DirtyComanche

Next day was minimal driving. I'd actually planned to drive to Cache Creek after spending time at Whistler, but is was easier to stay. First stop was Brandywine Falls. It's a very short hike from the highway and does not disappoint. From there it was to Whistler, and the Gondola to the top. Quite the view from up there

Forgot to put the map in the last one... Then it was off to Cathedral Grove. There's some more old trees here. Unfortunately the sheer number of visitors is starting to show on some of them. And back to Nanaimo to grab the ferry to Horseshoe Bay And here we are staying at a decent place in Squamish... They had an underground parking garage so I could be assured the MJ would not go missing in the night even.

The next day was another big travel day, although it's under 300km on the odometer... Which broke back at Valemount actually, so I really had no idea how many km I logged on the trip. Up the Malahat Highway: First stop was the Forestry Discovery Center in Duncan. When I was a kid they would run the Shay around, I didn't find anyone that knew but I'm guessing the boiler needs to be redone on it and they don't have the money. The Climax (right) looks complete, but I'm guessing needs a lot of work. View from the lookout tower. They were using the little diesel that day, but they have a little tank engine they run on the weekends now. Found an old Austin-Western grader. These were well ahead of their time with all hydraulic controls when most things were linkages and wheels. LeTourneau loaders and stuff If you're ever near Duncan, do stop in here, lots of neat stuff and admission is fairly cheap.

Then it was a short trip to the ferry terminal and over to Victoria. Hit up the Inner Harbour. The Provincial Capital Building in the background. Popped over to Butchart Gardens as it is an impressive sight. Sunken Garden, this used to be a completely barren limestone quarry. Parts of the Japanese Garden

Then it was a 440km leg to Vancouver. We made one stop at Bridal Veil Falls, as it's just off the highway and a good place to take some pictures while stretching your legs. From there we parked the truck and went downtown.

From there it was a quick 300km to Vernon. Dinner at The Island Restaurant in Golden: Somewhere along Hwy 1: Had brunch in Revelstoke. It's pretty hippy there. I took no pictures of Vernon because it's Vernon. Sorry for people that like Vernon.

Of course we stopped at Lake Louise, as it is probably one of the most iconic places in the Canadian Rockies. We also did an side trip to Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, this is about 40km out of the way, bringing the total for the day to about 400km. It's well worth the trip, as it's a spectacular waterfall and not too busy as it is a long winding road to get there. Unfortunately apparently I'm allowed 97mb~ of images total, so just blew that out of the water... Imgur hosted from here.

Next up was the drive to Golden, just a hair over 300km on the Icefields Parkway. This route is scenic, to say the least, pictures will never do it justice.

I forgot to mention, we stayed at the Sawridge in Jasper. I'm suspecting some people were questioning why I was driving a truck that appeared to be worth less than the room cost for the night. There's also a cool old steam engine in the middle of town. And we stopped in at Gogmorgo's place and I bought a steering column off him.

The next morning we took the gondola up Marmot (or whatever it technically is) to get a view. Weather was not optimal, but it was still an interesting sight. From there we headed south, and stopped at Athabasca Falls. It's right by the road and well worth a look.

Medicine Lake (on the way to Maligne Lake) and Maligne Lake.

The next day it was off to Jasper, and Maligne Lake. I'd never actually been to Maligne Lake, but it was a good little side trip. Unfortunately the day was hazy, so it was not the best for photos. On the way we stopped at Mt Robson Park. Mt Robson is the highest point of the Canadian Rockies. We just went to the trailhead to get some pictures. And we stopped at Moose Lake for some pictures.

Just before Valemount, if you know where to turn, you can take the old road. The bridge is much more interesting than the concrete monstrosity of the actual highway, and the Fraser river is a very nice colour at this point as it is entirely glacial fed. After having dinner in Valemount, we tried to climb Canoe Mountain. I have done this trip before, and the view is incredible as you wind up on a cliff face well above tree line. Alas the Comanche was not interested, too hot of a day, too much grade, and I didn't want to risk hurting the engine. Only a few more switchbacks and we would have been to the treeline, but I put tail between legs and let her cool down and turned around. Somewhere I have pictures of my previous trip there... I should try to find them.

We started off in Prince George. The first leg was to Valemount, only 290km, but some time was spent at one stop of interest, being Ancient Forest. Ancient Forest is a small collection of old growth red cedar that have been spared from fire, windstorm, drought, and most recently the fallers' saws (some of the trees have paint marks from timbercruisers and sample blocks cut from them even). Many of these trees are pushing 1000 years of age as they have flourished in this small section of interior rainforest. This spot was basically unknown when I moved here, but now has a large boardwalk trail, parking lot, signs, and is noted in tourism books and on Google Maps, likewise the number of visitors has skyrocketed. Unfortunately I was fighting user error and didn't get any good pictures of the really large trees, but I did get one of the small waterfall at the top of the park.

I'm about 95% certain it's a standard GM pulley if it's a V-belt...

While it's completely clear to me what needs to be done, by any chance did you take some pictures? Would make a good one for the write ups section.

That. I think either the tach is straight up broken, or there is a massive amount of noise in the signal or power.

I have a Yukon Zip locker. As much as it annoyed me with how the product is somewhat goofy regarding installation and a few other things, it has worked flawlessly. Instant engagement every time. They can be had for a much better price than list if you sweet talk a dealer or wait for a sale.

I'm betting that will not be reliable...

I've used a ton of those Honda EU1000i/EU2000i generators. They're rock solid and will handle a way larger surge load than they're rated for. I've used them for weeks on end with no issues. If it won't start your A/C, you might still be able to find a larger start capacitor for it to make it work.

Yes. Might be able to come up with something nicer between RADesigns or modding up one of the available aftermarket shifters... Or even using a GC shifter that has the manual up/down buttons on it?

I think your problems are at least partly transmission related. The AW4 is not very efficient outside of lockup, and I'm guessing you're seeing very little time in lockup during your around town driving.

RIP Jim.

100% I think there's a decade left before it will really be felt... As it sits an EV conversion doesn't seem to be a great economical choice, unless you're really putting on the miles in a manner that you can maximize the strengths of an EV, but the costs are coming down in general. Big rigs might actually be converted sooner rather than later. With driver log requirements and mandatory rest periods, couple with many trucks being owned/leased by fleets, they're actually a great option for electric as they can charge/swap batteries during the driver's mandatory breaks, and if you own a fleet of trucks the infrastructure cost is far easier to be justified. It's just not there yet, but throw another good 'ol fashioned oil crisis at us and I'm sure it will happen.

Dual fuel setups are a big compromise, I've dealt with them and don't think they're worth it.