Rain Delays and Culinary Adventures

We woke up this morning to dew that was so heavy it was coming down in drops.  Lots of them.  Needless to say, after a hearty breakfast, there was nothing left to do but get caught up on our napping.  This is something we do quite well.  Once we checked that task off the list, we took a tour of Voyageur Provincial Park, looking for the showers.  We drove for a half hour and finally went to the ranger station for directions, only to be told that the showers were less than 100 feet from where we are parked.  We zigged when we should have zagged.

 Our travels then took us to Thurso, Quebec for dinner and a fun evening with our cousins Isabelle and Hubert, their daughter Lise and her kids Kim and Krista.   For dessert, we were introduced to "Marie Fendues" , a fried bread served with molasses.  This is a Markstay delicacy that apparently they have been trying to keep secret all these years J  Shame….this recipe belongs on a cooking show!  Lise also shared some of her famous recipes, which we will not divulge.  All we can tell you is to go to her event hall/gift shop/bake shop/egg farm near Thurso on weekends.  And don't be surprised if Thurso becomes the next "pitchfork fondue" hotspot east of the Rockies.

 Day 3 is coming to an end.  We found one cemetery and have some good leads thanks to Isabelle.  The rains have subsided and the life boats have been put away.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.  We're hoping it's not the tornado that they announced for Sudbury earlier today.  We know how mobile mobile homes can get in those kinds of wind. 

The Tour D'Ont.... And We're Off

Off we go into the great unknown…. Well, at least the not so well known, at least to us.  Our first stop was the booming metropolis of Markstay, formerly known as Prieur Central.  It was odd not to have people standing on their doorsteps waving at us - which is a memory we have from the days when we visited our relatives as kids.  Back then, we had no sooner turned the corner into Markstay when the grapevine announced our coming.  Auntie Bea would be outside, waiting for us.  The houses are still there, the old homestead is now a golf course.  Not much else has changed though.

 Our next stop was Deep River where we indulged in Mocha ice cream and Nui managed to score what is probably the most expensive bottle of vinegar in Ontario.  However, it's in a plastic bottle and she is content with the purchase.

 Off we then went to Pembroke and the 400th Anniversary of Samuel de Champlain.  We're not really sure what the festivities were going to be but it seemed to involve a lot of running.   It was a nice park and we were greeted this morning with a marathon race.  We were tempted to join, but we had to suck it up, suck it in, pull it out and head for Hawkesbury.

 

One last thing about Moses Lake

I forgot to mention just how beautiful the lake is.  I'm sitting here watching the water and enjoying the sunset. 

Patty, from Pier 4 RV Resort, has been exceptionally nice (she was last year too).  She put me right on the water, and took the time to re-open the office to get me Chris' phone number (see previous post).  She even offered to bring a ladder to help me duct tape the awning if Chris couldn't fix it.

Very nice people out here in Moses Lake.  I would definitely recommend this place for a visit.

The Beast Appears to be Cursed!

Okay…. I know that there are a lot of people who don't think I should be travelling alone.  Apparently the gods have received the message because something out there is trying hard to keep me in one place.

 First, the Skagit River bridge fell down.  That was a bad omen.

Then, there was the leak under the sink.  I have a water filter and the cartridge is leaking - a lot.  Naturally, you have to have a PhD in plumbing to be able to repair it.  Right now, there's a plastic dish under it, catching water.

So last night, I hear a hiss coming from under the sink.  When I looked, there was black, oily water dripping everywhere.  There was an inch of it in the cupboards.  Something blew…don't know what and I sure as heck don't want to experiment trying to find out.  Thanks heavens I have the water tank system, although I'm sure that's the next to go.  I was so grateful that Paul was there - he grabbed everything and took it to the washroom to rinse it off, while I soaked up the mess.  Wish he was coming with me...he's both ornamental and functional (usually not at the same time).

