I have to say a bit about the people we've met up here already. The folks at the Glacier Mountain Lodge in Blue River were more than helpful. They heard our plight, and did their utmost to help us out. They are friendly, good-natured people who didn't mind us setting up a crib in their lobby for Krista to sleep in while we waited for the tow truck. Glacier Mountain Lodge, Yellowhead Hwy. #5, Box 27, Blue River B.C. V0E1J0 Phone: (250) 673-2393 or (877) 452-2686 Fax: (250) 673-8225

The hotel has a contract, too, with the Canadian railroad workers, who regularly spend their nights there. You can pretty much expect what these guys are like: rough around the edges, big guys who are tired and not much interested in tourists. But watching these guys around Krista, playing with her and trying to be quiet while she slept... it was a real sight. No contact info for the Canadian Railroad, but honk at the locomotives for Krista if you see them.

Clyde, of River Safaris in Blue River... this guy was incredibly personable. He said that he wished he'd known the day before that we were stuck there with a breakdown, and he'd have made some special arrangements to help show us around. I believe him. He helped make a trip that I didn't expect to particularly enjoy (no oars, you see) extremely enjoyable.(see www.riversafari.com for more information)

Darrell, the tow driver... great guy, very thorough and knowledgeable and conscientious in his driving. I always felt safe with him (well, as safe as we could be), and quickly realized that he knew how to get the Unimog chained down properly, without damaging brake lines or anything else. If anything goes wrong elsewhere in the trip, God forbid, we will be in touch with Ron's Auto Towing. They've hauled RV's, houseboats, cars, and now a Unimog. They go pretty much anywhere, and they're a first-class outfit. Ron's Auto Towing, 275 1st Avenue, Prince George, B.C. V2L 2Y1, Phone: (250) 564-8444

Ken Schultz at Prince George Truck & Equipment gave me a feeling over the phone that here was a guy who had the right ingredients to help us get back on the road: knowledge and a willingness to help. His shop rates are very fair, and he's letting me do as much of the work as I'm comfortable with to help keep my costs down. He is also letting me use some of their tools (!), and has given me a bay to work in. Working in a good shop with the right tools, knowledgeable people and no mosquitoes is going to make all the difference in getting this job done right. This is also one of the few times that Grog has felt... small. Grog is surrounded by dump trucks, lumber rigs, and a steamroller and he truly looks like a Tonka toy by comparison. Ken even wanted to take my shop manual home for the weekend to look it over before he started working on the cylinder head next week. "Not a bad read," I told him, "but the plot's a little thin." Many thanks to Ken, Mike, and the others at PGT&E for their help. (See http://www.pgtruck.com/pgtruck.html for more information)

I've encountered so many good and helpful people up here that it is tempting to make a generalization and say that perhaps it's just the way Canadians are. If so, I hope more of this good will rubs off on us back in the States. I've met countless good people there, too, but the average level of service and help up here is equal to the best I've encountered in the U.S. It may just be that I've been blessed with meeting a few of Canada's best representatives. In any case, I want to publicly thank all of these extraordinary people for kindness. People like this are part of the reason we do expeditions like this, and it would be infinitely harder to do it without their remarkable helpfulness.