Tok AK .... again

Upon leaving Fairbanks we have now made the turn south and east and will be working our way back home.  We hope to spend tonight in Tok.  Delta Junction is about half way between Fairbanks and Tok.  It is the northern terminus for the Alaska Highway.

There are some pretty mean bugs in Delta Junction

Three petroleum pipelines have passed through Delta Junction.  From1943 until 1947 the US Army sent gasoline, diesel and crude oil from Whitehorse to Fairbanks up the 3" Canol pipeline.  From 1955 until 1971 the Army pumped petroleum products 626 miles from Haines to Fairbanks through the Haines-Fairbanks pipeline through an eight inch pipe. And from 1977 to present the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company has pumped oil 789 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez through its 48 inch pipe.

Mt Hayes and the Tanana River

Tanana River

The Alaska pipeline crosses the Tanana River near Delta Junction on a suspension bridge

Since the Exxon Valdez disaster the TAPS has put in place a number of spill response plans and equipment all along the pipeline corridor.

This monster air boat and at least 4 smaller airboats were stationed at the Tanana crossing

We visited Rika's Roadhouse, an example of the historic roadhouses used by Alaska travelers during the early 20th century.  It is now a part of the Big Delta State Historical Park.

Rika's Roadhouse

I think they need to take a weed whacker to the roof

Tanana River

We spent one night on the highway about 35 miles outside of Tok

At our camp 35 miles NW of Tok I observed another pool of oil under the engine.  The pattern and location were identical to what I had seen in Fairbanks the day before.  I figured it unlikely that another RV had parked in our space in Fairbanks, and then parked in this space in the pull-out at MP 1344.5, so I faced reality and admitted that we had a serious oil leak.  CRAP!  Not only did we have a leak, but when I started the engine it seemed to gush. DOUBLE CRAP!  I checked the oil level in the crankcase, and it was OK. We drove on into Tok and stopped at the visitor center to ask about diesel mechanics in town.  The guy there was very helpful and offered two choices:  Willard's Auto and Electric Service and Northern Energy.  Both were closed on this Sunday so we made camp at a very quaint and small campground, the Alaskan Stoves CG.

The solar array at Northern Energy.  22,000 watts vs 400 watts: we're seriously out-solared.

Alaskan Stoves CG has a clear theme.  There is a handmade stove at each site as well as other stoves throughout the park.  You can even stay in Sam McGee's wood stove cabin.  They also have tent cabins and a "teardrop" trailer for rent.

The self-serve fee box at Alaskan Stoves CG

Stoves galore

Our home at Alaskan Stoves CG

Sam McGee's wood stove cabin

Inside Sam McGee's wood stove cabin

The "Pavilion" complete with sink, fridge, utensils, and of course, a stove

Want to rent a "teardrop" camper for the night?

Another cute men's room sign

Map showing most of the Alaska highways

On Monday morning we drove over to Willards Auto and Electric Service to see about a repair.  It was horrifying.   They were supposed to open at 8:00 AM, but by 8:30 no one was there except about 8 RVs wanting service.  One mechanic showed up about 8:45 and immediately started bitching that the other mechanic had not yet arrived.  Long story short: mechanic #1 identified the problem as a fuel leak, namely a bad lift pump.  He called Cummins, the manufacturer of my engine, and got a quote of $600 for the part plus shipping  The nearest part was in Portland OR.  It would have to be overnighted to Fairbanks, then somehow huttled 200 miles to Tok, which was not served by FedEx.  He figured about 9 hours to install (?????) at $130 per hour.  He didn't seem to be very competent.  I really din't want him to work on our engine.

Willard's

In the meantime I called Northern Energy, the other place in town reported to do diesel repair.  It turns out, they only do work on their own fleet vehicles.  DANG!  I had no confidence in Willard's, so, being dumb and optimistic I drove over to Northern Energy to see if there was anything they could suggest or do.  There I met John, who at least agreed to look at it for me.  He confirmed that the lift pump seal had failed, and the more I talked with him, the more I was convinced that he was a very qualified mechanic.  Besides spending several years servicing the fleet at Northern Energy, he had been a diesel mechanic in the army for over 13 years, servicing combat vehicles in Iraq.  I asked him if he would trust Willard's to work on his vehicle.  He responded that he would never trust anyone but himself to work on his own vehicle.  Looking pitiful and having no other option, I engaged John to replace my lift pump on his own time.  He ordered the part from Cummins in Portland, and it was shipped via FedEx to Fairbanks overnight.  The part and the air freight were only $525, significantly less than the quote from Willard's for the part only.  Dorcas and I drove 200 miles back to Fairbanks to pick up the part at the Cummins service center the next day, and John installed it the day after that.  In the end I paid John $50 per hour (more than twice his day-job salary) for 4 hours of work.  Everyone was happy.

