Alcan Day Three

Thu: 580 Miles

We left Toad River at 11:30 am and made it to Ft. Nelson at about 3 pm.  We had to go very slow because of the condition of our tires and so we wouldn't set our brakes on fire coming down out of the Rockies.

 

The tire shop had more heavy duty tires, so we got those replaced and were done by 3:40.  Right down the street was a nice park with a playground and a splash pad, so we stopped for a meal and a play.  We were just so relieved to have made it and get the tires taken care of so easily!  We hit the road again at 5:20 and are planning to drive through the night and get to Calgary tomorrow afternoon.

11:11 pm:  It feels strange riding in the dark by 10:30 pm.  I'd gotten used to 22 hours of light.  The darkness feels foreign and a sense of loss lingers as we drive south, our backs to the midnight sun.

Fri 4:30 am: We pull into Valleyview, Alberta at sunrise and have to wait for a gas station to open at 5:30.  While we are waiting, Ben discovers that the front axle on the trailer may be bent.  We find a mechanic and wait until he opens at 7.  He tells us it could be the axle or just the bearings, but is too busy to look at it himself.  So we go to a park until 8 when he can call around to other mechanics for us.  We get into a mechanic at 8:30.

Alcan Day Two

Wed: 603 Miles
 

We hit the road at 5:45 am and stop for lunch at Teslin Lake.  Tucker ran everywhere he needed to go!  The boys are holding up remarkably well.  We have a dilemma though because it looks like we won't get to a hotel until midnight and Ben can't make it quite that long.  I don't know how he's lasted this long, but I know he's nervous about me driving through the winding, hilly terrain.  We are just hoping there's a hotel between here and Ft. Nelson that didn't show up on our GPS.

6:30 pm: Blew a tire on the trailer.  I drove for an hour and half and managed to blow out a tire while I was driving!  We are pretty spooked and just praying and praying that we make it to the next town alright, because right now, we are in the middle of nowhere.  We are going to stop at the next rest area to switch the tires on the opposite side because the front tire is showing a lot of wear.

8:30 pm: We discover the tires are not rated for our load.  We find a gas station that tells us Ft. Nelson (which is still 200 miles away) is the closest place in either direction to find replacement tires for the trailer.  So off to Ft. Nelson we go and I pray we make it.

11:30 pm: Yeah!  We stop for the night at the Poplars Motel in Toad River, British Columbia.  Thankfully the inn keeper was still awake and had one last room for us.  I wanted to hug her!  And it was really nice AND affordable!  We all got a great night's sleep (once we actually got to sleep).  First I couldn't find my meds, then Ben got stung by a yellow jacket (!), the boys wouldn't sleep and we had to separate them, then Russ broke down due to sleep deprivation.  But then we got to sleep and didn't wake til 10!  Now we are all showered and feeling good to go!

ALCAN Travel Log

I have a little free time right now, (explanation to come in future posts) so I though I would start talking about our journey out of Seward.

First of all, leaving that little town has been monumentally difficult.  As we drove out of town, I alternated between having to take in every last moment and not even being able to look.

We have made some of the best friends I am sure we will ever have.  They were like family to us.  Many tears were shed!  The feeling are so personal and fresh, I just can't go into it any more than that.

So, I will just move on to the travel log of our trip down the Al-Can!

This little dude is strapped in and all ready to go!

Tuesday: 700 Miles

We stayed the night at our good, good friends the Berry's house.  We get up and fix the flat tire we got on Sunday, say goodbye and head for Anchorage.  We stop to run some last minute errands and pull out of town at about 3:20.  We drive and drive and see some really beautiful country.  

We make it to the border at 1:30 am, get through customs without any problems or hassle and pull into Yukon Territory.  It is the bumpiest highway I've ever been on.  None of us can truly sleep because it's so bumpy. We drive until 3:45 am when we stop at the Kluane River rest stop because Ben's neck muscles  can't take the bumps anymore!  We rest for 2 hours before we all wake up and start again.

What they say...

Check out those curls!

Here's what the crazies had to say about Gray:

When we told Tuck that we would name the baby Grayson, I told him "You can call him Gray".  Without a moment's hesitation he cried out "NO, BLUE!".  Blue is his favorite color.

When Gray was born, we texted a picture to my parents and the boys at home.  When we talked to Russ on the phone he said, "The baby looks like Tucker because he doesn't have any glasses!".

Gotta love those kids!

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P.S.  We are taking off either this afternoon or tomorrow to drive all the way to Utah, all 5 of us.

Wish us luck!