At Peace

Thursday, July 2, 2009 – Day 63

There was a steady rain as we hitched-up the trailer in Fort Nelson.  The temperature was a cool 10C.  We had some issues with the trailer brakes, but it seemed to clear up once we started moving or so I thought.  The rain continued off and on till we got to Fort St. John.

This town apparently has a population of about 18,000 people, but it seems so long.  We read in the Milepost that it is the localized centre for oil and gas exploration in Northern BC and is also dependent on the lumber business.  The town is situated just above the Peace River Valley.  This is beautiful rolling country with large ranching and grain operations lining the valley.  There are enough steep grades and winding roads to keep your attention focused on the road.

My attention was also focused on the brake controller, which I had thought had been resolved earlier.  Periodically it would report trailer brake problems or no power.  We stopped several times, trying different things each time to fix the problem but it continued to Dawson Creek.  With thunder and lightning just in the distance and the sky getting darker and darker.  I took apart the junction box to find that the ground wire had come out of the set screw.  I reattached the ground wire and hopefully that should resolve the problem once and for all.  It is a real tribute to the Silverado’s ability to maintain a steady controlled speed going down an extended 8% grade while holding back a 12,000 lb trailer with only the truck service brakes and the Duramax/Allison combo.  Love this truck!

As I was completing the repairs the heavens just opened up and we got a real light show.  The rain came down in buckets and we had a couple of brownouts, but no real power failure.  However, it did affect the campground router in that it knocked it out of service.  Soooo, when we finally get a good Wi-Fi signal the phone line is zapped.  I am already two days behind in my blog posts.

We have finally made it to Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway, which officially starts in Dawson Creek, BC.  We have driven the whole 1422 miles of the highway although not contiguously; maybe we’ll try that next time!

Wildlife count today – 1  Owl, 1 Elk and 1 BIG Bull Moose – too bashful for the Spot the Moose feature, though.