Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

We have been traveling for almost 2 months now and we have driven across the country so I figured that it is probably time to take the MoHo in for some regular maintenance. So we got up early today to take the MoHo in to the shop. This brings up an interesting issue. How do you find a garage that has the ability to handle a 31 foot motor home that can take you in on a day or so notice that isn’t too far away? Let me tell you, it is not easy. Especially when you are in a city you don’t know. But after only about 10 phone calls, we were able to find a place. Luckily this place was on the way to some activities we planned to do so we decided to kill two birds with one stone and simply drop off the MoHo and then continue on with the day’s festivities. All we needed done were the requisite services including an oil change and a lube of the chassis but I also asked him to check out the brakes since we had been hearing a clicking noise periodically. After dropping of the MoHo we continued on to the base of Grouse Mountain for our trip to the top to take in the view of Vancouver from high above. The difference this time is that we are going to hike up Yes you heard me correctly, no gondola for us this time. This hike is rather well known and even has its own name: “The Grouse Grind”. They also call it Mother Nature’s Stairmaster. It is a 2.9 km (1.8 mile) hike up the side of the mountain. You end up rising 853 metres (2800 feet) in that time. It normally takes a regular person between 60 and 90 minutes to complete this hike. So, of course, we had no idea how long it would take us! But we were committed and ready to go. After a little stretching at the bottom, we were off. The first part was not too bad and we progressed at a reasonable pace. It started to get a little steeper but still no problems. After about 20 minutes Chantal started to hit the wall but we had been making steady, if not speedy, gains up to now so we convinced her that that with some extra rest stops, she would be ok. Then we came across a sign that indicated that we had made it to the ¼ mark. Finding out that we still had to go three times this distance to go up the mountain was bad enough from a moral point of view since we had hoped, and we felt like, we were further along. But, to add insult to injury, the sign also warned that the rest of the climb would be even steeper and more extreme! This news appeared to completely sap Chantal’s will to continue as she already felt like she was nearing the breaking point. Somehow we convinced her that the rest would not be that bad and we soldiered on. This second quarter of the climb seemed to be the toughest mentally since you are getting fairly tired yet you had not even completed half of the climb yet. When we reached the half way mark Chantal was not impressed or excited and simply walked (climbed?) by me when I suggested we take a photo. I took this as a good sign in that she must be determined to make it all the way to the top and hence, what is the big deal with the half way point. Things did get steeper after that and we continued to “grind” our way up. When we got to the ¾ mark things started looking up (pun intended). Or, as I told a passing hiker as he glanced at the sign, it was “pretty much downhill from here on in”. However the trail was getting steeper and much more precarious. We were passing very close to the edges of cliffs which did not help for Chantal who is afraid of heights. We all paid close attention in those areas and we managed to avoid any incidents. While I was hanging back to wait for Chantal, I noticed that André-Paul was starting to get a little to far ahead of us so I picked up the pace so as not to have him climbing all on his own. We continued along and he indicated that he was not that tired and was doing well. Morgan had told me earlier that he was getting pretty tired and at one point he said that he was more tired than when he plays hockey. I would be surprised it that was actually true but maybe his legs felt worse. Anyway, as I hiked along with A-P while keeping an eye on the Morgan and Chantal behind, I noticed that A-P was starting to get even further ahead. Then I realized that he was actually starting to run up the hill! I thought this was not so safe and was about to tell him to slow down when I saw why he was running. No, it was not because of a bear or a cougar which the sign at the bottom had warned us of. It was because he had seen the top and wanted to be the first one there. I, of course, couldn’t let someone else in the family beat me to the top so I started running as best I could after climbing 2800 feet of mountain while at the same time yelling at A-P letting him know he was a dirtbag for taking off to the summit without telling us. No, we are not a competitive family, really. But it was to no avail. A-P reached the top first so technically he is the … sneakiest one in the family.

I got a photo of a triumphant Chantal emerging from the wooded trail upon reaching the top. The first place she went was directly to the souvenir shop so that she could buy a t-shirt that said “I survived the Grouse Grind”. Then we relaxed on the patio in the sun and had a quick lunch. The view of Vancouver from this patio was … none existent! There had been a fog hanging over the top of the mountain all morning and it still had not burnt off. What a DRAG! So instead we decided to check out the attractions at the top including films, grizzly bears, and a lumberjack show. We then went back to see if there was a view and … YES! Well sort of.. Technically we got a beautiful overview of the Vancouver area from the peak of Grouse Mountain although it was a little hazy. And technically we were able to enjoy the view on the way down in the gondola as well except … except that I was on the “wrong” side to see the city! Oh well, it was a nice view of the valley and the mountains to the north. Once we got to the bottom we made a quick b-line over to the Capilano Suspension bridge to check that out. We were under a bit of a time constraint because we had to pick up our MoHo from the shop before it closed at 6:00. Seeing as Chantal is afraid of heights she sat this one out with a drink in the sun at a patio there. Not a bad option on the warm sunny day. The kids and I had a great time checking out the bridge and the stroll through the canopy of the rainforest there via, yes, you guessed it, suspension bridges. It was pretty cool and I think we set a world record at how quickly we were able to cover everything. Then we all jumped in the car and headed off to pick up the MoHo. This is where things became a little complicated.

When we arrived we saw the MoHo on jacks with the rear wheels off and lying on the floor of the shop. Perhaps they were just finishing up? No such luck. It turns out we had a serious problem. One of the pins that hold the brake calipers onto the rear wheel had worked itself out about 90% of the way! If that pin had fallen out, the caliper would have fallen off and we would have lost the brakes! The mechanic, Jason, told us that the reason was because the pin had been installed upside down so that it did not lock in place. And even worse, both pins on the set of rear wheels on the right, as well as one pin on the other side, were all installed upside down! Holy CRAP!!! He had even taken a picture of what he originally found with the pin sticking out of the caliper. There was about 10 cm (4 inches) of the pin sticking out leaving only about 1 cm (0.5 inch) of the pin still holding the caliper on. Unfortunately he was not able to get replacement pins until tomorrow. That left us with two alternatives. Get him to put the wheels back on and we can park in his parking lot, which is in an industrial park, Or stay at a hotel and pick up the MoHo tomorrow. We opted for the hotel. Or should I say, motel to be more exact. Look folks, in case you hadn’t noticed, this is not the North American tour of the rich and famous. We are on a budget. The most frustrating part had to be the fact that we had already paid $50 for the campsite which we couldn’t use and now we had to pay for a hotel on top of that! Most places we wanted to stay at were full but we ended up at a motel which actually was not too bad. And the little bonus was that we had a very nice tour of the Vancouver area while trying to find the motel. And on the bright side, this was an infinitely better outcome than losing the brakes on one of the many mountain roads we had been driving on in the last few weeks, that’s for sure!

Today’s word:

requisite \REK-wuh-zit\, adjective:
1. Required by the nature of things or by circumstances; indispensable.
2. That which is required or necessary; something indispensable.