Road to Alaska Stop 9 – Fort Nelson, BC

This was the best of stops, this was the worst of stops,” to badly paraphrase Charles Dickens. We stayed our next three days in Fort Nelson (population 3,366), and like most stops, we had nothing specific planned and zero expectations. By our experiences, it’s usually better that way. We arrived mid-afternoon and spent our normal hour setting up.

Another Cozy Spot

I did my exterior walk-around check to ensure nothing had been forgotten, when I heard the dreaded sound of leaking water.

The video clearly illustrates the problem, but initially we couldn’t determine the cause. MFI called the local RV repair shop recommended by park management. Unfortunately, they sent “dumb and dumber” to troubleshoot. Working with them, or in spite of them, MFI concluded our water heater was definitely the culprit. In that moment, the best she could do was isolate the leak and bypass the unit, so we could still get and use fresh cold water. In the days that followed, she contacted two RV repair retailers in Whitehorse, YT. She asked them to find a replacement unit, if needed, and set up an appointment for diagnosis and repairs. We wouldn’t get to Whitehorse for another 12 days. No problem! We boiled water for doing the dishes and used campground showers.

After all this excitement, MFI wasn’t in the mood for cooking dinner.

Not much else happened during our stay. There was a Tim Horton’s at the east end of town, and we went there each day for our second cup of morning coffee and shared a 10-box of Tim’s Bits. I located and hiked a nearby trail and was thankful for the protection of bug repellant. We found a decent vehicle wash and gave Sid and Arthur a thorough cleaning before leaving town.

Two weeks had passed since MFI was first treated for her broken finger, and she was overdue for her second recommended follow-up. We took pictures to record how her hand was healing/doing, so we could show them to whoever would do her next check-up. The pain, swelling, and bruising weren’t showing much improvement in our opinions.

We were repeatedly impressed with the ways in which Canadians highlighted their close relationship with the United States. This was often reflected in artwork, and I tried to capture it in pictures. We were going to spend a lot of time in Canada over the summer, and the artwork provided a good positive vibe. Here’s but one example.

As we left town, our campground host asked that we pay attention to the remnants of the wildfire they experience early that spring. Erring on ther side of caution at that time, the town Iincluding the campground) was required to evacuate, but luckily both were spared. This was our first visual encounter with wildfire damage, but wouldn’t be our last by any measure. We saw the sad charred remains of thousands and thousands of forest acres burned from fires over the previous decade.

Male member of the BunMack team. Happy to be Ms Fix It's lovely assistant on past and future projects. Maybe I'll learn some skills along the way. 69 years old when this adventure began, with expectations to help family and friends with their projects, see great sights along the way, and enjoy our life together.

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