Matanuska mishaps

Hi all,

We are on Vancouver Island now but we had an interesting time getting here.  We took the Tok cut off north from anchorage.  We stopped at Matanuska and walked on the glacier which is even more fun than it sounds! However, on the way to the glacier  we hit a pothole that really shook us up.

On the road afterwards we stopped and watched a moose feeding in a pond.  Then we hit some unmarked frost heaves that sent us flying! We later stopped to eat and found the generator would not start.  Eventually, we found the battery terminal connector had snapped at the generator post.   A short time later, we found the coach 12 volt system had gone out which also included the fridge and freezer!

We drove into Tok around 9 PM and learned the mechanic wouldo be in around 0830.  We drove to the shop, thinking we would boondocked in the lot.  We met another couple already there in their 2005 ford Winnie.   They had blown their transmission and the new one was still two days out. We saw a nice RV park just down the road and went there.  We were happy to find out that our shore power still worked.  I checked all the 12 out fuses and pulled and replaced the coach fuse.  In the morning, the 12 volt system came right on when we disconnected from the shore power.

We still went to the mechanic to see if the could fix the generator and give us some advice on the 12 volt system. However, they were replacing an RV radiator and working on another diesel pusher that lost power to all of it's dashboard gages.   We realized it was going to be a while so we were on our way. I eventually was able to put a new connector on the cable and the generator works again.

We drove for five days, 6 to 8 hours per day. We stopped at on park that had a swimming pool, what a treat!

Now we are in Tofino,  Vancouver Island. It has not rained here since March and fire restrictions and water rationing are in effect. So, of course, it rains the first day we get here and is supposed to rain for the next 3 days!

Still, it is beautiful  here with rain forest and ocean all around.  Will up-load some pictures soon...wifi is iffy.

Good travels all,

Gordon