Alaska trip update.

It's been a bit since my last post, but that's because I've been in a holding pattern of sorts.  When I woke up this morning, aside from having ice on the windows, my truck was completely dead.  I was able to get a jump, but it took forever to to charge.  There's an O'Reilly's Auto Parts near where I was staying so I got the battery tested.  Sure enough it was bad so I ate further into my funds and got a new one with better cold weather starting.  Temperatures dropped to 27 last night which was a little too cold for my bag.  Fairbanks will not be any better with a low hitting 11 in the evening.

My best bet for work here and in Alaska is to go back to driving.  Unfortunately my DOT physical card is expired.  No place was able to take me same day to complete this.  To top it all off I know it's time for new glasses so I may fail the vision portion of the exam.  An eye appointment was canceled at a Walmart optomitrist where I checked availability.  Luckily I passed my exam and got a prescription for glasses as soon as I can afford them.  On Friday I have an appointment for the rest of the exams.  In the mean time I've tried to be productive and have applied at various places ranging from Arby's to a fiberglass shop that makes blades for windmills.  Below you'll find a picture of one of these blades.  All the while I've been in contact with a company in Fairbanks who is interested in employing me.  Assuming I pass my physical tomorrow, I will cross into Canada and start trucking towards Fairbanks.  All this potential employer has left to do is my background screening which should be no problem since my record is clean.

In the Inn.

I've decided to relax some and splurged on a hotel.  I'm staying at a Budget Inn that looks unique compared to the others I've seen .  When I arrived I noticed a few guys working on some wood outside.  Walking up to the reception desk I observed it was unattended.  One of the workers that was noticed outside walks in with a toolbelt on and asks "Can I help you?".  "I'd like to know rates and if there are any vacancies." I replied expecting him to go find the attendant.  To my surprise he walks behind the counter, fires up the computer and gives me the required information.  It's a pretty neat Inn with two computers in the lobby for guests to use, free wi-fi, and laundry.  There are daily, weekly, and soon to be monthly rates for the rooms.  Surprisingly the monthly rate is reasonable.  Given that the rooms are furnished and contain a small fridge, microwave, and TV this would be a good place to live should I remain in Grand Forks.  I let him know that I may be staying one more day and he gave me his business card so that a room could be reserved once I knew.  On it was the name of his PC repair and sales business.  It's a rare occurance to run into a hotel attendant that handles most aspects of the business.  In my opinion that is a great way to run any job.  It keeps management in touch with the way things really work.

A voyage in jeapordy.

Well, some serious doubts about this whole trip have arisen due to mechanical problems.  It's been two days and I'm stuck in Grand Forks, ND sitting in a GMC dealership.  Here is a quick overview of the troubles my vehicle is experiencing.  For the entire trip I've experienced sputtering that I attributed to a spark plug getting fouled up.  This has reoccured now even after putting in a new plug at the problem cylinder.  In the northern states the speed limit is usually 70mph.  Any kind of incline would drop me down to a dangerous 50mph.  It became this bad on Easter Sunday, which means all the auto shops in the small towns I was traversing were closed.  Being frustrated at my very late schedule, I decided to push on to Fargo, ND and simply call AAA if I broke down along the way.  Night was starting to fall about 50 miles from Fargo so the headlights were turned on.  All of a sudden the sputtering disappears.  Hah!  That's an amusing coincidence.  I turn the lights off, it starts sounding like a poorly tuned go-kart.  Lights are back on and it sounds like a proper small block.  No way!!  This can't be it.  Lights off, and it performs like an RC car that is low on batteries, lights on and the blue beast comes to life.  Ok, so the lights stay on and I continue on to Grand Forks.  Two days later and the GMC mechanics can't figure it out either.  And to top it all off I was hearing some noises that could have been as bad as transmisison or brake issues.  This turned out to be the drum brakes and the rear axle seals.  My drums are so bad that the have to be cut.  The most challenging terrain is yet to come and my car, especially the brakes, must be in order.

On a prior post I mentioned how nice this dealership is.  Let me go into detail on that now.  After arriving and checking in the car was passed on to the mechanics.  They thouroughly inspect the vehicle and provide a print out of any issues that were found, how urgently they must be taken care of, and the pricing of the work.  It is all highlighted accordingly in either green, yellow, or red. 

Although this is taking forever, I have to give the mechanic here credit.  He tries a fix, takes the car for a drive, comes back, tries something else, goes for a drive, and does this the entire shift.  He has not quit.  If Tire Kingdom had been this thoughrough maybe this would have been resolved then.  They were very quick to say "it's the plugs, here you go, give us money" in not so many words.  It is my suggestion after my last experience that everyone should avoid Tire Kingdom.  Most of the mechanics there seemed inexperienced and there was no one knowledgeable guiding them.

Although I'm stuck at a dealership I'm not miserable.  Rydell Auto Center provides wi-fi, soda fountain drinks, slurpee like drinks, hot chocolate, cookies, TV, and faxes all for free. 