Then this morning, coming through the border, I hear a crunch and find out that I've clipped their pole (and why don't they make those spots bigger!?  Stupid border people).  Anyhow, just cosmetic damage but it was a bad entry into the US.  The border guys were pretty cool about it - didn't even charge me for repainting their pole.  Maybe they were afraid I'd sue them for putting the pole in the Beast's way.  Plus they were all really cute.  There's always a silver lining :-)

So, after very little sleep, no food (still haven't had time to buy any) and 7 hours of driving, I arrive at Moses Lake, grab a cold adult beverage (thank you Paul for buying it!) and look at my poor dinged up, scraped up Beast……. And notice that the awning looks funny.  Sure enough, it is sheared off from the retaining pole!  WTF!!!

Then I walk back in and the entire antenna control has fallen to bits.  Not that it matters, since I can't get the TV to work anyhow.

Seriously, I'm getting p*ssed off.  Chris, the RV repair person and our rescuer from last year who fixed the shower, is going to fix everything tomorrow.  He is such a nice guy….and if you are ever in Moses Lake, contact Chris Cooper for ALL of your repairs or to buy a new RV (which is beginning to sound like a good idea). 

Good thing I'm fond of the Beast because, if it was a horse, I would shoot it.

Sigh….

The Beast Is Out of the Barn

Even though I wasn't going to leave until next Tuesday, I was persuaded to bring the Beast to Tsawwassen so we could spend the night close to where Festival Polynesia is being held.  It sure beats having to drive home for an hour at midnight after a long day.  Naturally, there was no space available on the weekend, so I took Monday off and brought the Beast through downtown Langley in a monsoon.   I also discovered why the economy is so lousy..... because nobody works!  Apparently, most of the population of Langley spends its time driving up and down Glover Road.  Trust me on this.

 It was raining so hard when I got to Tsawwassen that I couldn't even get stuff out of the car.  By the time I was done setting up, I was drenched.  I don't even get that wet when I'm swimming!

 Anyhow, the Beast is set up in the Dog Park (why do rednecks always feel the need to buy loud, barky dogs…. Is it a manhood thing?).  I swear it looked like a movie set at times - the people across from me had the requisitional vicious drooly hound, they had a succession of old beat up cars in their driveway, they smoked like chimneys and swore like sailors.  I was looking for the camera crew.

 Anyhow, it looks like the Beast made it through winter okay.  There was some water leakage but I think we have that fixed.  There are also a few ants in the RV but the ant apocalypse will not take me too long.  I'm looking forward to taking off on the first leg of the Big Beastly Adventure next week.

Woohoooooo!

Beast, Brakes and Bank Account

All I can say is....thank heavens I decided to work a bit longer for some pocket money.  The Beast's new tires cost me nearly $3,000!  The good news is that I won't need a brake job - my mechanic friend says that they're at 70%, which should see me down a couple of mountain passes.

The doghouse, which had a tendency to go flying whenever there was a breeze, is now clamped down tightly.  It's a wondrous thing to be flying along at a heart-racing 35 mph and have this huge chunk of your vehicle come flying up, leaving nothing behind but boiling hot engine heat and an unobstructed view of the pavement directly under your feet.  It's especially invigorating when this happens as you are trying to control your vehicle down narrow, winding roads on one of those "scenic" highways on a long weekend in September!  (Note to self:  scenic is the latin word for "don't drive your RV down that road).

I still don't have a working TV, my roof leaked during the winter (we think we know the reason) and I've got a few ants in the kitchen area (which I'll deal with this summer - stay tuned for Ant Apocalypse 2013).

Otherwise, I'm good to go..... only 15 days left!

So much to do....so little time.... so little credit

I'm all for procrastination.  In fact, I would give seminars on the subject except for the fact that I would never get around to doing powerpoint slides.  So, I've been sitting around all winter, planning what I have to do to the Beast to get it road ready.  All of this involves money.... lots of it.

So, all the neurons were flashing, the synapses were sparking and my body was all set to leap into action this coming weekend.  Then I got a call from Visa telling me that some loser a$$hole had stolen my visa card number and was using it to supplement his pathetic life with even more pathetic video games.  Naturally, I cancelled the card and now I have to wait 10 days for a new one, which is going to put the Beast's beautification schedule on a very tight timeline. 

I could pay cash, of course, but then I wouldn't get aeroplan points...which are also very necessary.

Blast off day is June 4th....with or without brakes.  Sigh.....