Hello once again Bonnyville, after spending a week in what seemed like exotic temperatures back in Ontario over Christmas, I'm back in Bonnyville ready to excite (or bore) you all with all the earth-shattering, breaking news northeastern Alberta has to offer.
For right now though, I think we can put that on the backburner as I present to you what has become my bi-weekly rant/complaining piece. This time, I'll be focusing on the weather out here and how it almost destroyed my beloved Vincent (a tan '03 Honda Civic Hybrid) on the night of Jan. 4.
After enjoying a night in the company of some friends in Cold Lake, the clock struck midnight and my girlfriend and I decided we had better make our way home before the projected early morning snow rendered the roads undriveable.
So I made my way outside, enjoying the balmy minus 47-degree temperature (yes, that's in Celsius, people) en route to starting my vehicle. Unfortunately for us, our 11-year-old Vincent churned and churned and churned, but would not start. I begged and pleaded with him to start, but he wouldn't. Luckily, we were stranded with people we liked, and as a secondary bonus, with somebody who actually knew something about cars.
So we spent the night and got up the next day determined to make Vincent better. We identified (when I say we, I don't mean me. I had no idea what was going on) that it was the battery that had died and it needed to be replaced. An hour and $150 bucks later, we were back on the road, driving our very sick vehicle home to Bonnyville.
But, as with most relationships, once one half lets you down, you start to consider your options. Vincent has served me well for the past two years, but it's clear to see that the Alberta weather hasn't been kind to him. He must have been in to see the doctor (Canadian Tire) four or five times in the past year, and there are still all sorts of lights flashing on the dashboard.
So, after much consideration that consisted of a two-minute discussion and half an hour searching the web, my girlfriend and I set our sights on purchasing a new vehicle. A vehicle more adept to life in Alberta – an '08 Chevrolet Equinox.
We'll be picking up the new vehicle hopefully sometime this week, which will be good for us because we'll actually be able to go on trips and visit friends without the fear of our car not starting on the back of our minds, and it might be good for Vincent because we won't be driving him all over the place in weather he clearly does not like.
Ol' Mother Nature almost destroyed a beautiful thing; a bond between man and car is unlike any other (except maybe man and wife, or man and dog?). Jog on Alberta winter, jog on.
