July 2nd day 3 Monsons

  Sunday morning started off beautifully. Early start. Good night's sleep. Easy driving. What could go wrong?  (Insert dramatic music here).

About an hour outside of Edmonton the rain started coming down pretty heavily, but no worries The Armada was doing great.  Monson special fix on the wheel bearings (I believe various forms of duct tape and sheer will) seem to be holding. Erik pulled off to tinkle in the rain and then jump back in the car cursing. Uh-oh.

 We quickly pulled off and began about a 4-hour round of research and calling with extremely slow data to secure towing and a mechanic. We didn't realize that not only was it Sunday and nothing was open but it was in the middle of a 3-day weekend for Canadians (Happy Canada Day eh!). Everything would be closed on Monday as well. With a lot of anxiety brewing, we came to some decisions and here are some of the takeaways.

1. Canadians are extremely polite people. Numerous people stopped to ask if we were okay and if we needed help. No one could really assist with the burnt up axle issues but several  gave advice on what town to head towards. 

2. Pay the extra Good Sam/auto insurance coverage for towing. You may never need it but that one time you do it's worth it. We were able to get our rig towed to a town 3 hours away. 

3. In the middle of a crisis when your anxiety gets you thinking about everything that might not happen in the next week God is telling you to stop, take a breath, and just take the next step.

Through one of many many phone calls Erik found a truck and trailer repair place that wasn't open but had an off hours mechanic. He was able to talk through with Aaron the issues. And we got it towed to the town of Grande Prairie, Alberta. A little bit out of our way but not by much.

Aaron started working on building and installing a new axle about 8:00 last night called Eric at the hotel about 2:00 in the morning. Eric went and picked it up. We slept a little bit longer and then we're off the next morning. Crossing fingers and praying we have smooth sails the rest of our way. One step at a time.