Day 54, Saturday, October 1, Whitehorse
It was exactly one week ago that I was one hour into my current situation. What a week. Although I was too preoccupied with the fog of the situation to feel sorry for myself (which I never do anyway), today my spirits were somewhat buoyed by two things, which I hope to get to below before my battery dies.
My time here in Whitehorse is not my own. In addition to the daily chores of road camping, and keeping myself and Donner healthy and safe, there are three things taking up my time.
The first thing is to get oriented to this new city for the things I need and little more. Today I visited the splendid Game (sports) Center for a well deserved and some would say well needed shower and shave, my first in nine days. Next, I found a laundry to give me at least the semblance of respectability as I run my errands. Next, I located a barber who will deserve every dollar he charges me on Monday. I did not have to move camps today as I expected because they are keeping the gates open one more day for me, even though I am the onky camper here. Tomorrow, I will either move to Wolf Creek camp or try out the Walmart parking lot just to experiment with it for my long ride home.
The one thing that stands out from all this running around is what a wonderful place this city in the middle of nowhere is. The people are absolutely terrific in giving me tips on whatever it is I ask them. I just might come back to spend several months here, although maybe that's what I am about to do now.
The second thing that is taking my time is the search for a solution to the Defender 's woes, I.e., a new engine. John, my mechanic back home, thinks he found one without knowing what the delay will be. He will know Monday. $6000 for a rebuilt engine, plus shipping, duties, installation. The only consolationI in this is that I was expecting to have to install one in 30,000 miles after this trip anyway. My hope now is that it is the only solution needed to get the Defender back on the road. If it can be shipped this week, and is the only solution needed and can be installed in two days as Travis thinks, I might be able to make the last ferry out of Alaska to the lower 48, which I was within 250 miles of doing when this saga began. So, there's reason for hope that I will be on my way in the Defender within two weeks, but I will not start packing now.
The third thing I spent a lot of time on today was coming up with a fallback exit strategy if the Defender will not be ready soon. The problem is, there aren't many, especially traveling with Donner and all my gear. I cannot rent a car because there would be no way to return it inter-country. There is a bus to Vancouver, but it would take three days and Donner would have to ride in the cargo hold. I cannot get to Skagway to take the last ferry because there is no mode of transportation going there and besides, Donner would have to stay in my vehicle, but I have no vehicle. The two major air carriers do not take animals from Whitehorse to Vancouver or anywhere. However, thanks to the wonderful people at Air Canada, I contacted a small local carrier, Air North, who assured me that that they would get me, Donner, and my essential gear to Vancouver when I wanted to go. The plan would be to box up only my essential gear, leaving the rest in the Defender, and ship it to Vancouver on my and Donner's flight. My friend Mike, who was planning to join me on Vancouver Island anyway, would meet us at the airport and drive me to Seattle, where I would rent a van, stock up on whatever I needed to replace gear left behind, and then get on with the rest of the journey, for which the Defender wasn't really required anyway. I would then return to Whitehorse sometime in the future to drive the Defender home.
This is only a fallback position. I really want to stay here until the Defender is ready to go on. The problem is that the cost of my staying here may exceed the cost of getting on with the trip and returning in the future for the Defender. And that cost may go up if conditions are such that tent camping or Walmart parking are no longer options and I have to get a hotel room and keep the rental car. For the time being, however, we are staying put. That Defender is too much a part of my identity to abandon it thousands of miles from home, temporarily or permanently.
For most of this trip, I wrote about the road, the fantastic views, the adventure, the wonderful people I met, and even the challenges of camping on the road. But as those who know about my previous seven trips know, a big part of these trips is dealing with the inevitable problems that occur (e,g. Leben's becoming paralyzed on our 2012 trip) and seeing how I respond to them. I do not wish for these things, but once they show up, I have no choice but to deal with them.
I just found out today that next weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada. Many people here in Canada and in Whitehirse will be sitting down at their dinner tables without knowing that there is a man with his dog sitting in his cold tent writing in his journal or on his blog, but also giving thanks that he met them on his journey. What wonderful people I have been fortunate to have met on this journey, and all my journeys.
I am running out of battery and the sleeping bag beckons.
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