SEGMENT 4

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)


pic1


pic2


pic3


pic4

for more pics click here