The "tour" journal, part four
Day 5.
Carl and me got up bright and early for the complementary continental breakfast that morning. After indulging in a few too many waffles and some cereal we went back up to boast about the luxurious breakfast we just enjoyed. It doesn’t get much more luxurious than toast. We packed our bags and thanked the woman who gave us our rooms one last time and headed yonder back to the mechanic’s. We didn’t even bother asking about the progress of the van because it seemed like the new(er) engine was already in the van. Of course we didn’t know the difference between the two. We dumped our bags inside and once again went into the mall for another fun, exciting hour of browsing. Ross actually got kicked out of The Source for using the computer there. They recognized him and he would go in every day and spend like an hour using the Internet there. Ross was still being an idiot about paying his share for the van. We all paid our bit but he said it technically was Shan’s van so Shan should have to pay by himself. Shan saved us all quite a bit of money by paying for it by himself and Ross doesn’t even take that into consideration. He just wants to save himself as much money as possible so he can buy more clothes. After disputing about that for a while Ross went off with Kevin and the rest of us just sat in the food court. We decided to go over to the Internet café again since there really wasn’t anything better to do. It meant spending more money, but we still thought at this point we’d be making it all back once we started doing shows in Ontario.
After an hour or so Ross and Kevin joined us at the café. They had gone to watch Beer Fest at the cinema, and actually enjoyed it. It’s pretty ridiculous making a movie about alcohol and aiming it at teens and alcoholics, and even alcoholic teens. It had started pissing down soon after Ross and Kevin got there. Now I mean REALLY pissing down, as in it would sting if this rain hit you it was so heavy. After our time was up we left Ross and Kevin to finish using their time and went back to the garage. It seems it’s so much further when it’s raining. Then when we finally get there our souls melted as we saw the lights were out. We found a note on the door saying they still weren’t able to get the parts and sorry, and that we could go next door to the gas station to get a key so we could get our stuff from the van. We thought we might as well camp out inside the garage for a bit, as it was warm in there and bloody freezing outside. We phoned Kevin and Ross and told them what the deal was and to just head over when they’re done. When Ross got there Shan went off at him again about paying his share. Ross made some bullshit excuse about he needs the money he has left to survive. There was perfectly good food in the van though. Sure it wasn’t gourmet, but it would keep you alive and that’s what’s important. I even had a go at him myself and tried to reason with him. I told him it wasn’t like we’d let him starve; we’d share food with him if he needed it. But still I had no luck and ended up saying something rather angry and walking out of the room. Kevin was a good talker so we nominated him to go talk to Ross, and finally he gave in a paid us SOME of his share.
We got a taxi over to the hotel since it was way too wet to lug our stuff over there on foot. It was cheap though - only about 7$ split six ways. We got our usual rooms again then charged through the parking lot to the restaurant opposite the hotel. The service there was horrible but the food was pretty decent. They didn’t have what I wanted and didn’t even let me get something else that was a little more expensive to compensate. I had to get a Calzone Pizza that turned out to be a seven and a half out of ten on the delicious scale. Once we polished off our plates all of us except Kevin went back to the Hotel; Kevin stayed to do some bowling at the alley connected to the restaurant. Carl, Shan and me got our swim shorts on and went down to the pool. Even the intriguingly insecure Jared came down. After some more rough housing we went upstairs to chill out.
Soon after Kevin came to the door and guess who was on the phone with him? Desperately in need of a dental plan Terry! Kevin, Ross and Jared decided to go hang out with her and Cut Face and the other one whose name we can’t remember. I had no intention of going as I would much rather relax and sleep than go be bored at some stranger’s place just because “there’s nothing better to do.” I did, however, decide to go out and say hello. I was in just my short purple puma shorts and a beater with a hoody over top. Like I said, I had no intention of going out anywhere. Then Terry pulls and pushes and shoves me into the car. For a small drunk girl she was insanely strong. I guess I could’ve ran off but something inside me just said “what the hell, might as well” and let her shove me in. Like I predicted though it was a bloody boring time again. Terry ended up going off with some guy for a drive and then came back in tears. I don’t know what the bloody hell happened but I just really wanted to get out of there. I was almost tempted to start crying myself if it got me back to the hotel sooner! Luckily soon after Terry got back the rest of the guys started to make hints they wanted to leave. So after the girls finally took the hint we were on the road again. This time Terry was in a much more manic state though. Shouting something about stabbing that guy she went off with and calling people to go after him. I can only imagine what happened, and frankly, I don’t want to know and I don’t even care. What I did care about though was that soon I would be in a warm bed, sleeping. And I was, and so I was happy, and so I slept.
