Our 2012 Bucket List Adventure

[smart142 605]

OMG!!! In less than a week Liz and I are going to be able to cross off some of our bucket list wishes.

We both wanted to go to BC and we both wanted to see Canada by train. So we are going to see northern Ontario and the Prairies on ''The Canadian''.

Upper and lower sleeping berths and chef prepared meals.

We leave from Toronto and travel 3 nights and 2 days to Edmonton. We are so excited!!!

It gets better because we will make our way to Calgary where we are buying the hyper modified smart car of Dang.

I've always admired this smart and told Dan I wanted to be first in line to buy it if he ever considered selling!

And this was the year that that came true.Lucky us!!!!!

How good is that!???????

We will then drive through the Rockies to Kelowna and Vancouver. Maybe even seeing a few club members on the way.

After Vancouver and the island we will head to Jasper and Banff where we will absorb all the scenery and nature.

Heading home we will be making stops in Brandon( where I was born), Winnepeg, and then south through the states.

We will have 3 weeks for our journey.

In our view a trip of a lifetime!! So looking forward to it

Now to get some extra work done and start packing.....

[MikeT 744]

Super!I like Dan's (now your) car too, it seems to have every conceivable option and accessory! I saw it in Nelson in 2006.We look forward to seeing you guys out here sometime. I will be around during August, either in Vancouver or here. Jennifer T is in Peru right now, and we are actually talking to her on Skype video right now! We have to pick her up from the Vancouver Airport on August 21 (B 200 obviously!) and we'll be there a couple of days before then. Thereafter we'll be home.Have a great trip!

[smartnhappy 218]

Sounds like a great trip.... and somewhat familiar (at least the Alberta/BC parts).I offer my travel expertise and experience, for what it's worth (including a nominal fee, of course). Let's get together for a coffee and i can impart my wealth of experience to you.... should only take a couple of minutes!

[smart142 605]

Thanks Bill!

[bilgladstone 13]

Sounds like a dream vacation! I hope we can meet up in K-town...Bil

[al goldfinch 0]

Glen Have a good trip you are going to have to get your own wharehouse for all your smarts so when do you open your dealershipHave A GOOD TRIP Al

[RedDog 0]

I'd be on for any gathering for a pop in Alberta.Happy trails.

[mzeeb 0]

I'm sooooo jealous! MZ

[smart142 605]

2 sleeps on the train and we just arrived in Winnepeg!!! Train travel is so relaxing!The meals are AWESOME- white linen, china, and chef prepared!!!Up till now we've only seen trees, rocks, and water. Of course lots of interesting travellars and a large group from Germany.In an hour we will leave to cross the prairies!!! :zzz:Liz and Glenn signing out!

[bilgladstone 13]

Trees, rocks, water = Canada!

[MikeT 744]

Hope you are not here on Thursday next week because that's a REALLY bad day for us. When do you think you might be here?

[HIGH IQ 0]

Let me know when you will be in Winnipeg.We could meet for coffee.Ron and JoyceHigh IQ

[smart142 605]

Had a 3 hr delay in Winnepeg and arrived late in Edmonton. Left the train just as I found my ''legs''.

Now taking the Red arrow bus to Calgary to meet up with Dan.

Don't know when we'll get to Vancouver or Winnepeg, but will keep everyone posted.

Cheers to the west!

It is a BIG SKY out here

[smart142 605]

We picked up Dan's smart in Calgary and left in a big hurry, as we felt we were stealing it!It's an AWESOME smart. Rides beautifully and the sound system is to die for!We'll have to read all the manuals to discover everything about the systems!Had a night with family in Airdre and then drove 1a west to Banff, Lake Louise, and then to Golden. South from there, enjoyed a natural hot spring and then spent the night in Kimberly. Many stops along the way and have about a thousand pictures of the mountains.Cheers all!

[MikeT 744]

Take the free ferry across Kootenay Lake, it's great. North of Creston to Nelson.

[smart142 605]

Too late, passed thru there yesterday morning.We're about to leave Princeton right now enroute to Vancouver

[smart142 605]

Spent 2 nights in W Van in a B&B that had the million dollar view, well actually 3 million, because that's what homes sell for in that area. Enjoyed Stanley Park, the drive around Vancouver, Lighthouse park and the drive on Marine drive to Horseshoe Bay.We also had some AWESOME meals!We are now on the island and are staying at another B&B just outside Victoria at Sooke. Again we are overlooking the water and the view is spectacular.Today we hiked to Mystic beach....will try to post pictures later. It was incredible!!!Another night here and then we will push on to Kelowna to visit relatives.

[MikeT 744]

Glad you're having a great trip, sorry we couldn't connect but as you know that was not by choice! Have a great time driving the new car home!

