Our Journey Home ~ November 15-16, 2010

Our Journey Home

Monday – Tuesday, November 15-16, 2010

Monday was a 10 hour day of the most breathtaking scenery as we completed crossing the Canadian Rockies. It snowed heavily at times as you can see in the pictures and video. We had so much footage that I had to make 3 parts to the video. We saw lots of wildlife. When you watch the videos, look for Northern Rockies Lodge. I plan to revisit there by bush plane one day (skipping the roads). Notice Muncho Lake right beside it. The water was a gorgeous sapphire.

There was one pass in particular that I hated;  and my little daredevils loved! We were circling a cliff with no guardrails. Yuck, yuck, yuck! I made a lot of promises to God if He would just get me out of there – ha!

We finished the final curves and were finally on a relatively straight path to Fort Nelson.  About 30 minutes from our destination, the sun had set and we hit a slick spot. Black ice. The trailer started sliding side to side. Chris tried to pull out by accelerating. Impossible. The trailer continued fishtailing. Chris steered into the slide, but nothing helped. The trailer was grandly fishtailing wider and wider and we were leaving huge marks across both lanes. Chris started praying in the Spirit. He knew we were out of control – in the middle of the wilderness just into British Columbia.  Immediately the children and I started praying in the Spirit with him. A power and a peace settled in the truck. No one screamed. We just prayed.

At this point, the road was two lanes and sloped steeply down to the forest on each side. The moon was full and bright and reflected off the eternity of whiteness. The trailer swung out wildly and took control of the truck and started dragging us into a 360 degree spin. It drug us off the road sideways down toward the forest. It pulled the truck/trailer combo into a V-shape stopping only at a stray tire. The truck ended up sideways and we were afraid it might roll. Quickly David starting putting on the little girl’s socks and shoes and coats, hats, gloves. Chris said we had to get out – QUICK!  Brennan managed to climb out of the passenger seat and pulled Gabriella out. Then he opened our door and pulled John-James out. I lifted the carseat to him. I pushed and he pulled it out. I climbed out and helped Brennan get David and the little girls out and we cuddled them for warmth. I had piled blankets on top of Havah. Chris was trapped. He couldn’t open his door because we were afraid that would make the truck roll.

Immediately an old Cadillac drove by slowly and pulled over. The two men were very quiet and obviously concerned about what they would find. They offered to help and I told them my husband needed help. I was stuttering and shaking from cold and nerves. The littles started to cry. The men came over and talked to Chris about what he could do safely from what they could see. He was able to get out and grab a few essentials – diaper bag, wallet.

It was unbelievable but within minutes of going off the road, we were ALL crammed inside that Cadillac and off to Fort Nelson. No fear of freezing. We were sweating.

We checked into a really nice hotel. The men stayed with us until we were sure we could get a room. One of them had 5 children at home.

In our room, I got the children settled while Chris contacted a tow truck – AGAIN. He left shortly to ride with the 18 wheeler that would rescue Big Bertha and possibly bring her the rest of the way to Fort Nelson.

I was so nervous about Chris being out there in the dark trying to get back to us on those dreadful roads. This was Isabella’s birthday. What a day!

When Chris returned the children were settled down, and we just held each other and cried. Both of us were at a breaking point. We were so thankful we were all safe. It was incredibly stressful to make this trip. Oh… how we wished there was another way.

Chris told me the tractor trailer tried pulling Big Bertha up onto the road. It started sliding backwards toward Chris who was in the driver’s seat of the truck! It ended up perpendicular across both lanes. Finally after an hour or so, they were successful. And our truck and trailer had zero damage! Nothing scratched, nothing bent, nothing broken. It was a miracle. And that tire that stopped the U-haul was not one of ours. We could not figure how it came to be in just the perfect place…

Later we talked about how it felt like we were being carried as we weaved and circled and went off the road. It was not jarring at all. Felt very gentle –  like we were ice-skating and we swished to a stop. Partly it was the sensation of being on ice; partly we were protected by angels. No one was hurt and none of our belongings were damaged. It was a miracle.

At this point, we didn’t care how much an international phone call would cost. We finally had signal in a real hotel in a real town. And we called the parents. Crying. Amazed. Longing for it all to be over with.

