Even the most thorough plans can go amuck. The airline cancels the flight, the car breaks down, or maybe you forgot the tent poles. Stay calm. When your travelling adventure turns in an unexpected direction, take a deep breath say: “I can handle this.”
We forgot the tent poles.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
In the summer of 1990, after driving from Toronto to west of Sudbury, Ontario, we arrived at Fairbank Provincial Park and began to set up camp. The sun was beginning to set as we realized we forgot the tent poles. We rushed back to Sudbury and were able to purchase a tent at Canadian Tire . . . just before closing. The catastrophe was averted.
Gaspé Shenanigans
Summer 2013
What could go wrong? We would drive to Montreal to attend a wedding and continue along the St. Lawrence River to Forillon National Park on the Gaspé Peninsula. That was the plan. And that is what happened, but not without a few – challenges.
Immediately things went wrong. We packed up our tent trailer and Honda Element and drove away anticipating good times and adventure. We noticed something was wrong at our first service centre stop. Both the side vents had blown off of the Bumtrinket. Why did they blow off? I had not properly secured them. Sigh.
Photo by Janine Elliott
We had to replace the vents because they protected the inner workings of the trailer from the rain and wind. Solution? The Yellow Pages app on my phone located the closest RV business. Two hours and $75 later the problem was solved.
We left Montreal thinking that our problems were over, only to have a tire blow out on the trailer. Fortunately, we had a spare. While we are camping at Bic National Park, east of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River, my husband noticed that the tread was worn on the inside of the back tires. This indicated a serious alignment problem. It was time to decide whether to continue as planned or return home.
With two new tires and a wheel alignment from the local Honda dealership and a new trailer tire from the RV dealership, we carried on with our trip. We visited the magical statues created by Marcel Gagnon http://www.centredart.net/ at Ste-Flavie, Quebec, pictured below.
“The Grand Gathering” a collection of over 100 statues which appear and disappear as the tide moves in and out on the St. Lawrence River. Photo by Janine Elliott
What else could go wrong? Not only did the propane fridge in the trailer die, the electric cooler that kept our perishables from perishing ceased to function. Did I mention that the trailer voltage inverter blew up when we attempted to plug in at Forillon National Park? Yes, that happened too. Fortunately, we had reached our destination. We through a block of ice in the fridge, activated our flashlights, and cooked on the propane stove (there was a fire ban at the time). We were awakened on the first night on the Gaspé Peninsula which a terrifying, screech that sounded as if some creature was being murdered over and over again. This went on for a good hour, as we cowered in fear. The next day we discovered that it was a vixen (female fox).
What does the fox say?
Video published by Jeffrey Shultz on YouTube.com
When we look back on this particular trip, we shake our heads and laugh. As you can see by the pictures below, we saw many wonderful sights and made it home without any further misadventures!
Tim Elliott gazing at Gulf of St Lawrence.
Photo by Janine Elliott
Our campsite at Forillon National Park. July 2012.
Photo by Janine Elliott
Piercé Rock in the on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada
Adventures of the Cautious Traveller 