Day 6.
Today was going to be another long and boring day, but would actually breed some success. We continued with the usual routines of the mall and Internet café. On our way to the café Ross had to go to Arby’s to use the bathroom. Now Ross isn’t someone who can really find his way around. We told him which direction the place was but we doubted that would be enough. We even made a sign and left it on the traffic light pole telling him where to turn. After about an hour went by we knew he’d gotten himself lost and hopefully gone back to the mall rather than the less fortunate scenario we joked about: getting chased around town by “I’m gonna stab you” Corey. Ross had ended up bumping into Kevin and being the actually competent person he is found his way to us. We nerded it up for a while longer then around 7 we went back to the garage yet again. This time when we looked in we saw the engine being suspended from some device in front of the van. We realized now that the “new” engine had been the one next to the van all this time. We just assumed it was the old one, as it looked really beat up. They told us they just needed to put the engine in and seal up the van, which wouldn’t take too long and they were going to stay that night until they got it done. An hour went by, then another hour, and another, and another. It wasn’t till about 11 that the whole thing was ready to go. The mechanics were all fairly drunk already as they were planning to go to a club in Winnipeg after they finished and decided to get a head start. This worked out to be not such a bad thing for us as they ended up accidentally charging us less than they originally intended.
It felt amazingly refreshing to be back in the van and looking out through the window at the trees as we past them. I would soon bore of this feeling, but for now, it was a little taste of heaven. We ended up taking the wrong turn out of town so we had to go around in somewhat of a loop. A few minutes more passed by and we were at the garage that had been storing our trailer in their parking lot. It had been raining a lot and the trailer had been pulled right out onto the grass so it was half-stuck in mud. We tried our best to pull it out rather than have to get into the mud and push it and then inevitably ending up tracking all the mud into the van. It took all of us but we managed to pull it out enough so we were clear to push it without sinking in scum. We got the trailer hooked up and then we were off on the road again. Of course it couldn’t be smooth sailing from here, of course. Something had to go wrong just like it always seemed to. That something this time was our “new” engine and it leaking oil. Also, when we stopped to check the oil the engine coolant flooded out. We got some more oil at a gas station and made it as far as Kenora then had to stop because the engine was over heating. Now, I can’t quite remember if we spent the night there or went over to Thunder Bay that night. Either way, it’s not really important.
Day 7.
This would be the start of the longest day of the trip for me. We got a flat of oil from Canadian Tire and some stuff that was supposed to stop the leaking. We also got some other extremely thick stuff for the engine coolant so that it wouldn’t keep pouring out whenever we stopped. After a while the oil eventually stopped leaking and now instead it burnt insanely fast. We had to put in something like a liter of oil every time we stopped for gas. It was bad, and definitely couldn’t say much for the engine, but it was all that was going to get us to through this tour so we had to deal. We got some food then drove as fast as this heap of junk would take us, which was about 80-90 miles an hour, 100 if we were on a hill, 40 if we were going up one. We were looking over the map and I noticed that there was a dotted line coming out of these islands near where we were. It seemed to indicate there was a way to cut right through the lake, which would save us a lot of time. We asked about it at the next gas station and it turned out there was a ferry that went from “Manitoulin Island” to some little place called Tobermory. We got a schedule and figured out by the time we got there we will have just missed a ferry and the next one wouldn’t be for a while. We weighted the cost of gas versus the cost of the ferry and the time it would take driving versus waiting for the ferry then taking through Lake Huron. There was much flip flopping back and forth but we decided it would be better taking the ferry, as it would give the van a rest. It ended up costing more than we had predicted though as they charged the trailer as a separate vehicle even though I don’t seem a bloody motor on it. The woman there gave us a “family” rate though since we said we were low on dough, so that at least made it a little less more expensive than predicted. After a few hours the ferry arrived and we were on our way to Tobermory. As we were exiting the ferry we decided to have a little fun and dangle the Mastodon out the window. Now we were on the final stretch to our target: Burlington, where our promoter was. There would be no time for sleep yet though, there were many more mishaps to come that day before that could be done.
