizza and all hung out for a few hours and got mildly drunk in the sun. Was cool but as per usual sucked saying bye to some really top people, but thats how it goes.

So with my 20ish kg pack on my back i jumped on my bike and headed south, with intentions of making it to Oliver. I must have rode about 30km, mostly on track when i discovered two things about the bike (which I knew when i bought it but didn't think too much about it), 1) it was far too small; 2) the seat which was pretty hammered was super uncomfotable, especially when you got the weight of the pack too! So I made it as far as a lake called Vaseaux Lake and camped for the night. Beautiful lake and I had food with me so it was all good!

Left Vaseaux Lake this morning, only to rediscover an uncomfortable bike and a sore ass from the previous day (jean shorts aren't real good riding attire) so managed maybe another 10km before i retired my little stallion at a fruit stand on the side of the road. Someone will love it again! Anyways, hitched a lift the rest of the way to Oliver with a guy Jaret. He was cool, invited me to some nurses party tomorrow night in Oliver. haha Said he'll introduce me to many woman! So I may have to attend, if I'm in town!! Then meet a joker called Robin when I went to his motel to ask rates. It was too expensive but then he drove me 3km to his buddies campground which is mint and cheap, and gave me a bike to use. Ideal!! So while I was chillin with Robin (who is 63) he asked me if I wanted to go hiking with his club up in Penticton tomorrow, and then I recieved a call about work up in Penticton so tomorrow I'll go hiking with Robin and the hiking club tomorrow, then meet Toni about the work. Will probably stay in Penticton if the work is all go! Toni said on the phone they need someone immediately! Good news!

So after tomorrow I'll either have a couple weeks work in Penticton or I'll come back to Oliver and party with some nurses! haha Either way I am happy, we shall see...

The Cherries in Penticton

One week later and I am still in Penticton (well, a 45min walk out of Penticton) on the same cherry orchard. Turns out I'm not cherry picking sensation!! haha in fact I am very slow at picking therefore I earn very little!! haha But while living is more or less free while we work it makes it worth while! And have had a blast with everyone. I know say good morning and good night in french and can swear a little....

So our last day on the orchard was meant to be yesterday but there is still more cherries so last day is tomorrow. Then we get paid out on Monday. Plan from there is a little hazy. I hope to buy a bike off this Quebec guy ($30 for a speed demon!! Sweet rig!!)and then i think i can just ride town to town with my stuff on my back and camp here and there and maybe pick up more orchard work from time to time. My masterplan is to now stay in the Okanagan region till end of September and then make my way to Fernie as all the winter jobs come on line in October.

Not much news from last week though. Have been pretty much work the morning away then chill at the lake or go on exploratory walks in the avo. I am loving it!! And definitely looking forward to wherever I end up next, maybe a town called Oliver. Sounds beautiful! Will write it when it happens...

Cherry Picking Sensation

I have to start this post by finishing off my tent saga story...

So the morning rolled around where I thought I was gona get this tent off the garage sale girl. Well, turned out she was in a completely different town about an hour up the road! haha so that fell through. But earlier that morning i landed a job just out of a town called Penticton, about an hour south of Kelowna. I organised a ride with these 4 fellas, all from either Quebec or France so they all spoke french and just enough english that we could communicate. So tentless I headed south with 5 of us jammed in a VW Jetta (small sedan) with packs and tents. Tight.

Lucky for me one of them was jumping on a bus to go somewhere else so I asked to buy his tent which he sold to me. So stoked! So Im not wet if it rains...:) My tent saga ended!!

So I have work at a cherry farm. Pretty much I turned up at the farm on Friday avo with these random french dudes that gave me a lift, got a rundown from the orchard owner on how it works then got pointed where to go camp. Must be about 30 pickers staying. Its pretty much tents in amongst the orchards with a little run down shed with kitchen, lounge and bathroom. So I set up camp, meet everyone and soon discover everyone speaks French. Most are from over Quebec way! haha I'm definitly a minority and everyone laughs when I say I'm from NZ and don't speak French, but everyone knows enough English to communicate. So anyway, everyone is "hippyish" i would say. So its like im living in a french hippy commune. haha everyone seems to just smoke pot, pick cherries, smoke more pot, eat and sleep. Then cause we cant pick past 1pm (start at 5am) cause of the heat every afternoon is more or less down to the lake for swimming, more sleeping and yep, more pot smoking! Looks like this week may be a bit of a hazy and relaxed one. Good fun though!

