04/23/86
For our latest expedition, we decided to go visit an unknown area of my own country - the Maritimes.
Very few people are heading there, as it seems like many travelers who have ventured that way have never returned.
Legend says that they ate a deadly cocktail of poutine, lobster and Molson.
It's an area mostly covered by impenetrable boreal forest, endless gravel roads and high cliffs over the oceans.
However, I just had the chance to preview the new movie from Tom Cruise called Top Gun and this inspired me to get into the Danger Zone.
We do indeed fully expect to encounter great dangers in the form of moose, mosquitoes and hockey fans so we want to make sure we only have the best vehicle and equipment available on the market.
Most overland journeys start with picking the right vehicle.
Until recently I was the proud owner of a new 1986 Westfalia Syncro but unfortunately tragedy struck and we found ourselves needing another vehicle at the last minute.
We toured a bit around in my hometown to try to find something else and came across some gems:
-A 1977 Plymouth Volare Road Runner. A fine automobile, but unfortunately someone else bought it before us.
-A luxurious RV. This is the top of the line this year. We seriously considered it but we thought that the high price tag and the luxurious image would put us in a disadvantageous "angle" in front of the locals.
We also considered going more extreme and traveling on this newest Honda 200M ATV, but we decided that it would be a bit tight for the both of us.
The final solution came from a suggestion from my father - why not borrow his new Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
It is only a few months old so it should be very reliable, especially since this platform has been around since 1978.
The 5.2L (318cu) with Lean Burn will ensure we don't pollute the environment and the rear open diff coupled with the large 205/75/R15 Motomaster all season will make traveling off-road more entertaining.
In case you are not familiar with this fine automobile, watch this commercial that Chrysler just released a few months ago.
The great vehicle comes already loaded with many features that will make this journey unforgettable.
One of our favorites is the sound system.
Our radio is electronically tuned, with a cassette player; the joystick speaker control made it easy to direct sound to one particular speaker.
It has an ambient sound feature (to emulate the feel of a concert hall or other room) and a five-band equalizer. Pure pleasure.
To us it's important to enjoy great music on these long Canadian Autobahns, so we can make sure to hear our favorite songs and latest 1986 hits, such as Falco and Jefferson Starship.
So we made sure to carry these great tapes with us in a Pelicannette case, provided by Martine at Adventureous Trailer.
As I've said many times on this forum, the second most important accessory for me is a good fridge to keep the drinks cold.
Luckily Paulette from J'Equipe had this great model available in stock - the new Escort with double ice-packs.
Wanting to get the best memories from this trip so I could put them on the slide projector and share with my family, I turned to Scotty Bradford for a camera choice. He suggested a Leica.
The last thing to do before leaving was making sure the car was super clean, as for us it's important to present well.
So after many hours of intense preparation and carefully planned logistics, it was time to hit the road; just like the Snow Geese who migrate to our great region every year.
For our latest expedition, we decided to go visit an unknown area of my own country - the Maritimes.
Very few people are heading there, as it seems like many travelers who have ventured that way have never returned.
Legend says that they ate a deadly cocktail of poutine, lobster and Molson.
It's an area mostly covered by impenetrable boreal forest, endless gravel roads and high cliffs over the oceans.
However, I just had the chance to preview the new movie from Tom Cruise called Top Gun and this inspired me to get into the Danger Zone.
We do indeed fully expect to encounter great dangers in the form of moose, mosquitoes and hockey fans so we want to make sure we only have the best vehicle and equipment available on the market.
Most overland journeys start with picking the right vehicle.
Until recently I was the proud owner of a new 1986 Westfalia Syncro but unfortunately tragedy struck and we found ourselves needing another vehicle at the last minute.
We toured a bit around in my hometown to try to find something else and came across some gems:
-A 1977 Plymouth Volare Road Runner. A fine automobile, but unfortunately someone else bought it before us.
-A luxurious RV. This is the top of the line this year. We seriously considered it but we thought that the high price tag and the luxurious image would put us in a disadvantageous "angle" in front of the locals.
We also considered going more extreme and traveling on this newest Honda 200M ATV, but we decided that it would be a bit tight for the both of us.
The final solution came from a suggestion from my father - why not borrow his new Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
It is only a few months old so it should be very reliable, especially since this platform has been around since 1978.
The 5.2L (318cu) with Lean Burn will ensure we don't pollute the environment and the rear open diff coupled with the large 205/75/R15 Motomaster all season will make traveling off-road more entertaining.
In case you are not familiar with this fine automobile, watch this commercial that Chrysler just released a few months ago.
The great vehicle comes already loaded with many features that will make this journey unforgettable.
One of our favorites is the sound system.
Our radio is electronically tuned, with a cassette player; the joystick speaker control made it easy to direct sound to one particular speaker.
It has an ambient sound feature (to emulate the feel of a concert hall or other room) and a five-band equalizer. Pure pleasure.
To us it's important to enjoy great music on these long Canadian Autobahns, so we can make sure to hear our favorite songs and latest 1986 hits, such as Falco and Jefferson Starship.
So we made sure to carry these great tapes with us in a Pelicannette case, provided by Martine at Adventureous Trailer.
As I've said many times on this forum, the second most important accessory for me is a good fridge to keep the drinks cold.
Luckily Paulette from J'Equipe had this great model available in stock - the new Escort with double ice-packs.
Wanting to get the best memories from this trip so I could put them on the slide projector and share with my family, I turned to Scotty Bradford for a camera choice. He suggested a Leica.
The last thing to do before leaving was making sure the car was super clean, as for us it's important to present well.
So after many hours of intense preparation and carefully planned logistics, it was time to hit the road; just like the Snow Geese who migrate to our great region every year.
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