All the fish we had caught up to this point had been filleted and dropped off at a fish processor where they were vacuum sealed and flash frozen. Friday morning we picked up our fish and headed out of Valdez back to Fairbanks. We had picked out a couple rivers along the way to try to catch a red salmon. There was a lake about 25 miles off the road that had a good salmon river flowing out of it. The trail going to the lake was very rough, but the drive was worth it. The red salmon were stacked up thick. It was getting late in the run so it was a bit harder to get the fish to bite. Both of us finally managed to get a fish. We snapped some pictures then headed back down the trail to the highway. Our next stop was an area with a number of lakes that were filled with arctic grayling. After a couple hour drive we wet a line again and were rewarded with some beautiful fish. By this time the temperature had dropped into the upper 30?s. Guess it was hard to get a decent pic with the fish flopping and frozen hands. We bounced around to a couple lakes before deciding to call it quits. Our plans were to camp in that area that night. However, with 30 degree temps and a warm bed waiting in Fairbanks just a 3-4 hour drive away we decided not to camp. We rolled up to the house very late Friday night but were so glad to have a warm bed.
At this point the fun part of the trip is over. We spent Saturday unpacking the camping gear and packing the truck with Phil's stuff to take back to Florida. The day before the truck had started making a noise after we got back on the highway from driving the trail up to the lake. It didn't sound that bad and there was no fluids leaking anywhere so we decided to hit the road. About 7 pm Saturday evening (August 9th) we departed Fairbanks with our destination being Pensacola, Fl. Several hours later we were on the Alaska highway getting close to Canada. I think it was about one in the morning when we rolled through Canadian customs. No problems there so I take the wheel and start driving. About four in the morning we rolled into Destruction Bay, Yukon Territory to fuel up. Well, things are a bit different in Canada. The gas station is closed for the night. Guess we can catch up on some sleep. About seven the gas station opens. We fuel up and hit the road. About 5 miles outside of town the noise in the rear end of the truck catches up with us. As I'm driving we lose all power. There is something bad wrong with the truck. The engine still runs but does nothing when we put it in gear. At this point we figure we are pretty much screwed.
Fortunately we didn't have to wait long for somebody to stop and give us a ride back to Destruction Bay. Now they call it a town but it?s basically a gas station and a motel and a couple houses. That's pretty much the way things are along the Alaska Highway through Canada. We managed to find somebody with a tow truck but the nearest town with a mechanic was Whitehorse which was 165 miles down the road. Thank god for tow insurance. If you ever drive the Alaska Highway through Canada tow insurance is an absolute must have!!! So we piled in the very rustic tow truck and suffered through the most uncomfortable 5 hour drive I think I've ever experienced. It is now Sunday. You know how hard it is to find a mechanic open in the states on a Sunday? Our hopes were not very high at this point.
The tow truck made it to Whitehorse about 3 pm Sunday afternoon. As the tow truck was dumping us off in the parking lot of the Chevy dealership in Whitehorse the owner of the dealership came out and greeted us. With dollar signs flashing in his eyes he asked us if we needed any help. Luckily this fella also owned a rental car company next to the dealership. During the summer the rental car company stays pretty jammed up busy. Our spirits were lifted when he said there was a mechanic there working as we spoke. He took a look at the truck and quickly determined that the rear end had gone out. It was another stroke of good luck when he went out in the salvage yard behind the shop and found a used rear end that would work. He said he'd have us back on the road sometime the next day if he didn't run into problems. Cool. That was much better than we had originally thought. So we get dropped off at a hotel and begin to explore our options in Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon Territory. It was just our luck that we were able to find a number of establishments that happily converted American currency into cold Canadian beer. They have a nice downtown area in Whitehorse with everything within walking distance. We call it an early night and stumbled back to the hotel with hopes of hitting the road again on Monday.
Monday morning we call the mechanic and he says he will have the truck ready around lunchtime. Very cool! We pick up the truck, find some dry ice to pack on the cooler of fish then hit the road. The truck runs fine, our bad luck is now behind us.
