Day 114, Wednesday, November 30, Salina, Day 12

Day 114, Wednesday, November 30, Salina, Day 12

The exit has started. Fedex came today to pick up the four cartons of gear i am shipping back home instead of shipping them with the Defender. 

After FedEx left, I called Montway Auto Transport to find out the status of my order and they told me that they are still working on it. The rep today told me that the Defender's height, the fact that it is not running, the cross-country delivery and the request for an enclosed trailer are delaying the booking.  They could give me no assurances, mainly because they are only brokers. The rep also told me that requesting an open or closed trailer would increase my chances of a speedier booking. I told her that i wish someone had told me that last week. Because (a) last week they told me that bookings could take five days, and it has already been five days with no booking in sight (b) every person i call at Montway gives me a slightly different answer, (c)  Montway is only a broker,and, as such, has no control over or leverage with the drivers,  and (d)  Montway cannot guarantee the transport of my roof rack or gear left in the vehicle, i instructed them, to place my order on hold.

 I then called Intercity Auto Transport, which ships all of Jay Leno's vehicles, and booked with them. They have their own trucks (27 enclosed) and drivers and gave me an approximate date of December 8th for pick up, with my vehicle to be loaded last and unloaded first, and promised that my roof rack and gear inside the vehicle will not be a problem as my vehicle will take up two spaces. Their cost is $1900 more than Montway, but i do not have to hire someone here to manage the loading and i save at least $1800 by possibly not having to ship the roof rack back by UPS or buy a new rook rack ($3500) if i abandon it here. 

Despite the extra cost involved with Intercity, after i booked with Intercity, i felt an enormous burden lifted from my mind.  Of course, the person who buys the Defender, should  i decide to sell it,  will ultimately be paying for all of this as it is part of its history. I will simply hang onto it until the right buyer comes along. I have amply demonstrated recently that patience is a virtue i possess in abundance.  Of course, i have to first get it running again or it is virtually worthless except for parts. But if i solved what i solved in the Yukon, this one should be much easier.

As readers of this blog know, I occasionally refer to possibly selling the Defender. While I would hate to part with that magnificent machine after 23 years and tons of experiences with it, it would not be, at least not only, because i do not have confidence in it as a 23-year old vehicle for more long road trips. That certainly is a factor, but also are matters like its soft top, its short wheel base (i.e., my inability to sleep in it in emergencies), the difficulty in getting parts, etc. This vehicle is part of my identity.  Perhaps i will hang onto it until the right replacement vehicle and the right buyer come along, and use zip cars and Uber to get around town in the meantime. 

As for that new vehicle, there are only two possibilities: a JEEP Wrangler (i owned a CJ7 for 12 years before the Defender and they are great vehicles, and before that for 11 years an International Harvester Scout II, also a great vehicle) or the private replacement to the Defender rumored to be a possibility. The Jeep and other options can be seen at the below link. (For those who do not know, my license plate is JEEP.)

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/motoring/motoring-features/land-rover-defender-retires-here-9701926

While i may not know what vehicle i will be driving next year, I do know one thing. I am  not giving up these long road trips, with or without the Defender.  In the meantime, i will wait until Donner, the Defender and i are safely home before i focus on this.  First things first.

More tomorrow.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 113, Tuesday, November 29, Salina

Day 113, Tuesday, November 29, Salina

As preparation for my  long road trips, because of the risks involved and the vast distances from home, i work up contingency plans, building on the one i developed for my first trip in 2000, when i listed 100 things that could go wrong and either did something to reduce the risks, prepared for them, agreed to accept them, or dismissed them outright.  

Before i left for this trip, as i worked through my contingency plan, i moved additional cash into my transactions bank account, moved all my appointments farther into November, and rehearsed some contingency plans,among other things,  all in support of the question, what if something happens to the Defender on this trip?  I had little reason to believe that anything would, especially since on all seven of my previous trips (14 months and 100,000 miles in total) there was only one serious issue with the Defender (in Newfoundland on OTR 3 in 2002), i had maintained the Defender extremely well over its 23 years with me, put the Defender through a rigorous 50 point checkout, spent thousands correcting problems and improving the Defender, and my mechanic gave it a clean bill of health to go on this trip. Yet, my rear differential blows back oil into the air locker, four lug nuts are found loose on my rear left wheel, my distrubutor goes out on me in New Brunswick, one windshield wiper mysteriously flies off during acrain storm in British Columbia, my engine conks out on me in the Yukon, my new ignition coil gets fried in a remote desert camp in Nevada, a day later my fuel pump gets fried just as i was about to enter I-70 for the final ride home, and then the Defender will not start for some still unknown reason.  What's going on here?

I asked the independet land rover specialist who sold me my new engine this last question and his answer was, "it's a land rover, i hear these stories every day." Now i find out.  But depite this phenomenon and what i have experienced, i have zero regrets getting the Defender to begin with, and zero regrets about taking this trip.  In fact, it's just the reverse.  While i cannot say i am thrilled that what has happened  happened, it has been  an experience like i have not had before, with whatever good will come from this.

That having been said, today, as soon as i changed one aspect of my plan, don't leave the Defender  behind,  i took the initial if not penultimate steps to achieve my number one goal of this trip, which is to get Donner  and me home safely. Specufically,

- i booked Donner on the 9:45 Delta flight to DC on Saturday;

- i booked myself on the same flight ;

- i booked a room nearby the Salt Lake City airport for Friday at dog-friendly LaQuintas Hotel

- i reserved  an Enterprise rental car to get to Salt Lake City;

- i arranged for Fed Ex to pick up four cartons of gear that i do not want lef in the Defender and so i am sending home separately;

- i sent off some parcels to home from the Post Office;

- I phoned Andy to ask if he would manage in my absence the loading of the Defender onto the auto transport trailer whenever it arrives.

In other words, the end game of this trip, quite different from the end games of all prior trips, has begun. Until now, this experience was in my mind's eye only; now it is part of my experience. 

The good news to report today is both of Donner's maladies, his "bedsores" and gastro probelms seem to be completely cured.  Just in time for our exit.

In addition to working towards closing up shop here in less than three days, i need to polish off two contingency plans concerning problems that might show up when the trailer arrives to take the Defender,  and what happens if that Delta cargo former-schoolmarm rejects Donner for the plane ride because his ears are a half inch too long. 

Another series of chores i accomplished today in the end game was to reopen aspects of my life back in DC all starting Sunday, e.g, unfroze my sports club membership, renewed my subscriotions to the NY Times, Washington Post, The Economist, and other such things, reopened my rarely used Netflix account, unsuspended my subscription to my Russian TV service, and so on.  In other words, today was the first day in almost four months that i am actually seeing an end to this journey.

Despite the interruptions during this journey, on which  we will have spent  59 days in layovers and 58 days on the road, nothing short of personal injury to Donner or me could diminish for one second the joy of driving the long open road with my dog, camping in some of the most beautftul places on this planet, and meeting some incredible people - and dogs- I would never have otherwise met. The beauty experienced on this trip could not have been much better, but the setbacks could have been much worse. I am thankful for both of these things.

More tomorrow.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 113, Tuesday, November 29, Salina

Day 113, Tuesday, November 29, Salina

As preparation for my  long road trips, because of the risks involved and the vast distances from home, i work up contingency plans, building on the one i developed for my first trip in 2000, when i listed 100 things that could go wrong and either did something to reduce the risks, prepared for them, agreed to accept them, or dismissed them outright.  

Before i left for this trip, as i worked through my contingency plan, i moved additional cash into my transactions bank account, moved all my appointments farther into November, and rehearsed some contingency plans,among other things,  all in support of the question, what if something happens to the Defender on this trip?  I had little reason to believe that anything would, especially since on all seven of my previous trips (14 months and 100,000 miles in total) there was only one serious issue with the Defender (in Newfoundland on OTR 3 in 2002), i had maintained the Defender extremely well over its 23 years with me, put the Defender through a rigorous 50 point checkout, spent thousands correcting problems and improving the Defender, and my mechanic gave it a clean bill of health to go on this trip. Yet, my rear differential blows back oil into the air locker, four lug nuts are found loose on my rear left wheel, my distrubutor goes out on me in New Brunswick, one windshield wiper mysteriously flies off during acrain storm in British Columbia, my engine conks out on me in the Yukon, my new ignition coil gets fried in a remote desert camp in Nevada, a day later my fuel pump gets fried just as i was about to enter I-70 for the final ride home, and then the Defender will not start for some still unknown reason.  What's going on here?

