Thanks, it's been a lot of fun.

 

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ..... Fun! Hahaha... I agree, its all fun in the end but sometimes the portion of this journey, " getting there" sucks! Lol

 

Hey red,.... I think I need to borrow your time machine before I have an aneurysm due to anxiety over here! Lol. Again, in the end it will all be fine and fun! Woohoo! Who knows, we might end up on the same journey regarding the heart transplant... We'll see

 

Doit. You know you want a V8.

 

Good read, you've done lots of work and it shows. I've had the same surgery as you, it does get better, been 15 years since my discectomy. Where abouts in B.C. are you moving too?

 

Thanks Johnny.

We are hoping Kelowna area or Chilliwack. Depends where the missus can get work in the resources/mining industry. I also need access to a larger town to try and find work as an apprentice mechanic to get out of mining.

How did you do your back in and how long after surgery do you remember being good to go? I'm concerned about scaffolding again. If it let's go while I'm in the air I could kill myself or someone else. I figure I can still do physical work and that being a mechanic is much easier and safer than scaffolding. I don't want to just sit at home like this again so it's time to look at options. Old scaffolders are often on painkillers from buggered joints and backs.

I'll crank out another six months of scaffold if I heal really soon though. Got to save some mining money as being a new apprentice mechanic will not pay well. Fortunately we didn't piss away every cent so we should have a very solid down payment on our next home.

We've been busy fixing up the one we are in now. Just finished painting the living area and scraping popcorn. New kitchen too, been lot's of learning and fun.

I'll get photos up when it's done. It's a 4Runner build thread so I'll just do it in one post to show what the hold up on wrenching has been.

Back to the move to BC. I'd like to be within a 6 hour drive to the Vancouver area. I've been gone since 2004 so I want to be close to mom and buddies before I'm back to Australia.

Any tips on an area that is doing well for work etc?



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What about oilfield work?

 

I've been working away from home for a few years now. It's time to go to work then go to my own bed. You only live once, I want to be around the people I care about. Loads of old guys who stayed in it too long are on their 2nd and 3rd wives.

I made my money and invested a bit to help ease the wage loss. It will hurt the pocket for sure but in a couple years I'll get paid enough to be back at the lifestyle I got used to mining. Who knows, if I run my own successful shop I might be even better off and happier to boot. I'll never know if I don't go for it though.

Why not get paid to do something I enjoy over spending money to wrench. I'm 33 so this is getting close to my last chance for a career change if I want to be any good at it.



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Kelowna is nice but it is lacking a lot of work, I moved from vancouver (surrey to be exact) to kelowna then after a month i moved to fernie. Lots of work here in the coal mines and your home every night 4x4 schedule. but its about 10 hours to vancouver. In about a year or so time there is going to be a new gold mine (could be wrong on what they're mining) opening up north of kamloops. Unfortunately everything west of okanagan including the okanagan is suffering still for work. i have heard of journeymen making less than apprenticeship wages out where i am.

If you have the money/time/know how to open a shop, it wouldn't matter how much you make to a certain degree. You can't put a price on happiness and if you can make it work chances are you will be better off going that route. If i had the money and time i would open a shop in a heartbeat.

PS. Sweet rig man, really love the rooftop tent, don't know if the first gen tops would hold up to the weight of having people inside it. Really enjoyed looking through your road trip, another thing on my to do list with the wife to be.

 

Nice one bro. I'm from Surrey too! I grew up on 100th and 149th st. Went to Jhonston Heights and finished at QE. Graduated 99.


Perhaps I should look at Fernie again. What are house prices like?

Anywhere there I could get a mechanics apprenticeship? Like I said I want to just work in a shop. Not terribly interested in heavy industry anymore. If I get a light vehicle apprenticeship in mining I'll just end up working on Fords all day ripping the mine off. They don't even fix anything. Not that I would turn a job like that down if it fell in my lap but I could be in a better place to learn.

Mining is so wastefull it seems. Are the British Columbia ones like that as that has been my observations so far at my mine?

My missus will most likely stay in the resources industry. She's got the experience and had her degree paid for by her former employer. Now it's my chance to get an education. While scaffolding is a trade it's not the same kind of work satisfaction I would get from wrenching. It's also not a good long term trade and no way would I ever open a scaffold mob. Scaffolders are way too much hassle. We're dickheads.

When you say work is slow in what way? Is it slow for tradesmen but white collar is doing alright or just in mining? I assume you are in the coal mine in Fernie? What's it like as a place to live? Do you happen to know the projected mine life left?

What is the next large town closest to you?



