Oh, how beautiful is Canada!

First things first - and whoever follows us on Instagram will of course already know - we are in Canada!!! The first days in Canada were already very exciting, we get to know very nice people, visit Joss ’ "old home" and enjoy nature and this unbelievably wide sky. We are already through British Colombia and Alberta. Now we're driving through Manitoba, which is no longer so exciting. But first things first ...

After we weren't allowed to enter Canada on September 2nd, we meandered along the Canadian border to the east. On September 8th we started our second attempt to enter Canada. At the border crossing in Kingsgate, Idaho, all the officers were very nice this time too and since we had all the correct documents and negative Covid tests, they let us in this time. We were over the moon! But of course also a little sad - so the days in the USA are over for now. On the first evening we find a great place to stay at a small creek, where we went to cool off the next morning ... and our neighbors even bring us fresh banana pancakes for breakfast. Oh, how beautiful is Canada!

So now we are here in British Columbia. The landscape is just as you imagine it to be, only much nicer - our places to stay are postcard-like and the people we meet are super friendly. Since we were only able to enter with a one-week delay, we unfortunately have to skip Vancouver Island and therefore drive through the Rocky Mountains towards Three Hills. Why Three Hills? Good question ... Joss lived near Three Hills 24 years ago and was helping with harvest work there for 3 months. He was 17 at that time and we now want to visit the place again - who knows, maybe there is someone there that Joss knows ... but before that we end up in such great places that Bob Ross would certainly have liked 😉. For example, we learn of "secret" hotsprings from our camp neighbor. To get there you walk through the forest for half an hour and then relax in the beautiful hot springs - always armed with bear spray, of course, as the neighbors saw a black bear about 200 yard from our camp in the morning. It is also unique to wake up early in the morning at the lake and watch the fog rising between the trees and over the lake - and this silence ...

We drive through Banff National Park and are fascinated by the mountains, even if the weather is a bit rainy at the moment. We're driving through Calgary to buy some more spare - and wear parts for Sir Quigley. From here we continue towards Three Hills.

It's Monday, September 13th, 2021 and we're heading from the small town of Beiseker to Three Hills, Alberta. After a short drive we already see the place-name sign and take the exit. We drive through the small town, but somehow no memories come back at first (maybe because they really worked at the time and didn't hang around in town 😉 or maybe because a lot has changed in 24 years). Well, then on to the farm where Joss helped with the rapeseed, pea and grain harvest. And it's hard to believe, although everything looks the same to Lynda here, Joss drives very purposefully to a house and says this has to be it ... we drive around the property and it looks like nobody is home. We stop at the mailbox and see the name - W.W. Stankievech - we are correct, because Joss had worked for Walter at the time. Even if we think no one is there, we stop in front of the house. A dog comes running straight away and a woman opens the door. Joss runs towards her with the words "I lived here 24 years ago" and she asks us in immediately. It turns out Edna and Harvey live here now. Harvey is the son of Walter who used to live on his own farm and of course was there at the harvest. After a short surprise at the unannounced visit and a short "thawing phase", all the memories gush out of Joss and Harvey and Edna are very happy about the stories. Much to our delight, they want to do a farm tour with us, which means that we of course drive around the entire property, but also to Combine Heaven, the granary and also to Uncle Jack, who was even in Germany in 1998 and visited the Fendt plant in Marktoberdorf with Joss' dad. The granary (built in 1974), where all the grain was sold in 1997, now even belongs to them and you feel as if time has stood still in it. And here's the best story ever: the Combine Heaven is something like a combine harvester heaven, where disused or broken equipment was unloaded and its final resting place theree find. Of course we take pictures and at some point Harvey says: “What is that silver part there? Did a neighbor dump it here?” Since everything is very rusty, one part stands out very much. Joss runs up and says: “This is the fender of my truck from back then! And the broken tank that we exchanged back then is still there!” - can you believe it? That day was an absolutely unbelievable encounter - we are very happy that we stopped and were able to experience this "Great Flashback", as Edna would now say! Big thanks to Edna and Harvey for their spontaneity and the great day!

We spend the night directly on the Red Deer River in the middle of the gigantic hoodoo landscape - they also call it "Little Grand Canyon" - simply beautiful! The next day we go to Drumheller, not far away - world-famous for its dinosaurs. Of course we visit the museum, where we marvel at the legacies from another time. Then a short detour to the Last Chance Saloon and then ... well, there is not much left ... everyone warned us. Not much happens when you drive through Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A lot of flat land, although we just love these gigantic expanses of land and sky.

Friday 17th September. From now on we have to do miles for a few days, still through Ontario and Québec before we come into Nova Scotia and thus near Halifax. The negotiations for the container are already in full swing and we are very excited to see how it all works out. You know, we'll keep you up to date ...until then, you’ll find a gallery of cars and some music from the car-show.