I asked the independet land rover specialist who sold me my new engine this last question and his answer was, "it's a land rover, i hear these stories every day." Now i find out.  But depite this phenomenon and what i have experienced, i have zero regrets getting the Defender to begin with, and zero regrets about taking this trip.  In fact, it's just the reverse.  While i cannot say i am thrilled that what has happened  happened, it has been  an experience like i have not had before, with whatever good will come from this.

That having been said, today, as soon as i changed one aspect of my plan, don't leave the Defender  behind,  i took the initial if not penultimate steps to achieve my number one goal of this trip, which is to get Donner  and me home safely. Specufically,

- i booked Donner on the 9:45 Delta flight to DC on Saturday;

- i booked myself on the same flight ;

- i booked a room nearby the Salt Lake City airport for Friday at dog-friendly LaQuintas Hotel

- i reserved  an Enterprise rental car to get to Salt Lake City;

- i arranged for Fed Ex to pick up four cartons of gear that i do not want lef in the Defender and so i am sending home separately;

- i sent off some parcels to home from the Post Office;

- I phoned Andy to ask if he would manage in my absence the loading of the Defender onto the auto transport trailer whenever it arrives.

In other words, the end game of this trip, quite different from the end games of all prior trips, but not unanticipated. Until now, this experience was on paper or in my mind's eye only; now it is part of my experience. 

The good news to report today is both of Donner's maladies, his "bedsores" and gastro probelms seem to be completely cured.  Just in time for our exit.

In addition to working towards closing up shop here in less than three days, i need to polish off two contingency plans concerning problems that might show up when the trailer arrives to take the Defender,  and what happens if that Delta cargo former-schoolmarm rejects Donner for the plane ride because his ears are a half inch too long. 

Another series of chores i accomplished today in the end game was to reopen aspects of my life back in DC all starting Sunday, e.g, unfroze my sports club membership, renewed my subscriotions to the NY Times, Washington Post, The Economist, and other such things, reopened my rarely used Netflix account, unsuspended my subscription to my Russian TV service, and so on.  In other words, today was the first day in almost four months that i am actually seeing an end to this journey.

Despite the interruptions during this journey, on which  we will have spent  59 days in layovers and 58 days on the road, nothing short of personal injury to Donner or me could diminish for one second the joy of driving the long open road with my dog, camping in some of the most beautftul places on this planet, and meeting some incredible people - and dogs- I would never have otherwise met. The beauty experienced on this trip could not have been much better, but the setbacks could have been much worse. I am thankful for both of these things.

More tomorrow.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 112, Monday, November 28, Salina

Day 112, Monday, November 28, Salina

Still no word from the auto transport company.  I called them to see what kind of progress they are making. They told me that the height of the Defender, that fact that it is not running, the DC destination, and the need for an enclosed trailer will probably delay the pickup. I can see that I may need to revise my plans.

I also wanted to confirm that they would allow me to leave my personal gear in the vehicle. The representative told me it was not in my record, but she added it. But she told me, only 250 pounds was allowed (I have at least 400), nothing could be in the front seats (my passenger "seat" - Donner's bed -  was loaded with stuff), and nothing could be above window level (my gear went up to the roof). So, i spent hours today today reorganizing my gear in the Defender, tossing things, adding to my stuff to take with me on the plane, and boxing up a lot of gear to send back by UPS or USPS. I had a feeling it would come to this. The arrangement in the Defender is still problematic, which means i might have to stay here until the Defender is gone after all. Frankly, i was planning to send the valuable stuff back separately anyway to make sure it gets there all in in one piece.

The game plan, once the Defender is picked up, is to drive to the La Quintas Inn at the Salt Lake Airport that afternoon or the next morning, and take the 9:45 a.m. delta flight the next day to DC. Five hours later, this journey will end. I think i am focused on this hoping it comes true.

Last night, I turned on a TV for the first time on this trip to see if there were any good movies on. I found two - The Wizard of Oz and The Shawshank Redemption. I watched the last half of the latter, but noted the relevance of both to my current predicament.

I ran out of my medication last week and so had to get it filled today at a local pharmacy. I also picked up some medication to deal with Donner's gastro issue but by afternoon it was solved. At least one less problem to worry about.

Snowing again today.  Temperature below freezing. Haven't I been down this road before in the Yukon?  I thought I took the more southern route to get into the warm weather fast. 

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 111, Sunday, November 27, Salina, Utah, Ranch Motel, day 9

Day 111, Sunday, November 27, Salina, Utah, Ranch Motel, Day 9

The waiting game has begun now that the Defender is back, albeit still disabled,  and loaded with my gear to go back to DC. I called the auto transport company today to find out whether they have made any progress in getting a trailer to take the Defender to Washington, and they told me it is still in process and that it could take 5 business days to find a trailer. To increase the chances of getting a trailer quickly, since many trailers have a 7-foot (84 inches) height restriction, I told them that the Defender with the roof rack is 84 inches or below at 3 corners  but 84 1/2 inches at the rear right. (I am tempted to take some air out of the rear tires.) Although the roof rack is removable, i would prefer not to abandon it, but no longer at the cost of keeping us or the Defender here longer. 

In the meantime, all I can do is wait. Unfortunately, I sometimes feel as if the Stockholm Syndrome is beginning to set in, where I feel sympathetic towards my captors,i.e., my situation. Salina is a lovely town, but this is not my home. I can't go out on the street for reasons I have already discussed. Now that all but a few chores related to exiting are done, except for walks with Donner and errands to the grocery store, all my time here is now spent in the motel room, reading, writing, thinking, planning, revising plans, and revising those plans still further, But when we do venture outside, I have to be careful  because of those little thorn-armored bush seeds that get in Donner's paws and on the soles of my shoes which i then track inside, the unleashed dogs roaming free on the street, and the often busy four-lane highway  I must cross to get to the nearby grass area for Donner and the grocery store. 

In view of all this, i have decided that I must exit Salina with or before  the Defender  once i am sure the transport company is coming to take it.  If i have heard nothing from the auto transport company by tomorrow,  i will make airline reservations for Saturday, and if the Defender is still not moved by then, I will retain Andy to manage the move for me with specific instructions on what-ifs for the roof rack.

Last week I reported witnessing the fascinating phenomena of hundreds of thousands - maybe millions - of birds gathering in the sky around the town, rapidly changinto into all different kinds of shapes. Was a beautiful sight. Because they changed direction so rapidly, I wondered whether some of them ever collided. I got my answer today, yes. Sadly, when I was coming back from a walk with Donner, I found the bodies of two beautiful birds  just a few feet apart. Clearly, they had collided in the air. It's sad to think that such a beautiful display of nature can end in death of these awesone creatures.I picked up the bodies of the birds from the street and placed them under the tree in a grassy area, silently thanking them for their role in the moments of joy i got from watching them.

I just stepped outside and discovered that in the hour so that I have been inside, the snow started and has accumulated already more than 2 inches. It is snowing quite heavily. Fortunately, I think the weather report has changed and snow is only expected tonight and tomorrow and not the whole this week. However the temperature is not expected to go above freezing for the foreseeable future. Again, a good reason to leave soon as possible.

I thought that Donner's gastro bout had ended a couple of days ago, but I noticed today that it is starting up again. There's something he and I are doing wrong causing this recurrence. I wish I had remembered this when I visited the vet last night to get his health certificate because I would've asked him for a prescription of metronidazole, which the vet in Washington refused to prescribe over the phone since they had not seen Donner in a while.. I will contact that local vet tomorrow to arrange an appointment for Donner  to see him because I must do something since it might be a week before Donner gets home.  i am feeding him one quarter of what he would normally eat each day. 

