| Our departure from Fort Nelson was, to say the least, interesting. We had a short run to Muncho Lake so we didn't hurry to leave the Westend Campground. Once the truck was hooked up to the trailer, we noticed that the brake controller was not giving us an indication that the trailer brakes were engaging. The possibility that the brakes were not working properly as we got deeper into the Northern Rockies made us reluctant to make the run. The brake controller is the device in the truck that dictates when the trailer brakes activate (either before or after the truck brakes engage) and how much braking force is applied. Getting service for the trailer in a small town like Fort Nelson is not easy, but this being a Sunday made the possibility of getting service even more remote. The Campground owner said she knew a mechanic who had a shop in his home a few miles out of town. She gave us directions and even street names but we could not find the place. In the meantime, as we tried to find the mechanic, we noticed that the trailer brakes seemed to be working. We continued on to Muncho Lake keeping a wary eye on the actions of the trailer.
The Alaska Highway north of Fort Nelson carried us deeper into the Northern Rockies. The guidebooks and other travelers told us to expect a lot of animals on and off the highway. We saw very few animals even though highway signs warned of sheep, moose, caribou and buffalo on the road. The extent of our animal sightings were a lone caribou and a few Stone Sheep near the road at Muncho Lake. We started to think that the animals don't like us and hide just to annoy us... the animals are making us paranoid.
Each of us remarked that Muncho Lake is one of the most beautiful places we have been . The waters are an emerald green and change colors with the changing light. The lake can be placid in one moment and full of angry waves the next. We learned about the angry side when a strong thunderstorm went through the area. At any rate, we will be reluctant to leave the campground.
This page will be uploaded many days after our arrival at Muncho Lake. This place is really isolated. The campground generates its own electricity. There is no cell phone service, no TV and no Internet access. We suspect this may happen in some of our other stops.
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