Last day in Calgary. Since my flight was moved to 8:55 tomorrow morning, I’m spending the night at a hotel by the airport. I didn’t change my Airbnb booking, though, as canceling would have been more expensive than simply keeping it and not staying there.

Most of my packing was done the evening before, leaving just a few clothes and electronics for the morning. Breakfast was simple: rolls with jam.

At 9:00 I was already waiting outside, the time Kyle and I had agreed on. But no sign of him. Not a big deal – I could read and play a bit while waiting. Around 10:00 I got a message: they had overslept their alarm. New meeting time, 11:00.

That worked fine for me, since the coffee shop nearby opened at 10:00. I treated myself to a latte and an éclair until they arrived. Today’s plan was to go caching in downtown Calgary.

It was just a short drive, and we managed to park for free on the edge of the city center – Sundays make that possible. At first, we started walking from cache to cache, but with so many around it would have taken forever. Luckily, e-scooters were available, so we rented three and zipped through the streets. The weather was warm, but the tall buildings gave us enough shade.

Calgary impressed me as a very clean city. The downtown has the usual banks and office towers, but just a street or two away you’ll find cozy cafés and restaurants. Compared to the U.S., there seemed to be fewer homeless people – just a few near the emergency center.

After a drink at McDonald’s, we headed back toward the car. Just before reaching it, Kyle’s girlfriend hit a hole in the sidewalk with her scooter and fell, hurting her foot. Painful, but thankfully not too serious.

On the way back, we visited two highly rated gadget caches. One was a clever fishing cache, the other hidden behind a fake wall in a small library. Both were brilliantly done and definitely worth favorite points.

By 17:00 I had to be at Swiss Chalet for dinner with Karen, her son, and her granddaughter. The food was good, and Adam unexpectedly picked up the bill, which was very kind and much appreciated.

Afterwards, Karen drove me to Hotel 11, close to the airport. It had been a short but nice visit, and it felt good to see everyone again.

The hotel is comfortable, though the alarm will ring at 5:00 sharp so I can catch the 6:00 shuttle to the terminal. Before bed, I managed to grab a quick cache right next to the hotel and enjoyed a couple of pops before calling it a night.