The Toad, having been earlier unburdened of the bikes, remote control airplanes and hanger, now had room for 3 passengers and baby paraphernalia needed for a comfortable glamping stay for Collins and her parents in the Smitanic! Theresa drove the empty Jeep into the bowels of Toronto to retrieve the precious cargo. Kevin and grandpa remained behind impatiently waiting. Madison and Collins met grandma in the condo parking garage that was barely suited for the height, length and breadth of the toad. There were no open spots. A construction worker took pity on the ladies and opened up a spot previously blocked for his assigned task.
While grandma reunited with Collins for a feeding, Kiehl and Madz hauled and packed all the needed baby needs into the back of the Jeep and attached the car seat! The car ride coincided with nap time so there was barely a peep from the youngest passenger!
Kevin was given notice upon entry to the campground so he could film the grandpas initial exchange with his people after his 2 mo doggy vacation. He was very happy to see his missing family!
Let the fun begin.
Collins and all toys quickly took over the living room floor area chasing grandpa to any unoccupied corner or floor space. The heated floors provided a good training ground as the nearly 6 mo old was perfecting the army tummy crawl. The playmate (crib) was transferred from the living area at night to the master bath during the day to encourage a restful nap time. Each morning the sofa bed would be deflated and transformed back to a seating area. The power pod play stand moved to any open space and was an alternate stimulation from the floor athletics and toy overload. Grandpa’s sleeping area was relegated to under the dining table, which also provided a safe haven from all the commotion. Somehow it all worked and there was space for 4 adults, 1 infant and a large dog with all the comforts.
The day’s activities were driven around Collins feeding, nap and playtime schedule. She loved strolling thru the park and quickly fell to sleep allowing several games of pickleball to be played each day.
Meal prep became an educational opportunity as Kiehl & Madison were strictly following a Keto diet and having terrific success. Theresa had hopped on that bandwagon a few weeks earlier and was anxious to learn more tips and techniques. Carb counting and optimal macros were drivers for menu planning. Kiehl even used a food scale to manage portion distortion! Both he and Madison were well on there way to reaching their weight goals! Theresa also had success with her modified Keto attempt and was inspired to continue.
After Collins’ dinner it was a bit more playtime and then storybook time from a selection of Dr Suess or golden book stories to read. It only took a few pages before she began to rub her tired eyes and it was off to bed.
That next morning Kevin called the team at Crickets in Cary NC to discuss the overheating issue. Crickets is the only auto repair shop that Kevin trusts when home. They had worked on the car and the overheating issue before the team left on the Destinations Unknown adventures. Upon discussions it was suggested that the solenoid that works the electric fan may be intermittently failing. Kevin thanked them and would use the information to deal with potential repair places in Canada.
The next call was placed to a local service place was called to see if they could diagnosis this recurring allusive issue. An appointment was made for that same afternoon at Ernie’s auto repair. Ernie’s was only a two mile drive and offered to let Kevin come on in.
Nick, the tech, spent and hour troubleshooting the issue. Kevin was able to watch him run through the procedures. At one point the tech was able to stop the fan blades with his hand and then he let go and the fan jumped into life. “YUP, you have an intermittent issue with the solenoid”. They then began the search for parts. After a great deal of time searching and researching the final outcome was provided. “I can get a solenoid delivered for the 4.0 liter V8, yours is a 4.7 liter V8 and they no longer sell just the solenoid for those”. “You have to get the entire fan assembly, solenoid, and wire harness. It will take more than two weeks for the parts to arrive, and the cost is over $1,200 just for the parts. If it was me I would drag this car back across the border and have it worked on there. You can drive the car just don’t sit in traffic and do not run the air conditioner”. Nick replied.
Kevin took the suggestion and returned back to camp with the problem unsolved.
Calls were made to Jeep service places just across the border. Kevin discussed the issue and timing for repairs and had them preorder part and scheduled the service for the Monday after the planned exit from Canada.
Not wanting to risk another failure on several planned trips back into Toronto, Theresa called and rented a fully functioning car from a nearby rental place for the rest of the stay in Canada. One trip into the city would return the kids and Collins back to there home and the next day the grandparents would come in one last time with Grandpa and all his belongings as his vacation was over and he was back to his duties and family in Toronto. He is the best dog ever!
After lunch with Kiehl, Madz, Collins and their friend ‘JP from Canada’. It was time for final hugs and extract the rental car and manage a clean exit from the tight squeeze of the Toronto downtown.
The campground which was fairly full for the weekend starting on Thursday was now cleared out of all but 3-4 units occupied.
The Smitanic sadly seemed quite empty too, as the cleaning and packing began in preparation for departure.
The plan to leave on a weekday was smart as it left more room to maneuver the beast. It took the use of 3 empty campsites to jockey out of the narrow site and exit the opposing way on the one way path out.
The failing toad was attached. The Smitanic retraced the route thru the now newly paved construction area on the way to the 404, then the 401 to Port Huron entry point to the USA.
The time in Canada went by so fast! It was so special to be able to share so much time with Kiehl, Madison, Collins and Grandpa. Madison would return to work the next day while Kiehl has daddy duties until at least November. Got to love Canadian(and Nordstroms) maternity and paternity leave policies that allow such important time for parents and child development!
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