The old 1987 Cadillac was loaded and packed Friday night with only bedding left for the evening sleep. The fifty-Centimeter Storm was just passing Longueuil and weather forecast was for sunshines for Saturday and Sunday. What a great time to travel the 1000 kilometers from Montreal to Moncton N.B.
Leaving early Saturday Morning would mean I was travelling between two storms and the bright sunshine as I left suggested my decision was wisely planned. I knew the Cadillac would be hard on gas and I had reserved $300 for travelling and had prepared sandwiches for the road. With a few "Tim Horton Coffees" the trip should have been easy. Leave around 7 or 8am and arrive 8 or 9 pm.
They say a cat can sense various moods of the owner. Well, as I was within 200 miles of Moncton I was to discovered that I was not following the storm but driving into it. It appears that a 100km/hr car travels faster than the weather and I was not only catching up to the storm but passing into the heart of it. At Fredericton I saw a small amount of feather snow falling and felt that I had passed the worst of this snow storm, so I decided to continue on to Moncton.
With in the next 5 hours as I drove at 50km/hr and tried to get up to 70 km/hr I discovered I was on a highway which had been closed. At first the snow plows were out and we passed the first on the Left and then a few minutes later, passed the lead snow plow on the right. I say we, because my cat MinMin was sitting on top of luggage in the front seat with me. The Story was to get worst as within 85km of Moncton I am making the snow tracks on the highway and the side of the road sign reads "Next Gas 74Km". I exited toward Sussex and within a few kilometers found the Gas Station. The last one for the next 74km. My caddy was averaging about 5.5 kilometers to a liter of gas and I saw 75km as needing about 15 to 20 liters of gas.
My gas meter had been sticking for years but often on the side of empty. Often indicating empty when there was still a half a tank of gas. Now it had been on Half for the last hour and I wonder if I had much gas. I though of my fill up in Woodstock N.B. and the distance I had travelled and I must have at least 20 or so liters left. I drove into the gas bas to find it was closed. No lights and the snow was a good 10 to 12 inches deep. The Cadillac forced its way around the unplowed area but with a lot of back end slipping and fish-tailing.
I was now in the middle of no where. I did not think I had enough gas to get to the next gas stop and I certainly could not go back. There had been little to no traffic on the highway as I broke the path through 12 inches of snow myself and the occational Tractor Trailor Train passed. (5 or 6 Tractor Trailors tight together) I worried what would happen if I ran out of gas. Temperature had been at -24 and now here I was with the cat on a closed highway. Yes the cat was sitting up watching out the front window as he could feel my concerns..
Like snow was being dropped on me from a small circle directly in front of me and making a funnel like spray of snow as it blew onto the windshield, I had another problem. when attempting to clean the windshield with the window washer I discovered it got stuck and kept restarting the window washing after it had finished it for or 5 cleaning sweeps. I said it will run out of water and then just be like a normal windshield wiper but that was not the case as it being too fast for nor windshield cleaning the wiper were not touching the windshield. I was leaning over to the center of the window to look out of one of the clean hold.
The cat must have felt the worries I had as he was leaning against my arm and pawing me. It is a long 75 Kilometers when you look at a broken Gas gauge saying you have a half a tank and you know if you run out of gas you are abandon on a highway where nothing has passed for over 30 minutes.
The road were so bad that even a Amour Truck (van) had pulled over to sleep instead of trying to drive the highway. I stopped and went and spoke to the driver who said that the Truck stop was open at marker 423 which was about 38 kilometers from were were were (marker 385). I drove into the Truck stop and my heart dropped as I finally could put some gas into the caddy. I was only now 24 or so kilometers from Moncton and so decided on $20 or about 20 liters (94.5 cents a liter)
How much gas did I have in the tank ?? Well I arrived at Moncton and within minutes parked the car. The next morning the parking was to be cleaned so I moved the car to the other parking area and back after the cleaning. I only ran the car for about 2 or 3 minutes to warm it before moving it. The next day I sat at home as another storm passed and in the morning of Tuesday, I went and started the caddy. Leaving it running as I moved my friends car to the road, when I returned I discovered my car has stopped. Probably too cold... No try as I would it would not start. Out of gas. Yes I had nothing left in the car when I pulled into the highway truck Stop because 20 liters at 5.5 km should have been enough for Moncton and plenty of gas.
