Whitehorse, YT - Cooling Our Heels

So, here we are, cooling our heels in the Freightliner parking lot. We have the whole back end of our RV removed (radiator, fan and all) for the tech to get at the fan motor hub much more easily so when he installs the new part, he can get the specified torques right and everything else. As a footnote, the techs call the radiator the ‘rad’ rhymes with ‘cad’ since they call the radiator the rad- iator up here in Canada. All techs call it the ‘rad’ and it took us a while to get used to that.

The part is on its way and should arrive sometime late today. We hope it can get installed tomorrow but it will be an all-day job since everything needs to be put back together and of course tested. Because other RV’s with the fan motor have had the 4 bolts in the original part break, there was an upgrade several years ago to a new hub with 5 bolts was designed.

Meanwhile we spoke with Good Sam, our extended care insurer, to whom we have paid premiums for 8 years. They tell us they won’t pay for this because the new part is an upgrade and they only pay if the original part breaks. They tell us that they would have paid for 4 new bolts to be installed on the old part since it was the bolts that sheared off but the cost of the bolts is not as much as our deductible so they are our responsibility also. You’ve got to be kidding but, no, that jerk on the phone told us to install 4 bolt and ‘make sure they are the right torque.’

I wouldn’t have been so upset if he had said: I can’t authorize payment to your for your problem because I have to follow the words of your policy. But, you can call Good Sam at this phone number and appeal your case.’ Now, wouldn’t that have been a much better way to handle this? Why do people have to be such twits?

We then called Freightliner and - out of the blue - the guy offered to pay for the new part. Whew. Makes us feel a lot better but we still have to pay for the labor. Now, at least. We still intend to fight this with Good Sam.

Now, what are we going to do? I’ll admit that there have been time over the last week when I’ve said that this trip is not going well and that karma seemed to be against us. We can’t even get to Alaska much less enjoy traveling around there. I’ve just thought of going ‘home’ but - hey - our home is this RV. I am home. But, then my better angels get ahold of me, shake me around a bit and I want to give it one more shot.

Besides, the Freightliner guy assures us that this new part will fix our problem and we can be on our way. So, we intend to resume our trip. Our time in Fairbanks will be reduced but we should be able to do the rest of our trip.

Maybe, maybe, we might still get this in. We certainly feel better about it all today than yesterday when we weren’t close to a solution and Good Sam was being such a dolt (I’m being really nice here: ‘dolt’ is hardly the right word.) (Well, it’s not Good Sam but the company that does the insurance claims approval/denial.)

Then we went on a hike through the woods lining the Yukon River here. Lots of hiking in this area, and, in the winter they all can ski on these trails. Here is a trail over the ‘Bridge of Death’ - the suspension bridge.

Beautiful trail along the shoreline of this beautiful river and lake. This straight trail used to be a tram line through this area that portaged miners’ supplies from the shops in town around the narrows with the cataracts and fast water to where the miners could again use the river for transportation.

It was possible to run the rapids and narrows and there were boats that did this but is was dangerous and expensive so many miners used the land portage around the rapids and narrows. Today boats runt the narrows for fun, up the narrows, circle and back down the narrows.

Fun walking the trails and a respite from sitting in the Freightliner parking lot.

The couple next to us who have been here a week have finally gone but a new RV (a Winnebago Adventurer) has shown up with various problems. One was a leak and Gary went over, theorized that the leak was from the water heater, went into the coach with the guy and, sure enough, it dripped right in front of them.) What a guy. So, they might be on their way too.

I even cleaned the front windows today and everything is looking much brighter - in more ways than one.