Our unscheduled week in Orillia, Ontario

July 20 - 26, 2002 - Our unscheduled week in Orillia, Ontario

We had a relaxing weekend in Orillia while we waited until Tuesday for the Detroit Diesel people to start work on our engine. There was a Scottish Festival to watch and a Poker Run going on, so there was a lot of activity. The town was very busy, to say the least. One night we took the bus out to the Casino and people watched some more. All the restaurants were so crowded and had long lines, so we ate in a sports bar and had chicken wings and hamburgers that were very good. Then we got some last minute tickets for the Cirque de Solea that was playing in the theater right there. It was very enjoyable. Then we tried to gamble a bit but it was so crowded that the only thing we could do was play the 25cent slots for a short while before the bus came to take us back to the marina. Tuesday morning Brian and Jerry showed up to start work on our engine, which meant that we had to be away from the boat as the floor boards were pulled up in the salon and we couldn't get around without really being in there way. So, we discovered all the breakfast spots and poked all around town most of the day. We almost began to feel like we were Orillians. One night the men were going to work late, so we went to the play "I Ought to Be in Pictures" at the Opera House. It was just O.K. Sandy, we don't think that we saw that with the Friends of the Girls of '54. What year was that??? I think we should discuss this again. How about in Seattle?? Does that bring back some memories???? After we got back about 10:30, we noticed that the men's truck was still there, so we didn't want them to stop work, so we went back to town and had a nightcap. It was after 11:00 when we returned and they packed up and left. They were staying at a nearby motel, as it was too far to go back and forth to Toronto, where they live. They were very nice and were trying real hard to get us back on the road. On Thursday they were there all day and into the evening to get completed as Brian was planning on going on Holiday on Friday and he was somewhat frustrated. That night they were done and tried to fire up the engine and nothing happened. So frustrating trying to figure out why. Bottom line, they decided that the starter wasn't powerful enough and needed to be reworked - whatever that means. It was very late in the evening when they left and said that would have to send someone else in on Friday, which they did. Merle arrived about 10:00 and checked everything out and took the started off and took it to a local repair spot and came back with a new or reconditioned starter. After he got everything put back together, we started the engines and they were fine. People around the marina heard the engines and gave the thumbs up sign. We took the boat out for a little sea trial to make sure all was well before letting Merle go home. Everything looked good, so we planned on leaving in the morning -FINALLY. Rendezvous will be BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN. HEADED TO ST. JOE. AT LAST.