Statistics. Damn Statistics.

 The trip is going well Sports Fans!

Today was the first day of rain and it was not until after 13:00 local time that it began to spit a bit.

Which turned out perfect as I was up at zero dark thirty and on the road shortly after 7:30. A quick coffee stop at The Hungry Traveler Cafe on the way to Mahone Bay. I was a bit peckish so I ante upped and had the breakfast (egg) sandwich. Tasty. Fresh herbs in the sandwich added to the experience. Not greasy at all and a nice change for fast food pretend-a-food. Service was prompt and as I arrived five minutes after opening I was their first customer.

I have written a review and it is one of those businesses you hope will last. Not sure of their location, especially off-season. If I am back in the area I will look them up.

So, I digress because the purpose of this post is to give you some statistics.

I keep a casual log of my trip. Partly to remember the moments of the trip as they pass and to records information about the mileage, speed, cost of gas, amount of gas, and other aspects of the trip that are of interest to me.

Above is the trip log with the averages of each column in the last row. Even with the recent short hops in the Mist I have averaged 331.8 km per day with 32.5 litres of gas purchased. The average fuel economy for those who understand Imperial is 37.2 miles per gallon. Pretty good!

Today's trip was from Luneburg to Greenwood to take in the aviation museum. It was a really positive experience of which I will share in more detail soon.

Suffice to say, I and the Red Mist are comfortably set for the night and it would not be an update post without a photograph of her.

Good nigh Sports Fans! Have a great one.

Ode to Highway 3: Twisty is Good

 Expansion on previous post Sports Fans!

A horse watching me watching her/him.

So, you can take Highway 103 from Yarmouth to Liverpool.

via GIPHY

Big YAWN!

Or you can drive parallel to the coast on Highway 3 with its routing being more, shall we say, dynamic. Like you have to move the steering wheel left and right in response to the ever-changing road conditions. Lots of blind crests (let's go flying), offset camber on turns, some not-so-constant radius curves, blind corners, etc.

Highway 3

Boring Highway 103

So, basically Subie Food and Fuel for the RS.

It was a blast of smooth transitions from left to right, spot on braking, and smooth full acceleration.

Smiles all around.

The RS took me to Sommerville Beach, a mile long smooth beach of white sand. I got out and walked the sand and stood in the ocean for a spell. The first time in years I had been in the ocean. I have been near it and on it but it must be over 20 years since I was in salt water. The soothing rhythm of the waves did me good and I sat and people watched for an hour, simply relaxing and taking in the sounds of summer on that beautiful beach.

After that drove into Liverpool and was very amped to get some local food.

Stopped off at the local lighthouse and read some historical plaques. Ask my first wife about my historical plaque fetish.

Found something out. A lot of the better restaurants in the towns are not open Monday and/or Tuesday so grabbed some snacks to have in my room.

All in all, a wonderful day.

Playing Catch Up

Hello Sports Fans! It has been several days since an update on the adventures of the Red Mist.

Suffice to say that I have news and information but the process of being on vacation is getting in the way.

Today, though, it was time to move on after two days at the Cape View Motel and Cottages. I had a great time there. It was a perfect room. Number 2 on the end with 2 double beds and a great view (except for the fog over my stay).

Dropped into Yarmouth and had 2 amazing cappuccinos at the Blueberry Fields Bakery Cafe.

Then headed to Jim's Car Wash to attend to the Red Mist. She was looking a little dirty and we do not want a dirty girl. So, washed and shined her up!

There is something soothing about washing a car and I miss this as living in an apartment gives me little opportunity to do this relaxing and satisfying task.

Jim's prices were awesome and the bay I was in worked perfectly.

Then, it was off to Liverpool, Nova Scotia for the next installment of my vacation!

Back in the USA! Back in the USA!: The Red Mist Explores

 Hello Sports Fans!

My peeps in BC! My peeps in the Theatre Capital of Canada. Steel Town! And, for my family that is about it.