[bilgladstone 13]

K-town coffee break on the weekend then?B

[yukoner 9]

Oi! The rest of Canada is up here. Only two and a half days away! Better hurry though. We're flying out to Saskratchmewon on the 25th.By the way, what's Dang driving now?CheersCarl

[smart142 605]

Arrived home yesterday!!! It was an AWESOME trip!!!!

I left off in my travel story in Vancouver island.Wanted to have an oil change before heading home so checked in at one of the quick oil change places.''Can you do smart cars?" - ''oh ya, but they take close to an hour to do. You have to suck the oil out this very small hole. They take 4 litres of oil and the charge for that service is $114''''I have my own oil.'' - ''oh no, we have to use our special synthetic''

Needless to say I drove in to Victoria and went to TPM.The service adviser was Scott and I told him that I was travelling and just needed the oil changed and I had my own oil and filter. ''No problem'' , I got instant service and our smart was up on the hoist before we knew it. Al was the tech and he was very efficient and is a smart guru. He couldn't resist giving the smart a good going over and also lubed the clutch actuator and changed the position of the EGR hose.Now that's what I call SERVICE!!

I can see why people rave about this dealership!Al also shared the story of a smart owner who trailered his smart from Alberta, I can see why.

As most of you are aware, the 450 diesel is a quirky car. After filling up in Victoria my fuel gauge went wonky. It went down 2 bubbles, up 1, and wouldn't go up even though it was just filled. Next I get a check engine light. The X gauge was able to read the code- 303, which I know is the #3 injector misfiring. I added some Liqui moly diesel fuel conditioner and the CEL went away. The wonky fuel gauge went away after I started using Alberta fuel.

Next it was a weird noise from the front end just as we were coming into Nanaimo. A low rumble and I was guessing a front bearing.We had the ferry booked for the next day so it was something we would have to live with.

Just prior to boarding the ferry we were able to meet up briefly with Mike T. Would have been nice to have more time.We were on a mission to get to Jasper and I was hoping for a clear day.

In order to do that we travelled through Whistler BC, thru some more mountains and then stayed a night in Kelowna with cousins.

Drove up to Jasper the next day and dreams come true because we had a beautiful warm, clear day.We were first in line at 9 to take the Jasper Tramway to the top of the mountain. Our $35 ticket included breakfast- what an incredible experience and IMHO a must see if you ever visit the area.After breakfast we hiked further up the mountain and were able to see Mount Robson off in the distance.

The drive from Jasper to Banff is also a MUST SEE!!! Absolutely loved it! Back to Calgary/ Airdre to spend the night and then I wanted to get that front end noise checked out.

Was at Lone Star by 0830. Not the best experience. Even after explaining that I was travelling they said they would have a hard time fitting me in.However they did have a tech who was assigned to diagnostics. We went for a test drive and he thought that it was either the front bearing or a flat spot in the tire.The service adviser wanted me to leave the smart or make an appointment as it was a ''big job!''I wasn't feeling the love (or trusting) so I came up ith my own plan.

I bought a front bearing and would drive on to Winnepeg where there was another dealer to experience and a place to stay. Failing that I would use the Canadian Tire towing service and get the repair done by a competent mechanic.So we pressed on and drove through Alberta and into Saskatchewan, and that's when we had a big curve ball thrown our way.

We received a text that a friend of Liz's daughter had died. She was 22 years old and had just graduated from university.We almost made it thru Sask before putting up at a small motel in the middle of nowhere.

The next day we were in Winnepeg and at the dealer just before 4. The smart was taken for a test drive immediately and the head tech thought it was the front bearing. '' this has to fixed right away!'' and it was. In less than an hour we were on our way. What a releif!Would I recomend the Winnepeg Mercedes dealer- oh ya!!!

After a night with friends we left Winnepeg and headed south and drove the whole day. By 2300h we had just passed St. Paul Minnesota and decided that we would press on as we had 2 drivers and the smart would have an easier run through the night. By 0200h we were thru Chicago and home by 1030h yesterday- WHEW!!!!

A little rushed at the end, but worth it to be home with family.7,567 kms$426 diesel fuelMemories to last a lifetime!

[Leadwing 565]

I hope you set the "quick change oil place" straight ...... particularly on the quantity of oilThe rest of the trip sounds awesome. Welcome back. We expect to hear more about it at the September meet.

[Utopiacdi 3]

Welcome back, Glenn. Sounds like you had a good time, with just enough drama to keep it interesting :)See ya...

[MikeT 744]

Great that you had a good trip, sorry to read about the daughter's friend. We took that Minnesota-Chicago-Sarnia route in the other direction in February 2010 as you know, it was a relief not to have to attack Northern Ontario (especially in winter)!

[MikeT 744]

Here is a shot of the two cars when we had our early morning get-together in Nanaimo.