We headed south and east toward the Wrangell St. Elias National Park and the remote town of McCarthy.  It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, very little traffic, we were looking for bears and moose, as usual.  Then a loud clunk, grind, scrape and clang came from the back end of Tramp.  We slammed to a stop, jumped out and peered underneath – the rear axle and differential were smoking and oil was splattered all over the under carriage of the vehicle.  We had just had a major mechanical failure.

Locals to the rescue.  A nice guy who lives just up the road (really, someone lives nearby?) pulled over and gave us the name and number of ‘the most reliable mechanic in the area’.  We rang him and after an hour’s wait and a bucket full of bucks we had Tramp carried back to Glenallen, 45 miles from whence we came.  We camped that night in the junk yard of the local repair shop, full of stress and worry about what the next day might bring.  And to add to the scene, a black bear and a brown bear with cubs were seen in the yard the previous night – the owner said ‘don’t stray too far and don’t worry about the gun shots, we’re heavily armed’.

Bad news came the next day that the rear differential (the diff in guy talk) was seriously damaged (again) and we were eventually towed all the way back to the Chevrolet dealer in Fairbanks, 250 miles north of Glenallen.  This is the same Chevrolet dealer that had Tramp for a week and never fixed the initial problem.  The guys at the auto repair shop in Glenallen had been very good to us but it was very distressing to know we were going back to Fairbanks with a completely shot vehicle.

As we gloomily sat high in the long transport truck for the five hour drive to Fairbanks we marvelled at how the countryside had changed since our last passing through this area about three weeks ago.  All the deciduous trees were changing to a bright yellow and fresh snow was covering all the high mountains.  Winter was coming.

Perhaps the winter of our discontent.  We had already spent an unscheduled week in Fairbanks getting the rear end of our truck fixed the first time but here we were again, same place, same problem.  We arrived late on our flat-bed chariot and spent the night in the dealer’s car park before having confirmed the next day what we already knew.  Tramp’s rear axle and differential were completely cooked, more parts would need to be ordered from ‘the lower 48’ and we would be spending at least another week in Fairbanks.

I can’t describe the overwhelming dismay, sadness, frustration and anger we have had over this whole issue.  To have the most important part of our North American adventure – Alaska – heavily impacted by two huge vehicle failures is beyond words.  And to make the whole thing even more frustrating and infuriating, if the dealer in Fairbanks had fixed the problem the first time or listened to us when we said it wasn’t fixed then we wouldn’t have had to make this second fateful trip.

 

As a short semi-technical explanation, the rear axle and differential developed a loud whining and grinding noise in the Yukon.  The Fairbanks Chevrolet dealer diagnosed it (water in the oil of the axle housing, burned out bearings, other stuff), ordered parts and eventually installed them.  But the problem persisted, despite their assurances it would ‘go away’ after 500 miles.  Eventually, inevitably, the entire rear diff overheated, boiled the oil which blew out the vents, seized and brought us to a horrible stop.  This is all to a car they assured us could be ‘driven to Florida’.

The dealer is paying for these repairs, as they reluctantly agreed they had to, and provided us with a loan car so we could move around.  We camped in the corner of their large car park and that first night contemplated all that has happened – the loss of valuable time on our trip that can’t be replaced, the significant other costs that won’t be reimbursed, the enormous stress and strain on us personally and the sadness of the indisputable conclusion the Chevrolet Colorado is not the right vehicle to be carrying our camper and this team that makes up the two parts of Tramp will eventually have to be broken up.

On this second extended stay in Fairbanks we started to make the town our own.  We could navigate around the place without maps, revisit our favourite spots (Hot Licks for ice cream!), do things we wouldn’t normally do (a movie!) and become well known at the Chevrolet dealership where we lived and loitered.  We were parked in the far corner of their car yard, private and safe if not completely bland and lifeless.  If it wasn’t for our little Chevrolet Trax loaner car, which we called Junior, we would have gone crazy.

One day we took Junior on a day trip to Chena River Hot Springs, about 60 miles north of town.  The highlight of the day was a beautiful 3.5 mile (5.6 km) walk up to and around Angel Rocks, a series of volcanic tors which provided fabulous views over the valleys below.  We enjoyed beautiful blue skies, Alaskan fall colours of yellows and reds, a good burst of exercise and a brief escape from Fairbanks.

On the Friday before the Labor Day long weekend we were assured our truck would be ready so we could get away before they close down.  Late that afternoon we were told there had been delays, the truck would not be ready and we would be locked into another four days in Fairbanks.  It was another brutal blow to our travel plans.

Thinking beyond Fairbanks, because quite frankly we had to, we jumped in Junior and headed south, back to Denali National Park.  The sun came out, a fresh coating of snow covered the tops of the mountains and the birch and aspen were all changing into their fall colours.  We drove all the way to the end of the public road in the park, loving the scenery and all the changes since we had been there a month ago.  We then did a good walk around Horseshoe Lake and revelled in the brisk mountain air.  Denali rocks!

That night we stayed at the illustrious Bluesberry Inn in the small community of Cantwell, about 26 miles south of Denali.  It was modest and homely but the views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains were stunning and the four moose feeding in the river on the way down was a nice touch.  Setting the alarm at 1.30am we also had groggy views of a very small display of the aurora borealis, or the northern lights as its known to its mates.  Very cool.

The next day the sun was sparkling and the fresh snow on the jagged peaks all around us with the red and yellow coloured trees below gave us a great start to the day.  We drove south for about an hour, loving the stunning views all around us until the clouds came in and the sun disappeared.  Then it was back to Denali National Park for a beaut walk along the fast moving Riley Creek, admiring the rich and colourful boreal forest up close.

Alas, it was back to Fairbanks and our semi-permanent home in the corner of the dealer’s extensive car park.  It was a bit depressing coming back to this scene after a great two days in Denali but as they say, reality bites.  We passed another day doing a few things around town and succumbing to a bit more boredom shopping before resupplying our pantry in anticipation of blowing this joint the following day.

It was not to be.  The technicians at the dealership found another issue which pushed back our departure by another day.  Unfortunately this meant Tramp’s rear axle was completely disassembled and we were forced to stay in a local hotel for the night, at their expense.  The following day, now Day 17 of total days in Fairbanks – a town that normally could be visited in a single day – we were told of another delay and another night in the hotel.  Irreplaceable holiday days on our North American adventure were being wasted in Fairbanks because of some very dubious skills and processes at this dealership.

Anyway…the following day, as it happens – my birthday, we were finally given the all clear.  Tramp was put back together, it passed all the test drives and we settled all the paperwork with their management.  In the end they covered all our costs, which we greatly appreciated, and we were on our way with a couple of handshakes.  Thanks for the memories, Fairbanks!