The garage is unlike anything I've seen before except at my old central truck terminal.  Everything is indoors.  When you approach the service area there are several big garage doors.  One drives up close and they automatically open.  Inside, depending on the lane, customers either pull over a trench where the mechanics can stand underneath the car to change the oil and filter easily  These are the regular maintenance bays.  For service due to issues, customers pull up to stand alone registers where your problems are explained to the representative.  You simply leave the car there where it is passed through another set of garage doors to the proper service area.  Most garages are dark, oily, relatively small grimy caves.  This place is immaculate for a shop.  Not quite like some of the Nascar garages, but not too far.

Due to all of my expenses lately, I cannot continue to Alaska with my current funds.  It's too risky because if I do not find employment there quickly my money will be exhausted and I will be stuck without a means to return home or anywhere else.  So as things stand now they may go one of two ways. First, I get a job offer by tomorrow in Alaska.  While I've been sitting at GMC most of my time has been devoted to finding work.   This will insure income when I arrive which means there is no concern of not having shelter, sustanance, and funds to bail out if needed.  There is a company that is VERY interested there so this is likely.  Scenario two, I don't get a job in Alaska but I get one here in North Dakota.  This will allow me to replenish my bank account some buying me time to search for work in Alaska and have plenty for any further repairs along the way.  I'm already half way there so I don't need to save as much.  Three, this turns into an all out bust and I return to Florida with my tail between my legs and become an over the road driver again.  This third option is not really much of a thought right now.  It would be much too embarrassing after all these preparations, talks, and planning to return home.  I'll have more news tomorrow.  There will most likely be another post tonight related to the hotel I'm going to stay at, but that's an entry in and of itself.  Salutations from Grand Forks to all!

Yesterday's belated, today's third.

This post should have been put up yesterday, but finding internet access has been a little harder than anticipated.  One of the pictures below has a view of the Chicago skyline.  All of the others were from a restaurant near the intersection of I-94 and I-29.  It reminded me slightly of D&B.  What I chose from the menu sounded like it had the potential to go either very badly or very well.  There is no in-between with a mix like that.  I ordered the chicken and spinach wrap.  This included a somewhat sweet sauce and egg.  It was actually quite delicious.  Like the rest of the establishment, the food was presented in an alien motif.  An odd brightly painted tray held the fries and two dipping sauces one of which was a cajun ranch variety.  According to one of the employees the owner has been collecting items, memorobilia, and artwork related to aliens for years.  A large 3-D space scene decorated the roof in the center of the building.  It had a feel of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World.

U.S. In a Nutshell

A small repository of the welcome signs crossed on this trip.

That's it for the U.S.

I've travelled through all the states I'm going to traverse in the U.S..  Currently, I'm holding short less than one hundred miles from the Canadian border.  There have been some odd happenings with my truck and it's best to handle it in the last large U.S. city where things are facilitated for me.  Depending on how serious and expensive the repairs are this may be the end of the trip at least for now.  Should the repairs be too expensive to continue, there are plenty of work opportunities here which could allow me to save some money and then resume my travels later.  If the diagnosis isn't too catastrophic then my journey to Alaska will continue although a little behind schedule.

I'm currently sitting in a GMC dealer for service, and thankfully they provide a wi-fi hot spot.  Although there are a few more pictures there are many I have not had the opportunity to post.  They are a little out of the scope of this blog and are better suited for facebook, which is blocked here as "network communications".

In Grand Forks, ND the GMC dealer is Rydell and it's amazingly comfortable.  If they had showers here I wouldn't even need to leave.  Their facilities include four desks with power outlets and yellow pages at each one for wireless guests.  Although access is open they have web filtering with Sonicwall, which as of this writing has blocked Facebook and YouTube.  Since I plan on being here for a bit I asked what was around to go visit.  I was offered a complimentary shuttle ride to the mall and back if I wanted.  Of course once I noticed wi-fi was available that was it for me.  There is also a children's play room, some neat Chevy displays, courteous staff, and clean restrooms.

Being that this site is about living out of a pack, here is a short gear review.  The bed I've been sleeping on consists of Thermarest ProLight mattress and a BassPro Shop branded sleeping bag .  First is the ProLight matress.  Although the matress does self inflate ever so slowly, I'm a big guy and the air was not enough to soften the wooden platform that is being used for a bed.  After inflating it manually a little extra it is now very comfortable and does indeed provide good insulation.   Throughout the night I tend to toss and turn a lot and since my mattress is mummy shaped my feet tend to end up off of it.  Although it does provide insulation, it is made out of plastic so if one's body heat is not keeping it warm it will get cold.  Despite these few complaints I'm glad I have it.   It's much more comfortable and compact than the blue foam mats.  Expect to pay a lot more than one of the cheap $10 Walmart foam mats though.

On the other hand I'm very impressed with the BassPro 30 degree rated sleeping bag.  I fit relatively comfortable in it and I've pushed it's rating to it's limit.  My core remained warm through 37 degree temperatures last night with no heat on.  Unfortunately I should have considered my head.  My ears were freezing at a few points throughout the night.  Fortunately I was able to contort myself and stretch the sleeping bag to where enough of my face fit to keep warm.  Tonight may be a good time to take out the balaclava.

