The Thing that Happened From New Hampshire to Boston

No, I didn't forget. I just wanted to get through our whole GNAT 09 (Great North American Tour) before reliving the horrifying experience that started our trip off. Sit down, have a snack, just like yesterday's post of GNAT Leg 6, 7, 8 this is a looonnnngggg one.

So, the day before we left PEI to drive 30+ hours to Nashville I was heading home along the Lower Malpaque when suddenly, despite the fact that my foot was on the gas, I had no forward momentum in the Cranberry Cruiser. Panicked, I pulled over, thinking I had stalled the car (but can you actually do that in an automatic transmission car that's going 60-km/hr? I dunno), but then realizing as I sat on the side of the road that the motor was actually still running. Strange.

Hoping to achieve some level of calm despite the panic that was rising in my chest I turned off the ignition, took a couple of deep breaths and re-started the car. It started. I put it into gear and it moved forward just like it was supposed to. So I immediately pulled a u-ey and headed directly to our dealership for an explanation because, hey, it was 4 o'clock on a Friday not only before a holiday weekend, but the day before we're leaving on the GNAT no less! Oh, and by the way, the Cranberry Cruiser is less than 2 years old! So, yeah, things like this - not expected.

Now, bear in mind I had been to our dealership no less than 3 times in the previous week for various and sundry maintenance and licensing tasks. They know me on sight. I explained to them just what was happening and how panicked I was because oh, jeeze, it's only the NIGHT BEFORE THE FIRST VACATION WE'VE HAD IN OVER TWO YEARS PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YOU CAN'T FIX THIS THING BEFORE I LEAVE IN 12 HOURS!

They cheerily said "Oh yeah, we've just gotten a service bulletin about this and it's really no big deal, but also, the part to replace this warranty item is out of inventory for at least a couple of weeks. But you can go ahead and still drive it. To Nashville. On a 30-hour road trip. You bet." Smile.

Famous last words.

So, reassured and relieved and with replacement part now on order I continue on home to finish up all the last minute things you must do before turning your house over to a complete stranger to house & dog sit for you. Things like wash the kitchen floor, dust the cobwebs from the basement ceiling, stuff like that. In my haste to get packed and make final notes for the sitter I, er, uhm, neglected to mention the little incident to the one whom I adore. Oops.

Bright and early the next morning we're packed, bags loaded into the Cranberry Cruiser, dogs safely, but let me assure you not happily, sitting at the kitchen window watching us go and we're off! Off on our big adventure! Off to see the USA! Headin' down to Nashville, via Boston and points in between. Off! Off! Off!

We had no sooner turned a mile down the road and it happened again. The same thing as yesterday. Realizing I forgot to make any mention of yesterday's incident to the one whom I adore I very quickly (and I can actually speak faster than I'm typing this and that's pretty damn fast) I spill my guts and recount what happened on the Lower Malpaque and what the head mechanic at the dealership said and oh, it's okay to drive, it won't hurt the car, you just need to pull over, put it in park, turn off and then on the ignition and everything will be fine. Smile. Whew.

If you could see the look I got. But, the one whom I adore also adores me and, as such, has tremendous faith in anything I tell him. And so he pulled over, put it in park, turned it off and then back on again. And it worked! And we continued on our merry way...crises averted.

Except that it wasn't "quite" averted. You see, about 3 hours later, it happened again. This time somewhere in New Brunswick as we were exiting the highway heading toward the boarding crossing. There was slightly more swearing this time. But hey, the mechanic said it's no big issue...right? So we did the thing again...pull over. Park. Turn off. Turn on. Continue. Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat.

Everything was fine. Really it was. It was fine all the way through Maine and most of the way through New Hampshire. But then, we just had to stop at the all you can buy without sales tax New Hampshire Liquor Store. Oh what a place! Right there, sitting on the side of the interstate as though it were a state rest stop! Although advertised as a liquor store, what it really was was an adult candy-land full of wine...American wine...South American wine...inexpensive wine...wine that we cannot find in PEI...wine!

