Bob's Excellent Adventure

  ...started Friday morning at Kelvin's where Joe and I helped him get the brakes bled on the Mini.  Joe really did the bulk of the work while I stood around and lambasted Kelvin for having too many cars.  For once, Joe had no problem finding his nuts.  While idly fiddling with the car I pulled out a handfull of what we decided was mouse nest fixins. No one thought much of it and the mouse chewed material was tossed in the bin.   The job was quickly finished and the Mini took off for a test run down the road.  After another cup of tea Joe became concerned and we followed in a regular car.  Less than a minute down the road we came upon a forlorn Kelvin, hands in pockets, walking on the side of the road. Yeeeup, he's run out of gas.  We grabbed a can back at his garage and delivered them both to the car (where's that picture Joe?).
   After all the ribbing and finger pointing was done we left Kelvin's and headed home to clean the cars for tomorrow's trip because the weather was going to be.....

    ....gorgeous. At a little after seven the next morning the sky was brilliantly blue. I headed down the 105 with a big grin on my face as I slalomed around the bigger potholes and dead raccoons.  I followed it to highway 10 and eventually to the 112 heading towards Moncton.  Clouds had appeared on the horizon but I wasn't worried....

     ...until somewhere around New Canaan where the skies had become overcast, the temperature had dropped (I had donned light gloves at this point) and there where standing puddles on the road.  Despite the gloom, I was confident the clouds would pass.  I took the 112 through Salsbury and turned onto the 106 (Main St) to enter Moncton.  This was great little road and I enjoyed in Immensely.
    The show was pretty much as previously described by Gary.  I got to drool over my second favourite car, a Volvo P1800 and spent much time chatting with another E-Type owner.   Kelvin eventually turned up and regaled us with stories of smoking Mini dashboards.  Remember that mouse nest from yesterday?  Turned out that the mouse had eaten more than tissue paper and insulation.  At least he'd not gotten far from home before the wiring had shorted out.
    The show ended early and I headed over to the house of the gentleman I'd been chatting with to examine his car.  It turned out to be of the same year and I spent a couple of hours with him.  As the dinner hour approached I headed to my sister-in-law's place near the Casino where the four of us (SWMBO had come down after work) went out to raise a little hell (just a little mind you).
      Sunday morning finally brought some great weather and I was sent on my way with a stomach full of bacon and eggs.  The sky was perfect with high wispy clouds and a few fluffy ones peppering it, making for a dramatic view from Kelley's Mountain. The drive home couldn't have been better as the roads where completely deserted. While there where a few broken and patched sections, the vast bulk of the back roads; the former Trans Canada are smooth and unbroken.  It was a pretty nice send off to spring, with this weekend heralding the arrival of summer. Hopefully it's an omen of fine weather to come.

  epilogue,
   Thumbing my nose certain people, I'm pleased to report that I made it...

• all the way to the show grounds
• all the way to my sister-in-law's place at the west end on Moncton
• and all the way home the next morning,

    without getting lost or making so much as one wrong turn.
        so there!
- Bob E.