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You'll never know until you go. Let's find some beautiful place to get lost.
Living in: Radebeul, Deutschland
  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day341

    be a wanderer an go home

    August 20 in Canada

    All good things come to an end... And so does my time in beautiful Canada, too.
    My last days I spent relaxing in Vancouver. It was sad to experience how you couldn't see the sun properly cause of the fire smoke!

    After 11 months of roadtriping, working and doing helpX it is time for me to fly back home.
    I'm so glad I took the break and went for this unforgettable adventure! 😊
    I'd like to thank all my travelbuddies and newfound friends for being such fun company and sharing all these amazing adventures with me!
    It was definitely not my last time in Canada. I'll see you again! 😃    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day335

    Yukon - Kluane NP

    August 14 in Canada

    From Skagway we headed back to Canada. We stopped in Carcross to visit the smallest desert which has been a glacier lake in the past. The gorgeous coloured Emerald Lake was also on our list.
    One night we camped at Kathleen Lake and hiked up to King's Throne for an amazing view over the area. The next two nights we stayed at Pine Lake campground and enjoyed a beautiful sunset the first one. I took the last days easy and relaxed a bit cause they were not just the last days of the roadtrip for me but also my last ones in Canada.

    Back in Whitehorse it was time to say goodbye for me to my travelbuddies after spending 43 days and driving around 10000km together. We shared so many great moments together (like having 24/7 daylight), had the chance to see incredible places (like Harding Icefield) and hiked in amazing nationalparks (like Denali NP).
    Thank you Nick for organizing this unforgettable roadtrip and letting me be part of it! And thanks to the rest of the group for being such fun company! 😁    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day328

    Alaska - Seward, Juneau, Skagway

    August 7 in the United States

    After Denali NP we headed south to the coast and stopped in the cute little town Seward.
    The first day the weather hasn't been great so we did just a small walk to a river with loads of salmons in it. But unfortunately there was no grizzly around and the bald eagles didn't want to catch a salmon neither.
    For the day after we had planned to visit Exit Glacier and hiked up to the top to see the Harding Icefield. This place was really stunning. I've never seen such an ice mass before!

    Cause of the shitty weather forecast we changed our plans and skipped Kluane NP for now and drove straight to Haines instead. We were on the waiting list for the ferry to Juneau but lucky enough to get on the ferry at late afternoon. So we arrived around midnight at the campground and pitched our wet tents in the rain.
    The day after we rented three double kayaks to explore the Mendenhall Glacier. Unluckily the everywhere proposed ice cave collapsed last year. But the glacier itself was still worth to visit and kayaking was fun, too! On our way back Nick got a phone call from the campground's ranger who informed him that the campground is flooded and they have to evacuate it.
    Apparently this happens twice a year due to up and down moving of the glacier and then the water underneath comes out. This glacier isn't connected to a river or ocean but a lake where the water can't disappear so the area close by gets swamped.
    After packing our tents which were not washed away yet we had to look for a new place to stay. Maggy found a hostel in Juneau with a favourable price of 12$ per night. So we checked it out. The only catch here was that everyone has to do a little chore per day. But they didn't ask for more than organizing the cleaning supplies, cutlery or vacuuming a small part except the guys had to clean their toilets. 😅
    It felt good to stay in a warm and dry place again as well as having a long hot shower after tenting in the rain for the last couple of days.
    The next day we had to wake up really early cause we were supposed to check in on the ferry at 6:30am. Although it wasn't even assured that we'll get on it as we were on the waiting list again. But we made it. 😉

    In Skagway an old town which got busy during the gold rush we did a lazy day because it was raining again. For the next day they forecast slightly better weather so we waited with the hike to Upper Lake. The decisson was totally right and we got rewarded with an amazing view on the lake, mountains and glacier. 😃    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day315

    Alaska - Denali NP

    July 25 in the United States

    After an evening with too many drinks we had our best hangover day ever cause on the way from Tok to Fairbanks we stopped randomly at a tiny gas station where the lady told us about a bison farm nearby we should check out. Luckily a danish couple came by which stayed at this farm right now so they showed us how to get there. The farmer took us on a tour and it was really cool to see the bisons so close! We also got some bison, elk and moose burger patties as well as moose cheese sausages for free. The dinner for the next days was saved. 😀