After a brief respite to ogle, drool and purchase we continued on our way and just as we are re-entering the highway from this New Hampshire Rest Stop Liquor Store the dreaded thing happened again. Pedal to the metal, accelerating to 65 mph and suddenly, no throttle. Just nothing. Did I mention we were merging onto an Interstate Highway? Beside other vehicles? Like transport trailers going 85-mph? Oh, let me tell you, the language in the cruiser at this juncture was more foul than my belly after eating too much Thai salad, almonds & cranberries.

I wish I could report that this was the last incident before Boston, but it wasn't. It happened at least two other times before we limped our way to our luxury hotel on the waterfront in Boston's North End. We begged the doorman to let us self-park our car because of our little throttle problem, but they would have none of it. Being the professionals they are, they calmly assured us that they could handle anything our little cruiser threw their way and so took our keys. I for one was more than happy to give them up. The faster I could get out of that car, the sooner my melt-down could begin.

So now here's the scenario. It's now 6pm on a Saturday night, in a foreign city, not to mention foreign country. Car dealerships are closed and won't reopen until Monday at 7am. We're safely tucked into our beautiful hotel room at the luxurious Fairmont Battery Wharf. Our room is so new and swanky and first class and all, that I can't find any drinking glasses. But I'm nothing if not resourceful and I wasn't going to let the lack of stemware keep me from calming my nerves with a sip o' wine. Thankfully the bottle we brought to our room was screw cap, so while swigging it directly from the bottle I finally gave myself permission to lose it and lose it I did.

Just like the night the one whom I adore proposed to me, I boo-hoo'd tears and snot and snot and tears, between massive gulps of wine. Our vacation is ruined! The dealership won't have the part! Even if they did, our warranty in Canada probably wouldn't cover it! I cannot get back into that car! We cannot take that vehicle of death on the Sky Line Trail! The world is ending, not to mention our vacation! Before it even started!

Thankfully I married a sane and rational person who, while watching me guzzle wine from a bottle (first class gal all the way), convinced me that I was indeed capable of compartmentalizing the events of the afternoon until at least Monday morning when we could talk to a dealership and figure out a plan of attack from there. Logic (and some really good pinot noir directly from the bottle) prevailed and we agreed that we would make the best of Boston, for the next 2 days at least.

Boston was spectacular. I haven't written a whole lot about it, because, frankly, it was so special I'd really like to keep the best parts of it to myself. Those parts being all the sweet and romantic-y things we did and all the memories we created and all the fun we had.

But the other best part of Boston was the reception we received at Quirk Kia in nearby Braintree, MA. Just like kids on Christmas morning we were up before dawn so that we would "sound" awake when we talked to the dealership at 7am. A kind young man answered the phone, assured the one whom I adore that indeed they could look at our vehicle that very morning...just as soon as we could get it to them.

There was no way in hell I was getting back in that vehicle to drive through morning rush hour traffic in a city I don't know to the dealership. So this is the part where we put the "anywhere in North America Roadside Assist" to the test. We called the 800 number and qu'elle suprise! It worked! And the lovely lady on the other end of the phone happily dispatched a tow truck to our location, just as soon as he could battle his way through Boston traffic or within the next 1.5 hours, whichever comes first.

This is how good the guys at the Fairmont Battery Wharf are: We phoned down to the front desk and advised them of our plight and that we were awaiting a tow truck to rescue our car from valet parking. After about an hour we made our way downstairs and the one whom I adore went to speak to the front door guy to advise that it was he that was awaiting the tow truck. The front door man was all "absolutely Mr. Donnelly, we're fully apprised of your situation and will let you know just as soon as the truck arrives." Very professional. Very courteous. Very helpful. Very genuine. I love Boston. (Side note: they actually called him Mr. Cameron, because, er, uhm, I still go by this name and the room had been reserved in my name and so the logical conclusion was that he was Mr. Cameron. He's a good sport though and played along just as if he were.)

Once we three (me, he and it) were loaded onto the tow truck we were off to meet our new friends at Quirk Kia. Let me just tell you now, Quirk Kia is the largest car dealership I have ever seen. It is housed in what was a former shopping mall. I'm so not kidding - it's that big. The owner also owns the nearby port. The dealership has its own port for crying out loud! I thought the chances of anyone having the (in Canada anyway) back-ordered part, it seems like these guys would.