Turns out you can make money picking cherries if you like! I have only done one day, and because I am very amatuer I was also very slow, and you're paid by bucket picked. So my first day, 6.5hrs work and I made a cool $31 or so! haha what a laugh. Will see if I improve by Thursday, if not maybe fruit picking isn't such a good idea! haha its nice chilled work in the sun though :) the good people must make about $160 a day, and what makes it good is you just camp so no accommodation costs! so can be good, i just need to get faster!

So will be doing this till thursday then back hunting for more work. ideal! till then....

A Fucking Tent!!!

So made it to Kelowna. This place is sweet. Way smaller chilled city. Have pretty much been searching for work, which there seems to be plenty of in the area. Story of the day however belongs to the tent I need....

So I got a job picking cherries, 2 weeks work, perfect. I thought I'd hold off getting a tent till I got a job so I didn't buy one unnecessarily. So I get a job, its an hours drive out of town in a place called Salmon Arm (I think). I organise a ride and have about 4 hours to find a tent. Easy, hit Walmart, Canadian Tyre and Zellers, all big department stores and all out at the city mall. Good amount of walking between each. EVERYONE is sold out. Shit. I run out of time before my lift goes for my job, so I have to let the job go. Fuckers. So I decide I need the tent still. Get a bus to Westgate (West Kelowna), hit all the same shops again with shitloads of walking, all sold out! I sat down in the isle in the last store I was in and just swore. Hung over, hungry as all hell and dehydrated as a romans sandel after walking prob close to 10kms for the day in jandels. I was shitted. So thought, fuck it, won't let it get me down. Thought Ill just go to Pinticton tomorrow (more work down there) and surely they'll have a tent somewhere. That was the plan....

Just discovered a website (craigslist.ca - anyone coming to canada needs this saved to their favourites list). Emailed a girl who is having a garage sale just out of chance they had a tent. They do!! Saved. Sorting it now but gona try pick it up tomorrow. Who would have thought a tent could be such an ass.

So deciding now if I go to Penticton tomorrow or not. I think I probably will, sounds mint down there, and theres Katies mates who maybe keen to hire me to help with some roofing. Mean. Or otherwise vineyards and orchards galore!

Best sort my shit out. Sweet!

Whistler tackled

Boosted form Vancouver up to Whistler. Have been there for the last week. Stayed with Dani who has settled in there for an unknown amount of time. So crashed at hers in the staff accommodation which was mint and she has some rad housemates. Weather was mint and hot for most the time I was there so made it super easy to get out and explore the place. Dani had a few days off so showed me around spots she had discovered. Managed to get up the mountain and do the peak to peak gondola. The amount of terrain up there is mad and that gondola is loose! Will be a crazy winter destination! Explored the the Lost Lake area one day on bikes which was really cool. And managed to get up in the bike park one day too, which is your loose downhill riding on bikes that aren't short of motorcross bikes without the motor! We geared up with all the armor and hit it. Absolutely loved it!! So much fun hitting all the jumps and going down some crazing insane terrain and having the bike do half the work for you. haha Took one stack and paying for it still with a bit of missing skin, but in the words of my mate Alex, if you don't take one spill during your day you weren't pushing it hard enough!

Also had a few nights out in Whistler. Caught up with my other buddy Laura who was in great form! One night after she finished work ew were were gona hang out over ONE beer, that turned into me getting home at 130am and pretty wobbly on my feet! Sums Whistler up! Helped that the bairmaid new Laura and fed us shots all night. Good times!! Party scene there is pretty sweet and full on, but at the end of the day its just more people drunk in another pub or club blowing a tonne of cash. Not to say that isn't a whole lota fun but yeah...!! haha

Decided Whistler (and i did suspect this from what I had heard of it) was a bit too much of a resort for me, and was a bit too commercial. Was mint to go and play for a week but not somewhere I'd like to spend my season. Think I'd either kill myself or go completely broke living there! Still dreaming of a slightly smaller 'real' town. The dream remains.

