CAPTAIN’S LOG - DAY 4
North Star Date: 11/30/2012
Location or Route: Watson Lake, YT to Fort Nelson, BC.
Travel Miles: 319 (1181 Cumulative)
Weather Conditions: Overcast skies with light snowfall on and off all day. Very windy over the mountains at times, especially in the vicinity of Liard Hot Springs and Muncho Lake Provincial Park.
Road Conditions: Overnight we had 1 to 2 inches of snowfall accumulate on road surfaces. Throughout the day, mostly ice and snow packed with some stretches of patchy bare pavement. Half and half mix of plowed and unplowed on the fresh snow fall areas. Some areas without gravel (in the north it’s graveled, not sanded, and it’s snow machine not snow mobile, but we don’t have time to talk about that right now), but most areas were graveled, especially on grades where the extra traction was needed.
Animals Observed: Many bison, a fox, a herd of wild horses, many caribou, one cow elk near Fort Nelson at dusk – are elk this far north?
7:11 AM (-15F/-26C)
Looking out the second floor hotel window we can see our vehicles parked nose to nose; it’s so cute. Apparently they slept well throughout the night, all plugged in and comfortable and under the watchful eye of the hotel attendant on the security monitors. Using the remote, we watched as the truck started without incident. There will be no jumping vehicles this morning - so we got that going for us - which is good.
We did some stretching in the hotel room and then made our way downstairs for breakfast. Snow is falling.
8:11 AM (-11F/-24C)
We pulled out of the hotel parking lot and took the short drive over to see “Signpost Forrest”. That’s a place where people from all over come to hang stolen signs of all kinds on posts and on structures in a kind of domestic tribute garden to themselves.
We easily located our Wyoming license plates, which we had hung on a small structure on the north perimeter during our trip here in 2009; CJ3B for me and Lil’ Willy, and SMYL for Ruth and her smiley-face-yellow Jeep. Ruth was pleased to see nobody had removed them to make space for their own. She didn’t know that when I hung them I had attached a mattress tag to each, stating penalties under the law for their removal. I keep several of these tags available for just such use; you too should consider it - just don’t get caught removing one.
8:39 AM (-11F/-24C)
Because we had already fueled the vehicles last night, we were able to get right onto the highway leaving Watson Lake and headed southeast bound toward our planned destination for today - Fort Nelson, BC.
Speaking of compass directions, you recall yesterday we talked about the truck’s potentially inaccurate outside air temperature reading of -40. At the same time, the computer display for the compass was reading “N” for North. It appears likely that heading north may have been the cause of the bitterly cold temperatures we’ve been experiencing all along!
After resetting the instruments, not only have we noticed the vehicles are now traveling in the correct direction, but we’ve seen a significant increase in temperatures! Today we’ve had a nice comfortable range of 1F to -11F. This illustrates the importance of not relying too much on electronic technology. If we had checked our course earlier against a magnetic compass, we may have been able to shave off a day or so from our overall travel time.
It’s just shocking what effect an inaccurate gauge can have on temperatures in the atmosphere! Maybe when we get home we’ll mention that to the scientists, in the event they haven’t considered this possibility regarding the global warming issue. And, if we bring the irregularity to the attention of the Dodge engineers, along with the over-optimistic mileage figures the computer always provides, and the fact that the GPS map ends just north of Edmonton (two things we discovered on the way up here three years ago), maybe they’ll show their gratitude by giving us a new truck!
(Disclaimer: The temperatures previously reported have been accurate and obtained from multiple sources, not simple reliance on inaccurate truck computer displays. The imbecilic comments made above are solely for the purposes of making a joke.)
11:11 AM (-7F/-22C)
Over the past several miles we have shillyshallied back and forth numerous times across the Yukon and British Columbia dividing boundary. Now, we just traversed it to the south for the last time. We won’t be seeing Yukon Territory again. So long old friend!
