Chapter Two - Were Off
Just a quick stop to pick up the hub cap that was left off from the rear brake cylindar job.
Playing it a little safe we waited until around noon to head out on Feb 16th - giving the top of Toronto enough time to clear the snow and give the roads a chance to dry a bit from the big storm the day before. Perfect timing! If only we could have got things sorted out with MoonBeam it would have been a nice trip for her last time with us....
A beautiful sunny day but really really really cold - one of the coldest days this winter (if you can call this a winter??) Said goodbyes to our 3 puppies who were very confused but we new they would be fine. We just explained that we were going to buy them a new Mobile Holiday Couch and they understood right away.
Ran into heavy traffic at the DVP so we detoured off onto the 407 at the 400 and sailed across the top of Toronto. What a difference that makes for all you travelers out there Pay the toll and run from just out side Milton to the West all the way to Brock Road Pickering - coming out at Taunton - which you can run east to the 115 North right to our place for a quick Courtesy Parking - or drop down to the 401 to run through Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Bowmanville.
Settled into a nice sunny drive and
BAM! a rock hits the windshield scares the daylights out of Peter and Myself who was driving, of course with the luck we were having it leaves a crack. We kept our fingers crossed in this cold that she would not shatter across the whole windshield but she held steady. We hit a bit of Lake effect snow in the Cambridge area and some drifting snow with a few minor white outs. Several hours later we were crossing into Michigan at Sarnia heading toward Elkhart Indiana our first nights destination. The US Border Patrol was very pleasant and took all of 30 seconds.
It was a long drive for one day but we were on a mission! We were really tempted to change our plans and land up either at Carols, Wheel Interested or Stephs, Tinsista for the night - but unfortunately that would have thrown the whole schedule right off. It was important for us to reach Elkhart as we had some serious shopping to do in the morning at Camping World and RVS - the most important item being the new hitch system
(did I mention I sold everything with the MoonBeam!!!).
Early to rise the next morning from a nice evening at the Comfort Inn - no fancy meals McD's was the fastest and safest for us. The morning temps were a balmy 10F with a wind chill that could freeze you solid in 10 seconds. The Yukon groaned to a start - we checked the coolant and she was good. Two minutes down the road there was an annoying metal on metal sound - oh no we have issues again.
We need to stop and check the oil sounds like we have run dry of oil (not hard to do in our non mechanical family!) Nope oil was good - but Peter comes around with a little mirror in his hand - "this might have been what was rattling and making the noise"
our friend had left his Mirror that he used to find the coolant leak resting somewhere in the engine compartment.....
After that little scare everything went like clockwork (shopping and me always does!!)
Even when I was disappointed that I would not be able to get my new Blue Tote Low Sillouhette from Battle Creek we were pleasantly surprised to see them still available at CW and for $63.00 but when we checked out it rang in as $49.00 what a huge savings from $112.00. Within 2 hours we were back on the road to Lowell our targeted early afternoon stop to pick up LadyBug.
A quick call ahead we found the poor fellow was out in the cold hacking away at the ice that had formed at the door and clearing all the snow up to the Pole Barn where LB was hanging out since "End Auction" Day 28th of Jan. We just caught Dale coming in for lunch, we were just east of the I65 turn off and would be no more than 20 minutes from the planned meeting place.....so we thought. Then it happened the
"snakes nest effect" I80, I90, I65, Hwy 51, East, West all merging to one big fat confusion OMG how do you guys keep all these roads straight!!
Now there is one small problem - we don't have any fancy GPS and our Wal-Mart Atlas was sitting neatly on its shelf - AT HOME - so we were running with the hmmm *&^%$ Mapquest Map printout. Your looking for I65 but there are 3 road signs before you even see the sign for I65 that you have to take to get to I65 then add about 10 transports in a row that block every sign you should have seen and we are safely on our way to Chicago unbeknown to us. What should have been a 4 mile trip to the turn off was taking a lot longer. I am going to have to fire the navigator! 10 minutes up to Chicago and we figured out we missed the turn off - got turned around and made it 20 minutes later to our meeting spot.
We felt very privileged having an escort into to where our new purchase was. Good thing because we would have been traveling around Lake County, Lowell for the rest of our lives....
No LadyBugs here yet just huge Butterflies with anticipation of the pole barn door opening - Now for all you e-bay'rs out there you know the feeling I am talking about - the one that your head plays tricks with you
psycho killer lures Canadian Airstream Nuts to Pole Barn - found frozen to death 10 days later. Or how about
OMG the frame is hanging out and dragging on the ground - I knew we should have brought a flat bed!
Or,
he never said anything about the other side of the trailer completely missing!
......finally as the door swings wide open we both look at each other with grins from ear to ear!
and take a huge sigh of relief.......
Our first peak - with Ladybugs new rubber shoes set at the door....there she was.....
Stay tuned for Chapter Tree - The Road Prep -
Quick Links
Our driveway is always open
