Day 9, Wednesday, August 17, still at Riviere du Loup

For those readers who are joining this blog in progress, so you don't think you are missing anything, here is a message I just sent to my good friend Jacob Stein on the highlights so far.  I take these trips to confront the challenges that await me on the road and in the wild, but I meant bears, wolves, lynx, and even raccoons and skunks, not these.

Ed from our bivouac in Rivière du Loup, Quebec.

Hello Jake,

Sorry we did not have a chance to chat before I got on the road.  I should say, on the road and then off the road.  I fear this this trip was not meant to be.  Not only did I get a late start because of my bum leg and Donner's allergy outbreak, but things started happening right from the first day.  For instance...

1- On day 1, my left front tire starting losing air and needs to be topped off with air every day. No big deal there.

2- On the second day, I started to hear a clanging noise from one of my wheels.  I have driven more than 1000 miles since and the wheel has not come off yet, so I guess I am good for another 2000 miles until I get to a mechanic I trust.

3- On day 3, when I stopped for a restroom break, someone reached into my vehicle and swiped my camera. They would have taken more except that my guess is they were startled by my 108 pound travel companion.  No big deal as I have 2 more cameras.

4- on day 4, last Saturday, when I went to put air in the tire,mi discovered that my differential is back-blowing oil into the passenger seat compartment.

5-.Also on day 4, as I was crossing over from New Brunswick to Quebec, where few people speak English, I needed to buy some breakfast so I pulled over at at a isolated treeless parking lot in the middle of nowhere with a grocery store in it.  Not a particularly nice spot to stop, I said to myself, but I am hungry, so I stopped at the well-stocked store.  As I started on my way again a few carrot muffins later, my vehicle stalled and would not restart.  After a kind gentleman named Denis who spoke excellent English finally came along, we discussed my options for finding a place to camp and take the vehicle on Monday, two days away.  I finally decided to have the vehicle towed 50 miles to a camp in a town on the St Lawrence River, camp there, and have the vehicle towed to a nearby garage on Monday, which I did.

6- The mechanic finally got to look at my vehicle yesterday and today and decided my fairly new, hard-to-get distributor was shot.  As good luck would have it, I had a used one that my mechanic back home had given me in my garage container on my roof rack several years ago. But when the helpful mechanic here opened the container, he found in the distributor box a distributor shel and nothing more.  Fortunately, after some serious searching,  I made the 3:00 p.m. deadline for Fed Ex shipments at a Land Rover parts outlet in Vermont and my hope is that it arrives Friday before 5:00 p.m. as promised.  Whether it can be installed Friday or Monday is anyone's guess, but the mechanic kindly said they would work late Friday to install it if it arrives.

7- As Donner was sulking over his having to eat a meal of fresh (from the can) salmon and rice, I was dining on watered-down mushroom soup and rice and noticed one grain was especially hard and large.  As it turned out, it was a crown from one of my teeth.  I have an appointment with a local dentist tomorrow to cement it back on, but will have to hike the 8 miles back and forth with Donner since I cannot leave him, unless I can find some compassionate taxi driver who feels sympathy if not pity for me and agrees to let him ride too.

This is an abbreviated list for my 9-day old trip since I do not have easy access to charge my electronic devices, of which I have as many as I have problems. 

In the meantime, we are camped out in lovely downtown Rivière du Loup waiting, with 14,000 miles more to go and God only knows how many more problems ahead of us.

The good news is that the temperature here is 71 today, whereas I see in DC it is 91.  

I hope you well and staying abreast of the election news because I will give you my proxy to cast my vote come November since I may not be back by then if I can get back on the road soon.

Ed