My buds and I drove 850 miles to Senneterre Quebec then the 120 miles of
logging roads into the bush to go fishing at:
http://www.senneterre-outfitters.com/index.html We have used this outfitter
for the past 5 years because the Pike fishing is good, they have hot showers
and as we get older it's impossible to meet the weight limits on fly-ins.
About 60 miles into the bush from Senneterre the coolant line going to the
rear heater in the Ford van got the perfect hit from a rock kicked up from a
tire, develops a gushing leak and overheats the engine.

While waiting for it to cool off we picked a few pints of wild Blueberries,
they are EVERYWHERE. Mmmm! Within an hour a couple of Canadians headed back
into town on a beer run stopped to help although they spoke only French. By
then we had removed the engine cover and traced the coolant lines and
planned a surgical bypass of the leaky system. I happened to have a hacksaw
blade in my tacklebox in addition to a tool box with basic hand tools. So,
there is my metalworking...cutting the steel coolant line. The rescuers of
course had a cooler full of cold beer for the trip into town and we all
toasted Canada and her wondrous fishing. It seems the language barrier only
added to the enjoyment and laughs. A couple of hours later they brought us
back a length of hose and some clamps that put us back on the road after
filling the radiator from a nearby lake.

I don't feel guilty for not being better prepared, I can't carry enough
spare parts and materials to foresee every possible situation. All I was
really lacking was a hose clamp and I could have fashioned one from some
lengths of 1/16" welding rod I have in my tacklebox and Vise-Grips. I think
the best plan is basic stuff and plenty of beer...Canadian beer, of course.

We had no more adventures although the weather was hot and the fishing was
fair at best with a few heafty Pike and enough Walleye for dinner and enough
fillets to bring home so our families will let us go again next year. This
was Canada trip year number 30 for us.