    The Denali NP is a bit different of the others in terms of travelling there. You either have to stay at a certain campground in the park where you can go with your car/RV and have to park it there or you take all the stuff you need for your stay with you and enter the park with a camper bus. To get from A to B you always have to catch one of the green park busses.
    We booked for two nights at Igloo Creek Campground and then 3 nights at Wonderlake Campground which is at the far end of the park to see as much as possible from this huge nationalpark.
    There are not many maintained trails which means you have to find your own way off trail and you can go wherever you want. Again we were so lucky with the weather and were able to see Denali (alias Mt McKinley) a few times during our stay. Normally most off the times he hides behind the clouds.
    On one of the longer bus rides (Igloo Creek Campground to Wonderlake Campground - around 4hrs) we saw three times a grizzly with two cubs. There were also many caribous on the road, we could see dall sheeps on the mountains and spotted two times a moose in a lake. Denali is full of wildlife and stunning landscape! 😃 The only thing which was a little bit annoying was the huge amount of mosquitos at Wonderlake Campground.

    After 6 days in the nationalpark we stayed outside the nationalpark cause the plan was to reach the magic bus from the movie "into the wild". The try of the group to reach the magic bus failed cause the second river was a too high and strong for crossing.
    So we had time to do two more nice hikes at the park entrance which were accessible by car and had another beer at the 49th state brewery which was just next to our campground. Also the replica of the magic bus used for the film production was in front of the bar.

    All in all we spent around 10 days in Denali.
    This to be said: Denali NP was definitely my favorite part of this trip!😊    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day306

    Dempster Hwy-NWT-Arctic Ocean

    July 16 in Canada

    After spending some great hiking days in Tombstone we drove further north on the Dempster Hwy passing by stunning scenary (even more beautiful with the light during the golden hour which was around 9 to 10pm). We reached the Arctic Circle, crossed the border to the Northwest Territory and arrived in Inuvik. Until november last year it would have been the final destination of our trip. But we were lucky that they just had opened a new "highway" up to Tuktoyaktuk at the Arctic Ocean by this time which was our goal to reach.
    At the border to Northwest Territory we had to do a quick tire change (within 25min) to catch the last river ferry at 11:45pm. And an oil change in Inuvik had to be done as well.
    The second day of driving from Tombstone we arrived in Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean around 7pm. We talked to some locals who were celebrating a grandfathers birthday and were really excited to meet more travellers. After the dinner we had a mission to accomplish. So we set our tents as windproof as we could, got our sleeping stuff ready for a really windy and cold night and put our swim suits on. It was time for a short swim in the Arctic Ocean! 🤪 I can tell you ot was fucking freezing cold, especially with the strong wind. And the night was one of the coldest so far... But definitely worth the adventure! 😁
    The first day on the way back we weren't that lucky with the weather and we had to stop cause of a road closure due to a landslide further south. They couldn't tell us when the road will be open again but luckily we were good to go the next morning. It was impressive to see the remains of it and some parts of the road got washed out quite a bit so the road got even bumpier.
    All in all to drive the Dempster Hwy was a great experience and totally worth it!😊    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day304

    Dempster Hwy-Tombstone Territorial Park

    July 14 in Canada

    Right at the beginning of the Dempster Hwy we spent a few days in the beautiful Tombstone Territorial Park which is still quite young (opening in 2009) and totally worth to visit! There are not many official trails so you most likely just find your own way up through the tundra and bushes which is really cool. We also enjoyed the long days and the beautiful sunsets just before going to bed. Unfortunately we didn't see that much wildlife during our stay but we still have a lot of time to see some.
    On the way back from Inuvik we stopped again in Tombstone for one night and did two hikes on the way We had awesome views again, especially from Sapper Hill and felt like being on top of the world. 😃    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day302

    Yukon - Dawson City

    July 12 in Canada

    After a few days with lots of driving we were all excited to finally reach the Yukon! But just before Yukon we spent one night at the beautiful Boya Lake campground where we used the perfect weather for kayaking. And now also the days got longer. It's strange to still have bright daylight at 10pm.
    Dawson City itself is like from a different world. It feels like walking through streets from a western movie town - so cool. And of course I couldn't miss out on the famous sourtoe cocktail (video proofed). 😅 We also visited an old gold mining dredge (Dawson area is well known for the gold rush) and had an amazing view from the midnight dome where we spent one night up there on our way back from the Dempster Hwy.Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day297

    First days of my last big roadtrip

    July 7 in Canada

    My last big roadtrip started on the 5th of july from Vancouver. We all slept the night before at Nick's place cause we left early in the morning. It was also the first time I met all my travel buddies except of Nick the organizer and driver. We are six in total: Maggy, Nick, Florian (french) and Lisa, Julian and I (german).
    The first days we had to do a lot of driving before we reached our first big point of interest (Bear Glacier and Salmon Glacier). To get to the viewpoint for the top of Salmon Glacier we had to cross the border to Alaska the first time. On the american side there was no officer at all, just on the way back on the canadian one. We were lucky that the sun came out when we were at the viewpoint and could take some impressive pictures. 😊Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day291

