1027 August 30, 2023 Maybe Tomorrow…

I started the day with a long walk in the city. I saw this small origami frog on the sidewalk and it made me smile!

Last night, we heard from the Freightliner Service Center. They were partway through our repair and the manifold studs were breaking during removal. The studs were in stock. They also noticed that a mounting bracket appeared to be cracked. They did not have a replacement and they were going to find the new part in the morning and let us know how that might affect our timeline. We had been able to have an extended 2pm checkout form the hotel. At noon, we still had not heard form Freightliner. A call to them revealed most excellent news. The bracket was not broken as they had feared! We were on schedule to get our unit repaired by 8pm. Great!!!

We packed all of our things and checked out of the hotel. We drove across town to the Freightliner where we could see the RV was in the bay and was being fixed. YAY!!!

We went to a nearby park that was little more than a block of green grass. We found a shady spot where we had lunch and then relaxed for a couple of hours. I had a good book to listen to and I was happy.

At 4pm we went to look again and the RV was on the computer doing the regen.

We decided to go to an early dinner at Ricky’s across the street so that we would be ready to leave when the RV was ready.

We went back to Freightliner and we saw the guy unplug the RV from the computer and then he proceeded to pull it back into the bay. Tim got out to speak with the mechanic. There was bad news. The RV was throwing codes indicating that the exhaust system was STILL NOT HAPPY!!! ARGHHH!!

There was another Holiday Inn directly across the street. Last weekend when we arrived in Edmonton, it was completely booked. Tonight, there were openings. We checked in and we were allowed a late checkout tomorrow to allow us extra time to figure out what we will need. The view of the First Truck Center from our hotel window.

We were able to talk with service. There is a recall for several of the gaskets on the Cummins exhaust catalyst system. They have ordered the parts and they should arrive tomorrow morning. Maybe replacing these gaskets will be the answer…we hope so.

We settled into our room and then went back downstairs for a drink. The bartender served me a Gigi Plus pour!

Lee and Claudia were back at Salmon Grove this week. A black bear began frequenting the campground and became a nuisance. Unfortunately, it had to be put down. There was bear for dinner.

1026 August 29, 2023 Saskatchewan River

I did a short walk this morning.  I did one more load of laundry. 

We called Freightliner this morning and we were told that the RV was still scheduled to be repaired by 8pm tomorrow.  We extended our stay at the Holiday Inn for one more night. 

I found a nice nail salon close to the hotel and went for a pedicure.

This afternoon, we took the Jeep and our bikes back to Queen Elizabeth Park.

We rode our bikes along the river.  It was 80 degrees and sunny and it was wonderful to be outside and moving.

We found our way to the REMAX Stadium, the home of the Riverhawks baseball team. We went online right away to see of there was a game scheduled for tonight but unfortunately, the season is over.

I also found a wonderful Italian grocery store.  We went and picked a fresh ciabatta, some salmon pate, an orzo kale salad and a bean salad for our dinner.

We spent a quiet evening.

We are hopeful that tomorrow at this time we will be driving toward home!

1025 August 28, 2023 Elk Island National Park

Another walk on the city streets surrounding the hotel. 

Yesterday at the Real Canadian Superstore, we got some picnic food.  We packed that today and set out to explore Elk Island National Park.  We had to travel about 30 miles east on Route 16.  This is a park dedicated to bison conservation.  In the early 1900’s almost all of the bison had been extinguished from North America.  The Canadian government shipped a herd of more than 400 bison to Elk Island. 

We could see a herd of wood bison from the highway.  The wood bison are fenced in the southern portion of the park.  Plains bison live in the northern part. The fence looks sturdy! This is the only completely fenced national park in Canada.

We went into the Wahkotowin Visitor Information Center where we got a map and some hiking suggestions.

We traveled along Elk Island Parkway, stopping at all of the viewpoints. 

We parked at the Astotin Lake Recreation Area and walked the Living Waters Boardwalk Trail. 

There are beaver lodges in every lake and pond.

Recent beaver activity.

These caterpillars were everywhere.

Some geese and ducks.

Flora.

We had our lunch and then took the bikes off the Jeep to ride the Shoreline Trail.

We stopped to sit awhile at Beaver Bay.

It was here by the water that we realized how badly we needed to be out of the hotel, out of the city, and OUTSIDE!!!  It was a restorative balm to sit in the warm sunshine on this beautiful day.  The water was calm and the scenery was lovely.

The trail was somewhat hilly but I only had to get off and push a couple of times!  It was absolutely good work!

There was very fresh evidence of bison activity on and along the trail but we did not see any animals.