I also discovered today that Donner's case of what I'm going to call armpit bedsores from lying down so much each day has flared up. Fortunately I have the medicated wipes and medication from Fairbanks to deal with this for the time being. But this is another reason why I am anxious to bring this long, unwelcome adventure to an abrupt end. The longer we stay in one place, the higher the chance that something will happen to one or both of us. It already is.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 110, Donner acclimating himself to his Delta airline seat

Delta's policy says a dog's ears cannot touch the top of the kennel. When Donner does not have his ears cocked, they touch the top of his 30" high kennel by a half of an inch or so. The next-sized kennel is 49" high, impossible for anyone to lug around alone with a dog in one hand. The schoolmarm staffing Delta's cargo desk told me if i show up with the 30" kennel, they will refuse to ship Donner even if it means i have to drive home.  My guess is that the people staffing the pet check-in desk will apply empathy, if not reason. If not, i have to decide whether to get the larger kennel, fly the one-stop American flight in the afternoon, or drive the six days to DC. I will keep you posted.

For reasons i cannot figure out, someone keeps throwing one obstacle after another in our desire  to get hone, safely or all, starting with the cancellation of the September 25th ferry, Columbia. Whoever is doing that had better understand that I do not give up if a matter is important to me. 

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 110, Saturday, November 26, Salina

Day 110, Saturday, November 26, Salina

Before my journey, i had  a running ToDo list that totaled probably 120 major items. I could feel the pace of my preparation quicken each day as the list dwindled eventually to no items, and then we were off. 

During this journey, outside  of the normal quotidian chores of tenting on the road, i probably wrote down at least 10 To Do Items a day, more than 1000 in total.  Last night, i created what i hope is  my final list of ToDO chores, a dozen or so items, some of which I tackled today. For those interested in this kind of detail, here they are.

1- buy kennel for Donner to fly home DONE

2- buy metal wing nuts for kennel and apply DONE

3- retrieve Defender from Andy and pay bill DONE

4- get health certificate for Donner to fly plus shots DONE (Note...this expires in 10 days so i have to move on down th road within that time period.)

5- arrange ride to airport with Mi Tai or Enterprise Car Rental DONE

6- finalize date of transport of Defender by Montway

7- get airline tickets for Donner and me AFTER 6

8- load defender with gear from roof rack DONE

9- load defender with gear from motel room

10- Manage loading of Defender onto trailer or make arrangements for someone to manage loading of Defender and handling of roof rack if i am hot here AFTER 7

11- pack, clean room, and ready Defender 

12- drive to airport, fly to DC, ride home.

Let me talk about items 3.and 4 for today's posting.

Andy picked me up at 9 as promised and we drove to his shop to square up my bill and have the Defender pulled back down to the motel.  The bill, much to my delight, came  to  only $375, the second time in my life i felt i was seriously undercharged. (The first time was last week in Ely.)  More important than the bill was the advice Andy gave me on things like what to do to get the Defender back on the road, whether to take it on more road trips, and the like. Valuable advice. I am sure if I had spoken with Andy before my trip began, I would not have taken it, at least not in the Defender or without some additional work being done on it, e.g.,new electrical system. The bottom line is that my initial instincts about Andy turned out to be right...he exudes confidence and professionalism in his craft, is a hard worker, as amicable as you would want your mechanuc to be, wants to please the customer and add value wherever he can, and is concerned about the total welfare and safety of his customers, especially those stranded in Salina. I cannot imagine that anyone has ever sought help from Andy's shop with a more complex situation than i. The bottom line...FIVE stars to Andy at K&K.

Later in the day, Mai Tai, the manager of the Ranch Motel where I am staying, suggested that instead of driving 18 miles to Richfield on Monday in the snow to get Donner's health certificate to fly home, she suggested that she would drive me to Gunnison Valley Animal Clinic in nearby Gunnison this afternoon to get the health certificate there at the vets. Although the vet was closed today, Saturday, MainTai called the emergency number anyway and arranged with the vet to meet us at his hospital at 5 PM. Try getting that kind of service back home in zdC or where you live. It's just not there. We arrived at the vet promptly at 5 PM, and were met by Dr. Tyler Soresen's wonderful wife Amber and 2 young sons, Landon and I did not get the name of the younger boy. Dr. Sorensen first inoculated Donner for his recently expired vaccinations and then did an examination for his health certificate. He even qualified Dinner for 10° to 70° weather based on Donner's experience with the extreme cold weather in Alaska, the Yukon, and Nevada. The total bill for the examination and the shot? Something like $85. Try getting that at home too. Let me tell you something,folks: life here in all these small towns spread across this great continent iscsomething completely different then more than half of us experience in those large crowded cities.

Before i set out on this journey, it never dawned on me what i would be returning with in my mind as the most memorable experiences, or what would trigger them. Although I still have maybe 10 more days or so before we will get home, i suspect that the jury in my mind's eye has already decided. I will try to collect my thoughts on the plane ride back home and post them as i cross the threshold of my home, if i ever get there.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Summer...In Memory

During my now-eight long road camping trips with my dogs across this great continent, i have travelled many fascinating roads, pitched my tent in some marvelous camps, seen some unbelievably incredible natural views, witnessed many awesome sunrises and sunsets, and experienced adventures -some unwanted - i could not have imagined in my wildest dreams. To make these journeys more valuable, i met some of the most incredibly hospitable, gracious, friendly and helpful people, fellow travelers, locals and professionals offering needed assistance alike, on this planet.  But best of all, i got a chance to meet some of the most beautiful and sweetest dogs i have ever met in my life, and that made these journeys complete.

Several weeks ago, on the day i retrieved my  Defender from John's Auto Repair in the Yukon, i reported that Summer, the sweet yellow lab rescued dog belonging to Matt who works at John's Auto, where Summer was a fixture, was just that day diagnosed with cancer.  Matt broke the sad news to me yesterday that Summer suddenly took a turn for the worse last Thursday and had to be put down this past Tuesday.

I knew Summer for only a brief period of time, five weeks, but i cannot ever recall being so charmed by a dog, or a person for that matter, as i was Summer. As I sat in the shop's waiting room, i could not take my eyes off her as she slept cuddled up in her bed nearby. She was the consummate dog.

Summer was perhaps only five years old when she died this week. Matt and Winnie, her guardians, were deprived of perhaps another five years of sheer joy by her death. So were those of us who knew her. And so, too, the many people who never met Summer but might have had she lived  a full life also lost out on the chance to meet one heck of a gentle, sweet, beautiful dog.

Matt wrote that he is grief-stricken at night now when he comes home and Summer is not at the top of the stairs with her toy animal in her mouth, wagging her tail. How many of us who have lost pets know what pain he is going through now?

Reading Matt's eloquent message about Summer's death brought tears to my eyes, still does. What was clear from his message was that both he and Summer realky lucked out in finding each other. It is sad when any loved creature dies, but when a young dog like Summer, still a puppy, dies, it is also unfair.  Reading this sad news should make all of us who are guardians  of pets go hug them a little more tonight, and when you do, tell them, Summer asked you to do this.

I took this photo of Summer about an hour before Matt got the news that the tumor removed from her right shoulder was cancerous.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 109, Friday, November 25, Salina

Day 109, Friday, November 25, Salina

Since i had not heard from Andy (the mechanic) about whether he got the Defender running with the replacement distributor, I called Montway (the auto transporter)  to tell them to change the condition of the Defender  to "not running", which increases the cost somewhat. I also discussed the issue of the roof rack with the agent and she that told, contrary to what the original agent told me, that it should not be a problem, as many drivers want to accommodate things like this.  I also changed my order from an open to enclosed shipment, which increases the cost still further, but the roof rack should no longer be an issue (precluding the need for me to buy a new one) and giving the Defender more security and safety for the 2100 mile ride to DC. Montway will get back to me with a pick-up date of one to five business days, starting tomorrow.   I have to stay here until the Defender is on its way, and hope to leave the very next morning.