So anyhow, have left Whistler. Boosted back to Vancouver and got my SIN (tax) number. Had my mate Sus put me up for the night. Her parents were super nice, slept in the most comfortable bed of my trip so far and her Mum made me ANZAC biscuits! So stoked! Then took a bus up to a city called Kelowna, where I am now. There are a lot of farms, orchards and wineries up here so hoping to get a little bit of work, would be nice to get work through till maybe September/October but will wait and see what comes up. Met a girl on the bus between Whistler and Vancouver. She was awesome and chatty, her name is Katie and is gona chat to friends of hers up here about some work for me, so maybe something will come of that. Will wait and see.

Right now I have to update my resume and start applying for work, so until next time. Out

loose beginnings in Vancouver

Made it to Vancouver. This place is sweet! Staying at SameSun hostel, right in town amongst all the pubs. Got here, met a chap Chris from Oz, got on the beers. Sus picked us up for her friends birthday so met a whole lot of Vancouvanites. Was an epic night. Drunk too much cider and paying for it now! haha Sus was a mad amount of fun, thanks for the introduction Hails!!

Everyone here is so friendly. Going on a walking tour with a couple of new buddies shortly then some mad fireworks display tonight. Mint!! I love this place!

jumping Toronto, Niagara and NYC

Boosted to Toronto from Singapore. Toronto for one night which seemed cool with me because as far as I could tell the city lacked a bit of character. Never mind though, maybe I just missed it....

Boosted down to Niagara Falls for Mike and Julies wedding after Toronto. Was there for 2 nights. Niagara Falls is somewhat epic! Huge falls, mass water, big noise etc. Its the sort of thing a photo will never do justice. Mike and Julies wedding was epic, went without a hitch. A good celebration of loooove. The reception was mean. Met heaps of crazy Canadians and partied. Think I'm gona fit in.

Took a train down to NYC after Niagara. NYC is outa control! It is massive and so unbelievably busy. Times Square is so awesome and bright. Statue of Liberty is sweet, good boat ride out there. Ground Zero was disappointing only in the sense its a construction site while they build Trade Tower 1. Wall St was choice, just all so grand and big. Checked out Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Mueseum. Sweet building. Saw Chicago on Broadway last night, and going to Comedy Club tonight. Mint! Oh, and highlight of NY, beautiful (although very 'city') woman everywhere!! Lovin strolling the streets! Vancouver tomorrow. Choice.

As far as Singapore

I intended on starting this when I first left NZ on my journeys. Didn't happen. All good though, the year has trucked on and it is July and I am just starting a really exciting part of my year.

From March through till the beginning of July I have been staying with my parents on Groote Eylandt to earn some cash and check their world out. Groote is in the Gulf of Carpentaria up in the Northern Territory of Australia. I worked for a local freight company which included helping with Vincent Aviation at the airport and also at the local club called Alyangula Recreation Club where I spent many hours kicking it in the bottleshop. Both good social jobs which meant I got to meet a lot of good people.

A sure highlight of time on Groote was my first dabble at playing AFL footy for the local team, called the Alyangula Swans. Although many games were canceled due to fighting and tension on the field, when we did play it was awesome! Great team of lads too.

I am now in Singapore staying in Little India at a hostel called the Inncrowd. Very cool little hostel and Little India is a magic area. I am only here for three days but have managed to check out the zoo, the shopping up Orchard Rd, and Sentosa Island. Highlight would have to be the man made standing wave on Sentosa Island. Not easy but stacks of fun.

Tomorrow I fly to Toronto via Dubai and will be meeting up with friends from back home for Mike Butwells wedding at Niagara Falls. Gona be a massive few days!