We got back into the Jeep and did the rest of the park road.  We decided to take some back roads back to Edmonton.  Tim turned onto a gravel road that ran along the border of the park.  Here we saw PAPA bison.  This guy was huge!

We rode through farmland on country roads.

Pumpjack…this is still oil country. Edmonton has a huge oil refinery on the east side of town.

What a great day we had.  It was nice to put our worries away and just enjoy the ride!

The hotel has a great Indian restaurant called Monsoon. The reviews are good and we got a recommendation from the staff to give it a try. We wanted to but we were a little leery. We don’t have much experience with Indian food and we didn’t know what we might order. I was talking with David this afternoon and he was all about it! He said he would do whatever he could “to promote us trying something new in the big city.” Tim sent David pictures of the menu and he made some suggestions.

We enjoyed butter chicken, lamb biryani, and garlic naan. It was all flavorful and delicious. We enjoyed this experiment and we will continue to look for adventure and new experiences wherever we go!

1024 August 27, 2023 Ordinary Day

I did another walk in the city, talking to my sister for the entire three miles.

This afternoon, we drove across Edmonton to the Freightliner Service Center.  We got more clothes and a few other things from the RV.

When we got back to the hotel, I took advantage of the free laundry facilities to get caught up.

We spent a lazy day watching TV and resting.

This evening, we drove to the Real Canadian Superstore.  I wish we had tried this store while we were in Whitehorse.  It was really nice and well stocked and they had lots of fun stuff.  We chose a chicken souvlaki tray for our dinner.  It came with naan and tzatziki and cucumbers and spiced chicken and feta and red onions and tomatoes.  We took it back to the hotel and enjoyed an excellent meal.

1023 August 26, 2023 Edmonton

I walked along the road this morning; past Home Depot and Staples and strip malls. 

Tim met me in the hotel restaurant and we had breakfast.

This afternoon, we took the Jeep and drove to Queen Elizabeth Park.  We biked through the park and across the river. 

Today was the 2023 Americas Triathlon Cup.  There were bikers and runners in various stages working to complete the race. 

Unfortunately, the river water quality was not healthy enough to allow for the swimming portion.  Competitors had to complete two running segments instead. 

It was a gorgeous day and there were people everywhere.  After our bike ride we had wanted to go to the Old Strathcona Farmers Market.  There was a kids festival going on and there were throngs of wee ones and families.  We couldn’t find any street parking and we decided to forego the market.

We found a small hole in the wall sushi place where we enjoyed excellent sushi.

The Daytona NASCAR race was televised here this evening.  I ordered carryout, salads and mussels, from the Italian place across the street and went to get our dinner.

We heard from the Freightliner service department.  They have diagnosed our problem and they can have our repairs completed by Wednesday at 8pm…maybe earlier. 

We have some extra days here in Edmonton!  We are on vacation!   I extended our hotel stay.  Tomorrow, we will have to go back to the RV and get some more clothes and other odds and ends.  We will see what we can find to do to keep ourselves occupied. 

1022 August 25, 2023 Now What???

We needed to get back to our routines and so we took time this morning to exercise.  While Tim did his stretching, I walked into town.  It was very foggy and Tim had me wear his bright yellow raincoat so that I would be more visible!  I did 2.5 miles and when I got back, Tim had finished. 

We used the sani-dump and then by 8:30, we were off!

We stopped at the coffee shop on our way.

Just as we merged onto Route 43E/S, the sun crept out and the fog began to lift.

As we traveled there was intermittent dense fog.  We were in moose country.  As much as we love seeing wildlife, this was not the place to run into a moose!

The fog was finally gone at 11am.

We were on a 4-lane divided highway; nondescript and unremarkable. 

We had a small bird strike high on the passenger side of the windshield. It did not appear to cause any consequences to the RV.  I am not sure about the poor bird…

Today we had lots of long miles for reflection.  This trip has certainly been fraught with lots of mechanical problems.  This is all part of the adventure; though not the fun part.  But this trip was filled with highlights.  We loved our time with Kyle and Allison and a favorite memory is of the four of us sitting on the top of the Lulu Belle watching the glacier calve.  We were enthralled by the salmon and the sea lions at Valdez.  We were lucky to spend time with Lee and Claudia.  The trip on the Fjord Express to Juneau was great fun.  Our adventure on the Dalton Highway was everything that we hoped it would be.  Seeing a musk ox walking in the creek was amazing.  I was glad Tim had the opportunity to walk on Root Glacier in Kennicott…a once in a lifetime experience.  It was really special to watch grizzly mama and her three cubs at Denali.  Nabesna Road was a cool place rooftop tent camping. 