We had a very hard time thinking about getting back on the road so we stayed and rested the next day. We cried tears of thankfulness that our entire family was unscathed. We were so grateful. I could hardly talk about it.

It was wonderful to have this room for two nights. It was an executive suite with all kinds of extras. We relaxed and held each other and dreamed of green grass.

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Our Journey Home ~ November 13-14, 2010

Our Journey Home

Saturday – Sunday, November 13-14, 2010

Traveling thru the Canadian Rockies was breathtakingly beautiful. It was also scary. The mountain wall sprung up on one side of the road and the lake water glistened on the other side.

At some point around this time, we realized that Mommy sitting in the front was a luxury. I needed to move to the center of the truck so I could reach everyone with food, drink, paddle, etc. So I rode monkey-in-the-middle for the rest of the trip. Brennan took over the co-pilot seat and helped navigate. I usually have terrible car sickness, but God had mercy on me for this trip. It wasn’t too bad. Other than I was squished up against the car seat on one side; John-James’ booster on the other. The wipes by my feet, the snack jar snuggled to the left of my feet beside the lunch supplies. The trash can near the door under Havah’s seat. Computers, safe, camera’s all packed in a specific little spot. The seat pockets were strategically filled with diapers, cream, lotion, sanitizer, books, gum and other important little items.

There was nothing we could do about the accumulating dirt and crumbs in the floorboard. No time or weather to stop for a good vacuum! We realized that we had to keep a defrosted water bottle just for periodic rinsing of the outside glass. We couldn’t see out of the windows unless we cleaned them multiple times a day. They would film up on the inside and get nasty dirty on the outside. We kept a canister of glass cleaning wipes under Chris’s seat for the inside glass.

Another thing we learned was we needed to only travel in daylight. It was too difficult to traverse these unfamiliar snowy roads in the dark. Not to mention the little girls started crying every time the sun went down. We had to use a flashlight or interior light to keep Havah settled. The baby did NOT like travelling in the dark. She would SCREAM. It was unnerving.

We did have one experience that was HILARIOUS! Well, everyone but David thought so. When necessary our boys had to use empty water bottles to empty their bladders. Well, one time David had to help John-James by holding the bottle. You can imagine it is quite a delicate procedure. Well, things were going well until John-James got distracted and started looking elsewhere. I am laughing so hard I cannot hardly type this. Chris and Brennan started hollering, “Stop!” “Turn it off, son!” David was in shock and backed up slowly yelling, “He peed on me. He p-peed on me! It’s on my coat! It’s on my face!” We had to scrub and sanitize and comfort and reassure. This incident was discussed for days.

We had 2 more days of long intense travel before we started implementing our 3^rd strategy to survive this trip! Shorter distances.  This day, the 13^th, was an incredibly long day. Over 14 hours of tedious travel… We passed thru Haines Junction and Whitehorse before settling in Watson Lake for the night. We arrived very late and Chris had to change a headlight out. So we decided to stay there the next day. We rested and Chris did some truck maintenance. We prepared to leave out early the following morning.

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Our Journey Home ~ November 8-12, 2010

Our Journey Home

Monday – Friday, November 8-12, 2010

Well… we had survived a very scary and potentially dangerous situation – stranded on a lonely stretch of Alaskan Highway in the Yukon. We spent the week in Destruction Bay, Yukon Territory, Canada. It was a booming town – population of 30. We increased the population by almost 30% for that week. The motel was roomy and in a beautiful location overlooking Kluane Lake and surrounded by snowy mountains. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We did laundry there and bought a few groceries in the little motel store. A half-gallon of milk was only $7!

Chris went to Whitehorse with Charlie and got Big Bertha all settled in with a mechanic and was told we were in line. It would be at least a week, maybe more before we could get her back. While they were in town, Chris bought some groceries that we would need for the week. He bought dagwood sandwich ingredients, stuff for bacon and eggs, grilled cheese toast, juice, milk, etc.

We had paid $1,000 for the towing (3 hours) to Whitehorse and the repair was estimated at being $5,000 - $7,000. I have to laugh in retrospect. This was crazy. We barely had enough money to get home and live until Chris found a job! What in the world was God up to?!?! Well, we had learned over the past few years that even when it doesn’t work on paper, God can make things happen and provide miraculously. He provides daily manna.