I then called Andy early this morning to see if he was able to get the Defender running with a replacement distributor, but he had no luck. I told him that i was indifferent about it now because i intend to ship the Defender home regardless if it is running. I asked him to let me know when he can pull the Defender down to the motel so i can load all of the gear inside in case the auto transporter comes timorrow. He said he would come down and drive me back to his place, square up the bill, and then pull the Defender back down to the motel. As of 5:30, i have not heard from him, so i hope the transporter does not show up tomorrow.

Once i get a date from the auto-transport company, i will make my airline reservations for Donner and me. Unfortunately, Delta, the only non-stop flight that takes pets to DC from Salt Lake City, charges $900 for Donner (only $667 for me). But I have no choice since the $200 pet fee American Airlines charges involves a long layover and change of planes and i am not going to subject Donner to that. Hechas been through too much already.

The big issue with Donner involves the size of the crate he goes in.  He really needs a carrier that is 30.5 inches high so the tips of erect ears do not touch the top, but  the height sizes available are 30" and then 49". The former schoolmarm staffing the Delta Cargo desk warned me that if i showed up with the 30" carrier they would refuse to take Donner, even if it meant my having to drive home 2500 miles.  I will show up with the 30 inch model since the 49 inch model is way to big for me to carry and walk with Donner and my luggage too, and not needed. If i have to drive back because of this, so be it.

Donner also needs a current health certificate in order to travel and so we have an appointment with a vet 18 miles away on Monday for that.

I am still undecided how i will get to the airport, 100 miles away. One option is to rent a car and drive to the airport myself; another is to take the gracious manager of the motel, Mi Tai, up on her offer to drive me there. One thing that may affect my decision is the weather - snow is expected from here to Salt Lake City every day next week but Wednesday, precisely what i was hoping to avoid.

Several times on this journey i have laid out specific plans,optimistic plans, to move on from one incident or another, and several times my optimism was defeated because I refused to compromise on the few things that are important to me. Although it is unsettling to hear Christmas carols playing on the street, see holiday decorations all over, and see the temperatures drop below freezing and snow on the ground, when i was planning on being home a month ago, i will not budge from my simple aims of getting Donner and myself home safely and the Defender back to DC where whatever problem has seized it is cured, instead of my abandoning it here in a distress move, as most people would do, I'm afraid. Fortunately, my hosts in the hotel have been extremely gracious and hospitable.

As i wrote before, I have to focus on the specific challenges here and then, when i have done all i can to move them forward, focus on something entirely different. The problem is, in a strange location where you know no one and have no way of getting around and you are not in your own home, there are not too many other things to focus on. Fortunately, i have Donner, and that fills in a big gap.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 108, Thanksgiving Day, 2016

The below photo is of Donner surveying the empty, wide West Main Street in Salina Utah on Thanksgiving Day. (The WWII POW camp was located at the very end of the street.)

The first thing i gave thanks for today was for my travel companion Donner. What a smart decision it was to fly to LA on the spur of the moment last to rescue him.

The second thing was for that Donner and I are both safe and well, despite a few extraordinary challenges this trip has posed for us, with more still to come.

The third thing was for everyone who is reading this blog, religiously or occasionally.  I will admit that i felt a personal sense of obligation to post something every day when i had internet to give you a sense of what these long road trips entail, and that helped me crystallize my thinking about the day.  But i will also readily admit that i did not expect it to be this long or to have to deal with so many problems. My hope is that we are down to our last three problems, how to get me and Donner, the Defender , and the roof rack back to DC safely. We will do it, and we will win.

I hope immediately upon return home to write an article for some paper about this trip, especially the formidable problems encountered and their solutions, of which there were many, flashing back to the problems encountered on my seven prior trips across this great continent. Whether i am successful or not, you can say you were part of this trip because i know that if i didnt know you were out there, this trip would have been different and would be ending differently.  (One person, Stefanie, even jumped from in front of her computer into the driver's seat of the Defender in the fashion of someone diving headfirst into a video game. How cool was that?) Thank you all for that.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 107, Wednesday, November 23, Salina slightly re

Day 107, Wednesday, November 23, Salina slightly revised 2

Andy from the garage stopped by my motel today at noon and told me that he installed the new pump. But he also told me he could not get the Defender running agsin despite the new pump. Something about the distributor module being bad, or an electricial problem. (The distributor, by the way,  is two weeks old). I told him i had a spare distributor in my garage container, and he was going to install it. But he told me that he could not guarantee that whatever it was that caused this new failure would not happen again on my trip home.

Andy's prognosis was all i needed to hear. After he left, i called an auto transport company and they will be here Saturday to ship the Defender back to DC where i will have my mechanic work on it. Even if Andy gets the Drfender running again,  I am not going to drive the remaining 2100 miles in a vehicle that is likley to break down again. Nor am i going to abandon it here after it has served me so well for 23 years and all it needs is for someone to figure out what is going on with it without my having to hang around in a motel waiting for the solution.

On Friday, i will load all my gear into the rear of the Defender and have it shipped back with the Defender. One problem that came up is the height of the Defender with the roof rack,86". Unfortunately, the height restriction in the auto carrier is 84", which means the roof rack has to come off. Ironically, UPS wants $1800 to ship the roof rack by freight, $400 more than it will cost to ship back the Defender, and they want me to bubble-shrink wrap it myself so it does not get damaged. The roof rack, by the way, is stainless steel,so it cannot get damaged. (UPS, of course, is not coming out as a hero in this story.)  Abandoning the roof rack here increases the cost of this incident by at least $3000, the cost to replace the rack.

If anyone knows of any high vehicle auto transporters or shipping companis to ship back a roof rack for a better deal than UPS offers, please donlet me know.

As for Donner and my getting home, there are two options, rent a car and drive home, or fly home from Salt Lake City. I will make my decision on Friday morning so i can load into the Defender everything that is not going back with us in the rental car or plane.

The main problem with driving back is the weather, and i will not have the reliable Defender to deal with the weather. A big snow is expected early next week in the Denver area again, probably closing I-70 again.  Of course, if we drive back, camping is out of the question entirely. Flying would be slightly less expensive (and less problematic with Donner's gastro problem) than driving and get us home in nine hours and not six days, to get Donner to a vet quickly. 

As for flying home, while it would be nice if we could leave Sunday after the Defender moves out, unfortunately, Donner  needs a health certificate from a vet, but i cannot get one till Monday. Flying before then would be tough anyway because of the holiday weekend, not to mention the snow expected in Salt Lake City on Monday.

On the subject of that health certificate for Donner, its' purpose is to make sure he is healthy enough to fly home. So, just in case his gastro bout continues, since there is no vet around for miles and i do not have access to a car if there were, i called my vet hospital in DC (Friendship Animal Hospital) for a prescription of Metronidazole to get him well before his examination so we can fly home and not have to drive if Donner cannot get his health certificate. My vet was off and the vet on duty refused to prescribe prescribe the innocuous medication over the phone even after the situation was explained. Of course, he or she was worried about either liability or lost profits from an office visit instead of my dog's health. (There's that G word again, from some businesses.) Although i like Donner's vet, i think it's time to change vets when we return, I mean, if we ever extricate ourselves from this Ground Hog's day cycle and ever return. 

I trying to stay at a level of simply trying to solve not-so-simple problems  instead of letting my feelings about all this get in the way. But i have to say thst i feel like something almost evil is going on here with the Defender that i just cannot figure out. (That vehicle has been extremely well maintained for its 23 years)  And it is clear that no one so far can figure out what is going on. I do know this, that my owner's/operator's instincts were right all along at every step of the way. Just go reread my blog postings about this to see for yourself. Except for Andy today, no one among the people I trusted ever told me to not drive the Defender on. I hope that if someone i trusted had, i would have turned back. 

 i will give thanks tomorrow for at least one thing, that despite these at least five close calls on this trip, Donner and I are safe. We are extremely fortunate that the only damage so far have been to my wallet, not even to my spirit. Nor to the Defender, except temporarily.