Sitting for an hour in the Dunkin' Donuts was no hardship as the mechanic did a thorough diagnosis of the situation. And just like the guys in Charlottetown said, it was indeed a problem with the throttle box. And yes, hallelujah, they had the part in stock. We'd be under way in less than 2 hours. Oh, and um, yes, it's a warranty repair, but oh, jeeze, um, it's not covered in the U.S. we're a whole other country don'tcha know and it's a different system.

At this point, when our options were to buy airline tickets to continue on or to rent a car to continue on, or to abandon our trip altogether, facing $800 in warranty repairs was a battle we were more than happy to wage with our dealership once we got back to Canada. Except that we didn't have to wage a battle at all. When we notified the dealership of what happened and that the warranty work had to be done on the fly in Boston our dealership said "No problem. Just bring us your bill when you're back on the island and we'll cut you a check the same day." That is what you call Customer Service. Our Kia might not be the highest-end vehicle you can find, but let me tell you, their Customer Care is top of the line, without question.

And that, my friends, is The Thing That Happened From New Hampshire To Boston. We had no other issues the entire trip - except for the 70-foot tree almost landing on top of my husband and my mother...but that was a whole other blog.

8 Days To Go – Or – Why This Vacation Will ROCK!

• Getting off the island.  I know it sounds like we’ve been trapped in our own personal reality show with that one, but it’s true.  We cannot wait to hit the Confederation Bridge heading west, then south, then east, then south, then west, then south, then west again. Seriously.  It’s not that life on the island isn’t good, because it is.  It’s just that, well, um, it’s an ISLAND and we’re really more like mainlanders.  So on this trip we’re going deep into the mainland.  So deep we may even hit the heartland.

• Staying up past 9 o’clock.  We are such party animals.  The one whom I adore has been putting in very long days at work, coming home most nights to slip into a quiet, exhausted sleep on the sofa after dinner.  Our hope is that without the daily sucking of his lifeblood that perhaps he can keep it together past 9 o’clock and we can enjoy staying up late, just like anyone else over 10 years old.

• No dogs allowed.  This is HUGE.  Not since the 2007 European Trip of a Lifetime have we traveled without Thing 1 and Thing 2.  This time they’re having their own vacation, but for them it’s more like a “stay-cation” where they get to stay at home, lounging about the house, hanging out with their new girlfriend, the lovely Rhonda the Vet Student who will feed, clothe, pamper and spoil the varmints for two whole weeks.  In return for this, we get to enjoy two glorious weeks without worrying about leaving the dogs unattended in a hotel room and Snickers won’t have to worry that we’ll leave him at the next gas stop. It’s a win-win for everyone, really.

• Road trippin’ to road tunes.  Get yer motor runnin’.  Head out on the highway.  Lookin’ for adventure.  In whatever comes our way!  Yup, there is nothing better than a new playlist of classic rock to cruise the highways and byways of America.  Born to be wiiiiiillllldddd!

• One word:  BOSTON.  Need I say more?

• Another word (or two):  BOSTON BARS.  Right up there with staying out past 9 o’clock is the prospect that we can do some pub crawling in the Back Bay or Beacon Hill or even Battery Wharf districts of the city.  Just.  Like.  Grown-ups.

• Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you, away, you rolling river.   We’ve never been and just like the lyrics of the song, I imagine it to be a beautiful place and we think we might just take our time here to meander along the Blue Ridge Parkway for a spell.

• Dollywood.  Okay, NOT my choice, but the one whom I adore seems pretty fixated on droppin’ in to Pigeon Forge for a visit.  But, upon further research and seeing the cost of admission ($59 per person) for ONE DAY just to see if those things are REAL (and we already know they aren’t)…I’m thinking that he may be rethinking this side trip.

• BBQ.  If you’re going all the way down south you can’t escape the simple fact that they are superior BBQers.  I don’t really know about that claim because I refuse to eat meat off the bone…but again, the one whom I adore is pretty keen to wrap his mouth around some lip-smacking ‘Q, so who am I to say “no”?  I only ask for equal time for some lip-smackin’ Mexican fare.

