After morning prayers and breakfast, I broke camp and headed up the road. I started up the road and saw two swans swimming in a small pond. The water was completely still so their images were reflected on the water. It was a beautiful sight and I wanted to stop and get a picture of it but I was on a curve and it was unsafe to stop.
I was soon at the Canadian Customs post and heading back into British Columbia. The road climbs from Haines Alaska to over 3100 feet in altitude in a short period of time.
Before long I am crossing into the Yukon again heading toward Haines Junction. I stopped to get fuel and made sure that I turned on the right road this time. Traveling north leads to the Kluane Lake and a real surprise. Ither were signs warning about the Drifting Sand. You could see the clouds of dust in the distance. The lake is the largest lake in the Yukon. The road follows the lake for many kilometers. The color of the water changes from a light turquoise to a deep blue green further out from shore.
Leaving the lake and continuing north, the banks along the road are mostly sand. Driving through the hills you can see the dust clouds for a long way. At first, I thought it might be a wildfire but didn’t smell smoke and finally concluded it was the wind blowing the sand.
The became extremely rough with a lot of broken payment sections with gravel. The gravel sections have big potholes and so wash boarded that the speed was reduced to 19 to 29 miles per hour. This went on with short sections of payment with frost heaves and it reduced speed to a what seemed like a crawl.
I was going to stop at a provincial park for the night, but the transmission temperature warning light came on. I checked the temp gauge, and it was over 200. I pulled over along the side of the road to let the transmission cool. My heart dropped. The transmission was just rebuild less than a month prior to leaving on the trip. It delayed the start of my trip by two weeks waiting for the rebuild and putting the required miles on it without towing. I sent an InReach message to our son and a friend explaining the situation.
A lady pulling a trailer stopped and asked if I needed help. I explained that the transmission overheated. She said that she would wait and follow me into town (Beaver Creek) which is about 14 miles.
She stayed until the transmission cooled to 170 and we headed to Beaver Creek. Once I started driving at a higher speed, the transmission temperature remained in the proper range. I found that the temperature was lowest at about 40 to 50 miles per hour when I was able to go that fast. I stopped at the gas station, and she asked if I was ok. Turns out she is a transporter who drives trailers from factory or dealer to dealer and lives in Tok. She made a recommendation for a service station that was honest if I needed help in Tok.
She said that she has never left anyone alone along the road as she travels it constantly. What a blessing to those in need.
I remember that in 2015, a hunting partner and I decided to take the fifth wheel up in the mountains for elk camp instead of the wall tent since he couldn’t’ t stay the whole week and it takes two people to with the wall tent. The road was really wash boarded and I was going extremely slow. The transmission over heated. He is a race care driver and mechanic. He said to drive faster to get more air flow through the transmission coils to reduce the temperature. It worked then and it worked now.
It seemed that everything was ok so I decided to continue into the states so if I needed anything it would be easier to deal with than in Canada.
I wanted to get a picture at the Alaska sign but it is before the border checkpoint so I missed it. I will try to get it on the way back home. The Border Agent asked the normal questions, took my passport, and returned. He said “Welcome Home and have a safe trip” and I was on my way.
I saw several black bears in the Yukon and after I entered Alaska. A short distance after the border crossing, a cow moose and a calf calf crossed the road. It was the first moose I have seen on the trip.
I soon came to road construction which is part of life in the North Country. There would be a 25 minute wait for the pilot vehicle. I got out to stretch my legs and talked with the flagger. They work twenty-four hours a day. Twelve on and twelve off from May to October. This section will take four more weeks to complete, then on to another section. He likes the night shift because it is quieter. He said that there are a lot of bears in the area. He can hear them breaking sticks and moving around at night.
The pilot vehicle comes and I am on my way. I travel for a good ways and find a spot to spend the night. Grateful for all my blessings.
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