Our mechanic John

Besides all that, there had been one other glitch.  Motor homes are not designed and built with ease of engine maintenance in mind.  Consequently, access to the lift pump was not possible through the rear access hatch or from underneath the coach.   Dorcas and I had to dismantle the wardrobe, pull up some carpet and move the bed frame in the back of the coach in order to facilitate the repair.  After the removal of many screws and carpet staples, we were able to expose three hatches that led to the engine below the floor.

View of engine access hatches in the bedroom

Then we had to put it all back together.  John confirmed something else we already knew: namely that we had an exhaust manifold leak.  It is not an urgent repair, but will require disassembling the bedroom again.  Fuel milage may suffer a bit since the turbo charger is not producing maximum boost.  In the meantime we will move on, and I will schedule the service for October after we get home.  While the carpet is torn up we may also install wood flooring throughout.

While on our mad dash to Fairbanks to pick up the lift pump we saw four road side moose.  These guys were grazing near the Johnson River bridge at MP 1380.5

Moose cow and calf

Moose calf

John brought his dogs to meet Matilda and visit while he worked.

Lela, a blue merle Border Collie loves to fetch and find hidden Yummy Chummies

Xena, a Husky-Border Collie mix loves to chase squirrels and keep them treed until John "takes care" of them.

We have spent 5 nights in Tok, four more nights than we had originally intended.  It is time to move on.  We had hoped to head north and visit Chicken AK and Dawson YT on our way out of Tok.  At least I did; Dorcas was concerned about the road and was resistant.  Our delay in Tok made that issue a moot point.  Next stop: Canada and the Yukon Territory.

Fairbanks AK

We left our camp on the Nenana River gorge just outside the Denali National Park entrance on Sunday July 30, headed north on the Parks Highway  towards Fairbanks.  Our first stop was the charming little town of Nenana located at the confluence of the Nenana and Tanana rivers.

Nenana Visitor Center

Dorcas and the visitor center lady, a charming little lady who talked nonstop

The Taku Chief at the Nenana visitor center

The highway bridge over the Tanana River

Nenana is famous for the Nenana Ice Classic, it is a contest based on the exact time of the ice break on the Tanana River.  Folks can buy a ticket for $2.50 and enter their guess as to the day/hour/minute that the ice breaks on the river.  A tripod is erected and placed on the ice.  A cable connects the tripod to a tower on shore where the cable is attached to a clock.  When the tripod moves, it triggers the clock to stop, which registers the exact time.  In 2017 the jackpot was $267,444 and was split among 42 winners.   It ain't powerball, but it is still very popular.

The tower and the tripod, which will be placed on the ice

Dorcas and I bought a few tickets at the visitor center

These books tabulate all the entries for past years

A page from the 2016 book

The Alaska Railroad depot in Nenana

The 49-star flag was introduced when Alaska was admitted as a state in 1959.  The flag was short-lived however, and was replaced when Hawaii was added later the same year.

A 49-star flag

The Alaska Railroad publishes a commemorative poster each year.  There were a number of these posters on display in the depot museum, but this one was particularly interesting.  It showed a locomotive depicted as a mosaic of smaller images.  Very cool.

Mosaic poster

Close-up of mosaic poster and individual images

The Mears Memorial Bridge is a truss bridge of the Alaska Railroad, completed in 1923. The bridge spans the Tanana River at Nenana and at 700-feet-long, it is among the longest simple truss-type bridges in the world.

Mears Memorial Bridge

At a craft store in town I bought a really nice diamond willow stick.

Look at my new diamond willow stick!

Seen on the Parks Highway .... 'Nuff said

We parked at the Walmart in Fairbanks for the duration of our stay.  There were about 25 other RVs staying there.

