Day 80, Thursday, October 27, Whitehorse Day 32
Please click on each of the below five image links before you read the rest of this post.
Yes, that's my new engine going in. I was all set to get out to John's Auto Repair early this morning to watch this milestone, but Matt had already picked up the critical part flown in from Vancouver last night and by the time i got there, the engine was already in. You simply do not see this dedicated service in the lower 58. When i made the critical decision back on October 3 to order a new engine and have it installed here, i did so counting on this kind of dedicated professionalism based on what little information i had, and i was right. YES!
But we are not out of the woods yet. Olaf spent the rest of the day connecting the myriad of wires, hoses, pipes, nuts and bolts, gaskets, seals, chewing gum, you name it, and the box load of auxiliary parts ordered just so nothing interferes with their plan to deliver to me a Defender that will be mightier than before with its 4.6 liter capacity instead of the 3.9 it replaces, thanks to Atlantic British's mission to keep the flame running in these old beloved Land Rovers. Tomorrow will be the real test. Will the Defender fire up? I just hope that the ECU (computer) doesn't reject the 4.6 engine and that Olaf gets a good night sleep.
By the way, to learn what Olaf does in his spare time when he is not transplanting engines, check out his Facebook page here...impressive..i thought i had my hands full with one dog...
Before i set out for John's Auto Repair this morning, i contacted Scott at Rovers North to see if he could help me resolve the puzzling issue of the mount bracket for the compressor and pulley for my new AC, not critical for the engine, but an important challenge i have to resolve. Thanks to Matt's research, he did. I found and then ordered the part to be flown to FedEx in Bellingham where i will pick it up when i arrive there from the ferry. I will then drive to LaMorna garage, the top independent Land Rover specialist in Seattle, to have it installed there just in case the weather in the deserts of Utah and Nevada demand an AC. (I find it incongruous to be writing about needing my AC when the temperature outside is my door is 29 degrees right now. But remember, i still have 5000 miles to go on this journey.)
Speaking of freezing weather, Donner and i finally took a walk down really cool Main Street today downtown. What a neat street. I stopped to take a photo of a stature of a pioneer with his pack dog and as i did i recalled that i had taken photos of the same statue with Sonntag in 2000 and Leben and Erde both in 2001 and 2013 as i drove through then-strange Whitehorse on our way to Alaska. In that one instant, it was like i was struck by a lightning bolt full of memories from long ago. After our walk, we had a picnic in Shipyard Park in 28,degree weather and, i must add, it was quite pleasant.
As i pen these words tonight, i have no idea when i will be on the road or how. I have no intention of asking John's Auto Repair when they think the Defender will be on the road because i want them to do the job i am confident they can do. I have my plans ready to react to whatever result shows up. But whenever it is i am finally on the road again, i can honestly say i will miss Whitehorse.i have come to love this city like i have none other except perhaps my beloved New York (for far different reasons), especially because of its greatest resource, its people. What an absolutely wonderful town this is. Without a doubt, this experience has been the most profound of all my road trips. And if you ever have the good fortune to visit here, and i hope you do, let this be the photo you recall that greeted you..
More tomorrow.
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