We were home, but most of our worldly possessions were still by the side of the AlCan south of Watson Creek. A service provider went out with a tire and rim, to find they had the wrong rim. It took another trip to get the right tire, and then they drove the truck back to Watson Lake.
Meanwhile at home, the dogs were getting comfortable. They were happy to be able to run around, and quickly settled into their new routine.
On Sunday, we went out to pick up groceries. The local stores have a contactless delivery method where you order online, and they pack your car in the store parking lot. Ilana was accosted by the COVID-19 enforcement agents during this trip. They saw the Ontario license plates, and wanted to make sure Ilana was not violating the required 14 days of quarantine. It turns out Yukon really doesn’t want people going to the stores, even with contactless delivery. It’s important to just stay home, and get delivery service as needed.
Getting the truck to the house would take several more days. It became available on Sunday afternoon (two days after the blowout), but we were 6 hours away. Our three other drivers left for home (Sarah left early Monday morning), and Greg and Ilana needed to begin their workweek on Monday. So, we arranged with the service provider to drive the truck for us, arriving Wednesday night.
A last bit of drama was that all of our “inside dog” dog food was in the U-Haul. Ilana called the Yukon Government COVID-19 support services and they were pretty adamant about not being able to partake in curbside pickup and that we needed to stay at home.
I am so thankful for Debbie Knight, our neighbor who lives around three miles away for picking up dog food for us. The Yukon Government COVID-19 support services also informed be of the Yukon Helper’s network, and after corresponding with a few people from the network they picked up groceries for us and delivered them to our remote home. Thank you Brooke and family, Ashley, and Kelsie!
A last thanks goes out to Maria and Pierre, who helped us unpack the u-Haul and put up fencing and fence panels for the dogs.
Epilogue
Loose dogs: On our trip from Fairbanks to L’Amable, we had around 6 dogs who had gotten loose at various times, including playing a game of chase Rattles at one of the campgrounds we had stopped at. This time, we a similar number of escapees.
- When were were loading dogs in L’Amable, Ilana didn’t latch Yukon’s box very well and he jumped out. As he was running around the driveway, Siren also got loose. Thankfully they didn’t run down to the highway. They were caught and Greg instructed Ilana to make sure the latches were actually latched.
- At one of our stops, Maude got loose to a faulty clip. Luckily she ran right to Ilana, as Maude likes to play games and usually doesn’t like to be caught.
- At another stop, Axel got loose to a faulty clip. Luckily she ran right to Sarah and wanted a belly rub.
- In Teslin, Ilana was trying to take a picture of Greg changing the tire and accidentally dropped Jack’s leash. Jack usually comes when called, but he was so excited to be free he was running around the rest stop peeing on every tree. Of course, Ilana was super worried he’d run out into the highway. After a game of chase the Jack, we finally cornered him and caught him.
Sick Dogs: On our 2015 trip we had several sick dogs (especially Stubby and Goblin). On this trip, everyone seemed to do okay, except for not eating well. Unfortunately, the trip was very hard on 13yo Myra and her hind legs/back have rapidly deteriorated. As soon as we are through with quarantine I will bring her to the vet to see if there’s anything that can be done. Her urinary incontinence has also worsened, even though she is already on Stilbestrol.
Time of Year: This trip was much more challenging than our 2015 Fairbanks to L’Amable trip. On this trip, flat tire problem was out of control, and it was a bit colder than expected.
Thank You!!!: We couldn’t have made this trip without everyone’s help. Ilana, Greg, and the Stinkers would like to thank everyone (friends, acquaintances, and even strangers!) that helped to make this move possible. We are so grateful. You all have an open invitation to stay with us at the new StinkyPup palace on Fox Creek Road.
[This is Post 11 of 11]