I may not be posting a blog tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day. In that event, I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to those who are reading this blog, and thank you sincerely for your ideas, concerns, and offers of help. I really appreciated it.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 106, Tuesday, Nov 22, Salina UT

My guess is that Donner is thinking, this sure beats sleeping in that dark cold tent.

Donner snoozing at the Ranch Motel. I am relegated to whatever space i can grab for myself to his right.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 106, Tuesday, Nov. 22, Salina UT, Ranch Motel

Day 106, Tuesday, Nov. 22, Salina UT, Ranch Motel

The new fuel pump arrived today, and the Defender is down the road in the shop now as of 4:30 today. It will take a few hours to install the pump and get the Defender back on the road.

I also ordered a new ignition coil just in case, and will have it installed since the one in there now was installed in August and driven 8000 miles. My mechanic back home thinks the new engine was too much for the coil, which is why it got cooked from the heat of use.  If that is the case, then that is the only thing i heard that is adversely affected by the new engine, and even that one concerns me, which is why i want to install the one i just ordered.

 My hope is that the Defender is ready by tomorrow morning so i can move on. More on this below.

Donner's case of D (loose stools) worsened today. I did not feed him at all for 36 hours, which usually fixes such cases, but fed him last night. Then this morning, just after i got up, he let loose all over the wall-to-wall carpet in the motel room. Since i caught him in the act, he knew I was upset over this.  But when he showed signs of wanting to go out later, i  took him outside to a spot around the corner and praised him when he let loose again.

A while later, i walked to the store across the street and when i get back to the room, Donner was gone. He had broken out of the room by opening two doors. I frantically turned around and saw him near the Defender  waiting for me. Thank God he did not follow my scent across the highway to the store. If he had, he clearly would have been hit by a car or truck. He escaped because he had to let loose again.  While it hurt me that I had to scold him for doing his business on the carpet, at least it paid off, and I praised him again for seeking out that spot outside.  Unfortunately, there are no vets around and I don't know when I will find one on the road, so Donner is not going to be getting much to eat between now and the time we get home, whenever that is, since we will be staying in cabins or motels.  And next trip, I will take along plenty of metronidazole.

I started the detailed planning of our return trip, which will take us at least six nights. Unfortunately, most of the camps are closed and some of those KOAs with cabins do not permit dogs. I also learned that many Days Inns do not take dogs, so i will avoid the completely, into perpetuity, for false advertising.  I think i have got four of the six nights locked in but still need to find two pet-friendly cabins,  yurts or motels just i-70 equidistant between Utah and Topeka Kansas.

Another issue seems to have surfaced. Had the latest incident not hit, we would have been sailing thru the Canadian Rockies on I-70 west of Denver last Sunday, in sunny, clear weather. Unfortunately, it started snowing Monday and was continuing today. Numerous crashes have occurred on I-70, at least one major pile up, and several deaths. As I write this, I-70, our route home, is closed. While they expect to open it again soon, and expect the road to improve over the next several days, another big storm is coming early next week.  This is precisely what i was hoping to avoid.  While the Defender can handle rough weather, it is just like any other vehicle on ice and in pile-ups, as just happened on I-70 near Denver.

My hope is that we can sail thru the Rockies and Denver on Friday and avoid the next storm.  My hope also is that the Defender does not take another hit.

I will be optimistic about these things and start to pack up tonight for moving on with plan A tomorrow. But how many times have i said that already?

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 105, Monday, November 21, Salina UT

Day 105, Monday, November 21, Salina UT

Andy was confident he would have a new fuel pump delivered and installed today, but when it i called him at 11, unfortunately, he was not able to get one today, but would have one tomorrow. When i asked him for the part number just to be sure he ordered the right pump, they were shipping him the fuel pump for the Land Rover Discovery  and not a Defender. Oops. He was going to try to get the order changed so the correct pump could be delivered. However, before i called him, because I  had to be 100ercent sure i had the right pump, and because I always want to carry a spare from now on, i ordered a correct one myself to be rushed here overnight by UPS, who has a hub in town so delivery should be early.

Speaking of in town, the UPS hub is situated at the far west end of Main Street  At the far east end,bsnuggled against the hills, is where the WWII POW Camp 32, Camp Selina, was located and which incarcerated  about 250 German and Italian POWs in 43 tents.   A museum commemorating that just opened on the very spot last week. On July 20, 1945, two months after Germany surrendered, some nutcase name Clarence Bertucci, an unpromotable Army private, slaughtered eight German POWs with machine gun fire because he "hated Germans and wanted to kill some." We all heard of this referred to in our history boks as the Salina Massacre. This is where it occurred. You can read abiut it here.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_prisoner_of_war_massacre

Donner and i took a short walk down the street to visit the camp museum. It is nicely arranged.

I spent some time today reviewing the responses i got from my inquiries with a half dozen Land Rover and engine experts about whether my two recent failures with auxillary parts might have been caused by the new more powerful engine straining them and taking them down prematurely. If even one thought the answer was yes, and there was nothing i could do about it here soon, i was preaparing Plan B, i.e., ship the Defender  home as freight, rent a car to drive home and then deal with the issue at home. Fortunately, all agreed that the answer is no.  While this may give me the confidence that i will not incur another hit and layover for this reason, of course, i am fully aware that there is always the chance that some other part may fail during the remaining 2100 miles i still have to go. This is the chance i take on every trip and must accept that risk now  as well. Of course, i believe that that risk is low because i will have replaced just about every part in my Defender over the last four years after the new fuel pump is installed. But parts can fail prematurely, as did that new ignition coil on Friday. That too is a risk, which is one of the reasons i probably should not have replaced so many auxiliary parts at the same time as the new engine, but i had my reasons for doing that.

Plan A is to get back the Defender tomorrow with the new fuel pump and test it out on the streets here for a few hours. If it is running properly and i have complete confidence it will get us home without a fifth incident, we will set off on Wednesdsy for  KOA cabins in Carbondale Colorado and then Goodland Kansas on Thursday, where i will prepare a special Thanksgiving meal for Donner. After that, for the remaining 1464 miles,  i will search for other KOAs about 330-350 miles apart for the next three nights and then on Monday either home in DC at the Savage River Lodge in the mountains in western Maryland, where we ended several prior trips, giving me the chance to write my final blog posting. 

The curious among my readers are probably wondering, why cabins at KOAs? Here's my response.

First, my tenting for this trip is over, as explained below. 

Second, KOAs have these wonderful little bare bones cabins thst are only onevnotch above tenting, predictably alike, and you can park your cars beside them just like at tent sites. And i save some time each day, which means something with shorter daylight hours by  not having to set up and break camp.

Third, many KOAs are usually not too far from the highway, in this case, I-70 and often easy to find with the signage. Again, time savings. Each minute of off highway chores means one mike less of driving.

Fourth, all KOAs predictably have showers and laundry facilities, which my  85-year old former interior decorator next door neighbor will appreciate, although he will probably tell me the same thing when i return that he  has told me in the past about how he knew i was home, even though he knew i was home because he saw me pull into the parking lot. "I knew you were home because i could smell the dogs," he rudely told me. Well, let me tell you something, folks, if i don't get to  Savage River's shower and laundry before i got hime, he'll probaly know vim coming home when i am 100 miles away.

As for Plan B, if i do not have the confidence that the Defender will get us home safely or in a timely, inexpensive fashion, or it is not running at all very soon, i have made arrangements to have it shipped by freight from the front door of my motel here in Sakina to Washington DC and to rent a Jeep Compass to drive home with Donner. Then I will deal with the residual Defender issues at home. I have too much at stake with that vehicle and it will be a main character in any article or book i will write about my eight road trips. I have had numerous offers from peopke to buy it, inckuding a rather generous one from a man from Oklahoma who saw the Defender being towed in Destruction Bay, Yukon, on September 24th. While i appreciate the offers, i just wave then off just as i would if some offered to adopt Donner from me.

One comment about my frame of mind now, specifically how i have to resist several temptations.

