Oct 22, 2012 - Barrie, Ontario (Start of our trip) (Mom's Driveway)

October 22/12 As usual we moved into Mom's driveway for a few days before heading south. We made some final preparations and re-organized things around the trailer. There were also a few final Doctors appointments to get through... but all seems to be well and they gave us the go-ahead to travel. A couple of final dinners with family and away we go!!!

Apr 23, 2012 - Barrie, Ontario (End of our trip, Mom L)

Barrie, Ontario (End of our trip, Mom L) April 23/11 Monday, April 23, we travelled north to Mike’s Mom's driveway. We had a rough ride home, windy with huge gusts bouncing the truck and trailer from the border to London. When we hit Milton,we got wet snow and had to set up in it too. As we were setting up, the landing gear would not fully extend. We will have to take it in to get it repaired. So we slept in Mom’s house. We were able to manually raise the front stabilizers, so we are back in the RV until next Thursday went we take it in to...

Oct 27, 2011 - Barrie, Ontario (Start of our trip) (Mom's Driveway)

October 27/11 We spent some time in Mom's driveway again getting prepared for this years trip... As well as to get some last minute Dentistry taken care of. We also had a day trip to Camping In Style (our rv dealer) to get some maintenance done and to get the slide-out motors and gears finally replaced (they started to break down during a summer roadtrip). AND AWAY WE GO...

Aug 2, 2011 - Back to Barrie where Jocelyn waits

Left before 6 to miss Montreal traffic. Took a route north of the city, via Mirabel Airport. Then down to cross into Ontario at Hawkesbury, up to Ottawa on the 417, and across Ontario on Highway 7. Saw Amber and Maureen at Fowlers Corners. At Jocelyn's before 5:00. Sausage and sauerkraut. Back spasms, so had a relaxing evening reading and phoning at Duckworth Plaza. Jono checked in, and we will hook up tomorrow.

Jul 19, 2011 - Purolator arrives and we go for Sushi

On Tuesday morning, I got Wandering Spirit buttoned up and ready to travel, and drove over to Barrie. Since I didn't know when Purolator would arrive, and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't miss them, I parked in front of my kids' house and waited. Their mother Leslie was away, so I phoned and rang the doorbell to see if Tim was there. No answer, so I settled in to wait for Purolator. At some point, the door opened, and Tim and Jocelyn waved me in -- they had been sleeping and missed the phone and door bells. We looked at some of their...

Jul 11, 2011 - Rear end and other matters

When I had my oil changed on Saturday, Just Lubes didn't have enough staff to do a full check on my differential, to see why its oil was dirty, so I went back first thing Monday morning. Meagan was there, along with some men, so I teased her that I had come in to have her check out my rear end. She grinned, drained it and tore the cover plate off. The problem we were hoping not to see was that the differential gears were chewing each other up. However, they were in perfect condition, so the diagnosis was that old, dried-up fluid and gunk...

Jul 10, 2011 - Radio repairs and hangin' with T & J

My new stereo hadn't been working since somewhere in the USA, so I figured it was time to do something about it. I had determined the day before that Robinson's Hardware was open on Sundays, so I parked in the far corner of their parking lot and started opening up the dash. I felt that if I couldn't be at my own workshop, a hardware store was the next best thing, because you just never know what you're going to need. I got there at 10:00, and didn't leave until after 3:00. In that time, I discovered that the reason it wasn't working was...

Jul 9, 2011 - Oil Change & Warrior Race

Tim and Jocelyn made a delicious breakfast, and then Tim and I set out for some adventures. Wandering Spirit was in need of an oil change after her sojourn to the USA, so we went to Just Lubes on Grove St. A young woman named Meagan looked after us, changing the oil and doing whatever else needed doing. She was concerned because the differential fluid was dirty, which it shouldn't have been because it was changed just before we left Alberta. Because it was Saturday and they were running with limited staff, I made arrangements to come back...

Jul 8, 2011 - Back to meet Tim and Jocelyn

From the Victor Wal-mart, we had an uneventful run to the border. Crossing into Canada at Niagara (at 10:25 a.m.), we headed up the QEW freeway, making good time until we came to a dead stop. For 40 minutes, we inched along, surrounded by big transport trucks, until finally we came to the source of the problem. A van had collided with a pickup truck pulling a trailer loaded with household goods, and two lanes were filled with sofas and boxes and scattered appliances and dishes. After we passed the accident, it was clear sailing to Yorkdale...

Jun 30, 2011 - Jono's Passport Arrives

At 7:30 this morning, Jon received a message from his mother that he had a Purolator package waiting. Since the only thing he was expecting was his passport, we packed up and left a day early. This caused a lot of trouble for the Ontario Parks Department, especially when we tried to pass our second, unused, day on to another fellow who needed a spot a day early. With the park packed for the long weekend, it was complicated. Further complications involved a brand new computer system, implemented just before the busiest weekend of the year by...

Jun 23, 2011 - Back to Barrie

We woke up at Pilgrim's Rest campground to discover that it was raining. Going back to sleep cured that, and the morning dawned rain-free but warm and steamy. We headed back to Barrie, so that Jon could get some clean clothes and check up on his life after being away for a week. On the way, we encountered rain again, and intermittently throughout the day. That is the first rain I have seen since I left Alberta, although it has been raining constantly there. We came back past Lindsay, where we had stayed at Emily Park the previous weekend,...

Jun 15, 2011 - Barrie!

The proprietor of the Happy Hearts campground at Tobermory told me that Barrie was about three hours away. He was mistaken. I didn't want to get to Barrie too early, before Jono was up and about, so I puttered and made a nice breakfast and did some computer work, and rolled out about 10:00 a.m. The Bruce Peninsula is longer than one might think, and the speed limit is only about 80 km/h in most places, so I rolled south for quite a while. In Owen Sound, one of my cupboard doors popped open, and my sugar container hit the floor and spilled...