A lighter load

Hello Everyone,

There's a scene in a classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Captain Jean-Luc Picard makes the difficult, some say unprecedented, yet necessary decision to separate the saucer portion of his ship from the rest of the hull. This was to stop an invasion of the hive-mind cyborg species known as the Borg. Today, I had to do something very, very similar: I took the camper off my truck.

Just like the separation of the USS Enterprise D, this separation leaves both portions less functional than they are when working as a whole. The camper is just sitting in the driveway, unable to go anywhere, while my options for living in the truck are now severely limited.

Just like the decision made by Captain Picard, my decision was forced by extreme circumstances. For him, it was the potential assimilation of his entire crew by an all-controlling alien race. For me, it was the price of gas in BC, and a desire to put a few things in the box and carry them up to Whistler. The similarities are striking.

There was also the drama of the act itself. For the Enterprise, they used explosive bolts to sever the connection between the saucer and the hull of the ship. For me, I used a cordless drill and a hand crank, working my way around each leg to first lift it off the truck, drive away and then lower it down. Actually, dad used the drill, I manned the hand crank. I refrained from saying "Make it so, number one", but just barely.

Finally, there is the completion of the story arc. In Star Trek: TNG, it's a two-episode affair, where *spoiler warning*, the good guys win. For me, I'll reload the camper in a week or so, after dad and I come back up to Whistler to do some work on the deck.

Now, who do I see about getting myself a snazzy unitard?

wes