It was an easy drive to Hemmingford; got in early enough to repack the car with 3 bikes (!) (well, 1 bike and two framesets), do some quick grocery shopping, split worldly goods between the SUV and Sandy's car and go to dinner at the Golf Club with Sheryl. The GC and Burger Bob vie for top restaurant spot (not really but if you're in the mood for a burger, the latter is also a great choice :).
My plan was easy - when I wake up, leave. I woke up at 2am and I was out shortly afterwards, coffee in hand, Cassie eagerly joining me.
The drive, not so easy. It rained most of the way. I stopped a few times - once before Ottawa to add oil, the car complaining that it wanted a top-up. That was to be expected. It was a closed gas station but overhead rain protection. Once for coffee after Ottawa. Once ... oh wait, no ... at Deep River; no because it wasn't open yet. Again at the top of the big hill descending into Mattawa, getting out of the car and hanging out talking to the cars before and behind, none of us knowing what was going on with the stopped traffic. I investigated on google maps and it appeared that there was a work-around by reversing and taking some gravel roads and I eventually did that - gravel and mud. Waze thought that I was off-roading; those roads not included in its mapset. It was still closed 6 hours later when Sandy came through but by then there was a posted detour - apparently a fatality between a car and an 18 wheeler. I stopped again for gas at the Esso before the turn towards Corbeil, just because it was open. I'd planned on stopping at the McKeown a few kms later but as it turned out, that gas station was gone, lots of blasting and construction going on. Bottom line about 8 hours elapsed. Sandy was faster because, about 7.5 hours - she didn't have to stop at the Mattawa incident and she didn't have as much rain.
It was pouring rain when I got here so I waited for a bit before unloading. I did have a snooze somewhere in there and once Sandy was home, I felt motivated and backed the SUV into the barn and plugged the tire. It was losing more air by this point. I'd added air the night before and it was down about 4 psi from that point. Reaming out these tires with the file is a b$tch, prepping for the plug. I did it without taking the tire off the car. Hopefully it still has air this a.m. ! I'll drive it to Britt for Mass and take my chances - I've done this before, once, and it held until the tire was toast from wear.
I'm getting caught up with email ... and of course I have a bike to build ! Lots to do.
Onward.
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