Pat ThibodeauMy Land Rover adventures with my friend John Vallerand started 40 years ago as a young teenager, always revolving around our shared affection for our Series Land Rovers. Recently, John purchased a ’99 Discovery I with a 300 Tdi diesel engine. That incentivized me to search harder for a Discovery for my wife, Cathy. When we found our current ’00 Discovery II, a low-mileage gem at a reasonable price, she named it “R2D2.”
As we prepared to travel to the 2025 Vermont Rovers Weenie Roast, I thought back to our adventure at last year’s event. Our trip started in the early morning from John’s home in Greene, ME, to Rovers North, a 4-hour tour to pick up parts for his Discovery I (a Rovers North rear bumper, replacement sills and other accessories). We would load them all onto his roof rack, spend time with his good friend, Mark Letorney, then head to Grafton, VT, to enjoy gourmet hot dogs with dozens of New England enthusiasts.
John led the way as he normally does, towing his classic vintage teardrop camper trailer. I followed behind John as his Discovery sent extra diesel exhaust fumes my way. (At least I could close the windows in R2D2, unlike convoying in my ’65 Series IIA canvas top.) The trip progressed well with the usual stops until suddenly, everything changed. As we crossed the Vermont state line, John slowed down – not his usual style. His Discovery had started overheating. Once he found a safe spot to pull over, John, a water company owner, poured in many fine bottles of his Glenrock Cold-Spring Mineral water. While waiting for his engine to cool down, he noted the electric fan had stopped; replacing the inline fuse sent power to it once again.
John kept a close eye on the temperature gauge but had to pull over again in the hilly stretch of Rte. 2 outside of St. Johnsbury, VT, 91 miles from Rovers North. Further investigation revealed a likely head gasket failure. I called AAA while John called Rovers North. He explained the situation and Mark started gathering parts. We transferred the teardrop trailer to R2D2 and, after a two-hour wait for a tow truck, we arrived at Rovers North at 3:30 pm.
John and Mark determined that given the unknown reason for and effects of the overheating, changing out the engine head while installing a new head gasket would be the wisest move. Rovers North had all the parts needed and then some in stock! Ok, now for the fun and adventure to continue.
Mark and I began tearing down the top end of the engine with the invaluable help of Rovers North’s sales tech Nick Cota. While we worked, we heard John get loud as he received a coolant shower while disconnecting hoses. We felt his pain as the day of travel and repairs wore on us. Bolstered by a homemade pizza, courtesy of Andrea Letorney, we finished at about midnight. Mark drove to his nearby home to supply us with coolant; with bleeding the system and an oil change, we pronounced ourselves finished at 1:30 am.
We elected to camp out in front of Rovers North, John in his camper and me in R2D2. After a few hours of sleep, we were up and reflected on the previous day sipping on John’s camp stove coffee. As we were packing up and preparing to leave, Calef Letorney, (Rovers North CEO), arrived with his well-outfitted Defender with trailer attached and helped us secure the parts on the roof rack. We decided at this point to convoy together to the Vermont Rovers Weenie Roast.
We jumped onto the interstate, but once again, John reported an overheating engine. We bled the system again, tested the fan fuse and power to the fan, and then discovered the fan motor had quit. Once cool again, we opted to take the slower pace of the scenic Vermont roads south. We made good progress until overheating started up again. This time, John decided the radiator needed more air and dug out a hacksaw and other tools of destruction. Surprisingly calm, he cut out the front grill to provide a greater airflow. Calef recorded the custom exterior design work, letting John offer his unique take on his work. “Now it’s going to get some sir,” John said with a big grin. I tried to keep a straight face and not burst out in laughter.
We continued and finally arrived at the Vermont Rovers Club Weenie Roast event! There were many friends attending the event who had been checking in on us and who offered help along the way. Now that we had made it, time to have more fun! Host Glenn Parent (Owner of GP Rover Works), his wife Zoie and chef Mike Kenney made sure we were well fed. My highlight that day which I will cherish forever was a ride with Mike Kenney and our late friend Dave Sweetapple in the Series I.
The next morning, we ate breakfast and made plans for the ride back to Maine. As luck presented itself, our friend Gavin Warren of Red Rover Parts just so happened to have a used electric radiator fan that he donated to our adventure. John pulled out wire, inline fuse holder and zip ties. He fitted the electric fan in the grill hole that he had created earlier and trusted me (I’m a master electrician by trade) to connect the fan’s wiring. We tied the inline fuse from the battery and wired it to the fan motor. The plan was to use the fuse as a switch to disconnect power but run the fan as he was driving. After saying our goodbyes, we checked our fluids in both Rovers, and John inserted the fuse to activate the fan… we were on our way back to Maine, another 4-hour trip.
At a slower pace that I’m used to following John, we were gaining distance – so far so good. And then, John starts to slow down and eventually pulls over into a gas station. My spirits just fell out of the floorboards. He gets out of his Discovery and says, “I normally stop here to refuel!” Relief flooded over me. We continued, stopping a few times to cool down the Rover, and successfully made it back to John’s home. We celebrated with high fives over our success, with me having only a short 15-minute drive to my home in Leeds, ME.
During this whole trip, John made sure “Cathy’s” Discovery II ran well, with my eyes constantly glued to the temperature gauge, just as I do with the oil pressure and temperature gauge on my ‘65 Series.
It’s not just about the destination, event or road trip, it’s also about adventure, getting there and having great friends in the Land Rover community to support you!
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