The first temptation is this. During the planned last days of all my trips, there is always the temptation to prolong the mission of the trip, whatever it may be. My missions have  always ended on this very segment of the trip that we are in now. For instance, i would love to  visit the Grand Canyon, camp at Canyonlands of Arches National Park, camp in the Rockies, visit friends in Denver and elsewhere, etc.. But this trip has ended. It Is time to go home.  I have accomplished all that i set out to do and much more. I don't  have to do more to make this trip successful or complete. It is over. Get home.

The second temptation is this. I love tenting. I have written enough about this in this blog and need say no more. Now that i am on the final vector of the trip,  I have to resist the temptation to think that I must continue to tent to make this trip successful or complete. I do not under any circumstances. But also, tenting in the cold and dark, and driving far to find open camps, which is what i am now facing, is a challenge i accept, but it is no fun on this final leg when i am simply trying to get home. Moreover, the camps on this last leg of the trip are nice but orders of magnitude less interesting than what i have stayed in on my earlier legs, so tenting from now on adds no value to the trip. Also, with shorter daylight hours, i can save perhaps an hour a day by not having to setbup or break camp when i am in a rush to get home. That time is better spent driving. But this doesn't mean i intend to stay in some fancy hotel or motel like I did in Ely for good reason, but with much regret, a first for all my trips. So, unless a tenting camp is easy to get to, i will stay in those bare bones KOA cabins before moving down to something lower, e.g., a Days Inn or other motel or hotel.room 

The third temptation is to think of  these obstacles thrown at me as nightmares, crises or even problems.  Sure, i would prefer that they not be around, but they are simply challenges i must face, and will.

There's one more temptation i have to resist, especially during these unexpected layovers, and that is the temptation to lose focus of my mission or need to bring this trip to an end. When i am in a rut, i have to remind myself that no matter how cozy it might feel, i have to move on or make plans to move on. 

One final comment about something  i saw tonight that made me say that I am glad i am laid over in Salina. As i was coming out of the grocery store just after 5, i saw the most fascinating ballet i have ever seen in my life, this one in the sky. It was the gathering of millions of birds in hundreds of groups joining group after group into an ever increasing flock, perhaps to fly south. i stood watching the sky in awe absolutely fascinated by this display if nature. What a sight. 

More tomorrow.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 104, Sunday, November 20, Salina Utah

Day 104, Sunday, November 20, Salina Utah

The longer any trip away from home in strange places continues, the higher the probability that something adverse could or will happen, in my case, to me, Donner, or as we all know well by now, the Defender. To minimize that, i minimize Donner's and my activities, so despite the beautiful weather outside today, most of the day was spent in our cozy cabin. I also cut back on my walks with Donner since he had a bad case of D last night and threw up once today and there is no vet in this small town of 2000 people.

My fellow traveler Sarah stopped by for a brief visit on her way through town to her next camp site. Not only are our routes identical from Northern California to Denver, but our routines and values are the same too.  

After Sarah got back on the road,  I spent the entire day emailing or calling more than a half dozen Land Rover people or mechanics trying to find out if there is any reason for me to believe that the new 4.6 liter engine in a Defender built for a 3.9 engine may be putting extra strain on auxiliary parts and causing them to fail prematurely. If the answer to that is yes and there is nothing that can be done about it here in Salina Utah in my case, i cannot take the risk of more hits on my 2100 mile remaining trip home. In this case, one option is to drive the Defender to Salt Lake City or Denver, load it into a container, and have it shipped as freight back home. I would then rent a van and continue the trip back home with Donner. There are other options i want to explore for the two moving parts to this puzzle.

Of course, i am hoping that the two hits the Defender  took this week were just isolated incidents waiting to happen that improbably occurred one day apart. Improbable, but possible. That, of course, is a risk i have always been willing to take and prepare for them where I can.

In any event, i do know now that i will not be home by Thanksgiving, but who says that you have to be home to celebrate that holiday? Besides, readers of my blog will recall that I spent one Thanksgiving already with Donner in October on a picnic in a pleasant park in Whitehorse in 35 degree weather. What can be better than that?

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 103, Saturday, November 19, Ranch Motel, Salina

Day 103, Saturday, November 19, Ranch Motel, Salina, slightly revised

As i wrote in my earlier posting, we made it to Interstate 70 in Salina, Utah, at 2;45,  which would put us into Green River at about 4:30, just as the sun was setting. Great. But as important, having traveled at least 250 major highways and biways on this trip, i felt that this particular road milestone, the very last highway we would drive, deserved its own picture. At the end of this highway, we would be home.  So i hopped out of the Defender, snapped the photo included in another earlier posting, sent it off to my blog, got back into the Defender, and almost giddily started toward the ramp to that long country road that would take us home, 2130 miles and only a few days away, with the feeling that i should have been home yesterday, as John Denver so beautifully sang.

I spoke way too soon.  We never made it to that ramp.  Nor will i be home in a very few days. Here's why.

As i started the short drive to the I-70 ramp, which you can actually see in the earlier photo, the Defender stalled. I made several attempts to start it, but with no success. Since it was blocking the entire road, i got out to assess my options and to see what resources i might have down the road before i called AAA to tow me to God only knows where. Three people stopped within as many minutes to help push. the Defender to safety on the shoulder of the road. One of them suggested i call K&K, visible just down the road, as they have a towing service as well as a garage. In fact, he said, his brother in law works there and has worked on Land Rovers and has a Defender himself.  For a guy with my luck, how lucky can a guy get?

I called K&K and several minutes later Andy pulled up in his truck and pulled us down the road to his garage, less than two blocks away. He immediately went to work with his tools and within 15 minutes told me it was my fuel pump. To confirm, i turned on my ignition and heard no fuel pump start. 

 Incidentally, on Thursday, , in Ely, before David found the ignition coil problem, he told me that my fuel pump was problematic in that it was pumping  at a higher pressure than the specs called for, but when the ignition coil was changed and the engine started, there was no further need to pursue the fuel pump matter since the Defender was running.  I did, however, make a mental note to order a new fuel pump soon. In fact, I almost ordered one before I set out on this trip to have a spare on hand, as i had with the ignition coil and a number of other hard to get parts, but i ran out of time and decided to get on the road and take my chances instead of delaying the start of the trip by two days. After all, my first fuel pump lasted more than 15 years and this one was no more than 8 years old. What i failed to consider, though, was miles...about 105 thousand for the former, 99 thousand for the latter by the start of this trip and a projected 115 thousand by the end. Oops.  However, this is no big deal, just a possible trip-delayer of a few days before or during the trip, if that is the only issue.

Back to Andy.....For the next hour, Andy confidently tried to locate a fuel pump here or in Salt Lake City, 139 miles north, but no one had one, knew of one, or was open until Monday.  He was 100 percent confident though he would find one then and have it couriered or shipped  from. Salt Lake City on Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, i needed to find a place to call home for the next few days.

Let me tell you something. If you ever get stuck on the highway, you want to find a guy like Andy, if you cannot call Andy himself.  Not only does he exude the confidence that there is a solution for every problem, but he exudes the confidence that he will be the one to find the solution quickly. And he not only knew i needed a place to camp out, but that i could not be separated from the Defender. So he pulled the three of us just down the road to the Sundance Camp, the only camp in town, but they were closed. Then he pulled us farther down the road to the Ranch Motel, a quaint place, where we got a cozy, bare-bones room for $50 a night, right across the road from some stores, which was just perfect. And here's where we will stay until the Defender is back on the road with my confidence that it will get us back home safely and without any more interruptions. In the meantime, i have my work cut out for me dusting off Plans A, B and C, although the variables are less complicated this time, the distances less vast, and the temperature considerably warmer. And so that's how i will spend the day, maybe next few days.

A few comments just so i can crystallize my thinking.

On Thursday morning, i had to be towed mote than 80 miles to Ely because my two-week old ignition coil failed. What is the probability of that happening in isolation of any other upstream problem?  My guess, close to zero.

