The Grand Am that Could... and did.

[Dragonwings]

http://www.littledragonwings.com/Route.jpg

See the purple line?

I drove that with my 2003 Grand Am towing a 5x10 Uhaul trailer.. gross weight of the trailer is about 2800 pounds loaded.

That's 3200 miles towing 2800 pounds folks. I'm very proud of my baby.

Transmission cooler was installed. Fresh synthetic oil change. Rotated and balanced tires. Car also has front and back STBs.

I'm here in my new town of Vancouver British Columbia.

The first night I had my car broke into .. stole my face plate and amplifier and other stuff... really sucked. (Upon retrospect, someone did warn me to avoid East Vancouver.. lesson learned)

Things are coming together, just got to drive around the new town and see the better parts of town.

Anyway, just wanted to give a quick update on my baby and the trip she did. I'm very proud.

The Rocky Mountains were a bitch. The Badlands in South Dakota were bad because people drove like idiots.

People still cut you off when you're towing a big ass trailer.

Drove the whole distance by myself, about 60 hours of driving... Yeah me!

Any GAOCers in the Vancouver area.. give me a shout out.. I play well with others and shower regularly :D

Gary

[Bouchie11982]

wow! thats a BIG trip, congrats on the trip and getting there in one piece. y did u move from FL to Vancouver?? ur also missing out on the all season warm weather! although i dont mind the cold weather up in New England :)

[VanishingImage]

wow,concrats on just making the trip! Just looking at that gives me a headace and tired:lol:

[nice96gt]

That is a huge trip, and a big change when it comes to climate. Glad the trip went pretty smooth. Welcome to Canada!! :D

How many miles did that end up being?

[sunrunner_pei]

Welcome back, Gary! I was wondering when we'd hear from you again. So how's Canada, eh? :toast:

[XoticGA]

I thought Vancouver was... Well.. not that far west :lol: Anyways.. glad you made it safe1 I want to move to canada...

[99GrandAMSE]

... it would have been closer to come and visit me :lol:

[mikem220153]

Hey, The Canadians got class, I'm not sure they would want us Yanks moving up there!!:lol:

[99GrandAMSE]

... some of you would OK ;)

[Riley1123d]

woooow, road trip! I hope you like your new town :)

[Dragonwings]

Man... still getting acquinted with my Canadian brethan...

Except for whatever jerk broke into my car the first night I was here.. Population-wise, there are more nice Canadians per 1000 than say Americans.

Still trying to get a grasp of the new country.. things are pretty different...

I've missed my GAOC people... and still waiting to try the great beer you guys supposedly have.... no luck thus far.

some of my other observations of Vancouver:

1) Gas prices are a mere 0.99 CDN per litre. This converts to OVER $3.00 US dollars a gallon. Maybe the Canadians should start bombing people too, I mean that’s what really important right? I don’t want to hear another complaint about gas prices from any of my US brethren.

2) Turn lanes - They don’t care for them that much… usually when you go to turn left, you block traffic. This makes people very happy with you.

3) The water is amazing here. I’m used to Florida water which tastes like rocks and is second in hardness only to the diamond. The water here is so soft, it’s like they brought in all your favorite stuffed animals from childhood to supervise the softness. Usually I need a full dollop of facial cleanser to wash my face, maybe a quarter size splattering. Here, I now know the meaning of a dab or smidgeon. Perhaps pea-size would even be sufficient, but only if it was a small pea. And it doesn’t taste bad right out of the tap.

4) The sun here is like the guest that just won’t leave. You’ve given him all the hints that he doesn’t have to go home, but he can’t stay here. The sun is THAT guy. At 9pm, the sun is still FULLY visible in the sky, and sunlight doesn’t disappear until 10pm. I imagine by the time I get used to that, it will be dark at 4pm, and I’ll complain about that instead.

5) Healthy lifestyles prevail here. For instance, in the states, there’s one brand of margarine that contains Non-hydrogenated oils and no trans-fats. Here there’s like 4 or 5. Not to mention the proliferation of organic foods, fresh produce and the like. In fact, most of the stuff isn’t even labeled organic prominently because almost all the products are. I suspect that the foods that aren’t organic are required to display a big red skull and crossbones instead.

6) The money here is awesome. It took me a week to bask in the wonders of their monetary system. The bills are all color-coded, so you know just by glancing at the bill what value it is. Furthermore, they have 1 and 2 dollar coins here instead of bills, and initially I thought I would hate it. However, after a week of use, I have to say, I love it and it’s a much better system.

7) We went to a place called Tsumani Sushi, and it was awesome. It’s a perpetual sushi buffet. Delightful. You sit down at a bar where in front of you lies a circular island where the chefs prepare their masterpieces so you can stuff your face. Around the island is a little moat with little boats that constantly circle the island, on the little boats are various combinations of fish, rice, sushi, etc. As they pass in front of you, you simply reach out and grab a plate that catches your eye. You eat it, the chefs replace it with another culinary delight. It’s a beautiful system. Furthermore, it gives a whole new meaning to “fresh off the boat.”

