When we woke up, the (usually great) Internet connexion was down... We laughed it off with a triple shot latte (at least there was sun to provide some electricity to run the coffee machine!). Let me recap the last week for you: first my computer stopped working a few days before we left the Yukon when JF installed Windows 10 (he spent A LOT of time trying to fix it, online, on the phone, in store, without any luck, so we only have one computer between the two of us, which is a problem, because we often have to work at the same time...). Then, in the middle of the Cassiar Highway (in the middle of nowhere, where there was no cell connexion for a few hundreds of miles), a part of the tow system broke, leaving us to drive the two buses separately. When we climbed the hill leading to Kager Lake on Boer Mountain, JF smelled coolant and discovered a hose had just popped... After a few tests, he found out that there was no moving the bus from its location until that was fixed.
Then, he broke his arm and on that same night, we thought the Westy's engine was fried. So we were stuck 5 km up on a dirt road, with no running vehicles (the area where we are parked looks like a garage yard right now with the front of the bus open and parts everywhere...), we are practically out of fresh water. The girls haven't showered in over a week. JF needs meds from the pharmacy in town for pain and to prevent infection in his many road rashes. We need to go get the part to fix the bus tomorrow 80 km away.
I might be an eternal optimist, but I still see our luck in the bad lucks. The part on the Westy is under warrantee, and we should receive it in a few weeks. We were VERY lucky JF saw the Westy moving to the side in his rearview miror, because we could have easily lost it in the ditch... Or we could have broken down completely and not be able to move from where it happened. We have met a local guy that works at the parts store in town while biking this weekend and he was able to help us. The Westy's engine seems fine. We needed to replace the coolant tank (that completely split in two) and the alternator belt.
And most importantly, JF is alive, not disfigured, and his fracture should heal fast. We have a lake nearby to get some water (and clean ourselves if we are brave enough!) and we still have food for at least a few days. JF called the towing to bring the Westy to a local mecanic he rode with on Sunday. We have amazing trails right off our door and the girls and I will take advantage of that. Oh! But life doesn't give us much rest! The gilrs and I surprised a bear that was eating thimbleberries. Poor Aisha was in front and got very scared... We talked to him, but we could still hear him in the bushes, so we turned around... I sure am glad it happened when we were only 10 minutes from the bus! A half an hour earlier, I had asked Aisha to stop singing loudly, because she was driving me batty... I told her to just make noise every 2-3 minutes... The problem is, in 2-3 minutes on a bike, you cover a lot of ground... On our after dinner ride, I told them they could sing non-stop the whole ride... Trust me, the bears did not stand a chance!!
