May 16, 2006

May 16, 2006

Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island through New Brunswick to Pictou, Nova Scotia

YEAR 2 DAY 333

 

Today was cloudy and cool. When we settled into our campsite in Pictou, Nova Scotia, it began to rain. The forecast is for rain for the next 4 days.

This morning I went to the campground office to get online while Joanne prepared for departure. I sent and retrieved e-mail, and retrieved updated investment data. When I returned to the trailer, I did today's preventive maintenance, checking and tightening the truck lug nuts. While doing that, I fractured the 15/16 socket that I was using. That's a bit odd. I've never broken a socket before. The salesman who sold us Lanoire at Belleville Dodge returned my phone call from earlier this morning. I made arrangements to return to Belleville Dodge in about 5 weeks to have their body shop remove and reinstall the "RAM 3500" badging on the driver's door. They had removed it to do some paint touch up on the driver’s door. They reinstalled it crooked and it bugs me !

We departed Bayside RV Campground, heading south on Hwy. 7, then Hwy. 2 back to Charlottetown, then Hwy. 1 back to the Confederation Bridge. While driving, Lorri phoned and chatted with Joanne for awhile. When I turned on the air conditioning in the truck, it wouldn't work. Darn ! It worked fine yesterday.

I was a bit surprised at the toll charge to cross the Confederation Bridge back into New Brunswick. There's no charge to cross the bridge onto P.E.I., but there is a toll to cross back to the mainland. The toll charge is similar to the charge for the ferry crossing before the bridge was built, so I guess that makes the bridge toll reasonable.

Through New Brunswick we drove on Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 2 to Nova Scotia. We stopped at the Welcome Centre when we crossed into Nova Scotia at Amherst. While Joanne went inside to get a map and campground guide, I got under the hood of the truck to check the air conditioner fuse. There were 2 fuses for the air conditioner, which I removed and checked. They both looked okay. There was also a small electronic relay for the air conditioner. I removed it and looked at it, but it's just a little black cube, and there's no way to tell if it's okay or not. < sigh > I was hoping that we would have Lanoire longer than 2½ weeks before I needed to find a Chrysler dealer for service.

My investment broker in Ottawa phoned to discuss the details of an investment trade I want made. We need money again ! We had lunch, then I went inside the Welcome Centre to get the local Chrysler dealer's phone number. I phoned the Chrysler dealer in Amherst. The earliest their service department could accommodate me was tomorrow morning. I phoned the Chrysler dealer in Truro, about an hour down the road. They couldn't get me in until tomorrow afternoon. I phoned the Chrysler dealer in New Glasgow, about 2 hours down the road. They couldn't get me in until late tomorrow afternoon < huge sigh >. I phoned the Amherst dealer again, and made an appointment for 8:00 A.M. tomorrow morning. I also got their permission to park on their lot overnight. I returned to the trailer, to find out if Joanne would accept boondocking in the Chrysler dealer's lot overnight, or did she want to go to a local campground. She wanted to go to a campground.

We got into the truck, to depart the Welcome Centre parking lot and head for a campground. WHOA ... the air conditioner was working again ! I don't know if fiddling with the fuses and relay solved some minor problem, or if the problem is intermittent and will reoccur. Experience has taught me that there is no sense taking a vehicle for service when the problem is intermittent. It's just a waste of time and money to have them try to diagnose a problem that doesn't exist while they're looking for it. I phoned the Amherst Chrysler dealer and cancelled my appointment. We headed out on Hwy. 104 heading east across Nova Scotia. It was cool, but I turned the air conditioner on a few times while we drove to ensure it was working. It was !

We turned onto Hwy. 106, drove through Pictou, then found Harbour Light Campground about 5 km. beyond Pictou. We registered and got set up in our site. I finished up today's preventive maintenance using the lug nut wrench included with the truck's tire changing jack and equipment. Joanne took Bo for a short obedience training session, then went to the campground office to get directions to a Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, and grocery store. I started to work on today's accounting. It began to rain so I took an umbrella to the campground office for Joanne. What a good husband I am sometimes !

While Joanne prepared our P.E.I. cod for supper, I finished today’s accounting and worked on today’s journal entry. And ... a note to my doctor in Ottawa. I'd rather die of high blood pressure than eat these tasteless unsalted pretzels !

DSK