At some point Monday evening Phil and I switched places and I took over the wheel. Our plans were to drive through the night and get out of Canada as quickly as possible. The longer we were in that country the more we began to despise it. Anyways, it was about 10:30 pm and had just began to get dark. As I was driving along making good time, we began to approach a truck in the other lane. The vehicles that drive the Alaska Highway regularly have some of the brightest lights to be able to spot the abundant wildlife frequently encountered at night. Well, this truck had his brights on and didn't turn them off when I flashed mine. I said to Phil that I couldn?t see a damn thing. Instead of looking down the road at his lights, I slowed down and focused on the white line on the side of the road like I?ve always been told to do. It was about this time that Phil looked up and shouted "BUFFALO". Holy sh!t, there?s a herd of buffalo in the road! I locked up the brakes and realized I wasn't going to be able to stop in time. SMACK! I thought I was going to be able to navigate through a small hole in the herd of 25 or so buffalo, but that wasn't the case. SMASH!!! Sh!t, we just hit a buffalo! Thank god it was the smallest animal of the herd. We skidded to a stop on the side of the highway. It was the second time in my life that I really thought I was going to die.
The vehicle came to a stop and we realized we were not hurt. That was a good thing. Looking at the vehicle from the drivers seat I could see that the buffalo had done some considerable damage. The hood was crumpled and the drivers window was now in tiny pieces all over the inside of the Blazer. We get out and survey the damage. It was at this point that we realized the truck was still running. That was good! It was shortly after that when we realized the truck was quickly overheating. Not good! Damn, we just hit a freakin buffalo!
It wasn't long before several vehicles had stopped and offered assistance. Adrenaline had taken over at this point and we were not sure what to do. We looked back at the animal laying in the road to see that the whole herd had surrounded the dead animal in mourning. Great, now we've got a truck that isn't drivable and a herd of pissed off buffalo a short distance away. Somebody ended up driving up to the herd and scaring them off the road. Once we thought it was safe the dead buffalo was drug off the road. Now what do we do? One of the vehicles that stopped offered to take us to the next phone which was at a lodge about a half hour drive down the road. Since we had all of our stuff sitting in and on top of a truck alongside the road which we now could not lock, I decided to stay with the vehicle. Everyone took off and I'm now sitting in the middle of the flippin wilderness with a dead buffalo on the side of the road 100 yards behind me. Great! Many situations were running through my head at this point. None of which had a happy ending.
I finally worked up the courage to get out of the vehicle and see if I could get the hood open. The truck still ran but was overheating. It could be an easy fix. There wasn't any fluid leaking so I thought there might be a chance to get the truck back on the road. I was able to bend the hood enough to get it to open. Sure enough, the plastic shroud around the fan was in pieces and preventing it from turning. The whole time I'm working on the truck I?m nervously looking around with the flashlight just waiting for a bear to come leaping out of the woods or a pissed of buffalo to come charging at me. I finally got the fan free and started up the truck. Everything appears to be working fine! I let the truck run for a minute or two before slowly creeping back on the road. I mustered the courage to drive about 30 miles an hour down the highway hoping the truck would not break down. After driving for a few minutes I got passed by a semi. He was running about 55 mph. I caught up with him thinking that if there?s more buffalo in the road I?d much rather him hit them than me. It wasn't long before I saw more buffalo standing beside the road. We passed a couple more buffalo along the way but they were all off the road thank god! About 45 miles later I pulled into the lodge/gas station. The gas station had been closed for some time but had briefly opened the pump to fill up some more travelers. They felt sorry for me and graciously allowed me to fill up. They said they hadn't seen anyone asking for a phone or a tow truck so I thought Phil had gone up to the next town. I got the numbers for some towing services and they said there was a pay phone in the lodge. As I walk into the lodge there is Phil standing at the phone with a weird look in his eye. "How'd you get here?" he said with some amazement. I told him the truck was running and now full of gas. We went back outside and talked with the owners of the gas station. They told us they would let us stay at the campground for free if we wanted. Probably wasn't a good idea to drive any more that night. We set up the tent and got some sleep.
Tuesday morning we wake up and survey the truck. Everything looked to be alright. After talking with numerous other travelers at the lodge, we got back on the road. We really couldn't wait to get the hell out of Canada! At this point we still had another 400-500 miles to go on the Alaska Highway. After we got off the highway, we still had another 750 or so miles of Alberta, Canada to drive through.
(note the buffalo sh!t all down the side of the truck!)
