This was last weekend, at Bow Lake on the Icefields Parkway. So cold and windy that even the ravens were just sitting tucked against the ground, their beaks towards the wind. Though it didn’t stop them from hanging out in parking spots hoping for handouts from tourists.

There was a lot of snow on the ground, and the road was icy – a long way from the conditions in our valley, where it really hasn’t been snowing much, and is continuing to be suspiciously warm for this time of the year.

Where can you see squirrels?
Only in Canmore
Come to Canmore we’ve got squirrels
Where can you see cougars?
Only in Canmore
Got squirrels and cougars only in Canmore
Forget Kenya

Caaanmoooore
Oh Canmooore
Where the grizzlies are
And the mule deer
Canmore Canmore Canmore Caanmoooore
Canmore we’re going to Canmore
Can ya believe it

(Anyone who is confused by this, you can go here for some sort of explanation. If you are still confused, best not to worry about it.)

I’ll take Places With Snow On Them for 800 thanks Alex.

Approaching: Halloween, moving house, the ski hill opening, ice climbing season, pulling on plastic in the bouldering gym, back country ski trips, frozen lakes, temperatures in the minus 20s, Christmas.

Fast becoming distant memories: Visiting Australia, riding the single trail after work, rock climbing after work, daylight from 5.30am til 11pm, squirrels, calling out so bears wouldn’t eat me, scrambling up mountains, jumping into lakes.

“One cam can’t hold us all. You have to cut me loose… “

Seeing spindrift always reminds me of that classic climbing movie, Vertical Limit.

“Spindrift coming off the top.”
“That’s local. If something was coming in, it’d show on the other peaks.”
…
“I’m not gonna risk a storm. Not at 26,000.”

There’s not much point to this post other than to show off our mountains. They are becoming increasingly snow-covered. Come November I’ll probably be moving to the dark side of the valley (up underneath thum thare snowy mountains), so you’ll get to see more of the other mountains – won’t that be exciting?

I should be asleep – can this possibly still be jet-lag or has it crossed the boundary into random insomnia?

When we first bought our Jeep, we knew that it required a little wiggling to get it into 4WD, and that the electric seats weren’t currently working (although the seller swore they were working just last week). And that you couldn’t put the driver’s side window down too far or it would get stuck in the door. And that none of the interior lights were working. And that there was no jack or nut wrench, the rear brakes would need to be replaced soon, one of the brake lights was missing a globe, the spare tyre was flat and one of the other tyres had a slow leak.

After we bought it we found out that the passenger seatbelt didn’t work. And that it was currently sopping wet underneath the carpet. And the reason the electric seats weren’t working was that the copper terminals under the seats had turned to green dust (possibly thanks to the water). So we ripped out the seats and dried everything, fixed the corroded wires, bought new light bulbs, got the tyres fixed, got a new seatbelt at the wreckers, bought a jack and a nut wrench, and threw a bit of wood in the door so the window couldn’t go down far enough to get stuck.

Not long after that we had to get a new rear brake drum and cylinder. Then the window started playing up and getting stuck even when it wasn’t all the way down. And now there seems to be a wire loose (or an electrical problem?) so sometimes the windscreen wipers and indicators don’t work. Oh, and it’s taken to stalling at low revs. But it still always goes when I turn it on, so really, what do I have to complain about? Besides, it’s just more encouragement to cycle places instead.

Sunset from Auckland airport.

I kept worrying we weren’t making enough noise and that bears would come and get us. Then I remembered that it was alright, there was nothing but the deadly poisonous snakes. And they’re nowhere near so good at climbing trees as the bears.