On the 19th day of the trip, there's 58,001 mile on the odometer and the time was 10:15 am when I left the Condy Golf and Recreational Resort in the unincorporated town of Hotchkiss, Alberta. The temperature outside was a cool 20 degrees Celcius. The goal today was to reach the Northwest Territories, Canada.
The lady at the tourist information in the city of High Level said the capital of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, was not accessible by car since the ferries were not operational. But I wanted to head north as far as possible in the Northwest Territories because it's not everyday people drive up this far north of Canada- even for Canadians much less a foreigner.
Along the highway, there were a few scenic attractions. One of them was the twin falls of Alexandra and Louise. I jumped the fence and got right next to the fall to take a picture. One stepping mistake and it would probably be certain death to fall down into the cold river. Even got to catch a rainbow at the bottom of the fall. The park was actually closed at this time of year.
After reaching the end of the road going to Yellowknife, I saw the ferries parked and the river frozen. The only way to get across the river was by helicopter, but I didn't even bother. I just headed back to the McKenzie Highway, Highway 1, and went back on the original path.
The parks with a cabin and an outhouse were kinda scary. The 2 I stopped at (just to have a look) had bullet shells and holes in the signs. Travellers wrote their names on the outside cabin walls. One cabin had "KKK White Power" written on it. It's a shame to see that kind of stuff in Canada...everyone has been so nice. But still, the good I've encountered far outweigh the bad.
Then the McKenzie Highway became a gravel road...a long, long gravel road. During the whole day's driving, I saw 2 cars on this road. As I neared the city of Fort Liard, Northwest Territories, there was a funny clicking noise coming from the right side of the Rodeo. When I checked, the back tire was almost flat, and the sidewall of the tire was giving away. I used the compressor to pump it up enough to drive into town about 5 miles away. Of all the time and place to get a flat tire...this town was the only town for a 100 miles in any direction.
When I arrived in town, I couldn't find the gas station (only one), so I had to pump more air into the tire to get around. It was past 1:00 am local time, and a few cars passed by, but didn't offer to help. I finally found the gas station, which closed at 10:00 pm, but luckily the air hose was working. I used the air to plug the tire with the plug kit. I always knew one day I would use the plug kit. (It's always a good idea if you're traveling alone away from home to have a compressor and a plug kit- both can be purchased for around $35 at Wal-mart or Kmart. I've helped a few people with the compressor.)
Tonight was one night where I didn't have many choices. I only had gas for a few more miles, and the next town was over 100 miles away. Also, the tire was severely damaged. So I spent the night in the dirt parking lot of the gas station. I had thought about spending the night at the local park, Hay Lake Park, but it was spooky out there at the edge of town.
And as I layed in the cold night, I thought to myself how no one offered to help; I had to help my damn self in the small town. (I was glad to know I have a lot of common sense and I was self-sufficient!)