To my Social Media peeps! Hello too!

So, the adventure begins. As some of you may know the title is an homage to a Beatles song "Back in the USSR." It has been over 7 years since I travelled to the United States and it was necessary to get a new passport (in 3 days!) so I could take advantage of transiting through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Of these four states, I had yet to go to New Hampshire and Maine and looked forward to transiting those states and knocking them off my travel target. I have been to 30 states. Not bad. Perhaps next year's trip will be to California and not off the southwest states and Oregon.

First coffee of the trip. Good Earth coffee rocks and the people are great.!

16 degrees C with7/8 of a tank I left at 18:33 EST for somewhere along the New York State Thruway.

Normal protocol on other trips was to transit via the 401 and then past Montreal and stop around midnight at a roadside rest stop and grab a quick wink or two and blast off dawn zero early to attempt to complete the trip. This was to Halifax when my son went to school there and I could make it late the following day as the trip is approximately 22 hours without stops.

Going through the States would make the drive to St. John NB approximately 15 hours and I had to do this in less than two days. I had to be part way by after midnight (6 to 7 hours) and then get up and put in a 12 hour day to make it to my motel.

Thing is...

If I am later than 8:00 PM AST the motel will not check me in...

And, I had a ferry reservation for Saturday morning and had to be at the ferry in St. John no later than 7:00 AM. Not being the best early riser, I felt it was incumbent on me to get some digs in St. John the night before and get up early the next day and be there smartly at 6:30 AM. My luck, like last year, I was one of the first on the ferry from Point Aux Basque NF to Sydney NS and literally, literally was the LAST car off that ferry.

So...

Off I go. 401 to. Well, Google Maps had its own idea where to go. And I followed it out of curiosity and it worked. It ran a parallel route to the 401 to Highway 6 South and save me a lot of stress.

I was at the border by 20:02 EST and passed through without a hitch. Not too busy (ask me about going over 3 weeks after 9/11) and I put my front and rear windows down and turned on the interior light and stated that I was transmitting the USA to go to St. John NB. He nodded and let me through. Ironically, I had a more involved interrogation getting back into Canada.

At that time the average gas consumption was 7 litres per 100 km and average speed was 70 km/h.

21 degrees C with 4/10ths scattered cloud at about 4,000 feet and a light high coverage of cloud above 20,000. The weather was going to be favourable!

Stopped for BK and the poor manager had two completely useless dolts "working" with her and she backstopped the merde out of them. Without her no one would have gotten their orders.

The fries, apparently an "medium" size (really was a small) were 5.29 US. That's 7.15 CDN for MOFO fries people! I know were BK makes it money. The hamburger was almost cheaper.

Moving on and avoiding the crap food at the food courts along highways.

BTW, travel in France. The food in 1992 at their road side highway stops was amazing.

North America can do better. But we won't.

I stopped at the Mowhawk NYS stop for fuel and decided to kip out there. They are revamping the facility so a bunch of truckers and motorhome travellers pulled over and stopped to rest.

I had forgotten my travel pillow (and my teddy bear) so I bundled up my coat, set the sun shade up and had a decent 4-hour nap/sleep.

The thing is, I can't fall asleep in situations like this. I need a bed. To lie on my side, and to have a fan cooling me. In a car... Well, NOT happening. So I pop in and out of REM sleep and basically, achieve 25% rest over the time period I am TRYING to nap.

However, my alarm goes off at 6:00 AM and I am off in search of coffee. I pass the first rest stop and proceed to the next one and fuel up.

Tall Pike black. 7 out of 10. Unfocused staff. Is it the pay or do we not instill a strong work ethic in our youth? Coffee run at 6:41 AM.

So, now is the serious driving. I have 12 hours and 900 km to cover. I had driven 588.5 km so far.

How did it go?

First...