Then, the next day, less than 200 miles down the road, my fuel pumps fails.  I admit now that the probability of that happening was pretty high given my above miles-numbers and David's findings the day before, but happening the next day after the coil problem? My guess is pretty low, unless there is something else going on governing both these things.  My guess here is that  the new 4.6 liter engine, which replaced a 3.9 liter one, is expecting too much from these auxiliary parts and taking them out one by one. If that's the case, fine, i accept that, and will do something about that when i get home.  But the question i  need to answer quickly  is, how do i get home if there is even a slight chance that over the remaining  2500 miles the Defender will break down at least another several times if my theory is correct? And i am not so much worried about the logistics or costs of future breakdowns, as i am of the safety issues involved.  Thursday's breakdown and yesterday's were child's play compared to the engine stopping when i am driving 60 mph through that rat maze surrounding, say, St Louis.  So, i not only need to concern myself with getting the Defender back on the road, but the matter of whether I have confidence in it to continue driving it the remaining 2500 miles home. Right now, as I wrote yesterday in my blog, i have no confidence in it, and i was proven right to feel that way. At least it shows my judgment is working, more than i can say for the Defender.

Of course, if i do not drive the Defender home from here, i need to figure out how to get home ourselves and what to do with the Defender here.

So, this is why there has been an unexpected - and unwelcome - change of plans and why we never got on that I-70 ramp after i posted that photo yesterday. But i will deal with this one the same as all the others, solve it, figure out how to prevent it again, and then move on, hopefully to home and not the next problem, at least not the day after.

Photo is of the disabled Defender sitting outside room 19 at the Ranch Motel in lovely downtown Salina Utah.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 103, Saturday, November 19, Evening, Ranch Motel, Salina Utah

Day 103, Saturday, November 19, Evening, Ranch Motel, Salina Utah

A slight change of plans. But first, a few comments about the last few days...

That Defender breakdown yesterday was a close call in several respects....

First, it's a good thing it did not happen one day earlier when i camped in Berlin-ichthyosaur State Park. Not only was there no  cell phone service and no one nearby for 48 miles, but the tow to Ely would have been more than 300 miles. I did have my satellite phone though. What good luck, huh?  How lucky can a guy get.

Second, it's a good thing i had a spare ignition coil with me because if i had not, my trip home would have been delayed a few more days until one could be ordered.

I did learn a few lessons during these last few days, though. When given a choice between the tent or the Defender to sleep in, set up the tent. The discomfort for 30 minutes to set up camp is far less than the discomfort of sleeping in a 4x3 space for 10 hours,except when there are grizzlies in the area, as on the Alcan back in September.

Also, last night i stayed at a motel in Ely, mainly so i could be near the garage if something went wrong this morning. (Nothing did.) This is the first time I have done that on all my trips, my Whitehorse experience excepted. While i am sure I would do it again, it really doesn't save me the time i expected. In fact, it may take more time considering that the Defender has to be parked farther away.

While at Ely waiting for the Defender, my fellow traveller, Sarah, drove through on her way east and stopped by the garage for a few minutes. It was nice seeing a friend amidst the chaos of the situation. I suggested that she camp at Cave Lake State Park just up the hiway, a  wonderful camp i stayed in in 2001 and 2013 with Leben and Erde. I would have stayed there myself the other night instead of Great Basin but the AAA camp book told me  it was closed, although as i flew by there on my way to Great Basin, i did not see any Closed sign on the highway,but did not want to take the time and daylight to find out if indeed it was open. I wonder, though, what the scenario would have been for the breakdown had i stayed there. I dont want to think about it. What a great camp, though, it is. Sarah loved it and had the whole camp to herself. My God, what a brave woman she is. Then again, she is a bush pilot.

About today, and the slight change of plans.

Last night, as i mentioned, i decided to stay at the Ponderosa motel to be close to the garage just in case. Fortunately, the Defender started nicely, so we gassed up and move on. Or partially gassed up, I should say, because the credit card device at the pump was not working and so when i went inside to pay in advance, i pre-paid for $10 worth,figuring the 60 miles i drove since the last gas came to about $10 of gas.

Our destination for the day was Green River State Park in Utah, 103 miles from where we would get on I-70 in Salina Utah, and which would take us home.  Camping at Green River would permit us to avoid camping near Denver, which would save us a day by putting us within reach of a little cabin i know of in Goodland Kansas.The drive today was more of the same splendid high desert landscape we had experienced the prior three days. It was like watching a video of sheer beauty for hours on end.  Breaks were more to rest the eyes than anything else. The drive from one summit to the next at Great Basin was 39 mikes of almost straight road, straight and devoid of all human or vehicular life, and sheer, unadulterated beauty.

Eight some miles into the drive i passed a gas station with a sign that read, Next Gas 83 miles. I thiught about gassing up there but figured i could make the next gas station easily since i get 225 miles to the tank and had 4 gallons (60 miles ) of gas in my jerry can on the roof rack.  Big mistake on my part bacause when i gassed up in Ely i did not account for the more than one hour of running the engine for heat at Great Basin camp (abiut 4 gallons of gas) and the leak in my new jerry can thst left me with only 2 gallons. So, in fact, i did not have 285 miles of gas at the start if the drive but 165 miles. I had to stop along the way and empty my remaining jerry can into my tank and when i finally made it to Delta i had about two miles worth of gas left after driving more than 163 miles on an empty road.

We stopped for walks for Donner a few times along the.  The views were just too breathtaking to take-in flying by at 55 mph.  I had a scare at one stop when the Defender stalled as I pulled back onto the hiway, but it started up right away. Close call, I thought, and moved on.

We finally made it to Salina, Utah, at 2;45, which would put us into Green River at about 4:30, just as the sun was setting, i hoped. Having traveled more than 250 major highways and biways on this trip, i felt that this particular road milestone, the last highway we would drive, needed its own picture, so i hopped out of the Defender, snapped the photo in the previous posting, sent it off to my blog, got back into the Defender, and started to drive toward the ramp to the highway that would take us home, 2130 miles and a few days away, i happily wrote. 

You will simply not believe what happened next.

When I got back into the Defender the engine had turned off. I tried to start it and it wouldn’t start. I tried again and again, and it still wouldn’t start. I could not believe that it was happening again. Several passersby help me roll the Defender to the side of the road. One of them gave me the phone number of a garage just about two blocks away and so I called them. Within 15 minutes, Andy Costa, one of the team members at the garage, pulled up in his tow truck and pulled me down to his place. He quickly assessed that it was my fuel pump. The day before in Ely, David, the mechanic, told me that there was some bad readings coming from the fuel pump, so I was not surprised to hear what Andy told me. Andy said he could probably get a fuel pump delivered by Tuesday, and so I asked him if there was a camp nearby. In fact, there was, just down the street. Andy pulled the Defender down to the camp, but the proprietor said that the campground was closed. Not knowing how long I was going to be detained in Salina, Andy suggested a motel, the Ranch Motel, a few miles into the center of town. So, Andy hauled the Defender and Donner and me down to the Ranch Motel and we settled into a cozy room there again hoping to be on our way on Tuesday. Andy planned to come back on Monday and haul the Defender to his place.Day p 

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 103, Nov 19, Saturday, 2:45 as it is happening

I figure that on this great, maybe epic, journey, i traveled more than 250 highways and biways.  As soon as i send this posting, i will get on the start of I-70, my last highway, which will take me to almost my front door, still 2130 miles away, in few days.

I miss all those roads i traveled already.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 102' trip so far, 13200 miles, 2319 to go down

Somewhere on the Nevada Utah border.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 102, Defender Update

Day 102, Defender Update

The Defender is up and running.  At 4:15, just as i was packing my gear to take to a nearby motel for the weekend, David, the mechanic at Precision Garage In Ely, explained and showed me why it might be the ignition coil, which i had changed twice in the last four months.  But he did not know if he would be able to get one quickly. Fortunately, i had a spare one with me and when we put that one in, everything worked.  Apparently, the coil was installed upside down, which would not have made much of a difference except that this one was defective and leaked when it was upsaide down. No one could have known that it was defective.