For us in our walk of faith, He didn’t provide a plan of action and the money to make it happen in advance. There was no weekly plan, no monthly plan, and absolutely no yearly plan. We learned to live and follow Him day by day. He provided exactly what we needed for the day at hand. And this journey would be no different. It started out different; we had the funds before we left Fairbanks. However with this one event, we were almost wiped clean.

We joked about staying in Destruction Bay. Joked about an aborted plan to return to the South and how God relocated us to DB, Yukon. Ha! Actually we wouldn’t have minded living there. Wilderness, adventure, off the grid. But it was TOO far from home.

We were happy to have a few boring days although we were anxious to make it home for Thanksgiving. We would dream about eating turkey and gravy and dressing and ALL the fixin’s with our families. We imagined what it would be like to hug everybody and laugh and carry on like only we can do at Thanksgiving gatherings!

I remember sitting at the little table in our room, emailing and blogging. That was my communication with the outside world. Gail had phone cards for us to use, but the payphone was not cooperative (and it was outside) and the cell phone had no signal. So my computer was my link to our beloved family and friends.

The children played outside in the mornings and afternoons. I have lots of pictures and video of the children playing and exploring. Mostly during the baby’s naps. They were a little fidgety at times. But overall it was a very peaceful time. We were trusting God to provide the next step.

My Journal Entry:  Tuesday, November 9, 2010

"Have I Not Sent You?"

Sometimes the messiness of real life seems contradictory to your calling. Your circumstances disagree with what God has told you. This is where faith steps in. Hardship produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5) So our family is rejoicing even though it is tempting to be overwhelmed. I have confidence that one day I will be blogging more about the fruit our lives produce.

Judges 6:12-14...
The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." The LORD looked at him and said, "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?"

God has told Chris and I, "Go in the strength you have. Have I not sent you?"

Oh, Lord, what little strength I have is yours. May Your will be done in my life, in my family's life, and in the lives of those we touch.

Friday, we got the unexpected news that the truck would be ready early – 5 days early! And it wouldn’t cost quite as much as we had thought. Yay! Leaving early meant saving money on hotel and food expenses, on top of saving money on the transmission! God sent a couple of people into our lives who wanted to loan us some money to help finish out the trip. In retrospect I can insert here that we operate cash only. We have only used cash for years, probably 6-7 years. We have debit cards but zero credit cards. So we do not like having to take a loan. However that was how God chose to provide. And glory be to Him, we were able to pay everything off in a matter of months after Chris found work. When I look back at how much that trip cost us, it is amazing! We had everything totally paid for by God’s grace so very quickly.

Chris and Charlie made the trip again to Whitehorse trying to make it before the shop closed and this time victoriously brought Big Bertha home. We were so happy to see her and yet a little nervous to travel with her again. We packed and prepared to leave very early the next morning.

(Click the links below to read my original journal entries.)

My Journal from 2010: Stranded in Destruction Bay

My Journal from 2010:  Have I Not Sent You

My Journal from 2010:  From an email to a friend...

My Journal from 2010:  Great News!!!

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The Wylers came to visit!

Jason and Amy Wyler brought their 6 children to see us today. It was a marvelous afternoon of sharing and catching up on news. We are so privileged to be friends with this amazing family. Thank you, Lord, for kindred spirits.

I plan to go back to our trip memories tomorrow. This time last year we were stranded in Destuction Bay, YT, Canada. More pics and video tomorrow! Love you all!



Cutie footsies! Barefoot in November...

Break Time!

Jason Wyler talking with Chris Revells - man-talk...

Gabriella Revells

Gabriella Revells

Isabella Revells

Going to jump?!?!

Gabriella jumping...

David jumping...

Elysiana Revells

Abigail Wyler

Isabella Revells, Elysiana Revells, John-James Revells, Molly Wyler, Abigail Wyler, Noah Wyler



Isabella Revells

Sorry, dear friends...

