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| North by Northwest 'Mog | Short Cuts | ||||
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By: George Reiswig - 10/2002
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| Clouds skim between the islands near Sitka. Photo by Fred Fitzgearld |
Wrapping Up and Coming Home
NOTE: The author apologizes for the lengthy delay prior to this entry. We were waiting for photos to be developed from film and converted into digital images for the web. We waited, and waited, and when the digital images came back they were unusable. So you're going to end up seeing some photos that were not chosen before, but which are some of our favorites... or second favorites. Sorry, again, for the delay.
The editor likewise apologizes for extending the delay for publication of this piece of the North by Northwest saga... the delay was not all at one end. 4x4Wire is proud to bring you all of these articles, but especially this one, with the thoughts on expeditioning, in general, and the hope of more to come.
September... We are home. Yes, after finally starting the "enjoyment phase" of our journey this past week (vehicle repairs complete, too little money left to do ANYTHING but be lazy), we finished it. Coming home from any journey is, like parting with a lover, a sweet sorrow. Nice to be home, but... couldn't we just go back for a LITTLE while?
| Things We Learned... |
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* A Mercedes-Benz OM-352 cylinder head has 25 (twenty-five) bolts holding it to the block. |
But we have learned some things... check out the list in the sidebar.
Perhaps, before I continue to announce what we learned, and if you'll put up with my stream of consciousness style just a bit longer, I should bring you up-to-date. Much of the time since we last wrote to you has been spent at sea, on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries. From Haines, we went to Sitka, where we spent a few days. We did try to find some trails there, but the only one we could find had a large gate on it, accompanied by a sign that clearly allowed ATV's and motorcycles, but was meant to discourage larger vehicles. As tempting as it was to drive over it or to enlarge one of the many ATV tracks that went around it, we stuck to the Tread Lightly! philosophy and departed stage left. Not, however, before trying our hand at a largish log in the area. (Almost needed to engage 4WD! Whew!) But Sitka is beautiful, with many small islands in the protected inlet. So we went offroading there. Kayaking, to be precise. I also had a chance to visit with some classes at a middle school there, meeting some great kids and teachers and telling them a little about what our Expedition and Tread Lightly! are about, while they ogled the Unimog inside and out. They seemed genuinely baffled by both: since there are no real offroad trails near Sitka for Jeeps or other 4x4s, the concept of driving over boulders and the like seemed as foreign to the kids as eating alligator meat.
From Sitka, our next stop was Bellingham, Washington, after three days at sea. During these three days, Fred and I busked (played music for tips) on the ferry, watched whales from the ferry, plotted mechanical changes to our trucks on the deck of the ferry, enjoyed the scenery from the ferry, and generally enjoyed our time doing pretty much nothing on the ferry. I have to admit that seeing the coast by just taking a pack and boarding the ferry, getting off at all ports, blowing wherever the wind seems to want to take you... it would be a great way to travel. If I weren't more into freedom of movement and offroading.
What else did we learn? Well, we learned that the plans that we had been making for this trip, the schedules, the areas we wanted to see... all of this was far too ambitious. We could have done it if we hadn't had the mechanical problems we had, but (not to put too fine a point on it) I have never enjoyed going to some stupendously beautiful overlook, underlook, or sight to be seen, only to have to say "Well, there it is!" and immediately leave for the next destination. Too rushed. The North Country is immense, beautiful, and cannot be rushed.
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| Seeing a glacier from the air gives you a better, but still incomplete picture of the size of these masses of moving ice. Photo by Fred Fitzgearld |
In fact, when we made the decision to skip trying to see Denali, I didn't feel too bad about it. It's not as though Alaska holds a solitary thing-that-must-be-seen. One doesn't say "If you haven't seen Denali, you haven't really seen Alaska." There is simply too much else to see and do there. The same goes for British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.
We could have, and perhaps should have, spent the entirety of our venture in British Columbia. This province has been blessed with an astonishing amount and quality of scenery. It would take more than a lifetime to soak it all in, I suspect. I am sure that the same applies for the Yukon and Alaska. But for British Columbia, we are grateful to the Coast Mountain Crawlers for showing us some of their prime real estate (not for sale).