Below is one more picture from Tennessee to hold everyone over until I can post more here and on Facebook.  My camera skills seem to be getting better though it's hard to take a bad picture with this new one I purchased.  This was at the Welcome center next to the Tennessee river.  Until next post ...

On the road.

Well it's been a rocky road right off the start.  My bed and all the loading was completed sometime Tuesday afternoon.  Later I payed a visit to Cap'n Loogie who sent me off with a brand new set of steer horns to facilitate getting traffic out of my way.  By Wednesday I believe I had been up for about 48 hours getting things ready and having one last late night hoorah.  That evening I pulled into the Flying J truck stop in Port St. Lucie.  Here I take a side note.  If anyone is ever concerned about hygiene on the road truck stops are a great place to stop.  For $10 you get a shower, soap, and towels.  Some stops also have laundry rooms, TV rooms, barber shops, private phone rooms, and wireless internet access which costs $4.99 for 24 hours.  Most of the large chains such as Petro, Pilot, and TA have some or all of these facilities.  When I took the camera out to take a picture of the shower room, I dropped my Cannon A250 and broke the battery compartment.  Needless to say taking pictures with it is a little uncomfortable now.  I'll post the pictures of the showers later since I'm actually typing this up in a Flying J.

That evening I didn't even set my alarm so I could catch up on some sleep.  When I finally woke up around noon I started driving right away.  Gainsville was approaching when my car started sputtering and trembling violently.  Half a day must have gone by trying to get someone to look at my truck.  A Midas took a look and said that a spark plug wire had come loose.  Feeling a little embarrased at not having noticed I drove off.  My embarrasement faded about 3 miles later when the problem arose again.  Now furious, I fought the absurd Gainsville traffic back to the shop to have them fix it or give me my money back.  Since it was now closed it would not be until Friday for the repairs to be carried out.  A tune up was performed about a month before hitting the road.  While I was waiting for morning to come around I decided to have a look for myself.  What I found was a fouled plug.  It is my suspicion that I have to replace the piston oil ring or valve seals.  It only took asking on the CB one time for the nearest Walmart before getting a response.  Thankfully Walmart is everywhere, so a new plug later I'm back on the road and with spares.  A CB is an invaluable tool when driving on a long trip.  It's the Google of the highway.  Night had fallen and my energy was quickly fading.  News of a road closure was being passed along so I found it to be a good time to pull over.  I spent the night at a stop just south of I-475 in GA.

Friday started off much better.  A beautiful day to be on the road.  At some point in GA, the flatbed truck pictured above went by with his undersized load.  Classic trucker humor.  Traffic was terrible due to the Easter holiday.  Everyone was on the road.  There were tremendous backups in Nashville and Louisville.  In the pictures above there is a picture of the Tennesee river and bridge.  Kentucky was gorgeous.  There are farmland scenes to rival some of Bob Ross' paintings.  Above is an attempt to capture two of these scenes.

A few hours later the Indiana border was traversed.  About 15 miles in I blew a tire.  Not too bad.  I'll drop the spare from under the truck and put it on.  Nope, I'm missing the flat ended pole to drop the spare tire retainer.  As I walk to the cab a little concerned that I'm already having so many problems, a white van pulls up in front of me.  Assuming he's coming to help out, I strole over to let him know I'm ok and was going to call AAA.  He seemed to completely ignore me and pulled out his air compressor asking if the tire would hold air.  "I don't believe so, the tread came off".  He asks if I have everything I need and I explain the situation.  Next thing I know he has some piping and a hammer and is banging it into a flat shape to fit in the retention socket.  Here is where I go off on a side rant.  This man got involved not knowing who I was, on Easter weekend, knowing I have AAA, after probably having been working all day, and not only provided me a part but helped to actually drop the spare and change my tire with me.  This is exactly one of the reasons the city needed to be left behind for a while.  When one's faith in man has faded, take a trip through this amazing country and let it's residents show you that southern hospitality, humility, and kindness are still VERY much alive and well.  This has an effect of making me strive to be a better person and return the same kind of humanitarianism.  And it's not just one person's kindness, but everyone's.  A genuine sounding hello and courteous driving may not sound like much, but it goes a long way.  End of rant.  When all was done he offered me a tire iron, gave me the make shift retention pipe, and provided me directions to the next Walmart.  He refused any kind of compensation.  I even offered a drink or dinner since I thought maybe accepting money was the problem and he refused even that.  The least I can do is pass on that if anyone is ever near New Albany, IN and you need insulation work,  give William Baumann of Insulation Solutions a call at 812-941-0425.

There is a picture above of my truck in a lot with some big trucks in the background.  Across the street is a reasonably priced tire shop which provided me two new rears so that I have a spare again.  This is where I spent the night and where I'm leaving from now.  It's 12:34 EST and I'm way behind due to my mishaps.  Arriving in AK on Monday is probably not possible.  Especially given the rain today which means there may be snow a little further into my trip.  Regards from Indiana.