Tom's Journal - The Trip to Dawson Creek, Days 1 - 6
Our first week was traveling from Folsom to Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway. There was limited sightseeing and not much in the way of photos but we have enjoyed our adventure so far, in spite of the mishaps along the way.
Day 1 (Monday, June 8)
Hurray up, get ready, are you ready yet? Are the doors locked, coffee pot off, air turned up? Come on, let's go! On the road at 7:45, at last the adventure begins. The beginning of the sabbatical! Things are going great, we pass the Sacramento Airport on I-5--we are really on our way. WHACK, thud, thud, thud…"What was that?" Becky asks in alarm. Oh No! We just blew a tire on the trailer. More like shredded. At 60+ mph, a shredded tire has a lot of force. It tore the inside support on the fender and put a gash in the underside of the trailer. Luckily, nothing noticeable or problematic.
It took me an hour to change the tire--luckily I bought a new 12 ton hydraulic jack before we left. On the side of I-5, about 20 miles past the Sacramento Airport with the big trucks whooshing by, I changed the tire. Fortunately it was on the right side, away from traffic.
Back on the road, I decide to stop at a Les Schwab. The tires on the trailer are six years old with plenty of tread but the rubber is starting to crack. I decided to get all four trailer tires replaced for safety and peace of mind. Les Schwab was not busy and could do it right away. It only took an hour and we were back going again but we had lost two and a half hours.
I-5 through California and Oregon is okay but not really the sights we are looking forward to. We made it to Canyonville, OR and stayed at the Seven Feathers RV Resort (thanks Doris for mentioning it). We had intended to make it farther but we made it 406 miles, not bad considering.
Day 2 (Tuesday, June 9)
Up and away at 7:30. Today has to be better. We were driving along chugging away at the miles when Becky noticed in the mirror something flapping on the trailer. Did I leave one of the compartment doors open? Is all my stuff scattered along the freeway? No, it is the fender on the right side wheels flapping off! It is holding for now and we make it to the next rest stop. Fortunately again, I brought an assortment of nails, screws, and other hardware repair items. The fender is okay but flapping off. It was originally held on by screws, it is now held on by MUCH BIGGER SCREWS!
Okay, this has to be the last of the problems for a while. Oh no, we are caught behind a major accident on I-5 at DuPont, WA. The freeway is closed and then a few lanes are opened. We were stuck in traffic and took about two hours to go five miles. Sorry, Margaret, we couldn't stop by the Intel office in DuPont, WA to say hi.
Because of the delay at DuPont, we hit solid Seattle rush hour traffic. Just as we clear the traffic in Seattle, there is a warning and another accident delay north of Seattle; luckily, only about a ten minute delay.
We stopped for the night at 7:00 PM at Mount Vernon, WA after 437 miles.
Day 3 (Wednesday, June 10)
Finally, we cross the Canadian / US border with only a 15 minute delay and no problems. We are heading to Cache Creek on the Trans-Canadian Hwy 1. A pretty area. As we cross some mountains, we catch the heaviest rain I have seen. It isn't hail but the drops are the size of marbles and I feel like they are going to dent the truck. It sounds like we are inside of a bell. However, it only last about ten miles and then it is bone dry again.
We arrive at Cache Creek after 231 miles and decide to stay two nights at the RV park to give us a day to catch-up; we need it!
Relaxing in the evening, we got out a DVD to watch only to find the DVD player is not working. Maybe the TV riding on top of it damaged it. I guess we will REALLY be roughing it now.
Day 4 (Thursday, June 11)
Spent the morning taking care of odds and ends; secured the other fender, fixed and adjusted the level gauge on the front of the trailer (used to level trailer at RV sites), cleaned out and re-stowed the emergency gear in the truck tool box (after digging it all out while changing the flat), fixed the latch on the pantry that broke, and other odds and ends.
In the afternoon, we took a drive to a nearby town Ashcroft--an old Canadian mining and railroad town--then back to the trailer for some relaxing. While relaxing, I spot that the fuel tank for the generator on the trailer is leaking, not good. The leak is at the top of the tank so it should stop if I drain off some fuel. Just another wonderful mishap!
Day 5 (Friday, June 12)
We are off again. Onward, onward to Prince George! Uneventful 260 mile drive to Prince George. The highway is a well maintained two-lane road with mostly 100 kph (62 mph) speed limit. The scenery is pretty with rural towns, forests, meadows, lakes, and rivers.
Our lunch stop along the way
We stopped at a Wal-Mart for a 5-gallon gas can to drain off the generator fuel, some supplies, and oh yah, a new DVD player with HD up scaling, HDMI interface, DVix, etc, etc, etc. I guess I couldn't stand roughing it any longer.
Day 6 (Saturday, June 13)
Lunch time! - The Rocky
Mountains
Another scenic drive from Prince George to Dawson Creek, 259 miles.
Dawson Creek is Mile "0" of the Alaska Highway, the beginning of our adventure. We are planning to spend three nights in Dawson Creek before exploring The Final Frontier…
TO BE CONTINUED...