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| A view of the top of the same glacier, showing the endless acres of crevasses. Photo by Fred Fitzgearld |
So... mostly we learned that our "North by Northwest Expedition" was really more of a scouting trip. We knew beforehand that the best way to find difficult trails was to talk to locals, and we had tried to contact many 4x4 clubs before we ever left Oregon. Only a few were interested in getting together. If you speak with locals other than members of these clubs, you are more than likely going to be pointed in the direction of a simple dirt road (Them: "Now that's a trail!" Us: "No, you don't understand... "), non-offroaders having little understanding of what a real Jeep trail is, let alone a Unimog trail. More clubs began to express interest after they had seen these articles appearing on 4x4wire.com, but they usually contacted us after we had already passed through their area. We missed our appointment with the Anchorage 4x4 club because of the second engine failure. That is one we regret, because of the promise of difficult trails in that area, and lots of them.
So we scouted. We learned a great deal, and we will be back. Next year perhaps.
| Remembering September 11 |
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I know, I know... we've had the anniversary of 9/11 beaten into our brains by every media outlet available. But... I feel the need to blather about it a bit. I'm not sure why.
For those of you who lost friends or relatives on that day, I can't tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Certainly no loss of property or anything else compares to the loss of human life that day. But what if the buildings, the planes, the streets... what if they all had been empty? What would have been the biggest loss suffered then? As we departed on this little adventure, we expected to run into problems that were associated with the terrorist attacks a year ago. Border crossings would be more difficult, and they might want to search our rig inside and out. Things like that. It is all too easy for me to regard these inconveniences as annoying, and to forget that they are a consequence of a grave event. It's too easy, also, to take the freedom to do an Expedition like this for granted, both in terms of the financial freedom and the freedom we enjoy as U.S. citizens. When we were out enjoying ourselves, I occasionally thought back to the events of 9/11. The media has highlighted the heroes in public service who lost their lives, and the "Let's roll" heroes who prevented some of the terrorists that day from achieving their ultimate goal... whatever their feeble minds thought that goal was. By no means do I want to belittle those feats. But those are the 'sexy' stories that make it into the news. We have no way of knowing how many heroes there were inside the Pentagon and the World Trade Center whose stories we'll never hear. We have no idea what kinds of hell soldiers have gone through in past wars to try to keep our freedom for us, and to attain freedom for other people. For those of you reading this who are veterans, thank you sincerely for serving the rest of us. One thing is for sure... I am truly grateful that I can enjoy this freedom, and ending the North by Northwest Expedition so close to the anniversary of the terrorist attacks has made that freedom all the more precious to me. I won't take that for granted as easily again, nor will I take for granted the freedom that my Muslim friends enjoy in our country. Another freedom we take for granted all too often is enjoyment of trails. This freedom is threatened by conscientious environmentalists who recognize that freedom does not mean that we have the RIGHT to do whatever we want. With freedom comes a responsibility for good stewardship. Admittedly, some environmentalists on the extreme end of things want to take things too far, closing off all and any access to pretty much everything. But I think it is the few of us offroaders who abuse our privileges who really threaten this freedom, by providing fodder to these extremists. Tread Lightly! should be our fundamental philosophy when we go out in our rigs. 9/11 taught us that we are vulnerable. That our freedom is not a right, but a gift paid for by ourselves and by others. If your local 4x4 club is involved with litter cleanups, trail maintenance, Volunteer Trail Patrol programs, or Search and Rescue work... contribute your time and effort to help, and set the example of how to wheel according to the Tread Lightly! philosophy. If your club isn't involved, encourage them to start. Freedom in general is purchased a bit at a time, and paying a little to enjoy our little "freedom of the trail" is our responsibility as users. |
We also learned that "success" and "failure" as applied to an expedition like this are dangerous terms because of their inherent inflexibility. In a way, I came home feeling like we failed. But then someone had the sense to ask me the question "Would you do it again?" Without hesitation, my answer was "yes." I'd change some things, if possible, but overall yes. To me, that is a sure sign of success. And now, a week or so after we got back, I can remember it as being a success. We did it, we enjoyed it, and we saw most of what we set out to see... what else can you say but that it was a success? Except for the head gasket failures. Those were failures, for sure.