Camp Walmart

They had dedicated RV camping ... er parking spaces

A panoramic photo of our "campground".    Scroll right to see the whole picture

These guys liked to perch on our roof.

"I don't care what you say, I think it's a nice rig!"

We're still having long days, even 6 weeks after the summer solstice

You can get anything at Sam's Club

The following pictures were taken at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center.

Antler arch

Close up of antler arch

Sign at men's room door

This doesn't mean parking for old folks, but parking for tribal elders

These "Fairbikes" stations were all over town. scan a code on the rear fender and off you go!

Bird origami at the Thompson Center

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you!"

A scene from downtown Fairbanks

The steamer STR Nenana, Queen of the Yukon, at Pioneer Park, is the second large wooden-hulled vessel in the world.




Inside the STR Nenana were a number of dioramas depicting many of the river towns she visited.

This diorama depicts the port of Nenana.  Notice the depot and the Ice Classic tripod and tower.

One diorama showed a canoe ... I couldn't resist including a photo

While in Fairbanks, we visited Goldstream Dredge No. 8.  It operated from 1928 until 1959 and produced 7.5 million ounces of gold.

Earl entertained passengers on the train to the dredge

Gold Dredge No. 8

Dorcas driving the dredge.  Driving the coach has improved her confidence

Electric engine and belt drives on the dredge

From Wikipedia:   "A large gold dredge uses a mechanical method to excavate material (sand, gravel, dirt, etc.) using steel "buckets" on a circular, continuous "bucketline" at the front end of the dredge. The material is then sorted/sifted using water. On large gold dredges, the buckets dump the material into a steel rotating cylinder (a specific type of trommel called "the screen") that is sloped downward toward a rubber belt (the stacker) that carries away oversize material (rocks) and dumps the rocks behind the dredge. The cylinder has many holes in it to allow undersized material (including gold) to fall into a sluice box. The material that is washed or sorted away is called tailings. The rocks deposited behind the dredge (by the stacker) are called "tailing piles." The holes in the screen were intended to screen out rocks (e.g., 3/4 inch holes in the screen sent anything larger than 3/4 inch to the stacker)."

The "screen" is in the back and the sluice box, where the gold is collected, in the foreground

At the dredge they give you a small poke of ore so you can pan for gold.  Dorcas and I found a little gold, it was weighed and worth $17.  We were a little disappointed.  In 2011 we scored almost $50 worth of gold.  We had enough to fill a pair of earrings for Dorcas to go with her 2011 necklace.

It's not much, but hey, it's gold

Another highlight of our stay in Fairbanks was having a nice dinner and visit with our friends Bob and Pat from our RV community in FL.  Bob and Pat were with a caravan and were just beginning their trip to Alaska.  

Faithful readers will remember that I had been diagnosed with a UTI in Juneau back in June.  Juneau Urgent Care diagnosed the infection and took a specimen to determine the best course of antibiotic to treat the specific strain.  I had made a number of calls to the clinic to get the lab results, but they would never get them to me.  We had stayed in Juneau an extra four days awaiting the results, but they never came.  The clinic prescribed an antibiotic, then when that drug was not effective, they prescribed a different antibiotic, still not knowing what strain of bacteria they were treating.  In the meantime the symptoms have returned.  I went to an urgent care facility in Fairbanks and was diagnosed with a"wicked" infection.  The PA there was reluctant to treat me, due to a number of complicating factors and strongly recommended that I go the the emergency room at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which I did.  They did blood tests and took another specimen for a culture, and we hung around in Fairbanks a few days longer than we had originally intended to await the results.  When the results were in the bug was identified, and a third round of antibiotics were prescribed.  We'll see how things go from here.

On a positive note: the hospital called me with the results of the culture at 7:50 PM.  They immediately called a prescription in to the pharmacy at Walmart, which closed at 8:00 PM.  I then ran into the Walmart (we're parked there, remember?) and they had already received the prescription.  They filled it quickly, and I took the first dose at 8:10 PM.  Amazing, isn't it?

We departed Walmart on Saturday August 5.  While doing our departure walk-around, Dorcas observed two small pools of oil under the engine.  It looked fresh, but there was no telling how many other RVs had been parked in that spot over the past few weeks, and I had never seen a leak before.   Being one who embraces denial, I said let's roll and hope for the best.  That was perhaps not the best decision I've ever made.  Stay tuned ...