Sunday, 24 July, our trip back
to LA: Unfortunately, because of the delay on the Dalton due to our breakdown
we had to cancel the planned four-wheeling trip in the Fairbanks area.
We had another oil change done and stocked up on groceries for the trip.
Heading south we got into more remote areas and enjoyed the ride until
we heard a strange noise from below...
You guessed it: another issue with the rig. It came from the transfer
case and sounded like a busted drive shaft. Again? I uninstalled the front
drive shaft but the noise was still there. To make things worse, it started
to pour down.
Underneath the truck I was able to stay somewhat dry. I replaced the front
drive shaft and took out the rear - the noise was gone. I thought the
rear drive shaft might be the problem but when I put in the front shaft
in the rear, the noise resumed. It must have been the rear output shaft
on the transfer case. In the middle of all this somebody stopped to offer
us his shop to work in and stay out of the rain. We gladly accepted!
Well, being in the middle of nowhere we decided to drive on with only
the front shaft in place. We had to drive about 400 miles all the way
to Whitehorse to find a town big enough for mechanics who could deal with
something like this.
We still enjoyed the scenery of forest and countless lakes. The days got
noticeably shorter and we experienced our first real sunset in weeks (pic1).
Getting vehicle parts in this part of the world is a challenge. The pinion
in the rear differential was trashed. That made for a two-day delay.
We were stuck in Whitehorse and had plenty of time to kill. We hiked along
Miles Canyon (pic2) where the Yukon River had carved a deep channel through
the rocks and created a spectacular landscape. We spent many hours in
several comfortable cafes and restaurants and strolled along the few streets
of downtown repeatedly. What really helped pass the time was the summer
festival currently residing in Whitehorse. Various streets artists entertained
the crowds, and concerts and theatre plays were scheduled throughout the
days.
On Wednesday we rented a couple of kayaks and paddled down Yukon River
for 13 miles. Half-way through the trip the dark clouds which had been
piling up ominously all day opened up and it started to rain - just our
luck... It poured and drizzled on and off for the rest of the excursion.
We had been pretty lucky with the weather on our XXXpedition to this point,
so we couldn't complain, but we definitely liked Whitehorse better in
the sun, so we welcomed the warmth of the steambath at the public pool
afterwards.
The eagerly anticipated part finally arrived Wednesday late night on the
scheduled flight, but it took the entire Thursday to put the truck back
together. Finally, three days and Can$1400 later, we left town at 5 pm.
Due to the hold-up, we had to revise our plans for the return. Rather
than stopping every once in a while to see a few things, we pretty much
blasted straight through because we had to get back to Los Angeles for
work. So we enjoyed some of the beautiful vistas (pic3) from the car.
Unfortunately, we also had to cancel the planned sponsor stop with ARB
in Seattle.
On Monday, August 1, the XXXpedition
rig rolled back into Los Angeles. (pic4)
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pic1
pic2
pic3
pic4
for more pics click here
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