[A/S] TWIMC - BC, Nelson Ford

["Sandy Noyes" <boojum@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

No, Nelson Ford is not a person related to Harrison Ford or even a
person.  It is an auto dealership in Nelson, BC.  They do good work; at
a fair price.  That's now two things, at least, better up here. The
other is being able to "pie" politicians.

I warped my disc rotors on the truck.  Did it using the brakes to
descend a 6,000' mountain instead of gearing down to low range with the
tranny.  OK, next time I will know.  Maybe I won't remember, but I will
know.  I was going to have the rotors turned in Abbottsford when I got
there but they were so bad they were scary.  The entire left front
wheel would bounce up and down, violently.  Not a good way to pull a
30' trailer up and down the mountains of BC, eh?

So I saw a local guy, Ken about turning the rotors.  He drove the truck
with me in it and checked it for about 10 minutes making sure it was
the discs.  Yes, it was.  Could he fix it?  No.  But he could send me
where they could be fixed and got me a rush appointment at the right
shop. How much did I owe him?  Nothing.

I dropped off the truck but came back a couple of hours later to find
they were wary of working on a 4x4 with ABS.  They let me call Nelson,
the "big" town where I found a guy who "might" be able to do it.  "Call
back at 2:30," he says.  I drove down.  He couldn't fix it either;
shorthanded.  But he called Nelson Ford who said to call at 9:00 the
next morning.

I called.  

"Maybe.  How about 1:20?"  

"Sure!  I'll be there!"

So I drove down and had lunch at the Main Street Diner which is not a
diner and is on Baker Street.  The oyster burger had been recommended
so I had that.  It was pretty good.  Great fries, too. Lots of Greek
food on the menu.  I will stop again.

 Out the door, down to the 1:20 appointment with the Ford guy, fill out
the paperwork and settle into the waiting room to type e-mail and send
out jokes from the old, old file.  Chatted with the local folks and
after about two hours I was told the truck was done.  "Come out and pay
the bill," they said.  Your truck will be ready after we wash it and
vacuum out the interior."  Huh?!  The bill for resurfacing both rotors
on the truck was $170, Canadian.  That comes to US$115.  And the brakes
are right.  The drive back is one hour of winding, hilly roads along
the edge of Kootenay Lake.  Yes!  These Canadians really know how to
treat a guy.   :o)


Oh, and just so I would not get homesick for the San Francisco Bay Area
it was Gay Pride Day and the parade wound past the dealership.  Only
two dikes on one bike instead of the big Dikes on Bikes contingent in
SF, but lots of happy, proud gays, lesbians, transgenders, new genders
and supporters marching along with a non-hostile police escort blocking
off streets at intersections.  I guess there is a place for all of us
on this ark.

So, it is nice to be able to go into a dealership and get good work
done by folks who like doing that.  And they know I won't be back for a
long time, if at all.  Makes me feel good all over.

Happy Trails all you folks.