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| The view heading into Haines Jct, YK |
It hadn't taken Bucky long to notice our soft rear tire, though not completely flat, it was no longer drivable. It was an outside rear tire being supported by its dual counterpart. He noticed it when dumping our black water at Hi-Country RV park in Whitehorse. We seldom stay in RV parks, preferring to spend the $50 charged per night in other ways, such as buying gas. However, the chest freezer in our motorhome shower, carrying the food of our home freezer and hopefully carrying salmon and caribou back to VT needed electricity to cool its contents. Knowing the AK Highway wouldn't provide many overnight opportunities between Whitehorse and Haines Junction and watching the temperature within the freezer rise, as indicated by an exterior thermometer, and also thinking a shower would feel nice, the decision to spend $50 for power, water and a place to dump seemed prudent.
Our 2 hour wait for assistance stretched to 4 hours with some grumbling, much like the tension created in a taunt rubber band. It allowed time for Bucky to peel hard boiled eggs, mix these with pickle relish and make egg salad sandwiches using hot dog buns, a classic which we gobbled down. While waiting, Pika and I investigated the dusty 4 wheeler paths leading from the RV park to town. Tall spruce trees rose high above us casting a dark shadow over trails lined with blue lupine and bright purple vetch, accompanied by the sweet scent of wild pink roses. What nature had so strategically placed would be hard for an expert gardener to duplicate.
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| AJ busily working |
Once back on the road, we thought how fortunate we were to have our flat tire occur in town. We’ve now used Good Sam’s services twice with “good” success. However, this time when AJ Automotive arrived, AJ’s jacks were not adequate to lift a vehicle of our size, despite Good Sam giving AJ the weight and size of our motorhome. Finally, on Bucky’s suggestion, the RV was backed up onto thick wood planks we carry onboard for leveling. By positioning the dual rear wheels with the good inside tire on the plank and the damaged outside tire off the plank, the flat was easily removed. We had seen this technique used in Zion NP after hitting some sharp rock jutting from one of Zion’s magnificent red rock cliffs. While negotiating one of Zion’s narrow and curvy roads, the motorhome’s rear tire clipped a rock protrusion resulting in a flat. Good Sam sent a technician equipped with a heavy plastic wedge that Bucky drove the vehicle up on. It worked slick!
We carried our flat tire with us to Destruction Bay, appropriately named if describing the condition of the highway. There, at Chuck’s Tire and Welding, our tire was quickly repaired for $25!
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| Beautiful Kluane Lake |
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| Bucky supervising! |
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| Griz |
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