Bugs and Bees
Friday, 16 October 2009 00:00
A few too many dead bugs on the windshield meant that it was time to flip on the windshield washer to give it a good spray. I heard the familiar click of the handle followed by the whoosh of the fluid splashing against the glass. But what I didn’t expect was the endless stream of cleaner, shooting straight up in the air and running gently down the windshield, pooling in the crevice where the hood meets the glass. Something was amiss with our windshield wipers…
Lucky for us, a small convenience store/restaurant lay less than 50 meters ahead. Navigating the vehicle through our own personal torrential downpour, Jess pulled into the parking lot in the small community of Nairn, on the way to Sudbury, and we scrambled outside of the van to try to stop this disaster before we ran out of washer fluid completely!
We got as far as opening the hood when we realized we had no idea what we were doing. A loud whirring noise was coming from the upper right compartment. By now the fluid was not just spewing from the windshield, it was pouring from the bottom of the van! What in the world?
Thankfully Katelyn’s brother is a mechanic, so as she called him in a panic I walked inside of the restaurant in an attempt to seek out a man who looked like he knew a thing or two about cars. Awkward!
I timidly approached two men and explained our situation, but before I could ask for help I heard a voice bellowing loudly, “Fixed it!” And so she had. Katelyn saved the day. What exactly was amiss, I cannot tell you. But all I know is that she is a brave woman. Reaching her hand inside the whirring hood, Katelyn disconnected the power supply to the washer fluid. The clouds opened up, the sun came out, and it stopped raining. I think I even saw a rainbow.
We may never know why our van spontaneously spewed windshield washer fluid, obstructing our vision and leading to potential danger. But I think we were all pretty excited to have a story to tell. Not only that, but the small community of Nairn provided us with a bathroom break, great coffee, and a memorable photo op. All a part of the adventure!
-Natalie B