That road trip was amazing. Def head up to the Yukon, I'd go again in a heartbeat.



Truck stuff related.


http://www.liquidmolly.com/d.cgi/company/JT700.html



Anyone know anything about this stuff. I was talking to a mechanic that swears by it. Anyone use it? I bought a bottle as I'm due for an oil change.


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dont waste your money on additives. if your engine is running poorly than adding additives only bandaid the real issue. if additives are really that good or needed, than car manufactures would be using them.

 

stay away from additives for sure.
all the mines are wasteful, light duty shops at the mines here work on chevs fords and dodges alike and they actually do fix most things but nothing very interesting no motor rebuilds just swapping parts since it is easier to do that than rebuild original. But there are a few shops here that I'm sure are looking for mechanics because the mines usually scoop them up. There is a 4x4 dedicated shop here called night-crawler, I have heard lots of great things about the, and they seem to know there ˟˟˟˟ so to speak. housing isn't going to be cheap like the NWT but a hell of lot cheaper than Vancouver. House i just moved out of was 10 acres 3 bedroom 2 bath rancher with a shed river front property (if you go to my build thread i think i have a few pictures of the scenery around the place) it was only 356,000. There can be good deals to be had here just gotta look for them. Fernie seems to be an Australian haven so the missus would feel at home I'm sure. summer time is quiet but the population multiplies 10 fold in the winter cuz of the world class ski resort so all the Aussies and kiwis come up for the winter.

next summer/fall I'm thinking I'm going to do something similar to what you did, head up north to the NWT and the Yukon, haven't been since i was a kid, can't check out Alaska as I'm not allowed over the border. Just need to work on the rig more before i take it that far from home, to many little things that need to be fixed. Hard to work on my truck with a blown shoulder though =/

 

Actually Yellowknife is incredibly expensive. I bought my fixer upper house two years ago this October for just shy of 500K. I have done a lot of work to it and need it to sell in the next few months to close to 600. This doesn't leave a lot for profit really.

I had to put on new shingles, triple glazed windows, garage door and opener, kitchen and appliances, paint all around and baseboards trim etc. There are still projects for the next owner to do to earn their sweat equity.

Yellowknife is expensive.


Fernie sounds nice. The missus isn't a big fan of other Australians on walkabout though. She doesn't like how poorly they behave.


Doesn't take much to be banned from the US eh. I hear you on working with injury. I still have my new lights in a box and had to pay a mechanic last week.

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I've been down and out for a month and a bit already and I'm looking at another 4+ months possible surgery, cortisone shots coming up soon as well. The Aussies here are actually pretty respectable, some of them need to shower tho but they just hang out with the hippies. surprised Yellowknife is so expensive, figured it would be cheaper. If your ever in my neck of the woods feel free to drop me a message could show you a few things around here, I will never go back to Vancouver, EVER.

 

Glad to hear that they are behaving. I was also surprised at how expensive Yellowknife is. It is really remote though. It's at least 17 hours driving to Edmonton.

I like going to Vancouver for a visit. I really love that city. It's home.
I'm not sure I could really live there again though. I like the freedom country loving gives you.

I suppose it would be different if I was loaded and had a couple acres on the North Shore and never had to commute to work.


So what did you do to yourself? I hope your surgery if it proves to be necessary fixes you right up.



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So it looks like I sold my house today. It's not even listed and is still in the middle of the renovation.

I'm stunned.

I've been keeping in touch with my real estate agent and she had some people needing a place with a basement suite. They need a place for the grandparents as the whole family lives up here.

They came and had a look today. Young couple (my age) and their little one along with mom and dad. They really liked it and where super nice people. I got a text message at nearly 9pm saying they want it subject to finishing the reno and the usual odds and sods.They will pay full asking price to ensure they get it too. My real estate lady is older and man is she ever a hussler.

She chased me for papers etc when we bought the joint. Earns her money let me tell you. I once texted her at 430pm on a Saturday during a festival up here. Got back to me in 15 minutes.

Made profit enough to help move back home to British Columbia and put a good down payment on a new home. This will ease the financial hit from taking on a new trade we hope. Now the job and house hunt starts.

After the reno on the next house is done I can get back to wrenching and getting those axle on a 4Runner.

I'm super excited about moving back to BC. Have not lived at home or anywhere near there since April 2004 when I went traveling and met a girl.

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Congrats

 

That's good news!

 

That's awesome man! now come to Fernie, i need a yota friend.... bunch of heep lovers here -.-

 

Thanks fellas. Fernie does sound nice. I can't wait to wheel in BC. This is going to be great.