Carl and me got up bright and early for the complementary continental breakfast that morning. After indulging in a few too many waffles and some cereal we went back up to boast about the luxurious breakfast we just enjoyed. It doesn’t get much more luxurious than toast. We packed our bags and thanked the woman who gave us our rooms one last time and headed yonder back to the mechanic’s. We didn’t even bother asking about the progress of the van because it seemed like the new(er) engine was already in the van. Of course we didn’t know the difference between the two. We dumped our bags inside and once again went into the mall for another fun, exciting hour of browsing. Ross actually got kicked out of The Source for using the computer there. They recognized him and he would go in every day and spend like an hour using the Internet there. Ross was still being an idiot about paying his share for the van. We all paid our bit but he said it technically was Shan’s van so Shan should have to pay by himself. Shan saved us all quite a bit of money by paying for it by himself and Ross doesn’t even take that into consideration. He just wants to save himself as much money as possible so he can buy more clothes. After disputing about that for a while Ross went off with Kevin and the rest of us just sat in the food court. We decided to go over to the Internet café again since there really wasn’t anything better to do. It meant spending more money, but we still thought at this point we’d be making it all back once we started doing shows in Ontario.
After an hour or so Ross and Kevin joined us at the café. They had gone to watch Beer Fest at the cinema, and actually enjoyed it. It’s pretty ridiculous making a movie about alcohol and aiming it at teens and alcoholics, and even alcoholic teens. It had started pissing down soon after Ross and Kevin got there. Now I mean REALLY pissing down, as in it would sting if this rain hit you it was so heavy. After our time was up we left Ross and Kevin to finish using their time and went back to the garage. It seems it’s so much further when it’s raining. Then when we finally get there our souls melted as we saw the lights were out. We found a note on the door saying they still weren’t able to get the parts and sorry, and that we could go next door to the gas station to get a key so we could get our stuff from the van. We thought we might as well camp out inside the garage for a bit, as it was warm in there and bloody freezing outside. We phoned Kevin and Ross and told them what the deal was and to just head over when they’re done. When Ross got there Shan went off at him again about paying his share. Ross made some bullshit excuse about he needs the money he has left to survive. There was perfectly good food in the van though. Sure it wasn’t gourmet, but it would keep you alive and that’s what’s important. I even had a go at him myself and tried to reason with him. I told him it wasn’t like we’d let him starve; we’d share food with him if he needed it. But still I had no luck and ended up saying something rather angry and walking out of the room. Kevin was a good talker so we nominated him to go talk to Ross, and finally he gave in a paid us SOME of his share.
We got a taxi over to the hotel since it was way too wet to lug our stuff over there on foot. It was cheap though - only about 7$ split six ways. We got our usual rooms again then charged through the parking lot to the restaurant opposite the hotel. The service there was horrible but the food was pretty decent. They didn’t have what I wanted and didn’t even let me get something else that was a little more expensive to compensate. I had to get a Calzone Pizza that turned out to be a seven and a half out of ten on the delicious scale. Once we polished off our plates all of us except Kevin went back to the Hotel; Kevin stayed to do some bowling at the alley connected to the restaurant. Carl, Shan and me got our swim shorts on and went down to the pool. Even the intriguingly insecure Jared came down. After some more rough housing we went upstairs to chill out.
Soon after Kevin came to the door and guess who was on the phone with him? Desperately in need of a dental plan Terry! Kevin, Ross and Jared decided to go hang out with her and Cut Face and the other one whose name we can’t remember. I had no intention of going as I would much rather relax and sleep than go be bored at some stranger’s place just because “there’s nothing better to do.” I did, however, decide to go out and say hello. I was in just my short purple puma shorts and a beater with a hoody over top. Like I said, I had no intention of going out anywhere. Then Terry pulls and pushes and shoves me into the car. For a small drunk girl she was insanely strong. I guess I could’ve ran off but something inside me just said “what the hell, might as well” and let her shove me in. Like I predicted though it was a bloody boring time again. Terry ended up going off with some guy for a drive and then came back in tears. I don’t know what the bloody hell happened but I just really wanted to get out of there. I was almost tempted to start crying myself if it got me back to the hotel sooner! Luckily soon after Terry got back the rest of the guys started to make hints they wanted to leave. So after the girls finally took the hint we were on the road again. This time Terry was in a much more manic state though. Shouting something about stabbing that guy she went off with and calling people to go after him. I can only imagine what happened, and frankly, I don’t want to know and I don’t even care. What I did care about though was that soon I would be in a warm bed, sleeping. And I was, and so I was happy, and so I slept.
