Today was spent finishing my orientation to Whitehorse to make sure I know how to get around and where the dozen or so essential services I need are. Whitehorse, situated on the Yukon River, is essentially a two avenue town, 2nd Avenue and 4th Avenue, stretching for about two miles from the ALCAN and everything I need is on or just off those two roads. I still haven't explored the dozen or more streets that run between 2nd and 4th, but I am sure that's where all the interesting places are. I will take to that task of exploring them this week. Fortunately, Whitehorse welcomes visitors and gives us free parking passes for street parking.
I also spent a good deal of time learning about engines. Tomorrow I will need to make the decision on the fate of the Defender and I want to be educated.
I also visited Walmart and Canadian Tire to check out dog kennels just in case I have to go with plan B, my fallback. I really do not want to leave the Defender here and have to return for it, although if I do, I will stay for some period of time I like this town so much. So perhaps I will look for some cabins or yurts to rent this week, and then start my next road trip from here. It would save me 7000 miles.
The toughest thing I have to do each day is charge my iPad, it does not charge well in the vehicle even though I am spending $15 a day on gas just to charge it. I hate leaving Donner in the car, but I may have to spend some time each day in Starbucks or Tim Horton's. My first priority for charging is my phone, then the iPad, then my camera. I cannot believe that I have become so reliant on these things. On my first road trip with Sonntag, the only charging I did was with my credit card.
I looked into the rebuilt engine my mechanic back home found and the website says On Order. In other words, not in stock. Not good news.
Despite the ups and downs of this trip, nothing is going to detract from the extraordinary adventure it has been, not even the current situation. And nothing within my control is going to prevent me from taking the next road trip, with the Defender. That magnificent machine is too much a part of my identity to part with it.
Donner seems to have recovered from his maladies, thank God, and continues to enjoy all the new smells each day. He still is a royal pain in the butt when he sees other dogs, and fixes too, but he pays the penalty for that. My hope is that he eventually gets the message. But what a good dog he is otherwise.
I have to save time and battery for my engine research.
More tomorrow.
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