On my path from Saskatchewan to Alberta, I was on some back roads that lead me right by this laundromat and it just so happened that I was running out of clean clothes so I stopped by for a wash. I hang dry almost all my clothes so it was a multiple hour ordeal. I was working on my laptop and drinking a beer when an old school mechanic (I believe his name was Clint) started crawling under my van talking to himself looking at how the van was frankensteined. I popped my head out, saw what was happening and walked to the front and he just went to town complementing and criticizing every little piece. We ended up talking long enough for my clothes to dry and then invited me over to his house / work / salvage yard to show me some vans and offer some parts. His assistant picked us up some Wendys and we had dinner inside his house where there were car parts, newspaper and mouse (alive) littered across the kitchen. After being alone on the road for over a month, it was a very nice change of pace. These are the moments I live for, when a complete stranger connects with you, invites you over and feeds you. This reminds me of the old days where human connection was sought after and not turned away.
In Calgary, I rock climbed on campus, skated the downtown park, and made a plan to explore the Candian Rockies. Calgary really reminded me of a Denver with fresh new buildings and an outdoor forward mentality/lifestyle.
Exploring both Banff and Jasper
In order to properly explore Maligne Lake in Jasper, you needed to win a lottery for a permit. Well when you're on the road and your van breaks down every day, it is really hard to plan your dates accordingly. Karen and I ended up sneaking onto the lake and stealth camping in the woods after paddling 11 miles and exploring Spirit Island.
There were shuttle boats that would drive pretty quickly on the lake. They were supposed to slow down whenever they saw a kayaker but I think they actually sped up. The wakes they created were pretty bad and almost capsized us a couple of times. When we were docked at our makeshift campsite, a group of kayakers pulled up to hang out and then decided to leave and as they were getting into their kayaks, a shuttle boat blasted by and waked the shore and a woman fell into the 39°F water. After being fully submerged, she jumped up, stripped down to her underwear and her friends helped her get warm with blankets and new clothes. The park stresses that you have minutes to get warm otherwise you risk hypothermia.
The next day, we climbed half way up the wall to get a better view of the lake. We were exhausted from the
We noticed the last 2 days that it gets very windy during the day so in order to have a peaceful 9 mile paddle back to the van, we should get up early and start paddling while the lake is glass. That morning, there was fog everywhere and very scenic. It made paddling hard because all I wanted to do is take photos.
Later that day, we decided to hike along the Sunwapta River to Fortress Lake, stopping along the way to camp. The views were top notch and the vibes were pretty good.
After 7 days of no showers, it was finally time to go back into town with Karen, drop her off and take a shower. The van needed a new drive shaft so I dropped it off with a mechanic while I rented a car and drove down to Glacier in Montana, checking out more of Banff and Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada.
Once I got the van back, I checked out Dinosaur Provincial Park & Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
