We are wondering how to explain where we are at with our brake rotor issue. It has turned out to be shocking? confusing? a miracle?

We are going to go with a miracle………

To recap: on July 17th we went down Salmo Hill in BC with a 13% grade and had a significant incident with our brakes. Over the course of the following days we got the brakes checked and were told all 4 brake rotors were warped, with the front having significant overheating. We saw the pictures of the brake rotors (called disks in Canada, rotors in the U.S.) they were the colour blue, which is a clear sign of overheating. After Barb made NUMEROUS and we mean NUMEROUS calls to Ford Canada/Ford Roadside Assistance/Ford US, we had case #s logged and the Ford dealer in Trail ordered replacement parts under warranty on the recommendation of the mechanic.

We sat in Trail from July 18-Aug 24 waiting for said parts. No one could tell us when they were going to get shipped from the manufacturer in the U.S, so no date on when they would arrive in Trail. After discussing this with Ford Canada/Ford Trail/Mechanic and between the two of us (and the fact Barb’s daughter was getting married mid Sept.) we decided to make our way back to Ontario carefully to start the process all over again in Hamilton at the Ford dealership there.

We made it back without incident. We learned how to effectively use manual shifting on large and small hills, slowing down for traffic/red lights etc. We are much better drivers today than we were on June 27th when we first started our journey and frankly had probably overloaded the RV with too much stuff like heavy food and alcohol bottles from Lori’s home in Calgary. Not to mention the full water tank weighing 700lbs. Wish someone had taught us about that before we hit the road. So we were very proud of ourselves for having the courage to even attempt the drive back as well as having zero issues on the way home.

Sept 6th: We arrived at Ford in Hamilton. Dropped off the RV and headed back to Barb’s. We received a call from the service dept. on the 7th stating they couldn’t find anything wrong with the motorhome. We said “that’s impossible”. We were stunned and drove to the Hamilton dealership to speak to the mechanic ourselves. When we arrived we spoke the most senior mechanic there. Another mechanic had checked the brake rotors and told him there was no evidence of warping at all. You can imagine how we wanted to believe this, but couldn’t quite believe what we were hearing. We asked if this senior mechanic could take a look himself, to make us comfortable with what we were now hearing. We informed him of the blue coloring (we had called Trail that day to confirm what they had seen and taken pictures of) and that he should be able to see this when he took everything apart again. He headed back to the bay to take a look himself.

Later that day he called us, confirming that there was nothing wrong. There was no evidence of anything that had gone wrong. We drove back to Hamilton, talked to him again. We asked if the blue could have been worn off driving home from BC. Answer was no, that wouldn’t have happened. All parts look like new. We are still shaking our heads.

So off we went with our motorhome. Parked it at the Milton Campground where Lori, Winston and Safiya are living while Barb get’s to be involved in all pre-wedding events for her daughter Michelle and spends quality time with her family.

To conclude: We continue to believe all parties involved. Trail individuals who didn’t need our business, bent over backwards to try and help us and eventually told us to leave for home driving carefully. In fact the Ford dealer in Trail was taking a huge risk ordering the parts under warranty, as he is on the dime for the parts as he is required to send the old parts back to Ford to prove this was a warranty issue. If Ford disagrees with the dealership, the dealership pays, not the warranty at Ford HQ, which would be a significant cost to the Ford dealer in Trail. The mechanic in Trail took photos of our rotors which had turned blue. We saw the photos ourselves. We also believe the senior mechanic in Hamilton. He also took pictures, no blue/no evidence of overheating/warping. He had taken the Motorhome out on the road doing his best to overheat the brakes, and couldn’t. We can attest to this fact as the cupboards were a mess, all clothes off their hangers in the closets.

So a miracle is what we are chalking this up to. We will be stationary for about a month or so and then head down into the US for the winter.

A little out of order, above is our second stop which was in Thunder Bay Ontario This campground was the City Campground called Trowbridge Falls. What a nice surprise to have this in our backyard.

Wabigoon Ontario was our first stop after Winnipeg Manitoba which is just east of Dryden. The drive was uneventful and we stayed at a quaint rustic campground with a large fishing pond in the back. We stopped at the Beaver Post, but nothing extraordinary to write home about :).

Then off to Marathon, Ontario where we stayed at Penn Lake Campground. Great 2km hike around the lake. The only confusion was the sharing of the electrical/water poles with the neighbours. We had to hunt for them behind bushes also weird. Clearly an older established campground. Winston enjoyed the cool water in the lake and then off we went on the hike!

Next day off to Harmony Bay which was a very picturesque location. We were packed into the campsite like sardines though! The lake was beautiful, the sunset fabulous. Even Winston was mesmerized.

Our Last night of this journey was in Sudbury at Carol’s RV and Campground. Not a bad place to stay, right on a lake just on the outskirts of Sudbury. We also had a chance to go to Lori’s niece Kalea’s new Vintage store in downtown Sudbury and spend some quality time with Brad and Sue and family!

