Most everyone arrive on Friday afternoon, but a few hearty souls rolled into Dawson Creek after midnight. On Saturday it was awesome to wake up and see all the jeeps around the motel.
We spent much of Saturday swapping stories. Much of the action was out front of the motel. That in turn caused locals to drop by, say hello and share their own jeeps stories.
Four of those that stopped by were local police. They were very enthusiastic about the trip, so much so, that we had them sign jeeps and pose for photos.
We had Hugo pose with the officers.
They also shared some patches, cut off of their outfits.
As of midnight, we still await the arrival of Merlin & Britt and Andreas Gruson, Marcello, and Dario. Everyone else arrived today, exhausted. So, we had a small celebration and got to know everyone. It’s my (David Eilers) 5th anniversary, so this post is brief.
We can’t wait to start! Only 1300 miles before we reach Fairbanks!
Marty, Rob, Ron, Don arriving at Dawson CreekBill arrived at Dawson CreekTom, Russ, Jim and David (seated) arrived at Dawson Creek.Hugo meeting Jim.Fernando and Hugo saving David’s butt cuz he hasn’t had time to look at his carb.A well deserved beer after fixing David’s carb.Most of the group, exhausted form their days of travel.
Today was a roller coaster of emotions for Scott and Bob. They started the day finishing up the reinstall of Scott’s engine. With that done, they fired the engine in excitement, only to be plagued by fuel pump issues. Faced with yet another challenge after a week of challenges, they plunged ahead and solved their fuel pump issue, successfully getting themselves on the road.
If only for a short time, they were on top of the world. For seven days they faced trial after trial, long night after long night. Ulysses would have faded under such circumstances. When they finally fixed the wagon Thursday evening, they were fired up as you can see in this photo ….
Triumphant, they roared down the highway, unstoppable … for almost 20 miles or so, before the engine faltered again, this time disabling the wagon. Unable to go any further, they concluded the trip was over for them.
We are all saddened by the news, because Scott was a major force for the creation of Alaska Or Rust in the first place. He and Bill both talked me into it. Meanwhile Bob was our treasurer and handled other logistical issues. The trip will not be the same without them and both will be deeply missed. They are now back in the states, ready to return home.
================================================
Russ left his Jeepster at the motel to run and get Scott and Bob.
The day was full of other heroes, too. Russ and Tom drove to Dawson Creek with Charlene, becoming the first Alaska-Or-Rust team members to reach the beginning of the trek. Instead of staying, they parked Charlene at our motel, then roared southward, their truck towing an empty trailer meant for Scott. Russ felt that Scott and Bob deserved to be in Dawson and they’d drive all the way back to pick them and their wagon up if necessary.
As you can imagine, Russ was ecstatic when he learned that they’d gotten the wagon running again. But, he was soon heartbroken when they Scott told them to turn around, that he and Bob were finished. So, kudos to Russ and Tom!
================================================
From left to right, Merlin, Britt, Emily and Joe
When Scott and Bob broke down a few days ago, the four heroes above changed their course to pick up Rick so he could make it to Alaska. Together, the five of them had a good time in Glacier National Park on Thursday. When they left to cross the border, Rick ran into a technicality that didn’t allow him to cross. Left with few options, Merlin and Britt drove Rick down to Great Falls, Montana, so Rick can fly up to meet the group in Fairbanks when they arrive. Meanwhile, Merlin and Britt turned around and went back to Canada. It was a LONG day for them. At least they got some good pics.
1. Russ and Tom saved the day by picking up Scott’s parts from Ron Fitzpatrick (Team G503) in North Dakota and delivering them to him in Canada.
Engine parts delivered to the machine shop in Canada:
Below is a Facebook video created by Scott Schiller that about Scott’s parts. Not all of you will likely be able to view it, but I only have a FB version of the video to share:
2. Marcelo and Dario made it to Edmonton last night. They are staying at the airport Renaissance Hotel through Friday until Andreas arrives by plane at 9:30pm.
3. Merlin and Joe drove from Plentywood, Montana, to Glacier National Park yesterday. Apparently one of the places they’d planned to stay on Wednesday in Plentywood scared them, as it felt like a big emtpy lot where people go to be eaten by clowns. However, a second campsite was a nice public campground. I’m sure their stay in Glacier NP was nice last night!
1. The biggest story of the day was Scott’s engine failure in Estevan, SK, Canada. For the third of four days (if my count is correct) they had to pull apart the engine. This time it wasn’t fixable. A call went out to the jeep community far and wide. A miracle arrive in the form of Ron Fitzpatrick, a saint who overnighted the parts Scott needed to Minot, ND, that Russ will pic up on his way through that city today. He will then cross the border and deliver the parts to Scott and Bob, who will attempt to reassemble the wagon and get back on the road.
Bob burnt the back of his hand on a hot manifold:Seems like Bob found himself some medicine for the burn! Scott certainly deserved a drink, too!
2. Meanwhile, Merlin and Joe drove to Canada, stopped to pick up Rick from Scott, along with stickers and other supplies for the group, then drove south back across the border in hopes they can visit Glacier National Park before turning north for Dawson Creek.