• Visit with the Family – we haven’t seen them since our wedding last August and so much has happened since then.  People have been sliced and diced, territories have changed, new houses have been decorated.  Wedding albums are ready for viewing.  Need I say more?

• Time alone with the one whom I adore.  Despite the fact that we have abundant time together here stranded on the island, there really is nothing better then discovering a new place together.  Just like when we explored the medieval streets of Florence and the sights of the Roman Empire, we anticipate two weeks full of discovery and we cannot wait. 

• Sleeping in past the crack of dawn.  I’m thinking this might be a by-product of staying up past 9 o’clock like anyone else over the age of 10, and it sure would be a welcome change from our normal routine.  I mean, who the hell gets up at 6:30am ON A SATURDAY?

• Photos of every oversized monument, tacky tourist sign and the landscapes of America. We’ll be traveling through some beautiful parts of the country and I’m looking forward to adding shots of the one whom I adore staged beside a wall of ham, or in this case a life-size Elvis cut-out.

• Hanging with the Amish.  Our return drive home will take us through Lancaster, PA, home to the Amish and that world famous Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pie.  We can race our Cranberry Cruiser against the horse & buggy…I’m pretty sure we’ll win.

• 28-foot tides.  Our last stop will be at the Bay of Fundy, home to the world’s largest tides.  A photo opportunity if ever there was one. 

• But perhaps the best thing of all…two weeks of no cares, no worries, no work, no schedules…just two weeks of unplanned, free time with the one whom I adore.  That my friends, is priceless!

One Week

It started as a love letter to Canada and for me, it ended with a teary-eyed mess in the car on the ride home.  Last night we went to see the movie "One Week" a movie that has been advertised here as a "love letter to Canada."  It's a story about a young man, 3-months away from his wedding, having been diagnosed with stage-4 cancer, who packs up his saddle bag, straddles his newly purchased vintage Norton motorcycle and begins a cross-country road trip from Toronto to Tofino, transversing 2/3s of the vastness that is Canada.  I'm a sucker for a road trip - whether taking to the road myself, or enjoying it vicariously on the big screen so there was no way I was going to miss seeing this movie!

As promised, the scenery was spectacular.  The main character, a fine and healthy looking young man is literally a ticking clock who snaps pictures along the way at every oversized monument between the Muskokas and the surf-shacks on BC's western most coast.   The Big Nickle in Sudbury, the Giant Goose in Wawa, and the World's Largest TeePee in Alberta are as much a part of our national landscape as the great Canadian Shield and the boreal forest, and through his photos they become secondary characters in this movie. 

I was prepared for this story.  I had seen enough trailers to know what to expect.   I was prepared for the plot line of him questioning the validity of everything in his life while he struggled to live fully before he started treatment...before he became a patient.   I was prepared for the take-your-breath-away scenery...of the prairies at dawn, of the lakes of northern Ontario at sunset.  I waited with anticipation for shots of the Rockies and of my favourite city in the whole world, Vancouver.  I was richly rewarded.  The movie is Canadian eye-candy at its best.

We both really enjoyed the movie - the perfect way to cap off a perfect Spring Saturday.  As we began driving home I asked Dwayne the question that is posed at the end of the movie:  "If you only had one day, one week, one month to live - what would you do?  What life hold would you grab on to?  What wish would you fulfill?  What's the minimum in life?"

I hate to say that I wasn't entirely actively listening to Dwayne's response (he said something about a trip to Ontario & Kelowna), because I was busy thinking about how I would answer that question myself.  That's when the tears began.  It is an overwhelming question that could not be easily answered.  It's not as simple as I'd pack up and go to Italy and eat fresh pasta everyday (although that would be fun and certainly very, very high on my list).  It's not as simple as you would think.  And for someone like me who is SELDOM at a loss for words, not being able to articulate an answer was rather surprising to my husband and me! 

Which brings me to the interactive portion of this blog, dear internet.  Yes, this is where you get to weigh in.   Click on comments to answer the question I pose to you - "If you only had one day, one week, one month to live - what would you do?  What life-hold would you grab on to?  What wish would you fulfill?  What's the minimum in life?"

If you've never driven across Canada (or even if you have), this is a must see movie.  If you love road trips, this is a must see movie.  If you love Canada, this is a must see movie.