My goal is to move on tomorrow to get on route 70, which will take me to my front door in about six days.  I need to regain confidence in the Defender, and so will not be doing any camping far from the hiways or places with good garages.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Days 101-102, Thursday-Friday , November 17-18, Gre

Days 101-102, Thursday-Friday, November 17-18, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, slight revision

Day 101, Thursday

What a splendid park Berlin-etc was.  For some reason, I don't know why, i was thankful that the Defender started in the cold as no one else was around for at least 45 miles, and there was no cell phone service in the area.  But I did have the satellite phone, though, and made sure it was charged. 

I opted not to take the 51-mile dirt an gravel short cut  to route 50 since that road is rarely travelled and not maintained.  Instead, i took the longer 130 miles paved road route. I lost perhaps 2 hours in doing that but i decided at this stage of this trip it was time to lower my risks and concentrate on getting home safely.

Our goal for the night was Great Basin National Park, some 330 mies away, was meant to be the last real camping night for the trip,  although we would continue to camp if it was convenient for us. The drive to GBNP was nothing short of amazing. Route 50, here called the loneliest road in the world because there are so few cars, cuts from mountain summit to mountain summit though miles of high desert.  I don't have the vocabulary  to describe thev drive but it is the kind of scenery that is never boring and constantly brings out some vocal expression of wonder every few minutes.

We made Great Basin park at 4:45, 30 minutes after sunset. The Park office had just closed and so we had to wend our way on our own up the dark, sign-challenged, 12-mile mountain road  to the camp at 8000 feet. When we got, there wasn't a light around except from the moon.  The camp was not only empty but covered with snow and ice.  It Would have been impossible to stake down the tent. The temperature had just dropped precipitously and was then in the low 20's. Setting up the tent was not an option, nor was moving on down to a motel in the nearest town of any size, 60 miles away, so i decided to sleep in the Defender as we did on the Alcan for two nights. I also decided to go to sleep early to make sure i got enough sleep since I knew i would be waking up often.  I slept in the rear in two sleeping bags and Donner in his front seat bed in his hand-me-down winter dog coat. We were prepared for a cold night. I checked to make sure that all my equipment and devices were unplugged, including my driver's seat warmer, so we would not find ourselves with a dead battery in the morning.

And it was a cold night, but not as cold as i expected for a reason you will soon learn.  At one point Donner made some loud crashing noises as he tried to reposition himself in his bed and came in contact with some stuff on my console.

Day 102, Friday

I got up at 6:00, long before daylight, to get a head start on our destination for the day. I learned later that the temperature here in the camp hit 11 degrees last night. But it did not feel it in the Defender. Warmer, for reasons i soon found out why. 

After taking Donner for a walk, i went to start the Defender. It would not fire up. I looked down at the console and saw that Donner, when he made those crashing noises, had accidentally last night pressed the driver's seat warmer on, which might have drained the battery. No big deal, i though. I'm prepared. But when i tried the mobile battery jumper i have, nothing happened. Fortunately, there was cell phone service, so i called 911 to send a ranger. One arrived at 8:00 and tried his jumper device, but it did not help either. I then called AAA , who promised to send a truck from Ely, 60 miles away.

After two hours, i learned that the driver of the tow truck had to turn back. His wife's store was robbed last night and he had to help clean up. A new truck was being sent and would be here in a few hours.

The tow truck from AAA just arrived, and the driver agreed it's not the battery. As i write this, we are being towed 60 miles to Ely.  I have no idea how long we will be there. I have no idea where we will stay there or how we will get around since there are no car rentals in town. Or how we will travel the remaining 2500 miles home from here since, needless to say, i have lost confidence in the Defender. But we will figure these things out just as before.

I 

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp

Day 100, Wednesday, Nov 16, Berln-icythyosaur State Park, Nevada

Day 100, Wednesday, Nov 16, Berln-icythyosaur State Park, Nevada

What a spectacular day.  More on this below. But first...

Yesterday, as i reached Glacial Point at Yosemite for a spectacular view of the valley and Half Dome and Sentinel peak,  i got out of the Defender for a few minutes. After i got back in, there was a knock on my window. It was Sarah.  She has reached Yosemite last night herself and had just furnished hiking up to Glacial Point, a two hour hike.  What a coincidence of timing. I invited her to share my tent site. I was late in getting back to the site because of laundry chores, but she had found,it, set up her tent, and had made dinner for the two of us. So much for wanting solitude  all the time on these trips. We will probably meet up at least one mote time two days down the line. 

I was concerned that because of incoming bad weather they were going to close Tioga Road, route 120 as it cuts east across Yosemite, which would have added a day to my return trip home. As it turns out, they had not closed it by the time i got there, so i was able to drive it. And what a spectacular drive it was, all 56 miles of it. It is as much a jewel of Yosemite as El Capitan and Half Dome. There was not a minute that my eyes were not fixed on the natural beauty passing by on all sides, when they were not fixed on the road itself. It started to snow at one point but i beat that. I could not stop taking pictures, mostly from the Defender as it crawled along the road. When the first snows arrive this week, the road will be closed until May,so i lucked out on this one. Then, a silence will fall on this swath of Yosemite and it will be for the animals alone.

As I left Yosemite, i spontaneously shouted Bravo. What a wonderful decision on my part to include it on the original itinerary and then not cut it out to save time on my return trip home. I might never have gotten here otherwise. What an absolutely awesome place.

Our next leg today took us through the eastern California and Nevada desert.  I was expecting milder weather but got hit with cold and high winds, and i mean very high winds. But the 140  mile or so trip to our destination for the night was mostly on empty, straight, country roads through some if the most beautiful landscapes i have ever seen. I was in sheer awe most of the trip and visibly shaken at times by the sheer beauty of this land that weaves its way through valleys framed by desert mountains off in the distance. Absolutely awesome.

We finally reached our camp destination for the night, Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada, at 4.  It pretty much resembles Petroglyph State Park, an alternate destination 60 mikes up the road where Erde And i stayed two years ago, but this camp is truly isolated. the camp is totally empty except for us, and it appears we have the whole enormous valley to ourselves. there are no animals or birds in evidence. There are no sounds but the occasional wind. There is not a single light that i can see anywhere.  But there is mostly silence.  It is surrounded by three Ghost Towns. I like solitude, but even i might admit that this is a bit much.  As soon as we got here and set up the tent, the sun set at 4:30.  By 5:00 p.m. It was dark, dark and cold and windy. In fact, the water in Donner's bowl started to freeze minutes after I poured it for him. So much for my plan to get to warmer weather fast. Then again, we are at about 7000 feet elevation.  The camp is absolutely spectacular, nestled on the side of the Ione Mountains. It reminds me of all the Old West movies i saw as a kid. I expect to see a posse of cowboys come riding through the hills, i hope to welcome me here and not string me from a tree for rustling. 

Tomorrow we head northeast to Utah and will camp at the Great Basin National Park. I am still trying to get used to my new routine of getting on the road early so we can be in a camp before 4 o'clock just as dark sets in. I do not particularly relish spending six hours at night in a dark cold tent, so i am trying to adjust my evening routine to deal with that - early to bed and lots of sleep. On these last few days, i do not  intend to push myself or even think that this long, long trip may be coming to an end soon.  We will take it day by day, one day at a time, and then all of a sudden show up in DC.  

Although i am reluctant to set out any schedule. Here's the probable schedule from here...

100- Tonight...Berlin Ichthyosaus State Park, Nevada

101- Thursday...Great Basin National Park, Nevada/Utah border

102- Friday...Arches National Park Utah, or nearby

103- Saturday...Denver area somewhere

104- Sunday, KOA cabin GoodLand Kansas

105- Monday...Perry Lake Kansas

106- Tuesday...Lieber State Park, Indiana

107- Wednesday...Somewhere in Eastern Ohio or nearby

108- Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, home

What an absolutely awesome trip it has been, and it's not over yet.

Photo...our wonderful camp ar Berlin etc. Donner is in the Defender .  Too cold outside even for him.

Ed and Donner, from on the road

www.OnTheRoad.camp