12:11 PM (1F/-17C)
We are 35 miles from Liard River Hot Springs (pronounced Lee-Ard). Up ‘til today, we’ve had no desire to don bathing suits and get wet in these extreme temperatures, but now it is an almost balmy one degree above zero Fahrenheit! I radioed ahead for Ruth to consider a break from our weary travels and to take the half-mile walk in the wind to the springs for a relaxing warm bath - not forgetting about the open-air changing rooms and how our feet froze to the concrete floor during our first experience with this place three years ago. We are not yet “home, home on the range”, so I guess I shouldn’t dwell too much on trying to coach Ruth against uttering discouraging words. Besides, the FCC can’t fine you if they can’t find you. “10-4 good buddy, over and out”!
1:21 PM (0F/-18C)
Oh my gosh, I made it back to the truck; that was probably the scariest time of my life! We had just pulled into the Liard Hot Springs parking lot and before taking the half-mile hike over for a soak, I wanted to see if the camper furnace would light.
Because of the gusty winds, I radioed for Ruth to sit tight in her car and I made my way around the back side of the truck. I had my faithful butane barbecue lighter tight against my chest on an inside coat pocket next to my water bottle and toothpaste.
Just as I was preparing to reach up and release the back roof-latches on the camper and swing open the door, the wind picked up and plastered me spread-eagle across the back wall of the camper.
Increasing in intensity, it just wouldn’t let up and I found myself unable to move. Flattened as I was against the frigid aluminum, I fought hard to stay conscious as I felt the heat slowly drain out of my body.
How long I remained there, pressed up against that malevolent RV I don’t know; I was drifting in and out of consciousness. At one point I thought I saw the Care-Bears. Would Ruth sit tight – or would she come to my rescue?
After what must have been many hours I thought I could hear my name being shouted out over the howl of the wind. “Wha? What is that?” I murmured. It was Ruth! My Angel! When I hadn’t returned after a few minutes she had come to my rescue!
She’d tied one end of the 50’ extension cord around her waist and the other end to her car door handle. Fighting her way against the wind, and the cutting shards of ice and wind-hardened snow blasting around her in the blizzard conditions, she made her way inch by inch in the direction she had last seen me go, and where she believed the truck to be.
Upon finally reaching me, she got ahold of the far side of my coat and with her grippy-finger gloves, and a supernatural strength - brought on at times like these - she pried me off the camper surface against the force of the wind. We both tumbled onto the protected side of the truck and camper. Then she hoisted my 225 lbs. of almost-dead weight up into the truck, turned on the heated seat to try and help revive me and then clawed her way back up the extension cord and climbed into the safety of her own vehicle.
After I regained consciousness and the ability to speak, I raised her over the radio. She was sad when I suggested we not take the hike to the hot springs and a warm bath after all. But I was able to convince her we still had a long way to go and we had to make time. Perhaps I will surprise her with a romantic trip to Thermopolis Hot Springs in Wyoming for our anniversary in February.
3:32 PM (-11F/-24C)
Approaching Summit Lake; will these mountains never end? We need to get out of the mountains before dark! It’s been very windy and the roads are winding. They’re also narrow and snow covered and our travel speeds are down to 25 and 30 mph. Some of the grades are steep and the ground blizzards caused by nearby or passing vehicles are causing terrifying periods of whiteout blindness, especially when produced by those evil tractor-trailers! The hours are beginning to wear on us. “Shut Up”! “Don’t talk to me”! “10-4”.
6:11 PM (-6F/-21C)
After driving into cell phone coverage close to Fort Nelson, I called ahead and secured lodging at the Ramada. We fueled up and then found our way to the hotel. We got the vehicles plugged in and the saddles removed and finally relaxed in our room.
This was a hard day, nine hours on difficult mountain roads, the last few hours in the dark. But there are not many winter lodging opportunities between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson, so it had to be done. We are past the most difficult sections of the trip, so we got that going for us - which is good.
Day 4 Pics
