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Hello my GC friends,
I've been meaning to update y'all for some time and now here I am at a starbucks in Ft S.t John BC, enjoying my first latte in I don't know how long; the boys have gone to the mall and I finally have the computer to myself.
For starters, we were supposed to start this thing back in June but we had to wait more than two months to import what Diego assured me was, "the best (support) vehicle in the world" from the UK. When the vehicle finally arrived I thought it was running funny. Two days into Canada we crested a hill in what seemed like the middle of nowhere and the stupid thing died.
One nice thing about Canada, is that people will always stop to help if you are in trouble. A couple, returning from their vacation in Alaska took Diego in their car full of luggage to an Indian reserve of no more than 100 inhabitants called Iskut. They took Diego to a small store and to our luck he met Jules, a heavy machinery transporter that works for the local mining companies. He pulled off the road put us up in his camper trailer for the night. Now this was my 9th time making this drive and the first time I had ever heard of Iskut, that is how I figured out that we were traveling on the wrong road. The previous night, Diego, trusting his GPS, programmed to the fastest route to Anchorage, took the Cassiar Highway which ultimately saves about 100 miles of traveling but it is a dangerous, narrow and desolate road.
After studying the situation, discussing options and considering where we were, it was obvious that we had no choice but to have the vehicle towed 300 miles North to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. We stayed with Jules for one more night and were off to Watson Lake by the next afternoon.
There were no hotel rooms available in Watson Lake so we slept in the car and trailer outside the mechanic's shop. First thing in the morning, the mechanic examined the vehicle and determined that the fuel filters were too small and that somewhere we had purchased, very low quality, high cost diesel complete with twigs, rocks and insects. The solution was to replace the filters and this time, make sure they actually fit. He ordered the right filter which was 300 miles away, in Whitehorse. When Diego went to the bus station to pick up the part, he was told that the driver did not load the filter and it would not arrive until Monday (this was Friday). Pat, the owner of the shop, lent us his personal truck, to go into Whitehorse and get the part ourselves.
We arrived in Whitehorse at 3am. We slept for 4 hours in a pricey hotel which I have to say was a pleasant change from sharing the back seat with Angel- I had never realized just how big she really is. In the morning we learned that there had been a misunderstanding and the part was, in fact, back in Watson Lake.
After that ordeal we finally got the vehicle to the point where we could at least reach Anchorage,. We crawled up at 30-45mph and spent the next few days looking for parts and a mechanic to work on this engine that is rare on this side of the world. On the positive side, I did get to see some old friends and explore downtown Anchorage more than I have ever had the chance to do before. When we had enough confidence in the truck to at least get us out of Alaska, we started riding at Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla.
We found some great camp sites on the way to the border but we never broke out the tents until we were well into Canada as it never seemed to be worth the effort. Most nights Angel and I slept in the back of the car or, "the nest" while Diego and Ernesto took the trailer. The night we decided to really camp, we were right on the edge of Marsh Lake and the Northern lights were out, it was amazing. Angel and I took the girls' tent, I did laundry and made dinner almost entirely from cans.
Our car troubles have not ended. the day after we crossed into Canada our trailer hitch broke which cost us a day and a few days later the best car in the world died again. It is sitting back in Watson Lake as we...um...speak. this time we have determined that the fuel injectors need to be replaced. We ordered new injectors from Argentina and rented a u-haul from Pat so that we could keep riding.
Our first night out of Watson Lake we saw 3 baby black bears near or on the road. After number 3 we called it a night. The next day we rode through 3 herds of buffalo. I have driven through many herds of buffalo, of course but never have I been so close to so many, it was incredible.
There is a wonderful hot springs halfway between Watson Lake and fort Nelson called Liard. We arrived there much earlier than I'd anticipated so we decided to just get in and out, no more than 20 minutes. Of course temptation got the best of us and what was supposed to be a twenty minute dip turned into a two-hour soak. I was only confronted about having Angel by the hot springs once, I told them she was a service dog which is not entirely untrue.
The ride into Fort Nelson was TOUGH with long steep hills, rain and a strong headwind. but we made it. We stayed with my friend, Buddy Streeper, the world sled dog sprint champion. I was able to get a sled dog/ puppy fix and the boys were able to play on their computers so everybody won. I also got to drive a golf cart and scare the heck out of the boys.
The terrain has eased up on us a bit, the hills aren't very steep anymore but as many of you who have driven the AlCan know, they never seem to end but that's ok. I can ride these gradual hills forever, I'm just glad the steep hills are behind us, for now. I hope we can stay ahead of the weather which, until yesterday had been fairly mild; we've had a little sun, a little rain, a lot of wind but nothing too serious however, Buddy said some big storms were moving in up North and yesterday morning we rode through 30 miles of freezing rain and I have a feeling it's going to stay with us for a few days. We'll see... Does any one want to join us now?
Hope all is well, much love
~Rachael
The Limbo of The Unknown
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Remember when you got the wind knocked out of you? Nothing previously can
prepare you for this moment, and there is no assurance that the next breath
will ...
