Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Well we made it back from the survey although things did not go quite as planned. Started out the Wednesday before we left the clutch went out in the truck; got a new pressure plate and had it running by Friday.
We left Saturday (Jerry and John in a Subaru Forester and Joe and I in my truck) under threats of snow in the Seattle area which turned into snow by time we hit Bellingham. By time we arrived in Quesnel the temperature was in the upper twenties.
Sunday we headed for the Blackwater stage that runs northwest from Quesnel to highway 16; 120 miles (first 20 or so is the timed stage) of ice covered with about an inch of snow. About 20 miles in to it on a downhill off camber right hand turn things got real interesting as we snowplowed into the bank. After some shoveling and some winching we were back on the road and rolling. During out efforts to get out something happen to the power steering pump and for the rest of the trip it was growling. Sunday night found us in the town of Stewart with 10’ high banks of snow carved out with snow blowers; kind of felt like a mouse in maze driving through town.
Day three found us heading up the Cassiar Highway heading for the Alaska Highway and Fort Nelson; well that was the plan anyways. About 30 miles short of the Alaska Highway the fuel pump failed; maybe the clutch problem was an omen. Well as it turned out I had an extra transfer pump that I was able to MacGyver into the system but in the process of getting the air bleed out of the system a fitting broke. Well at this point we all pilled into Jerry’s Subaru and we headed for Watson Lake and a tow truck. Jerry dropped Joe and I off there where we got a tow truck and we headed back to pickup my truck. We got back into Watson Lake that got a room for the night. Jerry and John pressed on to Fort Nelson to continue the course survey.
Tuesday morning Joe and I went over to the show and did some more work and got the truck up and running. I took care of the tow bill and filling up the fuel tanks; took on about 300 liters. Then Joe and I headed for Fort Nelson about 10:30 making a stop at Petro-Canada on the way out of Watson Lake to pickup some Melt Down to take care of any fuel gelling (which is what we think took out the fuel pump). We pulled into Fort Nelson Tuesday night and got a room there at the Woodlands Inn.
Wednesday morning we got up early and headed out for Quesnel via Fort St. Johns. We pulled into Quesnel about 6:30 Wednesday evening to the Sandman Inn. As it turned out the Porsche factory team was there from Georgia on their way north with 5 brand new 2008 cars for winter testing. Joe and I made it back home late Thursday afternoon.
Jerry and John continued heading north to try and finish the survey up to Fort Good Hope but only made it about 200 miles out of Fort Simpson doing at best about 40 MPH at which point they decided that this will not work for the rally and turn around.
At this point the route is looking like this:
Day 1 – Kirkland to Quesnel (two TSD’s).
Day 2 – Quesnel to New Hazelton (one slalom and one TSD).
Day 3 – New Hazelton to Whitehorse (this maybe a free day).
Day 4 – Whitehorse to Dawson City (one slalom and one TSD).
Day 5 – Dawson City to Inuvik (free day).
Day 6 – Inuvik to Eagle Plains via Tuktoyaktuk (110 miles each way down the Mackenzie River not on the bank).
Day 7 – Eagle Plains to Liard Hot Springs (one slalom and one TSD).
Day 8 – Liard Hot Springs to Dawson Creek (one may two TSD’s).
Day 9 – Dawson Creek to Jasper for the finish (one TSD).
Kevin
We left Saturday (Jerry and John in a Subaru Forester and Joe and I in my truck) under threats of snow in the Seattle area which turned into snow by time we hit Bellingham. By time we arrived in Quesnel the temperature was in the upper twenties.
Sunday we headed for the Blackwater stage that runs northwest from Quesnel to highway 16; 120 miles (first 20 or so is the timed stage) of ice covered with about an inch of snow. About 20 miles in to it on a downhill off camber right hand turn things got real interesting as we snowplowed into the bank. After some shoveling and some winching we were back on the road and rolling. During out efforts to get out something happen to the power steering pump and for the rest of the trip it was growling. Sunday night found us in the town of Stewart with 10’ high banks of snow carved out with snow blowers; kind of felt like a mouse in maze driving through town.
Day three found us heading up the Cassiar Highway heading for the Alaska Highway and Fort Nelson; well that was the plan anyways. About 30 miles short of the Alaska Highway the fuel pump failed; maybe the clutch problem was an omen. Well as it turned out I had an extra transfer pump that I was able to MacGyver into the system but in the process of getting the air bleed out of the system a fitting broke. Well at this point we all pilled into Jerry’s Subaru and we headed for Watson Lake and a tow truck. Jerry dropped Joe and I off there where we got a tow truck and we headed back to pickup my truck. We got back into Watson Lake that got a room for the night. Jerry and John pressed on to Fort Nelson to continue the course survey.
Tuesday morning Joe and I went over to the show and did some more work and got the truck up and running. I took care of the tow bill and filling up the fuel tanks; took on about 300 liters. Then Joe and I headed for Fort Nelson about 10:30 making a stop at Petro-Canada on the way out of Watson Lake to pickup some Melt Down to take care of any fuel gelling (which is what we think took out the fuel pump). We pulled into Fort Nelson Tuesday night and got a room there at the Woodlands Inn.
Wednesday morning we got up early and headed out for Quesnel via Fort St. Johns. We pulled into Quesnel about 6:30 Wednesday evening to the Sandman Inn. As it turned out the Porsche factory team was there from Georgia on their way north with 5 brand new 2008 cars for winter testing. Joe and I made it back home late Thursday afternoon.
Jerry and John continued heading north to try and finish the survey up to Fort Good Hope but only made it about 200 miles out of Fort Simpson doing at best about 40 MPH at which point they decided that this will not work for the rally and turn around.
At this point the route is looking like this:
Day 1 – Kirkland to Quesnel (two TSD’s).
Day 2 – Quesnel to New Hazelton (one slalom and one TSD).
Day 3 – New Hazelton to Whitehorse (this maybe a free day).
Day 4 – Whitehorse to Dawson City (one slalom and one TSD).
Day 5 – Dawson City to Inuvik (free day).
Day 6 – Inuvik to Eagle Plains via Tuktoyaktuk (110 miles each way down the Mackenzie River not on the bank).
Day 7 – Eagle Plains to Liard Hot Springs (one slalom and one TSD).
Day 8 – Liard Hot Springs to Dawson Creek (one may two TSD’s).
Day 9 – Dawson Creek to Jasper for the finish (one TSD).
Kevin
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