Day 58 - Tok, AK

Back in Alaska. We stopped for lunch along Kluane Lake, one of the most scenic locations along the Alaska Highway. It was pretty windy almost pulling the doors out of your hands when opening. We crossed the border into Alaska around 4 and the thermometer in the truck read 70°F. I had to run the A/C. Quite the change from just a few days ago.

We are dry camping behind the Tesoro station in Tok. We went to Fast Eddy’ For dinner as is our tradition. While there, I noticed that the trailer was kind of tilted. Further examination showed that one of the spring shackles on the trailer was broken. Not sure when it happened. The RV repair shop across the street has replacements for $10 a set. I just needed to remove the old one so I can get the right size tomorrow morning. I’m glad I brought all those 1/2” drive tools today. As it was, I needed the breaker bar to get the bolt loose. Hopefully, the shop has replacement bolts as well. 

Day 18 - Menifee, CA - TT

Today, we went to the John Wayne airport to pick up my mom on her flight from Portland. The plane on her original flight to Portland had mechanical issues. We stopped at a surf-themed burger place for lunch and I had a fabulous, pepper encrusted bacon burger. Phenomenal. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the restaurant. After dropping my mom off at her friend's home here in Menifee, we picked up some stuff at the store and arrived back at the RV after seven hours. Most of that was driving.

On Tuesday, the battery in my Apple Watch was so low that it refused to charge. I had tried multiple charge cords but never tried a different USB port. I had arranged with Apple to pick up a replacement at the Apple Store in Temecula about 15 miles south of here. This morning, Bridget mentioned that her watch wasn't charged after being plugged in all night. Hmmm. The probability of the same problem on two watches was very small. I had heard that if the battery was run completely dead, then the stock 0.5 amp charger isn't able to charge the watch. I plugged it into a 2.1 amp USB source and her watch started charging. I moved the other charge cord to another 2.1 amp USB port and tried my watch. It started to charge. Within 30 minutes. it was up to 75%. Called Apple and canceled my appointment to pick up a replacement. I used it all day and the charge only dropped 10% so I think it's working again.

This evening, we are taking my mom to visit with her sister and my cousins. 

In the Shop

This morning, I dropped the trailer off at an RV shop to have them replace all three of the cable operated tank valves. The back of the shop faces a gravel pit so there would be a nice view from the back window if we were actually camped there. The rig looks high in the front as I had adjusted the pin box to its lowest position which maximizes the distance from the trailer overhang to the top of the truck bed rails. No problem with them touching as I pulled out of the driveway. Towing nose-high is not recommended as it puts more of the trailer weight on the rear wheels of the trailer. But since the shop was only about six miles away, I figured that it should be fine.

The repair time estimate they gave me is really dependent  on how quickly they could get replacements for the cable operated valves. Due to the different cable lengths, it isn’t something that they carry in stock.

On a side note, Bridget has been asking me about the GoPro video that she shot in Colorado. Here is a small sampling of the video of the ride up Pike Peak.

Day 84 - Williamson Provincial Park, AB

Last night, there was a lightning and thunderstorm including one "boom" that felt like it was right over the campground. A couple of dogs were not very happy. Today, we stopped at Williamson Provincial Park located between Whiteside and Grand Prairie, AB. No amenities at this site so we are dry camping. No wi-fi so we'll have to stop at Tim Horton's to use their free wi-fi to upload this post. And maybe have a donut. The high temperature today was only 75°F so power at the campsite is no longer essential. Tomorrow, we will actually hit the beginning of the Alaska Hwy at Dawson Creek.