Gayle from IL, me, and Darlene from Ontario
I’ve been without internet access for the past few days and I’ve failed to make daily notes, so let me attempt to reconstruct what I’ve been doing since Wednesday. Today is Saturday and I won’t be able to post this until I’m in another campground tomorrow with WiFi access.
I left Golden Pond RV Resort mid-morning on
Wednesday for what I expected to be a leisurely drive since I only had about 70 miles to go for the Rally. I stopped at a local grocery store to pick up a few things, and it’s interesting to see the different products and brands they have in Canada. I also stopped at a Tim Horton’s – Canada’s answer to Dunkin’ Donuts – and they are everywhere!. There’s a rare oasis or little town that doesn’t contain a Tim Horton’s. They do have really good coffee, though, and they are always busy. You can also find their stores in some parts of New England.
When I reached the town of Guelph, which is about 18 miles from Fergus where the rally is being held, I encountered a lot of construction and delays. I noticed that the steering wasn’t quite right on the Roadtrek and then I started noticing a smell - almost like something was burning. I pulled into a shopping center to see if the smell really was coming from my vehicle or from a truck that had been in front of me. It was definitely coming from my vehicle, so I used my GPS to find an auto repair shop. Thankfully, the closest one was only a mile and a half away. They weren’t busy and checked the RT right away. The problem was the caliper on the passenger side which also meant the replacing of both brake pads. This was a small, privately owned business and the owner was most compassionate and helpful. He offered to give me a ride to a mall or elsewhere so I wouldn’t have to wait on the small bench which was the only waiting area they had. I declined, knowing that this was probably going to cost me “big bucks” and I had no business going to a Mall where I might see something I absolutely couldn’t resist! Luckily they had the parts and a capable mechanic who finished the work in about 2 ½ hours. However, after he took it for a test drive, he discovered that the bearings were bad on the driver’s side. So I sat for about another hour and a half, getting more anxious by the minute and hoping it would all be finished so I could get to the rally by the time orientation began at 6 p.m. I left there at 4:30 p.m. very thankful and $738 poorer! I was blessed, though, since I was able to get it repaired without breaking down on the road somewhere and having to be towed, the shop wasn’t busy and they had the parts. It could have been much worse! I arrived at the Rally at 5:30 p.m. – the last registrant to check in. But I was in time for the Orientation and dessert and coffee. The dessert was Pecan Butter Tarts, a delectable pastry with a very buttery rich crust – a specialty in Canada. I saw many familiar faces and lots of unfamiliar ones, too. I always strive to get to know at least 4 or 5 new people at each rally I attend.
There are 139 Roadtreks at this rally and 264 attendees from nearly every State and Ontario, Canada. There are 16 of us Solotrekkers, two men and 14 women. One of the men and a couple of the women are married but their spouses don’t travel with them for one reason or another. We’ve been seated together for dinner all week and had a bag luncheon one day, so we have gotten to know each other pretty well. It’s such a diverse and interesting group and it seems that everyone has a story to tell! One of the gals is from Olympia, WA and is in the 5th week of a nine month trip. Talk about adventurous! She had the passenger seat removed and has installed a computer table with a place
for her printer as well, so she is prepared for keeping in touch on the road.
The Rally is being held in Fergus, ON at the Wellington Centre and Arena, a huge complex that houses two hockey rinks, an indoor pool, fitness center, and many large and small meeting rooms. We are parked in a field with electric and water hookups but only 15 amps of power which means we can’t run too many appliances at once – definitely not the air conditioner. Thankfully, the nights have been in the 50’s which makes for great sleeping weather. The days have been warm but tolerable and we spend very little time
I left Golden Pond RV Resort mid-morning on
Wednesday for what I expected to be a leisurely drive since I only had about 70 miles to go for the Rally. I stopped at a local grocery store to pick up a few things, and it’s interesting to see the different products and brands they have in Canada. I also stopped at a Tim Horton’s – Canada’s answer to Dunkin’ Donuts – and they are everywhere!. There’s a rare oasis or little town that doesn’t contain a Tim Horton’s. They do have really good coffee, though, and they are always busy. You can also find their stores in some parts of New England.When I reached the town of Guelph, which is about 18 miles from Fergus where the rally is being held, I encountered a lot of construction and delays. I noticed that the steering wasn’t quite right on the Roadtrek and then I started noticing a smell - almost like something was burning. I pulled into a shopping center to see if the smell really was coming from my vehicle or from a truck that had been in front of me. It was definitely coming from my vehicle, so I used my GPS to find an auto repair shop. Thankfully, the closest one was only a mile and a half away. They weren’t busy and checked the RT right away. The problem was the caliper on the passenger side which also meant the replacing of both brake pads. This was a small, privately owned business and the owner was most compassionate and helpful. He offered to give me a ride to a mall or elsewhere so I wouldn’t have to wait on the small bench which was the only waiting area they had. I declined, knowing that this was probably going to cost me “big bucks” and I had no business going to a Mall where I might see something I absolutely couldn’t resist! Luckily they had the parts and a capable mechanic who finished the work in about 2 ½ hours. However, after he took it for a test drive, he discovered that the bearings were bad on the driver’s side. So I sat for about another hour and a half, getting more anxious by the minute and hoping it would all be finished so I could get to the rally by the time orientation began at 6 p.m. I left there at 4:30 p.m. very thankful and $738 poorer! I was blessed, though, since I was able to get it repaired without breaking down on the road somewhere and having to be towed, the shop wasn’t busy and they had the parts. It could have been much worse! I arrived at the Rally at 5:30 p.m. – the last registrant to check in. But I was in time for the Orientation and dessert and coffee. The dessert was Pecan Butter Tarts, a delectable pastry with a very buttery rich crust – a specialty in Canada. I saw many familiar faces and lots of unfamiliar ones, too. I always strive to get to know at least 4 or 5 new people at each rally I attend.
There are 139 Roadtreks at this rally and 264 attendees from nearly every State and Ontario, Canada. There are 16 of us Solotrekkers, two men and 14 women. One of the men and a couple of the women are married but their spouses don’t travel with them for one reason or another. We’ve been seated together for dinner all week and had a bag luncheon one day, so we have gotten to know each other pretty well. It’s such a diverse and interesting group and it seems that everyone has a story to tell! One of the gals is from Olympia, WA and is in the 5th week of a nine month trip. Talk about adventurous! She had the passenger seat removed and has installed a computer table with a place
for her printer as well, so she is prepared for keeping in touch on the road.The Rally is being held in Fergus, ON at the Wellington Centre and Arena, a huge complex that houses two hockey rinks, an indoor pool, fitness center, and many large and small meeting rooms. We are parked in a field with electric and water hookups but only 15 amps of power which means we can’t run too many appliances at once – definitely not the air conditioner. Thankfully, the nights have been in the 50’s which makes for great sleeping weather. The days have been warm but tolerable and we spend very little time
in the Roadtreks anyway. It’s been extremely cool in Canada and New England this summer and this is the first weekend they have experienced temps near 90. They think it’s hot – obviously, they’ve never been to North Carolina in August! All for now. More blog later..................
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment