blue pickeral

A few observations....don't want to be holier than thou but when I see the size of the servings at Sonic Restaurants on the U.S. television, wonder how anyone can eat all that! -Since McDonald's 'remodelled' the stores to appear to be more 'upscale?' service has slowed right down. Their coffee has improved from the days when their supplier didn't want it to be known who they were... -The only Tim Horton's to go bankrupt to be saved by the parent company (at least at the time I was there) was in Yellowknife. For some reason, during -40 celcius temperatures, customers didn't want to wait in a long line up which stretched into the parking lot, while only one cashier was working and the rest signed off at the end of a shift which occured at 7:30 am. The busiest time of day for a coffee outlet? Between 6:30 and 9 am. -The worst Tim Horton's I ever went to was the one in NOrth Bay by the tourism center at the junction of 11 and 17. Three cold cups of coffee in a row, once waiting 15 minutes while the only server finished cleaning the floor. I will never go back. I hope no one else does either. -The Starbucks cup referred to earlier is definitely worth the $20 it costs. -Be prepared for various prices for the same product....the summer help is heading back to school which means training new staff. At least this is the explanation in Gravenhurst.

To save a few cents per vehicle, the manufacturers are running several different items through the same wiring circuit - in the case of my truck, the vehicle tail light circuit (which is separate from brake lights and turn signals) has parts of the ABS brake system, dash board indicators and a couple of other things. Consequently, if a short exists in the system somewhere, back flow of current can occur with bad results. Originally I bought an after market converter for the truck, but this failed after a year. Bought the OEM from the dealer ($arm and $leg) but creates separate wiring circuit for trailer towing so less problems overall.

If you have a 12 volt car/motorcyle etc. battery around and a couple of wiring probes/clips, work from the trailer hitch area without it plugged into the vehicle. Attach one of your probes from the negative pole of the battery to the white wire or its plug - this is your ground. In turn, attach a probe from the positive pole of the battery to each of the other coloured wires in turn - brown (tail lights),yellow(left), green(right)-and see if they light up.

Have something similar happen to my Lowrance from time to time. Usually clears by adjusting transducer one 'notch' downward in its mounting bracket. (which come to thing of it, might be an air bubble problem)

Good fishing and looks like good travelling too....brings back memories of our stay around YK and environs.... One of my two favourite NWT stories comes out of Snowdrift, as Lutselke' was previously known....from a Chipaweyan guy who used to live there before succumbing to the attractions of Yellowknife... It was early in the season and there was a large rim of ice between the open beach of the village and the open lake beyond. Three American fisherman were in an open boat while a expressionless faced native elder was driving a tiller motor at the rear. The fishermen began to panic as it appeared that the guide wasn't going to slow the boat for the ice. Instead, at the last minute, the guide tilted up the outboard, the boat slid along the ice like a tobagan until it reached open water, whereupon the outboard was tilted down and the boat continued onward.

Agreed. Somewhat off topic, but same with new toasters. Put in bread, press lever. Brew coffee, take a dump, have shower, and then the toast pops up. Wish I still had my old one with the letters "IGA" burnt on backwards where it melted a plastic bag onto it. Maybe a yard sale....

You should report this person to both the school board and preferably the Ontario College of Teachers.

They didn't take them to the Gold Range? (local drinking barn of various repute for those unfamiliar) How were they to get the true flavour of Yellowknife? Everybody meets at the Strange Range! It's on wikipedia.

Probably makes you more adaptable within the company...vacation relief in other parts of the country..or say in the case of addressing warranty claims: English - no En Francais - non

Yes, as you or your spouse gains weight over the years.... Never had a problem with this...backs fold down and rubber bumpers provide some friction...you had some bad luck?

Would have made no difference....there is the 'school' French, then the real French which to me sounds like a chain saw at WOT.....

Here's another product you might consider: If you look just above / right to the gas can in the bow, you will see an aluminum piece fastened with SS screws to front of seat bulkhead. Check the seat immediately behind and you will see how the seat attachment fits into this piece-kind of a tilt and drop in. The seat bolts down onto an aluminum plate that fits onto the length of aluminum. It is stable, and you can create several positions in the boat for the same seat. I got this material several years ago and can't remember the name of it, but maybe someone else does and can help source if you're interested.

Thanks! Will check this out on my HDS 5.

How can leaving the cover on damage the screen?

Researching ahead of time actually helps out the salesperson as you know what you want, what you want to pay and not wasting his/her time as a 'tire kicker'. As mentioned previously, I get a quote from www.apa.ca and you know you are at least going to get this deal no haggling involved. The apa dealer is some distance from us, so gave closer dealerships the opportunity to at least match (initally beat) the price. None would. But established this in 5 minutes including a visit to the sales manager.

Interesting. I'm finding while shopping around that new boat prices in the U.S. according to this site: http://www.seedealercost.com/boats are very similar to the prices I am being quoted by Canadian dealers. Did you purchase a used boat in the U.S.? Would like to hear other experiences regards U.S./Canadian boat purchases.

I agree. A bunch of 'gotta check with the manager', requests for a 'deposit' to show you're sincere, constant upselling and addition of useless costs such as anti-theft etching, admin fees (name any other business tries to get you to pay their costs - except Hydro 1). Do your research, know what you are going to pay going in, you control the sale, get your price. Any of the above Bull - walk.

There are other sources of money for them such as dealer hold backs and sales incentives/volume so they're not exactly hurting even if you pay the their invoice price from the manufacturer.

If you buy a vehicle in Canada, you are likely to get it serviced or warranty repairs done all over North America. If the vehicle is bought in the U.S. and brought to Canada, it depends on the manufacturer. Dodge, for instance, doesn't honour any warranty in Canada for U.S. bought vehicles - and personal experience dictates you will need the warranty with their trucks. Ford and Toyota warranties are good all over North America whether vehicle is bought in U.S. or Canada. Some research on the internet will reveal dealerships in the U.S. that will sell extended warranties for these 2 makes at about a third of Canadian prices. An OEM (not third party) 7 year, 160,000 km, $0 deductable all inclusive (except wear and tear) extended warranty from Factory Discount Warranty is available to Canadians for $950 US. http://fd-warranty.com/index.html It works just fine in Canada - dealer just calls the U.S. 1 800 number. After having been quoted $2,300.00 from the Toyota dealer in Cobourg for the same with "maybe $150.00 off" it's a no brainer to buy in the US.

www.apa.ca - new car buying program. $70 yearly for non-profit organization. They have pre-negotiated prices with associated dealers. I have bought using their service or started a negotiation using the supplied dealer invoice price. Usually go in with exact vehicle/option package, trade, etc. printed out. And go elsewhere until I get my price. apa also has used car purchase program and vehicle check/appraisal program. Car Cost Canada will give you prices but no pre-negotiated arrangement.

Glad you got that out....checking every so often for progress... Is it common to get bad plugs that are brand new? If a person didn't have a 'spark plug tester', is there another way to check plugs?

LOL...on a trip for our wedding anniversary and still vividly remember this harridan in a flaming orange house coat and a voice like a chain saw on the end of a dock waving her arms and screaming at us...just wanted to get the idea across that you can't just anchor/tie up anywhere. There is also an outfit that rents around Kingston way and the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence. Haven't been there yet, but the park is supposed to provide many scenic anchorages. Maybe someone else has done this area and can provide some feedback.

Try a different direction? It seems the further north you go i.e. Parry Sound, seasonal fees are less expensive.

-You might be skunked for a boat, they get booked up early. -Three days isn't going to be long enough on Pigeon/Trent system with the locks. Would recommend longer (week) so you get the full effect. -In this water system, most of the shoreline seems to be privately owned - we were actually kicked off an anchorage at 6:30 in the am by NIMBIES - most of your nights are spent at marinas or dedicated spots by the locks. That being said, cruising the Trent is a good experience. -If you can get a boat, would recommend Temagami, as lots of water for cruising without locks, shorelines are largely crown land. Tieing up on the large island on the 'hub' of the lakes in site of Ketchunanny lodge gives you nice walking trails, a 'walk to' lodge for fishing supplies, or if you've got a tow along boat, ready access to a lodge with ice cream just across the channel. If this place is your plan, create a few official looking signs saying "canoe camping closed for site regeneration" with the MNR crest and staple to trees. This will keep canoeists from coming to beg a cup of coffee, drying their clothes, use of your sat phone etc. Cruel but it's for their own good - they chose the wilderness thing - don't tempt them otherwise. Kind of like not feeding wild animals. -Frankly, would be researching this well ahead of time. The 'Ports' book on the Trent/Severn is a good resource, usually found at marine supply places, and there is a lock by lock guide on the internet that is also a good resource. Found it: http://www.cruising.ca/trent/2-index.html#2021 For those with nothing better to do you can cruise the Trent while at work! You can also copy and paste each page to your computer and provided all are in the same folder, get the same link effect while running off a CD.

After a 2nd attempt with Champix....read the instructions for a change, have been off the smokes for over a year. Wife figured out how much money I saved and went out and bought me a very nice reel as a reward. Then she got herself a very nice reel. As for the coffee, get some that has a better 'kick' than the normal stuff you're drinking while smoking...Starbucks extra extra bold...seemed to help.