Day Twelve-We filled up the vehicles and then drove a couple miles back to the roundabout so that we could start at MILE 0 of the ALCAN. We left Dawson’s Creek behind and started our trip up the infamous ALCAN. Had been told horror stories about how awful the road was. Well we did 300 miles today and it was no worse that some secondary road in the U.S. There were two hindrances in getting to our primary campsite. One was all the little towns, communities and crossroads where the speed limit dropped to 30 or 40 mph. The other was all the construction. There must have been near twenty sites throughout the day. Again the speed limit was reduced to about 30 and some of them stopped traffic for 20 minutes or more. At one of these we went into the camper and made sandwiches. Finally, at about 3:30 we called it quits and went to our secondary campsite. The primary was still 160 miles up the ALCAN and we’d likely arrive at about Dark:30.
There were some scary moments today. We traversed two 6% grades that went on for over 3 miles and an 8% grade that was only about a mile. On all three the trailer brakes were smoking and on the last I thought I was going to have to get out the fire extinguisher there was so much smoke. I can’t believe that the manufacturer only put brakes on one axle of a 28′ trailer. I paid a good price for the darned thing thinking that I was getting a quality product. Probably, should have walked away when they didn’t have the safety chains installed when I arrived to pick it up. Connie’s maternal grandmother used to say, “A cheap horse is hard to ride”.
1512 miles to our new, ramshackle, “Fun fixer upper” home. These Canadian highway people, apparently, attend the same church as Florida’s hwy people: Our Lady of Constant Construction. Which means that we could be home in 3 days or 5 days depending upon how often we have to sit at a dead stop for 20 minutes or more.
Found out when we arrived in Fort Nelson at the Triple G Hideawy (which you can easily see from the road) that all electrical service to the north is 30 amp instead of 50. Asked why and the reply was that it would cost too much and then she sold me a $45 adapter. I guess selling adaptors is more profitable than serving your customers needs.
A good friend of mine said that I must be a “stubborn man” for taking a school bus to Alaska. To tell the truth I wish I’d bought a 5 ton truck much of the time. However, in spite of regrets and myriad problems both large and small, I am determined to finish what I started.
The commode has unstopped itself again. It’s a mystery without a single clue.
Tonight’s dinner is Roast Chicken, Dressing, French cut green beans and Cranberry sauce. Yum-m-m-m-m
For some pictures go to alaskaorbust.blog