    Canada Day in Surrey

    July 1 in Canada

    1st of July was Canada Day and not to far from the horse stables there was Western Canadas biggest party in Surrey. Nevertheless, it still took us 2 hours to get there by public transport. I went with Sarah and Maya and we spent a beautiful sunny day at the festival listening to canadian musicians. The crowd got really excited when Brett Kissel a country singer came on stage with his band. I have to admit I knew one song, too. 😅 After this act we had to leave and couldn't stay for the big firework cause we had to catch the last bus back to the stables. And rain started anyway while we were waiting for the bus.
    We spent a great day together and it was interesting to see how civilized Canadians celebrate. 😉    Read more

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  • OokpiktravelWork&Travel in Kanada
    Day288

    HelpX in Delta at a stables

    June 28 in Canada

    Before starting my last big roadtrip up to Yukon, Northwest Territory and Alaska I wanted to escape the city life. So I searched for a helpX place close to Vancouver and found a horse stables in Delta.
    In the past I was kinda afraid of horses or let's say I had lots of respect for them. That's why it was a good chance for me to learn more about these beautiful animals and fight my fear. 😁

    Sue the owner had no private room for me left but I could stay in the lounge which was above the inside ring. So I always could watch the riding lessons going on. Different to my previous helpX stays was that the host didn't stay at the same place as us, so once a week we went grocery shopping with Sue and she payed for the food everyone had picked. So this was quite nice.

    In total there were around 70 horses at the stables, we were 5 helpers and some regular staff member. Usually we helpers had to work just 3 days a week and got the rest of the time off. The work included turn out, switch and turn in the horses as well as mucking/ bedding the stalls and changing the water for the horses. And there was also a lot if gardening to do on the farm. So depending on your horse experience you got scheduled for different tasks. Me as an unexperienced was lucky that I had to muck just twice and the other days I did some weeding around the outside ring. Compared to the other helpers I did really prefere this kind of work instead of shoveling pee and poop. 🤣

    I also got two riding lessons with Debbie. First she showed me how to prepare and saddle the horse and then we practiced the different gaits. The name of the horse I was riding was Midas. He was older, patient and already a bit grey-haired but really good to ride. I felt comfortable surprisingly fast. 😊

    On my second day Sue took the five girls of us and two horses to the beach for a walk. This was my first time sitting on a horse and it has been an awesome experience! So I could check another point of my bucket list. 😃
    For my last day Sue had planned to go kayaking with us in Boundary Bay which was beautiful and we got perfect weather for it. We could even see Mt Baker - lucky us.

    When Germany was playing against Sweden at the World Cup Johanna and I went to Vancouver to see the game at a pub. At the entrance they wanted to charge us 10$ so we were discussing whether to stay or look for another place. But then they told us the really important point that also breakfast is included. So the decision was made quickly. 😅 The atmosphere was intense until the end but luckily we won this one. After the match we found out that the Jazz Festival was going on downtown so we checked it out. There was a stand of Kinder Bueno where they gave away free samples so we collected some. ^^ Haven't had them for a quite long time. We found a free S'mores stand as well. You put a melted marshmallow in between of two chocolate coated cookies - loads of sucre. 🙈
    In the evening we met up with Sarah in Richmond and went to the Asian Night Market - delicious food everywhere! The next weekend I went with Maya again. :)
    On the other day we two also went to the drum circle on Third Beach in Vancouver. It was quite a bit of a walk to get there so at the end we could just stay for half an hour before we had to walk back to catch our last bus towards Delta. The bus ride took us almost two hours to get back to the farm with several changes on the way. It's always a pain in the ass and takes two hours to come back to the ranch no matter where you are.🤣
    Once Maya and I went to the Four Season Brewery just a couple of bus stops from the stables, tried eight different kinds and shared two delicious tapas from their menu. After this we just wanted to go to Ladner to buy her a new toothbrush and it ended up in a three hours trip for us cause we decided to eat at the delicious sushi place again where we've been with Sue the other day. Unluckily we just missed the bus so we had to take the next one and at the exchange station we had to wait for the transit again... At the end we probably would have been faster by walking. But never mind 😉

    I'm glad I've stayed at the stables, had my first riding lessons and got Maya as a dear friend! Thanks for the fun time together and sharing our stories. 😘    Read more

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