Oct 15th, 2007: San Francisco - Inuvik - Puerto Toro - Buenos Aires

[Quixote]

Very cool trip! I definitely look forward to reading the updates on your site. also, just out of curiosity, what made you choose the FJ for the trip?

Picking the FJ Cruiser was one of the toughest decisions we made. Neither my wife nor I had any experience with car mechanics so a newer vehicle was indicated. Since Toyota and Mercedes Benz have the best availibility for spares it had o be either of those two marques.

Mercedes Benz was eliminated due to expense, so the car had to be a Toyota. For Toyota we narrowed down the choice to either FJ80 or a FJC. Finally we went with the FJC because it was newer and more fuel efficient.

 

[Quixote]

After much gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands, of ululations and grunts, we are now underway!!

The first section, up to the Arctic Circle, is a shakedown trip for the gear and the car. It was very very hard getting started. Preparations continued to the last minute of the last hour and our carefully laid plan of a peaceful departure across the golden gate was over turned.

But now we are on the road, quickly finishing up that which was undone...

 

[HMR]

Good luck! Have fun! Send pics!

 

[Quixote]

Hello all,

Here are some updates from the trail:

The trip started in quite a flurry of last minute activity. After the hectic preparation days we took a welcome break in Seattle:

Heading North into Canada the changes in weather become evident. Snow covered mountains on the way to Muncho Lake, BC

After many days on the road, rushing up North to be back in time for our EMT class, we take another rest at Dawson, YT:

 

[Quixote]

Now the fun begins in earnest! Heading down the Dempster Highway in the winter. The days start getting short, the weather rough. Descending in near white-out conditions in the North West Territories:

We get lucky! The lce bridge across the Peel River is complete the day before we arrive. Rated for 3500kg, it is plenty strong for the FJ!

Our luck runs out shortly thereafter. The Mackenzie river has refused to cooperate and freeze over. Leaving the FJ at Fort McPherson we hop a plane to Inuvik for a look-see. From here it is all south, all the way to Tierra Del Fuego

 

[Quixote]

Our first challenge is now successfully behind us. After all the planning and preparing the Dempster was very kind to us and we had no major difficulties. Here is the worst we had to deal with:

We were a little over prepared with the SAT phone, and high-altitude mountaineering gear but hey, we had it laying around so why not have it for insurance? If we had gotten stuck the highway patrol woukd have found us sipping hot soup and coffee

Most of the time the weather was clear and good, the light amazing:

So now it is South, South, South....

 

[Desertdude]

Nicely done!

 

[Quixote]

It was a little too quiet out here in Wyoming, where the Buffalo and Antelope play, until one of those antelope decided to play with our vehicle.

In the dead of night, around a curve, a 1000+ bull elk awaited his destiny with the FJ Cruiser. The impact flipped him over the roof, and killed him instantly. Through an incredible stroke of luck both my wife and I were completely unharmed. About eight inches to the center and he would have been through the windshield and on my lap.

The damage to the car is cosmetic but it takes quite a while to get parts out here in the remote reaches of Wyoming so looks like we'll be here for a while...

 

[Desertdude]

Sorry to hear your news on the vehicle - glad to hear your both OK - those Elk can be very dangerous on the road.

I guess you don't get to keep the Elk?



:::

 

[kcowyo]

Good grief!!

It's true, the elk here are no joke. The number of close calls I've had just means my time is still coming.

Sorry about the FJ, hopefully the A pillar is repairable. Of course the most important thing is the two of you escaped unharmed.

I hope you enjoy your down-time in Wyoming. Your Lander ER post was tough to read and presumably tough to endure. Hopefully you will have some pleasant memories of Wyoming, by the time you leave.

Oh and enjoy the ridiculous amounts of snow we're getting too. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

 

[viter]

wow, looks like a huge adventure in front of you guys!
are you planning to install an ARB snorkel on your FJ cruiser (since they are available now) while you are still here? might be a good insurance against water crossing ahead of you...

 

[Quixote]

Good grief!!

It's true, the elk here are no joke. The number of close calls I've had just means my time is still coming.

Sorry about the FJ, hopefully the A pillar is repairable. Of course the most important thing is the two of you escaped unharmed.

I hope you enjoy your down-time in Wyoming. Your Lander ER post was tough to read and presumably tough to endure. Hopefully you will have some pleasant memories of Wyoming, by the time you leave.

Oh and enjoy the ridiculous amounts of snow we're getting too. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

I hope I didn't come across as too negative towards Wyoming. So many times I have fallen into the trap of attaching the bad experiences in a location to that location. Somehow that experience has to be the fault of that place...

In my dark moods I have cursed this place but so many positive things have happened to us here that anyting bad has been just a small road bump. When you are in need it opens up the the people around you; they want to help. In our need so many in Wyoming have helped us out. For example our hosts have put us up in their guest house until the car gets fixed.

Last night our hostess said "You must stop and pick up the gifts along the way" and in Wyoming those have been abundant...

 

[Scott Brady]

Glad you are ok, and still underway.

 

[kcowyo]

I hope I didn't come across as too negative towards Wyoming. So many times I have fallen into the trap of attaching the bad experiences in a location to that location. Somehow that experience has to be the fault of that place...

Nope, not negative at all. You've been through a lot. Totally understandable.

I can relate to your comments regarding attaching bad experiences to a particular location. Just recently I made peace with California, after a decade of me having negative feelings towards the state as a whole.

Your comments are an excellent reminder that sometimes bad things just happen, no matter where you find yourself. Best of luck to you two -

:beer:

 

[Quixote]

We are now back on the road! The car was at Teton Motors almost six weeks to fix the "cosmetic" damage in the aftermath of the Elk encounter.

Of course, we picked the time when the biggest storm of the season rolled through the Sierra Nevada to cross them :wings:

Nine feet of snow in two days were cleaned with elan by the Caltrans road crew and the passing was a breeze...

Here is the scenery from Highway 50 in Nevada: