Day 1

Finally! Leaving the city in a mist of rain and sleet and slush. Our first brush with fame comes in the form of Mark, a local journalist with the town of Gravenherst's Today newspaper, who saw us pull into town for lunch. Right away he came over to our table at Blondie's and wanted to know all about our trip, equipment, destination. After assuring us our burgers would not get too cold, he lured us outside to take a group picture in front of our vehicles. This was a nice change from the humdrum of the city, and people were excited for us about our expedition.

Burgers taking their toll on our digestive system, and needing a cup of coffee to cure us from the burger and straight road slump, we got to introduce our American friends to the tradition of "Tim Horton" coffee house. They don't get it.

The weather is slowly getting colder until we hit the Quebec border, where we are greeted by a small blizzard, occasional white outs and high winds�we're getting close.

Our first stop for gas in Quebec is a cultural experience, at just above the 47th parallel. The only language spoken by our proprietor is French; I get along great and everyone manages to get what they need as again curiosity is piqued and I discuss the details of the trip with the station owners who are exited to see the three Discos. After random discussions on the CB about lockers, drive shafts, local cultures and global jokes, at around 9 PM we pull into the town of Rouyn Noranda, get a room and a nice dinner; but alas, Quebec pizza did not hold up to its higher expectations. The weather here calls for -27 C overnight and it feels that cold now. Around this part of the world, plug-ins for cars are everywhere, but Mickey's Disco, being from the US, doesn't have a block heater. Luckly, Ted has a magnetized portable for Mickey to use, but the cord is only 4' long, so we drive the Disco 1.5" from the wall and just within reach of the plug. We'll see tomorrow if any or all the Discos start�.and get on our way again for the next destination further north.

Michel