The Impreza is impressive. It is comfortable and a hell of a lot of fun in the curvies. Some of the driver aids take a bit to get use to and incorporate tactically to one's driving but I had this MASSIVE smile on my face in Vermont, then New Hampshire and Northern Maine. The Red Mist likes to move and the 4-wheel AWD is a massive confidence booster. A couple of times I had to show who's boss while navigating the route, especially in northern Maine.

And note this...

Subarus are prolific in these states. They are everywhere. I stopped at a tourism stop in Maine by Bangor and, including my car, there were 5 Subarus parked together. I saw a Vermont Crosstrek with the licence plate "SCUBAROO" and several times during this trip today fellow Subie owners assisted me in acts of driver courtesy because we "know." It is a cult. It actually has some aspects of the Harley and motorcycle fraternity. Not as evident as those other brands, but it is there.

I had a string of perfect driving songs on Sirus XM to accompany me on my drive through the twisties of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Last coffee of the day at Raymond, New Hampshire. 

The total for today (Friday) was 941.2 km with an average speed of 92 km/h and a fuel economy of 6.9 L/100 km which is quite impressive since I was doing between X and Y during my drive in Northern Maine and New Brunswick.

At the Canadian border, I got asked if I had guns, drugs, mace, bear spray, marijuana and if I really had not bought any alcohol or tobacco while I was in the US. Interesting how our police and other services presume guilt and attempt to have innocent citizens pressured into admitting accidentily that they may have broken the law.

I got to my cheap and cheerful motel and went out for some Chris Brother's Pepperoni (trigger warning to the vegan readers), a spot of rum and shrimp as a Hors d'oeuvre.

The Red Mist is nestled in for the night and will be ready for more adventures tomorrow!

All-Brite Glass & Tint Kitchener Rocks...

 My Google unedited review for my recent experience at this vendor.

Jackson rocks!

I made my decision to engage All-Brite based on the positive reviews on Google and a visit to their site. They have been in business long enough that this company would appear to have a great formula of making customers happy with their products and services.

I approached All-Brite and was greeted by Jackson. He is forthright and confident in his manner. He knows his products and pricing very well and I felt confident from the outset I wanted to do business with Jackson and All-Brite.

Jackson walked me through my options and answered my questions. I admit to stumping him on one thing but more on that later.

An appointment was made and I was excited to get my windows tinted for the look and privacy the tint would offer.

I had asked Jackson about a product they did not carry from one of their primary vendors, Madico, and Jackson took the initiative to look into it and called me later that day to discuss this product as a solution for my needs of windshield protection.

I WAS IMPRESSED!

I have experiene as a techinical sale engineer and know the value of prompt response to technical questions. I never expected Jackson to pick up the torch and run with it. I, in no way, mean to imply he would not have done it but in my experience many sales people do not extend themselves to expand their ability to help their clients. Jackson did this. And, perhaps, what I need may be something that will become of value to All-Brite and future customers.

That is what a partnership is about. My experience that it is not implied but for me customer engagement is that next step of reaching out and making new things happen.

Jackson did this and it really impressed me.

Now, finally, the service...

About a week later I took possession of my car and drove to All-Brite as I was concerned that the windows of the car were already tinted. A representative helped me by checking the tint with a meter and gave me assurance that my original decision on the tint for the windows would be fine.

She displayed a behaviour that was consistent with the level of service Jackson had offered.

The installation was great!

Special note to the installer... Wow. You are the unsung hero in all this. Jackson said you were the best and the application of the tint was FLAWLESS and really cemented my sense of satisfaction for the professional work you did for me.

As a former aircraft mechanic that type of talent amazes me and I was forever in awe of people that can have that attention to detail to consistenlty do a GREAT job. I was an engine guy and sheet metal (as similar skill to yours) scared the crap out of me.

To finish, the placard on the window switches is a great touch and Jackson was great getting a taxi for me to chill at Starbucks while I waited.

The car looks so good with the tint and I am so pleased I engaged All-Brite for my car.

Thank you all!

