Tue, May 30, 2017
We pulled into Teslin (was feeling ’bout half past dead [j/k]). Small town with 450 residents.
Our site is on the lake, on the far right in this picture. And that’s the longest bridge on the Alaskan Highway.
And look who showed up? It’s our first fox sighting.
Mon, May 29, 2017
Carol and I drove another 160 miles up the Alaska Highway today.
The road was in pretty good condition except for the occasional potholes. Yukon does a great job of making them by placing a sign 150 meters in front and then also placing orange cones at the site. And it’s a good thing because we’ve seen some beauties that would no doubt bend a wheel if not break a suspension component.
The route is known as the ‘prairie route’ and was one of three options they were considering when they laid out the Alaska Highway. One of the options was already surveyed by the Canadians and was their first choice. The other followed a well know trail. But only the Prairie Route linked the airport supply stations that the US had constructed. Remember this was during WWII.
What’s nice is that the drive is relatively flat. A prairie if you will. Here’s a sample of today’s route.
Mon, May 29, 2017
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Our RV park has a self serve car wash that costs a ‘toonie’, i.e., a $2 coin. The name rhymes with ‘loonie’ the name of the $1 coin since it has a common loon on the back. I love these coins and wish the US would follow suit and get rid of pennies and the $1 bill.
It was warm this morning and I left the car running for Carol while I sprayed off the car and Airstream. Then we went across the street to fill up with gas. I know it isn’t a good idea but I left the car running to keep the AC on.
And then the car died. And it wouldn’t restart. Strong battery and no faults from the ECU. What the ?
My working theory was that water was sucked into the intake during the car wash so we waited a few minutes. After a few more attempts, it restarted and ran normal. But my oh my, that scared the heck out of us.
How long do you think it would take a get parts and service for a 12 yr old Porsche Cayenne?
Edit: The issue has recurred after each fill of gasoline and the ECU is returning a P0441 code. Apparently my EVAP purge valve is stuck. This system captures gasoline vapors from the gas tank and then purges them to the engine so that they are burned. The only Porsche dealer up here is an Anchorage so I need to work out the logistics so that they can get the part and do the work before we depart. But what part do they order?
Edit: An internet search suggested that a leaking gas cap might be the culprit. So I ordered the $48 gas cap while we were in Anchorage and we’ve refueled three times without an issue. Fingers crossed that we’re good to go.
Sun, May 28, 2017
Unique place. Wonderful information center with artifacts from the construction of the Alcan highway.
Alcan is the old name that I learned back in the ’70’s. Not sure when or why but it’s the Alaska Highway now.
As for the Sign Post Forest, I’ll let Wiki give the summary.
Sign Post Forest is a collection of signs at Watson Lake, Yukon and is one of the most famous of the landmarks along the Alaska Highway. It was started by a homesick G.I. in 1942. He was assigned light duty while recovering from an injury and erected the signpost for his hometown: Danville, Ill. 2835 miles. Visitors may add their own signs to the 100,000 already present.
Sat, May 28, 2017
We crossed the border into the Yukon yesterday and that’s another first for me.
Yukon is a Territory, not a Province. Not sure what the differences are but Canada has three Territories and they are the furthest north and least populated.
Another thing that’s surprised me is that all signs are bilingual, english and french. Well the capitol is in Quebec, a french speaking province.
Sat, May 27, 2017
Toady we left Muncho Lake and drove northwest to Watson Lake. Haven’t seen the latter but no way it compares with the former.
On the north end of Muncho Lake was a turnout with a nice view. So we stopped for one last look. She’s a beauty.
Sat, May 27, 2017
Late last night, we heard the float plane come in. Wish he’d been here a day earlier as I might have gone up with him for some sight seeing.
This morning, I took TiVo for a walk and saw this contraption. I was like ‘what the heck’.
On closer inspection, someone welded heavy duty skids to the front of an old pickup. And then whacked off the back half.
So the pilot lands on the lake, pulls up to the boat launch and on the skids. Then the driver puts the truck in reverse and bingo, out they come. Pretty clever, eh?
But it sure looks funny when you first see it 🙂
Fri, May 26, 2017
We’re starting to see more and more wildlife. All have been on the side of the road grazing in the buffer zone between the road and the trees. We’ve quit counting the black bears although we yet to see a mom and cubs.
Stone Sheep are common in the Muncho Lake area and we’ve seen a lot of them. They are related to Big Horn Rams, who live further south, but have smaller horns.
More caribou (sans antlers) and one of the dozen bison that we’ve seen.
Fri, May 26, 2017
I was up early today looking out over Muncho Lake. Then the ice shifted creating an opportunity for a nice reflection of Gataga Peak.
Thu, May 25, 2017
You know you’re getting up north when the satellite dishes are virtually horizontal. And yes, our Dish Tailgater no longer works 😦
DC Airstream 