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Day 3 - 9:17 AM
The Cayenne Turbo becomes a wrecked exotic
This morning started like yesterday morning, in the rain and the dark. My updates so far have been fairly mundane but the simple fact is that I'm participating on a cool road trip along the Rockies, no more.
Describing the majesty of the largest chain of mountains in Canada is difficult enough without using 'beautiful' and 'stunning' eighteen times over. Better to see them yourself to fully grasp their omnipotence.
Now, getting back to my road trip. We left the Four Points shortly after 07:15 and only 58 km later, at 07:50, the ho-hum adventure would come to a screeching, steel-bending halt. The lead Cayenne Turbo, driven by one of the Italians, spun out after passing a big rig.
As he cleared the front of the truck and merged back into his lane, as best as I can figure it out, the driver got two wheels on the un-plowed shoulder, aquaplaned (more slush than snow), attempted to regain control, over corrected, flew straight across the road (right in front of the rig) while performing a 180-degree turn on itself, slammed into the snow bank, spun back into the right direction and came to a stop. Scary stuff but no one was injured, thankfully. As for the Cayenne Turbo, well, its days on the Arctic Route Adventure are over.
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com |
Stefano and his crew were very upset by the incident, citing himself that he was very embarrassed and disappointed. Reflector triangles were set on the road and phone calls made to in order to get the accident cleaned up. We're hitting the road, more cautious than previously, while Rick and Tony will stay behind waiting for a tow vehicle to come and pick up the Turbo.
Matt
Porsche Cayenne Turbo becomes a wrecked exotic
An unfortunate incident occurred during the 6th edition of the Arctic Route Adventure. The convoy of Porsche Cayennes are making their way from Vancouver, BC to Anchorage, Alaska, including a stop up in Deadhorse which marks the end of the northbound highway. [...] Read more
Day 3 - 3:43 PM
Smooth sailing for the rest of the day
As for this report, keep in mind that this year, I'm participating in the laid-back wave of the drive, or so it seemed... Where the route will get challenging is from Whitehorse on.
Today and for only 45 minutes or so, Harry and I crossed a mountain pass that was gently being pummelled by large lazy snowflakes and heavy winds. So far, this has been the only instance where we had to slow down because of driving conditions. Actually, once around a tight bend on the pass, we came upon a late model Dodge Avenger 40 metres deep in the snow off the road.
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com |
Otherwise, it's smooth and clear sailing with an average speed of well over 100 km/h and temperatures of up to 11 degrees. On some deserted parts of the 97, also known as the Alaska Highway, our little Cayenne V6 can hit some pretty highly illegal speeds... Some parts of the road, between Buckinghorse River and the Goguka Creek Provincial Park are straight as an arrow and it is wide. Very ripe...
When Lesley takes over from me in Whitehorse, she will have to contend with snow drifts from high winds, which are far more treacherous than you might imagine. Last year, some of them would cover more 3/4 of the width of the road and sometimes be up to three feet tall. As the paved road runs out, permafrost-covered earth becomes the driving surface. These make-shift passages are rutted, rough and covered in rocks. Windshields do not stand a chance.
The next obstacle, rolled in with the wind, will be frigid temperatures. We've been excessively lucky as the thermometer has not yet dipped below the freezing point. Only when the accident occurred did I throw on my winter jacket. Once at Deadhorse, the numbers can and will surely drop well below -20 degrees Celsius.
Then, she'll need to contend with the sun and the moon. Perpetually fighting over supremacy for a spot in the sky, at this time of the year and at these altitudes, one may look like the other. I recall the moon being so bright that we all thought it was a great ball of fire.
So far wildlife has been limited to a moose, two deer and a few carcasses of each. Lesley, and Rob, on the event's return trip, will face bison, deer, moose, elk and perhaps even wolves and bears. Oh my!
Matt
Day 3 - 6:01 PM
Another 900 kilometres on the odometer
Day 3 is over. We will have travelled a further 900 km on our way to reach Whitehorse, which is tomorrow's final destination and where my journey ends. Our meeting point tonight is the Motel 8 in Fort Nelson, as Rick and Tony are two hours behind us. For dinner? Boston Pizza!
Matt