Prepping the Red Mistress

 

The relative reliability of today's cars when properly maintained makes the need to bring tools and other items with your car effectively unnecessary. For example, the increased reliability of tires is represented in the Subaru Impreza by the fact it does not have a spare tire. It uses a tire inflator and some magic sauce to seal leaks temporarily until you can repair or replace the tire.

However, it still is a good idea to have some supplies on hand and the following photos show my preparations.

The first photo shows water and an inexpensive umbrella for those days when you are caught by the weather and do not have a jacket handy. The water is for convenience but I generally had 4 liters of water on hand.

The next photo is a basic camping lantern using LED lighting for general lighting in case of emergencies or if I am travelling, such as at a hotel, and the power goes out. I also have two other LED  flashlights in the glove box for that just-case scenario.

The next two photos are related. The top one is expanded representing the total items in the small cubby in the rear of the Impreza. First aid kit, oil, booster cables, paper towels, paracord with a 200 lb. capacity, lug bolt for removing wheels, rescue blanket, electrical tape, gloves and masks, brush for cleaning; a bag with utility knives, a multi-tool, a universal screwdriver. And that's about it. The photo below is everything set in place allowing me to put the floor on.

I also add some boxes of granola bars or fruit snacks in case of delays that necessitate some sustenance if required.

The glove box has another knife with a seatbelt cutter, a window-shattering tool, a Fox 40 whistle, and flashlights.

Today's mission is...

 Today was dedicated to getting a tint done on my Subie and going on a visit to a local Subaru parts and accessories shop.

Having done research into several local vendors I decided on All-Brite Glass and Tint in Kitchener, Ontario. I will post a more complete review of the process of getting this work done, suffice to say I am so pleased with the overall look and enhancement to the function of the tint. My main reason for the tint is related to when I travel. When going on an extended trip (1 to 2 weeks) I have to put the rear seats down to open up the cargo capacity of my car and having the dark tinted windows adds to privacy and security. Of course, when stopped overnight I remove all my belongings, but during the day and when stopped for doing tourist stuff it is comforting to know that it is difficult to see into my vehicle.

Once the tint was done I set out to the Subie Supply Co. in Brantford, Ontario.

Being excited to own a Subaru, a long-time dream, one does tend to gravitate to sites that help make your Subie your own.

As the 2024 Impreza RS is not "performance" oriented like the WRX because of its CVT transmission and it being sold in relatively small numbers compared to other Subaru models it is a bit orphaned in the aftermarket department for accessories and parts. Some parts for the Crosstek will adapt for use on the Impreza and that is one alternative route to "soup up" my Subie.

But... There are still things you can do and I will share with you my additions or substitutions. There won't be any major mods to my Subie as she has to remain "stock" until the engine warranty is complete. There are some engine mods I can make for functional and appearance benefits.

As to the tint...

The window switch is placarded to not use the windows for between 3 to 5 days to protect the tint and avoid damaging it. And I have placed a daily reminder in my Google Calendar to help prevent me from using the power windows

No Drive Though for YOU!

RS Logo Trivia

 When first looking into the purchase of a new car I quickly fell on three contenders.

The Toyota Corolla Hatchback. (What I would if I could afford the GR Corolla!)

The Mazda 3.

The Subaru Impreza. (More on the actual process later.)

I selected the RS trim line and it comes with this logo...

Any guesses as to what it represents?

Look to the right and left of the letters and you see a rectangle with two vertical dashes. Their PISTONS! Representing the engine configuration of the Impreza.

Pretty cool!!!

Have a great day. Especially in your Subaru!

Message ends.

Introduction

 This blog will give voice to my experiences with my 2024 Subura Impreza RS.

Writing on a variety of topics inside the realm of my new car and outside the realm which may include reminisces, rants, and general opinions and observations of the author, it is hoped that those that find the blog enjoy the posts and do not take umbrage if my views are a bit more conservative than theirs.

Have fun and enjoy the ride!