Day 6.
Today was going to be another long and boring day, but would actually breed some success. We continued with the usual routines of the mall and Internet café. On our way to the café Ross had to go to Arby’s to use the bathroom. Now Ross isn’t someone who can really find his way around. We told him which direction the place was but we doubted that would be enough. We even made a sign and left it on the traffic light pole telling him where to turn. After about an hour went by we knew he’d gotten himself lost and hopefully gone back to the mall rather than the less fortunate scenario we joked about: getting chased around town by “I’m gonna stab you” Corey. Ross had ended up bumping into Kevin and being the actually competent person he is found his way to us. We nerded it up for a while longer then around 7 we went back to the garage yet again. This time when we looked in we saw the engine being suspended from some device in front of the van. We realized now that the “new” engine had been the one next to the van all this time. We just assumed it was the old one, as it looked really beat up. They told us they just needed to put the engine in and seal up the van, which wouldn’t take too long and they were going to stay that night until they got it done. An hour went by, then another hour, and another, and another. It wasn’t till about 11 that the whole thing was ready to go. The mechanics were all fairly drunk already as they were planning to go to a club in Winnipeg after they finished and decided to get a head start. This worked out to be not such a bad thing for us as they ended up accidentally charging us less than they originally intended.
It felt amazingly refreshing to be back in the van and looking out through the window at the trees as we past them. I would soon bore of this feeling, but for now, it was a little taste of heaven. We ended up taking the wrong turn out of town so we had to go around in somewhat of a loop. A few minutes more passed by and we were at the garage that had been storing our trailer in their parking lot. It had been raining a lot and the trailer had been pulled right out onto the grass so it was half-stuck in mud. We tried our best to pull it out rather than have to get into the mud and push it and then inevitably ending up tracking all the mud into the van. It took all of us but we managed to pull it out enough so we were clear to push it without sinking in scum. We got the trailer hooked up and then we were off on the road again. Of course it couldn’t be smooth sailing from here, of course. Something had to go wrong just like it always seemed to. That something this time was our “new” engine and it leaking oil. Also, when we stopped to check the oil the engine coolant flooded out. We got some more oil at a gas station and made it as far as Kenora then had to stop because the engine was over heating. Now, I can’t quite remember if we spent the night there or went over to Thunder Bay that night. Either way, it’s not really important.
Day 7.
This would be the start of the longest day of the trip for me. We got a flat of oil from Canadian Tire and some stuff that was supposed to stop the leaking. We also got some other extremely thick stuff for the engine coolant so that it wouldn’t keep pouring out whenever we stopped. After a while the oil eventually stopped leaking and now instead it burnt insanely fast. We had to put in something like a liter of oil every time we stopped for gas. It was bad, and definitely couldn’t say much for the engine, but it was all that was going to get us to through this tour so we had to deal. We got some food then drove as fast as this heap of junk would take us, which was about 80-90 miles an hour, 100 if we were on a hill, 40 if we were going up one. We were looking over the map and I noticed that there was a dotted line coming out of these islands near where we were. It seemed to indicate there was a way to cut right through the lake, which would save us a lot of time. We asked about it at the next gas station and it turned out there was a ferry that went from “Manitoulin Island” to some little place called Tobermory. We got a schedule and figured out by the time we got there we will have just missed a ferry and the next one wouldn’t be for a while. We weighted the cost of gas versus the cost of the ferry and the time it would take driving versus waiting for the ferry then taking through Lake Huron. There was much flip flopping back and forth but we decided it would be better taking the ferry, as it would give the van a rest. It ended up costing more than we had predicted though as they charged the trailer as a separate vehicle even though I don’t seem a bloody motor on it. The woman there gave us a “family” rate though since we said we were low on dough, so that at least made it a little less more expensive than predicted. After a few hours the ferry arrived and we were on our way to Tobermory. As we were exiting the ferry we decided to have a little fun and dangle the Mastodon out the window. Now we were on the final stretch to our target: Burlington, where our promoter was. There would be no time for sleep yet though, there were many more mishaps to come that day before that could be done.