Can We Go Home Now!?!

Well, it’s just after midnight and I guess we didn’t wish, hope, pray (whatever) hard enough to make the ferry. Not only did we miss it, we are still 2 ½ hours away. Currently we are in a strip mall parking lot where we will mostly spend the night before heading off at 5am in order to make the 9am ferry (we have to be there no later than 8am or else they cancel our reservation).

The driving conditions became far too dangerous for us to be on the road. (you know, late at night and rain pouring down with no functioning wipers) and to top it off we realized we were never going to make the ferry on time anyway. So, we did the only thing we could and that was to stop. Working hard and fast to solve the problems we faced, we made calls and talked with locals all the while holding on to a shred of hope we could get out of here with a fixed Gord-mobile. But alas, that was not meant to be. We cried, we swore, I think I threw something and then we notified our team about our situation. With heavy hearts we dragged our tired bodies into a local pizza place and drowned our sorrows in a slice and a brew.

It’s funny how a little time and some food can really change your mood. With lifted spirits and a new sense of hope we decided to move the Gord-mobile to a better location, preferably one with internet access and a holding tank disposal. We were told there was an RV park a few kilometers away so we packed up and hit the road. Barely into the driveway we heard hissing and before we could do or say anything the entire cabin was filling with radiator steam. We had overheated and blown the cap off the radiator, which of course made for a nice bubbling fountain that would give Old Faithful a run for her money. So it is here that we lay dead in the water, unable to a thing about it until 8am when the repair shop opens, a tip we got from a very nice man named Kevin from Dewolfe Towing here in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. We are truly frustrated and very disappointed.

So the sum of our current situation is this:
1. we need the belt replaced ASAP, it controls the hydraulic park brake, the wipers, the radiator circulation system, and who knows what else
2. we need to make the 9am ferry (let’s be honest here…that ain’t gonna happen!)
3. we need to be in St. John’s by Thursday morning for us to make our first event and to not totally mess up the schedule
4. since it is physically impossible to achieve item #2 above, we need to get this old jalopy in running condition so we can make the next ferry which is at 3pm tomorrow.

It’s currently 3am, we are all still up and have been since 5am this morning. And although we watched the Gord-mobile steam its way to a complete stop, stranding us here, we STILL have hope of getting out of here tomorrow so we can finally join up with our team and “start” this journey. Fingers crossed that tomorrow is a better day!

-jeannie