Good to see your familar faces.... err screennames again :D

[4kQuad]

My mailing address is Vancouver......Well Washington.

Were only about 400 miles apart, I'm right at the Oregon border.

[invaderzim624]

Originally posted by Dragonwings
Man... still getting acquinted with my Canadian brethan...

Except for whatever jerk broke into my car the first night I was here.. Population-wise, there are more nice Canadians per 1000 than say Americans.

Still trying to get a grasp of the new country.. things are pretty different...

I've missed my GAOC people... and still waiting to try the great beer you guys supposedly have.... no luck thus far.

some of my other observations of Vancouver:

1) Gas prices are a mere 0.99 CDN per litre. This converts to OVER $3.00 US dollars a gallon. Maybe the Canadians should start bombing people too, I mean that’s what really important right? I don’t want to hear another complaint about gas prices from any of my US brethren.

2) Turn lanes - They don’t care for them that much… usually when you go to turn left, you block traffic. This makes people very happy with you.

3) The water is amazing here. I’m used to Florida water which tastes like rocks and is second in hardness only to the diamond. The water here is so soft, it’s like they brought in all your favorite stuffed animals from childhood to supervise the softness. Usually I need a full dollop of facial cleanser to wash my face, maybe a quarter size splattering. Here, I now know the meaning of a dab or smidgeon. Perhaps pea-size would even be sufficient, but only if it was a small pea. And it doesn’t taste bad right out of the tap.

4) The sun here is like the guest that just won’t leave. You’ve given him all the hints that he doesn’t have to go home, but he can’t stay here. The sun is THAT guy. At 9pm, the sun is still FULLY visible in the sky, and sunlight doesn’t disappear until 10pm. I imagine by the time I get used to that, it will be dark at 4pm, and I’ll complain about that instead.

5) Healthy lifestyles prevail here. For instance, in the states, there’s one brand of margarine that contains Non-hydrogenated oils and no trans-fats. Here there’s like 4 or 5. Not to mention the proliferation of organic foods, fresh produce and the like. In fact, most of the stuff isn’t even labeled organic prominently because almost all the products are. I suspect that the foods that aren’t organic are required to display a big red skull and crossbones instead.

6) The money here is awesome. It took me a week to bask in the wonders of their monetary system. The bills are all color-coded, so you know just by glancing at the bill what value it is. Furthermore, they have 1 and 2 dollar coins here instead of bills, and initially I thought I would hate it. However, after a week of use, I have to say, I love it and it’s a much better system.

7) We went to a place called Tsumani Sushi, and it was awesome. It’s a perpetual sushi buffet. Delightful. You sit down at a bar where in front of you lies a circular island where the chefs prepare their masterpieces so you can stuff your face. Around the island is a little moat with little boats that constantly circle the island, on the little boats are various combinations of fish, rice, sushi, etc. As they pass in front of you, you simply reach out and grab a plate that catches your eye. You eat it, the chefs replace it with another culinary delight. It’s a beautiful system. Furthermore, it gives a whole new meaning to “fresh off the boat.”

Good to see your familar faces.... err screennames again :D

This is making me think of getting a job and living in Canada when I graduate. I've been to Canada only once when I went to Niagra Falls and I enjoyed it there. But from what you are saying, I would be willing to live there. You opened my eyes to a place I would have never considered. Thanks.

And I'm glad you like your new home town.

[doobiess]

Welcome to canada... I myself live in victoria so im 1 ferry ride away and about in total 2 hours away.. Ya vancouver is a nice city but to all things compared to Victoria( for me it still seems like a dump) but ya things about vancouver.. Stay away from east van... hastings in general ... Surrey used to be the car theft capitol in North America... so make sure you got insurance to cover thefts...

As for things to see... stanley park... grousse mountain.. is cool in summer... go to the top and see all the wildlife.. Capilano suspension bridge.. the Omninax is a must... and I assume you heard the 2010 olympics are comming to vancouver ... Whistler/blackcomb mountain if you ski..

As for me im going to the abbotsford airshow on the 13 th this month... i think the second biggest show in canada and 4th in north america... amazing show.. its about 1.5 hours from downtown Van... good for the whole family... (btw recomend runway seating... since thats where i will be :) )

But if you like sight seeing... Victoria has TONS... But ya vancouver and canada in general is a nice place to live.. and as for most people think its cold here.. but youve chose the mildest climate in north america... summers usually 30 celcius.. last years max was 36 celcius.. as for winter 0 celcius or 32 degress... is usually about as cold as it gets unless a cold snap hits for a couple days.. so otherwise... not much snow here in Victoria and Vancouver but the rest of the country does :) anyways.. Send me a PM if you wanna know anything about Van. or whatnot... anyways hope it works out for ya ...