Another Axle?

Earlier we shared that we upgraded the axles on the Mini-T (our Imagine 17MKE travel trailer). Dave was concerned on the uneven wear on one of the trailer tires and we made an appointment in Anchorage for a reputable shop to put 2 new, heavier axles on our trailer. We should good now, right?

Well, I guess not. The day after we parted ways with Greg & Helen (see previous blog), we noticed not long after we left Tok, the rear right tire was out of alignment. We had driven over some bumpy roads and Dave thought he had avoided the potholes. We are not sure what we may have hit, but the axle was bent. We decided to drive straight to Whitehorse, Yukon, our destination to meet up with Greg & Helen and not stop as planned along the way. Dave had to change the tire to the spare along the way due to the wear, but that was enough to arrive to Whitehorse, Yukon safe

The Discover Yukon campground we stopped at after noticing the alignment issue recommended a specific RV service center in Whitehorse. Dave was at their door when they opened Monday morning. Unfortunately, they did not have the size of axle we needed and was going to call around to see. The shop owner said it could be 7 to 10 days to get one delivered if there was not one locally (and there was none). In the meantime, Dave reached out to the shop in Anchorage where the new axles were installed and shared our dilemma. He said they did have our size axle in stock. Dave and I quickly made the decision to leave Mini-T in Whitehorse and head for Anchorage, a 13-hour drive. Leaving at noon, we drove back to Tok (7 ½ hours; 4 of which are over the bumpy, pothole filled roads with frost heaves (due to the permafrost thawing). We stayed in a dog-friendly motel and then hit the road again early Tuesday morning. We drove the remaining 5 ½ hours to Anchorage, picked up the new axle, got a quick bite to eat, and headed back to Tok. We left at 6:30 a.m. and returned to Tok at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. That was a long day! We stayed at the same motel and left early Wednesday morning and headed back to Whitehorse, arriving at 3:30 p.m., dropping off the new axle at the RV service center, ready to be installed the next day. Phew! Greg & Helen also arrived in Whitehorse on Wednesday from their northern adventure.

During our drive, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and was able to see the sixth highest mountain in the United States, Mount Sanford which is in the Wrangell Volcano Field. At 16,237 feet, it was shrouded in clouds the last time we were in the area. Mount Sanford is one of 4 peaks in the same area. We could not see the other ones, but could see it. A win!

On the way back from Anchorage, we were able to see not just Mount Sanford, but also its neighbors, Mount Drum, Mount Wrangell, and Mount Blackburn. Mount Blackburn is the fifth highest mountain in the United States at 13,390 feet (only 153 feet more than its neighboring volcano Mount Sanford). In the picture below, from left to right, the mountains are Sanford, Drum, Wrangell, and Blackburn. I included a few other pictures, including the inevitable road construction delay, which is prevalent as the crews have such a limited window to work on the roads. The photo shows us being escorted through a construction site with a pilot car leading the way. I could not resist adding a few pictures of Matanuska Glacier, which we hiked last week. Such a beautiful site!

Dave, Murphy, and I dropped off Mini-T on Thursday at 8 a.m. and since they had our “house”, we ran errands and did some upcoming route planning at a wonderful bakery (except their cinnamon roll was quite dry; doesn’t even get an honorable mention). By 2 p.m., Mini-T was ready with her new axle installed and aligned tires. Yippee!

We have started on our route back, which will take us down the Cassiar Highway, which runs closer to the west coast of Canada than the Alaska Highway. On our way in, eagle eyes Helen spotted a bear on the side of the road and Dave got a quick photo. The bear was eating berries! After arriving at our campground, while still on the Alaska Highway (we turn south the next day), we headed over for a quick repeat waterfall hike. Murphy climbed up on a large rock and Greg joined him.

And the best part of this stop–we had a new variation of S’mores. Ready? A Turtle S’more! Hershey’s chocolate, roasted gooey marshmallow topped with caramel sauce and pecans. Greg & Helen voted it the best so far. And Dave? Well, let’s just say he had traditional S’mores. One day, we will get him to try one of our variations (maybe).