I will post this without photos and tomorrow I will come back to the library and put some photos onto it. Today, I will move into my room and park the car as I slowly unload it.
Leaving early Saturday Morning would mean I was travelling between two storms and the bright sunshine as I left suggested my decision was wisely planned. I knew the Cadillac would be hard on gas and I had reserved $300 for travelling and had prepared sandwiches for the road. With a few "Tim Horton Coffees" the trip should have been easy. Leave around 7 or 8am and arrive 8 or 9 pm.
They say a cat can sense various moods of the owner. Well, as I was within 200 miles of Moncton I was to discovered that I was not following the storm but driving into it. It appears that a 100km/hr car travels faster than the weather and I was not only catching up to the storm but passing into the heart of it. At Fredericton I saw a small amount of feather snow falling and felt that I had passed the worst of this snow storm, so I decided to continue on to Moncton.
With in the next 5 hours as I drove at 50km/hr and tried to get up to 70 km/hr I discovered I was on a highway which had been closed. At first the snow plows were out and we passed the first on the Left and then a few minutes later, passed the lead snow plow on the right. I say we, because my cat MinMin was sitting on top of luggage in the front seat with me. The Story was to get worst as within 85km of Moncton I am making the snow tracks on the highway and the side of the road sign reads "Next Gas 74Km". I exited toward Sussex and within a few kilometers found the Gas Station. The last one for the next 74km. My caddy was averaging about 5.5 kilometers to a liter of gas and I saw 75km as needing about 15 to 20 liters of gas.
My gas meter had been sticking for years but often on the side of empty. Often indicating empty when there was still a half a tank of gas. Now it had been on Half for the last hour and I wonder if I had much gas. I though of my fill up in Woodstock N.B. and the distance I had travelled and I must have at least 20 or so liters left. I drove into the gas bas to find it was closed. No lights and the snow was a good 10 to 12 inches deep. The Cadillac forced its way around the unplowed area but with a lot of back end slipping and fish-tailing.
I was now in the middle of no where. I did not think I had enough gas to get to the next gas stop and I certainly could not go back. There had been little to no traffic on the highway as I broke the path through 12 inches of snow myself and the occational Tractor Trailor Train passed. (5 or 6 Tractor Trailors tight together) I worried what would happen if I ran out of gas. Temperature had been at -24 and now here I was with the cat on a closed highway. Yes the cat was sitting up watching out the front window as he could feel my concerns..
Like snow was being dropped on me from a small circle directly in front of me and making a funnel like spray of snow as it blew onto the windshield, I had another problem. when attempting to clean the windshield with the window washer I discovered it got stuck and kept restarting the window washing after it had finished it for or 5 cleaning sweeps. I said it will run out of water and then just be like a normal windshield wiper but that was not the case as it being too fast for nor windshield cleaning the wiper were not touching the windshield. I was leaning over to the center of the window to look out of one of the clean hold.
The cat must have felt the worries I had as he was leaning against my arm and pawing me. It is a long 75 Kilometers when you look at a broken Gas gauge saying you have a half a tank and you know if you run out of gas you are abandon on a highway where nothing has passed for over 30 minutes.
The road were so bad that even a Amour Truck (van) had pulled over to sleep instead of trying to drive the highway. I stopped and went and spoke to the driver who said that the Truck stop was open at marker 423 which was about 38 kilometers from were were were (marker 385). I drove into the Truck stop and my heart dropped as I finally could put some gas into the caddy. I was only now 24 or so kilometers from Moncton and so decided on $20 or about 20 liters (94.5 cents a liter)
How much gas did I have in the tank ?? Well I arrived at Moncton and within minutes parked the car. The next morning the parking was to be cleaned so I moved the car to the other parking area and back after the cleaning. I only ran the car for about 2 or 3 minutes to warm it before moving it. The next day I sat at home as another storm passed and in the morning of Tuesday, I went and started the caddy. Leaving it running as I moved my friends car to the road, when I returned I discovered my car has stopped. Probably too cold... No try as I would it would not start. Out of gas. Yes I had nothing left in the car when I pulled into the highway truck Stop because 20 liters at 5.5 km should have been enough for Moncton and plenty of gas.
I will post this without photos and tomorrow I will come back to the library and put some photos onto it. Today, I will move into my room and park the car as I slowly unload it.