Sorry, dear friends, I did not update my blog yesterday and do not plan to today. I am dealing - we are dealing - with some personal sorrow. We received sad news yesterday regarding a dear dear friend in Alaska. Missi Labean is fighting an aggressive cancer spreading 20% every 5 days. I spent most of yesterday crying and praying. My mind is so pre-occupied with my friend and her family right now. Her husband and daughters are with her at home. Rhonda is expecting a baby boy in April - their first grandchild. Jessi is studying to be a nurse. John is the most devoted husband. We are so grieving. Praying for a miracle. Anyway I will go back to my trip memories as soon as I can wrap my mind around this. I love Missi so dearly and I am going crazy knowing I can't be with her when she needs me. I just want to hold her hand and kiss her.

Our Journey Home ~ November 7, 2010

Our Journey Home

Sunday, November 7, 2010

This day started perfectly. We woke up very early, got ready and packed. Dressed “the littles” and fastened them in their carseats with a breakfast bar and sippy cup of defrosted milk from the cooler. The older ones helped us re-pack and organize food supplies for the day. Right before packing the food supplies back into the trailer, I used our little espresso machine to make North Pole Coffee (St. Nickerdoodle, of course!) for Chris and I for the road.  Sleeping bags rolled and stashed away, Havah’s bassinet loaded with misc. stuff and stowed away in the trunk, sippy cups re-filled and put in the cooler, and a hundred other details were checked off. And away we pulled.

We watched the sun rise over the mountains mid-morning. It was a beautiful day and such gorgeous mountains heralded either side of the Alaska Highway. Our destination was Whitehorse, Canada. We were not far from the border. We would cross Border City into Canada, thru the no-man land, then thru Beaver Creek. The border guard appreciated our organized paperwork and was amazed that we were moving with so little. We felt like it was a treasure trove since we came up to Alaska with almost nothing!

The sun starting setting mid-afternoon. We passed Burwash Landing and Destruction Bay. We still had three more hours to get to Whitehorse. The sunset was glinting off Kluane Lake. It was the largest lake in the Yukon. Hundreds of miles long. The Alaska Highway wrapped closely around its contours. We rounded a curve and then some gentle hills.

Then we felt a jerk and a pull and Big Bertha made a strange noise. Chris pulled over and we looked at each other. Our worst fear had come upon us. What in the world were we going to do? Car trouble in the middle of the Yukon in sub-zero temperatures – at night – on a lonely road. We had a front row seat watching the last remaining rays of sun and safety fall below the horizon beyond the lake. We prayed.

I kept the children occupied by feeding them an early supper. Instead of the hoped-for warm soup, we ate sandwiches and chips again. We stayed toasty warm in the truck while Daddy investigated the truck.

It was as we had feared – the transmission had gone out. Almost everything under that hood was new – or newer – except the transmission.

No cell phone coverage out there. Well, I suppose God doesn’t need a cell phone anyway. The Canadian version of a D.O.T. truck came by very soon. The guy talked with Chris and said he had a brother-in-law back in Destruction Bay, the little place we had passed about 15 min back.  We hated to see him drive away, but we knew stranded vehicles are taken very seriously up in the Yukon.

Sure enough, the brother-in-law, Charles Eikland, came by and towed us back to the Talbot Arm Motel. Okay, let’s clarify. This was not a typical towing. He had a rope. We had a rope. He pulled Big Bertha with a rope! It took about 45 terrifying minutes of Chris having to keep the proper tension on the tow rope and steer in unknown territory when he couldn’t see around Charles’ truck! Up and down and around we went. I helped navigate by peering around and trying to give Chris the lay of the land.

Finally we made it and checked-in the motel. Charles ate supper at the motel restaurant so Chris could get all of us settled in our room – then they went back for the trailer. We were all settled and safe and back together before we knew it. It was weird and peaceful. We were so thankful. We all prayed our thanksgiving. God had protected and shielded us. We were near a mechanic. We had not entered the intense Canadian Rockies’ passes. We broke down in a safe place on the road. My emotions were all over the place. But my faith in God was my anchor. I had placed my entire trust in Him. I would not waver now.

Charles helped us coordinate the truck repair in Whitehorse because he did not have the equipment locally. So early the next morning the tow truck from Whitehorse would arrive and they would follow it in and make arrangements. Charles researched several garages and they decided which one would be the best. It was a three hour trip (one-way) to Whitehorse. So Chris wouldn’t be back until late.

So we all went to bed thankful and nervous about what tomorrow would bring.

Map from Tok, AK to Destruction Bay, YT, Canada

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