Finally took our last leg from Sudbury to Burlington on Monday Sept 5th. Yes, the Monday of a long weekend driving through Muskoka’s and Barrie. THAT WAS BRILLIANT! The pictures really don’t capture the gong show….at one point we were going 20km. But we made it !!! Back at Barb’s place now. Thrilled to be home in time for Michelle’s wedding. We will see how long we are here after that, what happens with the RV rotors and when we can leave for the US.

We decided to stay an extra day in Winnipeg after seeing the Keddie family, to go to the Human Rights Museum and The Fort. If you have never been to Winnipeg, which is in the centre of Canada, you really should take some time to stop and stay for a while. Winnipeg has the Prairie sunsets & sunrises that our glorious, there are museums, the zoo, Fort Gary, the Fort and now the Human Rights Museum. It is also a foodie town!

Case in point, Winnipeg is the Slurpee capital of Canada and apparently the World according to our Uber driver! Old Dutch chips are also made in Winnipeg since 1954 and are sold in a box, not just bags. Frankly the box is the cats meow, as no chip is broken when you open the bags (2) inside!

Barb having had neither, and to the horror of Lori’s Winnipeg family, called the chips Dutch and the Slurpee a slushee………after Lori had settled everyone down, we decided to make sure Barb didn’t leave without having tried both (no she has never had Old Dutch Chips).

Happy to report, and no surprise to me, she loved both. Lori also notes, that while you can purchase a Slurpee across Canada in any 7-11 stores, Winnipeg has the best tasting. Having gone across Canada a few times Lori can attest to this fact.

Now onto the Human Rights Museum. It has 8 floors. Each floor is impressive and we can’t say enough about how much we loved our tour. We took about 3 hours (it didn’t feel that long at all) and we think we saw about 85%. Here are some photos to give you a taste of what to expect if you ever get a chance to see it.

The displays are so well done that you are pulled into the experience to learn and reflect. Stats of racism, red dresses that depict all the indigenous women who have disappeared, beautiful quotes and people who have made a difference in our world both negative and positive. What was really nice was a floor that had a dedicated spot for a reflection garden. Made from Basalt rock, this was inspired by the Giant’s Causeway of Northern Ireland. It is a place where you can pause and reflect on what you had learned so far in your journey through the museum.

Here are some pics of the Alabaster ramps that take you to each floor. Glowing with LED lights, it is 800 meters of light through the darkness, as the ramps are against chalkboard black concrete walls.

After seeing all these pics, how can you pass this museum by.

The wind on day 6 of our drive back to Ontario was horrendous. The only reason we made the decision to drive was to see Lori’s extended family. While the speed limit was 110, we were doing 88 – 95 at best with our 4ways on. Good thing the KM to get to Winnipeg was low………ie. only a couple of hours of driving!

We arrived at the Town & Country campground which is right beside a Waterpark and Tinkertown. Tinkertown has been around for as long as Lori can remember, and it’s still running!

Shortly after arrival Scott & Deidre Keddie came to the campground for a visit. We introduced them to our new favourite drink, Founder’s Original Tequila Paloma grapefruit flavour. They in turn brought us a couple of bottles of their home made wine as a housewarming gift.

We then hopped into a Uber and headed off for dinner at Lois Keddie’s place. Janice Keddie & her partner Dave joined us. It was a nice little family reunion for Lori, and of course the meal was OUTSTANDING, with Lois introducing us to a new coating mix for fish that she used for the pork chops. We also brought along our laundry which was a huge bonus. Lori is so happy we were able to visit Lois and the rest of the Keddie’s on our trip back east. After dinner we did a quick stop at Dianne Keddie’s place for a hug and hello and back to the campground.

Tomorrow a BIG day, we are really excited to see the Museum of Human Rights.

We stopped in Regina en route to Brandon and had a great visit at Canada’s Depot. This was the RCMP museum which is on the Depot base. The museum was a great depiction of the history of the Mounted Police. There was even a section where you could test your ability to solve a crime.

Every RCMP officer comes to The Depot to train before being posted in Canada and abroad. Interestingly Barb had been accepted to the RCMP in September 1981 and would have come here to train, however she chose to stay in Montreal to marry and continue her new career at BMO Bank of Montreal. When asked if she has any regrets Barb answers “of course not as I wouldn’t have Vanessa and Michelle had I come to Regina”.

The police dog in the pic with Lori is named Indie, a failed RCMP dog who was apparently too friendly. She was indeed friendly and really only wanted to say hello and play with her rope toy. We get why she failed to be in the line of duty lol. So now she is a mascot at the museum. The horse in front of the museum was covered in flora, it was beautiful.