Above all, we learned that expeditions/journeys/adventures don't have to follow the script, and they don't even have to end according to plan. So much of our itinerary had changed during the first two weeks of the trip that it only vaguely resembled our original plans. Here we are at the end of it... why not change plans again?
"Why not? Well, because you HAVE to get back to bread-and-butter work some time." Partly true, to be sure... although my last day of my REAL job is Friday the 13th of September, after which I will be looking for employment. Besides, there are weekends, and the best part of the summer is still left up here in the Pacific Northwest. I think we can afford a bit more diesel, and I think I can put off rebuilding the lower end of the engine. Why not extend the expedition?
So we're extending the expedition a bit, although it probably will be only one vehicle or the other at any given time. We'll be doing this in our own backyard. Right here in Oregon and Washington. Over the next little while, you'll be able to see what other trails we've tried, what areas of the Pacific Northwest we are visiting, and otherwise continue to travel and travail with us vicariously. We're hoping to run into more of you on the trail, and maybe hook up with some more 4x4 clubs in our neighborhood and nearby.
So, if you see a silver Unimog 416 four-door with North by Northwest logos on the doors, wave, yell, or otherwise say hello. We'll be watching for ya!
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| You may recognize either of these truck rear-ends as you're overtaking us on the highway -- stop and wave. Editor's note: trust me, if they are on the highway, you'll DEFINITELY be overtaking -- these Unimogs aren't exactly built for speed! Photos by Fred Fitzgearld |
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank a lot of people for their invaluable help with the North by Northwest Expedition, probably too many to remember. So why bother trying? Just kidding. Here's my vain attempt...
Angela Reiswig: Patience, fortitude, and good company. Thanks for helping me make a dream come true. You're beautiful inside and out.
The Fitzgearlds: Patience, fortitude... and good towing! It is hard to find people who are willing to put up with the likes of me for 5 weeks. But I can't think of people I'd rather go with.
Charlie Graham: Good photography and a willingness to don coveralls and get his hands greasy. Not exactly a shadetree mechanic, this good friend helped a lot on this trip, photographing, babysitting (me and Krista), hitchhiking, counting head bolts, and acting as bear bait in camp. Glad we had you along, amigo.
Randy Burleson: No patience or fortitude, but without whom none of this would have been visible on the web. (Actually, he has both in remarkable quantity and quality!) Randy and I have been friends for a long time, and have done some great trails together. He almost joined us for this trek, but may be thanking his stars that he didn't. Randy is the person who edited and posted my gibberish, Charlie Graham's and the Fitzgearlds' photos, and put his own pithy comments on this web site. He also made a trip up to Oregon from his home in Californy just to help me get the Unimog ready for the trip. Thanks for all the help, Randy!
Ken Schultz, Max Schultz, and everyone else at Prince George Truck & Equipment: Sheesh, where to begin? How many businesses are willing to help out complete strangers to the extent that this one did? If it hadn't been for Ken's persistence and willingness to ask other people questions about why my head gasket might have failed after 600 miles, we might never have learned that the engine had been timed wrong in Portland. This is work that he did on his own, with no possibility of billing for it. Max answered other questions I had over the phone when I was in Whitehorse, and even offered his home phone number in case I had more over the long weekend. I cannot thank these people enough for all their help.
God: For creating the incredible beauty that we experienced and giving us the eyes, ears, noses and time to enjoy it. Amazing. As Doc Sarvis, master of understatement, would say, "Well done, Yahweh."
Plenty More: There are others of you, too... I'm sure you know who you are, but thank you again.
Sponsors: This expedition would not have been possible without the support of many sponsors -- be sure to check out the reviews from our expedition. Where else can you get information about how products fared in two months of expedition use?
| Related Links |
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North by Northwest Expedition: - Introduction - Sponsor List - Reviews - Photo Galleries Before Departure Shakedown Cruise Lower British Columbia More Lower British Columbia Busted in BC BC with Coast Mountain Crawlers Upper British Columbia Almost Alaska |
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