Alaska is my favorite place to visit.  The unparalleled beauty, the wildlife, and most appealing, the remote, vast wildness.

At nearly noon, we were about 30 miles from Edmonton when the engine light came back on.  Finally, we were near a big city where we could get good help.  We pulled into a gas station and Tim called the Cummins Dealer.  The guy told us to come right in.  The technician put the computer on the RV and did a scan.  Our exhaust system was still NOT happy.  Cummins could see us on Wednesday of next week. 

They did refer us to the Freightliner across the street.  This place works day and evening shifts from 6am-10pm seven days a week.  They could see us tomorrow.  That was the good news.  The “bad” news was that we had to leave the RV there.  We quickly packed and from the parking lot, we found a Holiday Inn nearby. 

We were wiped out and more than a little disappointed.  But we were safe and had a place to stay and all will be okay. 

We went out for dinner and then went to the grocery to get some things for coffee in the morning.

1021 August 24, 2023 Valleyview

We spent the night in the NAPA parking lot without incident.  At 7am Tim purchased DEF and windshield wiper fluid and filled the reservoirs.  We stopped at a local coffee shop and then we were on our way.

On the east side of Fort Nelson, there was a large industrial area with oil refineries.  There were lots of Conoco Philips sites and camps for petroleum workers.

The commercial area gave way to forest.  After yesterday’s safari-like ride, today was much less entertaining.  The ride was very consistent with straight, wide, and decent rolling road with trees lined alongside.  There were pockets of smoke that became thicker and more pervasive as we traveled and the smell of smoke was strong.

I really don’t like it when we have to follow a logging truck.  It gives me the heebee jeebies.   This guy was loaded with three long trailers filled with long and heavy logs.  It took a long time before we could safely pass him.

These are the last vestiges of the fireweed plants.  They produce a cotton like fuzz that are actually the burst seed pods.  The seeds have been released in the wind to bloom another day.

We passed Fort Saint John and Inland Truck and Equipment.  The engine light is still off and we are moving well.  So, we called to cancel our appointment for tomorrow and on we went. 

We drove over the Peace River.

We passed a lot of farm country this afternoon. 

We passed Dawson Creek and the end of the Alaska Highway.

We left British Columbia and entered Alberta, gaining another hour in the process.

Yesterday Tim drove 420 miles and today he did 435 miles before stopping in the small town of Valleyview.  It was dinnertime when we arrived at the Municipal Park.  We have water and electric and it was $30.00 CAD or $22.00 US dollars. 

Every mile brings us closer to home!

1020 August 23, 2023 Just Breathe

We skipped our morning exercise and we were on the road by 7:15am.  The grass was heavy with dew.  There were patches of low-lying fog above the lakes, in the treetops, and among the mountains. 

The views were so pretty.  There were blue skies and lots of sunshine.  We were trying this morning to be grateful for all the good things as we made our way.  Every kilometer takes us closer to home and to help.  I was trying to keep good track of exactly where we were.  I wanted to be able to have a mile marker if we needed to call for help. 

I saw a porcupine by the road.  His quills were almost indistinguishable from the tall grasses that surrounded him; but I caught movement and watched him plow through the vegetation.

We stopped for on board propane in Watson Lake.  Now, no matter what, we will be warm and we can have hot showers!

We had cell service and so Tim called Inland Truck and Equipment in Fort Saint John.  They were able to agree to see us on Friday morning to run a scan.  Unfortunately, they could not schedule us for service until September 5^th.  One step at a time…

After Watson Lake, we passed from the Yukon into British Columbia.  This is where we saw black bear #1.  We didn’t notice him until we were passing him.

We could see black bear #2 from a distance.  We were able to pull over to watch him.  He was munching on the roadside grass.  He turned then and walked toward us.  They say that if an animal changes his behavior in response to your presence, then it is time to leave.  Tim guessed that this bear was large enough that he could have risen on his hind legs and put his paws on Tim’s window ledge.  He was a big guy!  Was he looking for food from us?  He wasn’t at all aggressive nor was he timid.

At km900, we saw a herd of 18 wood bison along both sides of the highway.  It was a mixed group of mamas and babies and we believe that the largest of them all was a bull.  The highway sign indicated that the bison range extended 180 km along the highway. 

70 kilometers later, we saw a sow and her two tiny cubs. 

Just before noon, I looked over at the dashboard and the check engine light was OFF!  Now we happy again.  We were afraid to be hopeful.  Tim’s watch told him that it was time to stand up.  My watch told me it was time to practice mindfulness and breathe.  I said that we should just keep driving!

At km800 we saw another smaller bear.

At km750 we saw a large male bison.