A highlight of Brandon Manitoba was staying in the familiar campground we had enjoyed on our initial travel out west, Meadowlark Campground. An even bigger highlight was taking an uber out for dinner and going to a mutual favourite restaurant – The Keg. As always, they asked if we were celebrating anything. We were so excited to be dining out we said yes “our friendship and travels together”. Well of course that necessitated their offer of free dessert on the house. Well Barb is in love with Billy Miner pie so that was the order. Well if you can believe this, there was no Billy miner pie left. What a calamity. We were now experiencing another ‘gate’. Not the ‘hashbrowngate’ the last time we were in town, but worse ‘Billyminerpiegate’. Fortunately we were so full from our great steaks and J.Lohr we were able to console ourselves that we didn’t need dessert anyway and left the restaurant laughing hysterically at our food ‘gates’ when in Brandon!

We saw a few interesting things. Frank’s slide is one. The slide happened in 1903 at 4:10 am where 44 million cubic meters of rock fell wiping out part of Frank. Over 90 people were killed, and are still buried under the rock. This was the deadliest rock slide in Canada’s history. The pictures show the slide exactly as it was over 100 years ago.

We also saw the world’s tallest Tepee in Medicine Hat, Alberta! Saamis Tepee was originally constructed for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics. Each of the 10 masts feature a large storyboard depicting aspects of native culture and history. The main masts of the tepee measure 215 feet and the diameter is 160 feet, with a foundation weight of 800 metric tons.

We stayed at the Gas City campground in Medicine Hat. It was a beautiful campground and by chance friends, Bob & Betty Mahar, who were crossing Canada happened to be 6km away and were able to come and visit the morning we were heading off to Regina. Betty & Bob were happy to see us, the animals and the rig, before they headed back to Penticton BC.

There was also an off leash dog park we took Winston to which was just across the street from the campground. And while Winston met a friend……….the sign going into the off-leash area was concerning……..

The sunsets in the Prairies are beautiful. The wood carvings throughout the Gas City campground were quite amazing.

A short drive planned again on day 2 in order for us to make sure we are comfortable doing longer stints with the RV, given the brake situation.

The drive turned out to be good with no issues. We stopped off in Yahk BC at a family run store/cafe/ice cream place. It had a beautiful walk out back through the forest to Moyie River. Pics below do not do it justice.

Drive continued to be good with a bit of a turn through a tunnel Lori needed to manage which she was less than enthusiastic about. The pics make it look super simple. We were both glad there was no one, especially a semi, coming the other way, it was a little too narrow for our liking.

Barb took the helm and did a great job stick handling the drive which had many, and we mean many, curves in the road. There is a reason they call the road from Nelson to Belfour (ferry ride) and onto the other side towards Creston, a bikers dream. We took it slow and easy as this was the first day on our way home. Pics below from the ferry, getting on, parked, views and of course ourselves.

We also HAVE to include pic in order to really signify how slow we were really going……this huge beetle (should have taken the pic sooner as he was in the middle of the windshield and crawled UP while we were driving) in the top of the photo was taking his sweet time exploring the rig while we were driving on the highway…….

Now let’s shift back to earlier in the day when we were in Nelson. Nelson is Lori’s personal favourite place in Canada and she would totally live there. It is so beautiful and we are both thrilled Barb got to see it. We ended up driving down Baker St but couldn’t find a place to park the rig, so we went to the local Mall by the river and parked there.

What we didn’t expect is to find a streetcar which was numbered 23 that we and the fur babies got on to explore a bit of the landscape along the water. It was just fabulous! The ride was short but given the streetcar is one of the original ones from the City of Cleveland Ohio in 1906, and has a conductor and original parts, it made it quite memorable. Below are some pics from the trip.

While we are heading out tomorrow, today we had the opportunity to take our neighbour up on an offer to go swimming. Yes we have a neighbourhood, neighbours, locals that wave and stop to chat, and of course pet Winston in this great little inner city campground. We were going to go to the mall to find a shirt that stated “I lived in Trail”. We figure that if you have been in one spot more than 30 days you are a resident. However the offer to go in someone’s personal vehicle to an actual swimming hole was far more meaningful and seemed like an appropriate celebration for our last day.

The swimming was great! And we finally got the opportunity to use the two pool noodles that Barb brought with us that Lori has been trying to cut for the slide outs so she can stop banging her head. Barb on the other hand finds this humorous and has been fighting it all the way convinced that we were going to use them someday to swim.

We swam in Pend Oreille river which was warm and didn’t have any current, unlike the Columbia river we visited a few weeks ago when Sharon visited. The Pend Oreille river is a tributary of the Columbia River, and is 130 miles long originating from Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho Panhandle. It flows northwesterly until it joins the Columbia River in southeastern BC. It has huge cliffs on one side, seriously glorious. In our pictures you won’t see the noodles as Barb said we needed to hide them under the water. In fact, what Barb really said was “Lori control your noodle!”

The day was so enjoyable we were a little sad we only did this once while we were there. However we were also thankful we did get the chance to do this on our last day!!!

We will be happy to leave Trail, but sad to see it go. We really have made some friends here, whether only for a few days, or for the duration of our stay. It has been wonderful as we learned you really get to know a place when youn hang out for a bit versus just passing through.