The Move to Missouri: Haines Junction

Distance: 290 miles

We were at the gas station down the road first thing in the morning.  They had a repair shop that was open, so we detached the trailer from the car in their parking lot (not an easy task in the –30 F temperatures) and let them check it out.  About an hour later, they told us that one of the gaskets in the vacuum line system had deteriorated and the engine was stuttering because it was sucking too much air and not enough fuel.  The repair was simple, except they didn’t have the part on-hand.  Instead, they fabricated a gasket out of rubber and we just had to wait another hour for it to cure.  When we went to pay for the patch, they told us it was no charge.  Gratefully, we left a $20 tip.

Unfortunately, by the time we were on our way it was already noon.  In better spirits, and on fairly better roads, we continued our way out of Alaska.  We could see the northern edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Reserve.  As the highway began to take us through snowy hillsides I engaged the four-wheel drive.  Not even an hour later, the check engine light came on again.  Gritting our teeth, we drove onward.

Some time later we passed the U.S. Border Patrol and officially entered the In-Between that is the Alcan Border, a 30-mile stretch between the edge of Alaska and the edge of the Yukon Territory.  The frost heaves on the road were unbelievable, and there were a few occasions where I’m sure the back end of the car lifted off the ground due to the pivot-action on the ball hitch.

As we approached the Canadian Border Patrol, we saw a gray wolf standing silently at the forest’s edge in the dim twilight.  Getting through the border was fairly painless, even if we had to wait a while for an attendant.  We stopped in Beaver Creek for gas and cash (Canadian).

It was dark long before we pulled into Haines Junction, our stop for the night.  In order to check in I had to find the motel owner in the bar, where the entire town was celebrating the New Year.

The car seemed to be holding up fine except for the check engine light, so we decided to make up for today’s late start by getting up extra early tomorrow.

The Move to Missouri: Tok

Distance: 319 miles

We were up early after a restless sleep and did not pull out of the driveway until late morning.  After a last check around the house for anything we may have forgotten, we got in the Passport and proceeded to leave Anchorage.  Hans took his time leaving the neighborhood so he could get a feel for how the car handled with the trailer attached.  So far Hans’ job of attaching the hitch was holding up well.

The remnants of the last snowfall were blowing across the Glenn highway when we left town, making the first hour of driving a little hairy.  At least a dozen vehicles had slid into ditches and were waiting for help.  For one exhilarating moment we felt the back end of the car start to slide sideways and Hans quickly corrected the skid before reducing our speed.  Once we reached the outskirts of Palmer, the roads improved (though were not devoid of winter conditions).  Unfortunately, we realized that we weren’t going to make very good time on this trip.  With the trailer on our back and the road conditions, we would be lucky to average 60 mph.

As we wound our way through the mountains I snapped a few pictures of the Matanuska Glacier and surrounding valleys.  Suddenly I was taken with the beauty of the mountains and began to question our decision to move all our belongings to Missouri.  By the time we reached our first gas stop near Eureka Summit, it was getting dark.  I took over driving.  When we pulled into a gas station in Glennallen, the car began to behave oddly.  As it idled in front of the pump, the engine began to lose power as if it weren’t getting enough fuel, and continued to stutter.  It then took several tries to start up.  Our check engine light had turned on outside of Palmer, but we’d had several false indicators during the last year and didn’t pay any attention.

Once we arrived in Tok for the evening, our concerns grew as the car continued to have trouble while idling.  We flipped through the phonebook to look for mechanic shops that might be open tomorrow, but weren’t sure of our chances given that tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.

We ate a few items from the cooler Hans’ mom had packed for us and went to bed, worried about the days ahead.