MoyaMobile-Canada's Trip To ScaperCon 2003

Page 13: Monday - The Eventful Drive Home

As the crew packed and prepared MoyaMobile-Canada for departure, they were contacted by Aeryn-Marcy and Zhaan-Carol. Their vehicle (TalynMobile-Canada?) refused to start. DRD-Andrew tried to revive their vehicle, but to no avail...

Little did they all know that this would be an omen of further automotive problems to come...
In general terms, the drive home was relatively uneventful - until the accident. After stops for groceries (The crew bought a LOT of groceries. Why does the US have so many more varieties of Hamburger Helper than Canada does?) and KFC (US KFC is so much better than Canadian KFC!!! Not only is the chicken tastier, but instead of the crappy french fries that Canadians get, the US has delicious mashed potatoes, biscuits, and corn on the cob! YUM!), the crew headed back out through Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. They made a couple of rest stops, and were held up briefly by construction, but in general the return trip was pretty smooth sailing...They even managed to find the I-69 exit, and avoided Detroit entirely! Yes, everything seemed to be going according to plan...

Chiana at the grocery store. Yes, it's Dominick's, not the Canadian chain Dominion. Similar font though!
Those lucky Americans get to buy Arizona green tea ice tea in cartons!
Chiana spots a shoe sale across the street, and rushes over...
Chiana greets a celebrity, and admires her dress sense.

At KFC, Chiana encounters the ghost of Colonel Sanders!
Freaked out by her ghostly enounter, Chiana seeks psychiatric help...
Hours later, Aeryn and DRD-Danny relax as we drive though Michigan.
At a rest stop, Aeryn wonders why a lighthouse was built so far inland...

Yay! We found Interstate 69 this time!
But it's signs like these that make us find Interstates confusing! Dyslexics must hate this road!
Isn't it weird that Michigan will pay you for years to injure a worker?
Snoopy!!!

Chiana and friend.
Stuck in construction, Aeryn checks out a local resident.
Chiana poses at a rest stop in Flint, Michigan...
... then goes exploring the nearby woods.

The Accident
It was about 6:30. We were just north of Burton, Michigan, going about 140km/h. MoyaMobile-Canada was passing another vehicle on the interstate...
Suddenly, DRD-Andrew spots something on the road. Looks like a piece of tire... Too late to swerve. MoyaMobile-Canada drives over the object...

***BLAM!!!***
It's soon pretty obvious that at least one tire just blew. The car is shaking badly and has become extremely difficult to steer. DRD-Andrew fights to bring the car safely to the side of the interstate. Fortunately, traffic has thinned, and we were able to cross the 3 lanes over to the right shoulder. We got out to check the damage.
Two blown tires. And badly damaged rims to match.
A couple of good samaritans stopped when they saw us standing at the side of the interstate, and one helped DRD-Andrew contact the AAA. Unfortunately, the AAA informed him that it would be about an HOUR until a tow truck could get there. The good samaritan took DRDs Kim, Karenza, and Suse over to a nearby Wendy's while DRD-Andrew and the rest of the crew stayed with MoyaMobile-Canada at the side of the interstate.
Eventually, the tow truck arrived. MoyaMobile-Canada was taken back to Flint, Michigan,where the tow truck driver had gotten a garage to agree to stay open late to help us. DRD-Andrew was relieved to learn that the damaged tires and rims could be repaired immediately - we weren't stuck in Michigan for the night! He rejoined the other DRD's at the Wendy's a couple of hours later, and the entire crew was glad that the incident had not been a lot worse.
(And yes, we realize that we had a "Double-Blow" on the Sixty-Nine... Get your minds out of the gutter!)

Loading MoyaMobile-Canada onto the tow truck. The damage.

Repairs underway. Aeryn inspects the repairs.

Lesson of the day: Avoid Michigan. The roads suck, and there's things on the roads that will destroy your tires. There's some very friendly and helpful people in the Flint/Burton area though.
The rest of the drive was relatively uneventful. The border crossing was easy. The 402 was boring, and had a distinct lack of bathroom facilities. The 401 was welcome (mostly because it had bathroom facilities). The 403 was dark and boring. The QEW and Gardiner Expressway were busy as usual, even in the middle of the night.
By the time we got back to Toronto, the last subways had already run, so MoyaMobile-Canada dropped off DRDs Karenza and Suse at their homes. The rest of the crew got home at about 3am... A late ending to an eventful day, but an overall relatively fun trip...

Aeryn learns about Niagara falls at the 401 rest stop.
After dropping off DRD-Suse, Chiana gassed up the car...
... And even squeegeed the windshield!

Getting home wasn't quite the end of the day - there were a lot of groceries to put away!
Zhaan helped cram all those boxes into the pantry.
Aeryn meanwhile headed straight to the fridge for a beer!

Conclusions
ScaperCon: A lot of fun, despite the lack of a second track. It's a pity that the organizers have decided to give up con-running, as with a little more experience they could put on a really top-notch con.
Chicago: Always nice to visit, especially Rosemont. Lots of great architecture and neat museums and attractions.
Car Problems: Damned annoying.
Michigan: Avoid.
Action Figures: A heck of a lot of fun. Highly recommended.

Chiana at the grocery store. Yes, it's Dominick's, not the Canadian chain Dominion. Similar font though!	Those lucky Americans get to buy Arizona green tea ice tea in cartons!	Chiana spots a shoe sale across the street, and rushes over...	Chiana greets a celebrity, and admires her dress sense.
At KFC, Chiana encounters the ghost of Colonel Sanders!	Freaked out by her ghostly enounter, Chiana seeks psychiatric help...	Hours later, Aeryn and DRD-Danny relax as we drive though Michigan.	At a rest stop, Aeryn wonders why a lighthouse was built so far inland...
Yay! We found Interstate 69 this time!	But it's signs like these that make us find Interstates confusing! Dyslexics must hate this road!	Isn't it weird that Michigan will pay you for years to injure a worker?	Snoopy!!!
Chiana and friend.	Stuck in construction, Aeryn checks out a local resident.	Chiana poses at a rest stop in Flint, Michigan...	... then goes exploring the nearby woods.


Loading MoyaMobile-Canada onto the tow truck.	The damage.

Repairs underway.		Aeryn inspects the repairs.

Aeryn learns about Niagara falls at the 401 rest stop.	After dropping off DRD-Suse, Chiana gassed up the car...	... And even squeegeed the windshield!
Getting home wasn't quite the end of the day - there were a lot of groceries to put away!	Zhaan helped cram all those boxes into the pantry.	Aeryn meanwhile headed straight to the fridge for a beer!