7/19/15 HOT SPRINGS AND BUFFALO

Being on Pacific Time allows us to greet the sunrise at 3:00 AM now.  Ole Sol had us both awake by 4AM and moving about.  We hit the road at 5:40 AM heading to Teslin, YK.  Seeing the  mountains in the early morning light allows for some incredible views.

The roads winded around Toad River as we made our way through the mountains.  The scenery from Toad River Lodge to  Liard Springs was breathtaking!

We stopped at Muncho Lake in hopes of seeing some wildlife, but the only thing that was wild were our 2 dogs. We had seen a herd of Caribou at this site last year.

The roads got really bad north of Muncho Lake all the way to Liard Springs.  These were among the worst roads we've trave;led thus farThere were areas we were slowed to less than 15mph on the Alaska Highway, but the scenery was pretty.

  

The Liard River Bridge is a suspension bridge.  Liard Hot Springs is just across this river headed north.

I have always wanted to visit a hot springs having heard about its "medicinal purposes" in the treatment of arthritis.  It was 7:30AM and the air temperature was 58 degrees.  It was time to make a memory and soak my aching bones.  We had to hike 1/4 mile across some marshy wetlands on a boardwalk to get to the springs.  The water was tingly hot as you entered, but it felt soooo  good. You could also smell the sulfur in the water.  I have a sister-in-law who would really enjoy this experience.

Soon after leaving Liard Hot Springs we began seeing herds of buffalo grazing along the road.  Our dog Shiloh thought she could eat one of them.  She went nuts in the moho barking her head off at them. 

The roads significantly improved after Liard Springs, still a little bumpy, but at least we had a good layer of surface treatment under our wheels.  We stopped to enjoy the view of Liard River Rapids.

  

The Yukon territory welcomed us with this sign.  The border between British Columbia and the Yukon goes back and This was the first of numerous crossings between these provinces. 

Watson Lake is the home of the Sign Post Forest.  This started as a whim, but has gained popularity at this visitor's center.  There are signs from all over the world in this city-block sized "forest".  We brought a City of LaGrange car tag with us to nail to a post, but found someone had beat us to the punch, so the one we brought continues to ride on the front bumper of our moho. 

The Alaska Highway tracks the Canadian Rockies through a lot of the Yukon.   By this time of the day the windshield is getting covered with bugs, so we tried to take most of the pictures from the side windows when possible.

Last year our dog Shiloh road to Alaska in the back floorboard of our pick-up truck along with all our extra supplies.  This year she is determined to ride shotgun, up front no matter what we say or do.

The Nisutlin Bay Bridge is the longest water span on the Alaska Highway at 1,917 feet.  The Nisutlin River forms the "bay" as it flows into Teslin Lake.  We camped at the Yukon Motel & Lakeshore RV Park which is located just after crossing the bridge.

Today we traveled about 360 miles in 10 hours. You can see from our average speed  that road conditions really slowed us down.  between Toad River Lodge and Liard Springs at some points along dirt/rocky stretches we could only make 8 mph and we were really shaking things loose!  After Liard Springs the roads improved significantly and we could move along comfortably at 50-55 on the typical surface treatment road. The cabinet holding the dishes and glasses took quite a jolt tumbling the contents yet miraculously no breakage.

 Tomorrow we only have about 130 miles to get to Whitehorse, YK.  This will allow us to catch up on grocery shopping, rest, and more sightseeing.  PS....It rained again today-- and ALL NIGHT!! 

WOW -free internet at Yukon RV park in Teslin. You get 1 free hour if you go to their restaurant! (We did- ate fish and chips) Got off a quick email and checked Facebook- then ran out of time.

MECHANICAL / AND RIG ISSUES SUMMARY  to date as of 7/20/15 Teslin, Yukon:

1. Broken windshield hit by 3 rocks and cracked. Attempted temporary stabilization of crack in West Yellowstone. Failed. Found out windshield will continue to crack if you attempt to wash it at service station while window is facing sun and hot (duh!) To be replaced in Anchorage which was arranged by Joe.

2.Broken plumbing fitting on pressure side of coach water system. Repaired by Joe.

3.Hydraulic leveling jack system logic controller activated twice so far while on rough road. Risk of jack deployment while traveling.  System reset twice by Joe.

4. Hydraulic system (jacks) reveal leakage around jack couplings. Not severe (yet)

5.Keeping eye on right dolly wheel bearing by Joe. Running a bit warmer than other bearing. Need to apply grease in Anchorage.

6. Dampness in storage area beneath floors. Seems to be associated with road spray from rain every day. Monitoring for evidence of more plumbing system leakage by Joe.

7. Front windshield privacy curtain holders pulled loose from wall. Repaired by Joe.

8. Hair dryer died. Destroyed  by Joy (LOL)- guess who added this comment! (Joe)

Joe wants to know what Joy is doing on this trip.  :) 

Comment by Joy:  Joe is doing a good job holding this rig together while I've been washing dishes, fixing him lunches while he drives down the road, making the bed, doing wash, folding clothes, helping wash windows, taking pictures, doing the blog, walking dogs, bathing the little dog, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping and vacuuming the floors, etc., etc, etc.  A trip like this takes teamwork.  After 41 years together, we make a pretty good one.

Joe's comment (who has driven over 4000 miles):  So what have you done for me lately???  LOL