We stopped for lunch at the Muncho Lake Viewpoint.

Shortly after that, we saw stone sheep in the road.

We stopped again at another scenic turnout along the lake.  I couldn’t resist and had to take off my shoes and socks and I waded into the really cold glacial water.

This view was the picture of the day.

We saw a pair of loons as they came up from a deep dive.  They noticed us and dove again.

This is the most beautiful portion of the Alaska Highway.  This is the same stretch where we saw lots of wildlife on our way to Alaska 2 months ago.  This part of the road extends 200 miles through the Northern Rockies and it is simply spectacular; the lakes and rivers, the imposing mountains, the winding and rolling route and today we had perfect weather.

We stopped to rest for awhile at the Racing River.

We saw a caribou and then another.

We saw more stone sheep.

3 more caribou.

We saw another pair of caribou as we passed Summit Lake; a mama and a baby.

There was a brief rain shower and then just the hint of a broad rainbow.

The pavement then was brand new and smooth for a long distance.

We saw a smaller back bear.

Some stormy clouds.

We could see in the distance a brownish haze and there was the faint smell of smoke as we approached Fort Nelson.  There are many wildfires in the areas to the north.  The entire population of Yellowknife, some 20,000 people, were evacuated last week as the fire encroaches on the town. 

There was roadwork and we waited for and then followed the pilot car.

We saw 2 more black bears, one on each side of the road.

Then, we saw black bear #10 a cub, by the edge of the forest.

We arrived in Fort Nelson at around 5:30pm.  We filled the RV with diesel and then we headed to Napa to get more DEF.  Napa closed a little early today and so we got none.  We decided to go the Triple G Hideaway for dinner and then we returned to Napa where we will overnight so that we can get our DEF before leaving town in the morning. 

Today we experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotions.  From frustrated and worried to very cautiously optimistic.  We have been trying to keep our spirits up.  We offer reassurance to one another that we have got this.  We stay positive.  We try to control what we can and we hope for the best.  So far, that engine light is still off.

1019 August 22, 2023 On The Road Again

We woke up this morning very hopeful that today would be the day that the parts came.  We behaved as if this was true.  I got laundry going first thing.  We had some errands we wanted to accomplish before leaving Whitehorse.  Tim rode his bike into town.  I went to get fresh drinking water and while I was there, filling our 5-gallon jug, Reid texted.  “Great news!  Your parts are here.”  I called Tim and picked him up at the park.  We met Reid at the campground where he spent the first hour installing the new DEF injector and all the associated gaskets and seals.  The second hour, he ran the computer on the RV to check for any codes. All was clear! 

We were elated!  Within 30 minutes, we were ready to roll.  We left Whitehorse at 3:15pm. 

So being stuck in Whitehorse wasn’t so bad.  We found something to do each day.  We enjoyed the hiking and biking and walking opportunities.  There were nice restaurants and there was a great grocery store.  We loved the Community Market and we found a very nice produce stand.  I know that there were day trips we might have enjoyed and there is live theater and a movie cinema as well.  Above all, we were able to find someone to repair the RV.  We were actually quite lucky to be “stuck” in Whitehorse.

We made a stop in Teslin at the machine shop.  The mechanic there was the first one to help us a week and a half ago when the check engine light came on.  We wanted to stop and say thank you and we took him a blueberry pie!

All was well for the first 150 miles; then, the check engine light came on…again…

Tim stopped to check to see if there were any loose pieces on the repair.  He could find nothing.  We had no cell service so we couldn’t call the mechanic. 

We stopped for the night in a large gravel turnout by the Swift River.   We discussed our options.  We decided that in the morning, we would just get up and keep driving south, toward Edmonton.  No matter what happens next, we will figure it out.   There is no way to go but through it!

1018 August 21, 2023 Yukon Discovery Day

I had a hard time being motivated this morning.  Some days are just like that.  I did finally go out and walk.

Tim took his bike and rode from the campground into town.  While he was gone, I was able to vacuum and wash floors. 

I drove the Jeep into town and started to bike along the river.  Tim met me and we tooled around for a while.  I was happy to be cycling and enjoyed the beautiful day.

We had to check on the progress at the building site.  Today, the rodbusters were putting up props to support the second layer of the rebar mat.

This evening, we took our dinner back to the bench by the river.

Afterward, we drove to the dam and looked at the fish ladder.  So far this season, 49 chinook or have climbed the ladder that bypasses the dam.

Today was Yukon Discovery Day.  This holiday commemorates the discovery of gold in this region.  There were no celebrations in Whitehorse.  We did learn that in Dawson City there were festivities but that is a long way away from here!