Day 13 - Deciding on Plan B

Our original plan was to drive to Alaska to start the trip to South America. But based on the information received from Igor & Carol, Alaska wasn't doable at this time of the year without a 4x4 drive vehicle. Talk about bad planning!

Therefore, after discussing with Ursula and Wally, we decided to visit Jasper and Banff National Parks instead, then head for Vancouver, where Wally wanted to visit some friends.

Instead of driving the long way back to Edmonton, I opted to take a shortcut West toward Whitecourt on Route #32. The first road sign should have been a warning "Wet Road." The second sign, "Road Impassable," was even more so. But I was optimistic, stubborn (or both), and decided to try it.

In the beginning, the road was quite good. But then the pavement stopped, and from there on, it was only gravel and dirt. A few miles later, it started to get muddy, but it was still drivable until we ascended a slope. At some point, the engine block sat on the mud, and the vehicle couldn't move. We pulled on rubber boots and tried pushing, but the wheels sank even more profoundly.

Now we couldn't move forward or backward - stuck like idiots!

But we were probably not the first idiots who had tried to push their luck. On top of the hill ahead was a giant tractor that had observed us and came to our rescue. It was the most giant tractor I ever saw - humongous. The rear wheels were taller than the roof of our camper. The driver had a big grin (besides two missing front teeth). He attached a chain and pulled us up the hill like a toy. We thankfully passed him a $10 bill and moved on.

We were so relieved to get through this ordeal without a scratch! The road gradually got better.

About an hour later, we arrived at a brook. A group of boys were fishing from a bridge, giggling and pulling out one fish after another. They already had several large buckets filled with fish. That was an unbelievable sight!Read more