Roll Call Alaska 2014
Anyone traveling to Alaska in 2014? We ,my wife and I, are planning a trip and was wondering if anyone is planning on going in 2014 also. Would go this year, except we have two weddings to go to in...
Forum Discussion
- Fort Nelson - Coach windshield 'peppered' as an oil rig worker past us over a rock/gravel filled double lined sided middle median. (Repaired one, looks OK. The BIG one, repaired but with a documented no promise it would hold.)
- Campground just North of Pink Mountain. Generator fed, and the main was out when we pulled in off the road, but the site manager told us the back up was up and running. He also told us after we had problems, that a co-worker had been in trying to 'fix' the main generator. did something wrong, and we had our Autoformer fried, and our Norcold 1200 computer board 'shut down'.
- Whitehorse, had an accident where the nice people next to us backed into a temporary WiFi pole (park having a new grid put in) and smash our toads windshield out.
- In Denali after leaving Savage and Tek from 6 days and using the dump. Coach door would not open. (Climbed in thru a driver side window. Got the front door to open with some soft words.) Now driving with elastic cords, and a strap, to keep the door from flying open when driving. New lock assembly ordered and will be at our sticks and bricks when this trip is over.
- "Kissed" a pole with the front left lower edge of the coach. Yep, even with the DW telling me to stop!!! Ripped some paint, and cracked some fiberglass. Luck the door steps were just scratced. Will repair when in for other work next year.
- John's seal is no longer holding water in bowl. Not a problem, until day 2 or 3 between dumping....
- Beaver Creek to just a little before Destruction Bay. Yep, same stretch we went thru when it was still rougher on the way North, now 7-8 weeks later. Lots of road work, and even with slow traveling. We've lost both of th toads fog lights to stones. And, the Toad has a nice new sound when driving. (Suspect a broken engine mount, or swaybar bushings, are shot. (Honda CRV wheel base is not as wide as the coaches, and even though going a slow as I thought I should be going. Some unseen frost heaves must have had an 'impact' on the suspension.
- Three broken glasses of wine, most when washing. Good reason to revisit those wine tasting rooms again!
- Paint chips? Sure, in coach and toad paint. Some pretty good size... (Most, from trucks and a few RV's coming at me at high speed with no attempt to move away from the normal traffic lane. Even with us pulled as safe as possible to the side, real slow and many times at a full stop.) It's the luck of the draw, and where you are, and who is coming at you, or passin you. STUFF HAPPENS:)!
So what? Why share this, some of which has been shared before? Well gang, it can be a bit rough up here in this place called Yukon and Alaska. But you know what, we would not trade any of our good times for less minor problems on the road during this trip. I've talked to, and read about, many people with more problems then we've had. As well as, many that have not had any problems at all.
Just be ready for problems as they come up, and to the best that you can to resolve or minimize them - but do travel to and thru Alaska - wow, wow, wow!
No insult to Sue's T's, and others, great pictures - but few of them really show what this place is all about.
Have fun, travel safe, be ready and prepared, but enjoy!
Best to all,
Smitty
- Campground just North of Pink Mountain. Generator fed, and the main was out when we pulled in off the road, but the site manager told us the back up was up and running. He also told us after we had problems, that a co-worker had been in trying to 'fix' the main generator. did something wrong, and we had our Autoformer fried, and our Norcold 1200 computer board 'shut down'.
- Whitehorse, had an accident where the nice people next to us backed into a temporary WiFi pole (park having a new grid put in) and smash our toads windshield out.
- In Denali after leaving Savage and Tek from 6 days and using the dump. Coach door would not open. (Climbed in thru a driver side window. Got the front door to open with some soft words.) Now driving with elastic cords, and a strap, to keep the door from flying open when driving. New lock assembly ordered and will be at our sticks and bricks when this trip is over.
- "Kissed" a pole with the front left lower edge of the coach. Yep, even with the DW telling me to stop!!! Ripped some paint, and cracked some fiberglass. Luck the door steps were just scratced. Will repair when in for other work next year.
- John's seal is no longer holding water in bowl. Not a problem, until day 2 or 3 between dumping....
- Beaver Creek to just a little before Destruction Bay. Yep, same stretch we went thru when it was still rougher on the way North, now 7-8 weeks later. Lots of road work, and even with slow traveling. We've lost both of th toads fog lights to stones. And, the Toad has a nice new sound when driving. (Suspect a broken engine mount, or swaybar bushings, are shot. (Honda CRV wheel base is not as wide as the coaches, and even though going a slow as I thought I should be going. Some unseen frost heaves must have had an 'impact' on the suspension.
- Three broken glasses of wine, most when washing. Good reason to revisit those wine tasting rooms again!
- Paint chips? Sure, in coach and toad paint. Some pretty good size... (Most, from trucks and a few RV's coming at me at high speed with no attempt to move away from the normal traffic lane. Even with us pulled as safe as possible to the side, real slow and many times at a full stop.) It's the luck of the draw, and where you are, and who is coming at you, or passin you. STUFF HAPPENS:)!
So what? Why share this, some of which has been shared before? Well gang, it can be a bit rough up here in this place called Yukon and Alaska. But you know what, we would not trade any of our good times for less minor problems on the road during this trip. I've talked to, and read about, many people with more problems then we've had. As well as, many that have not had any problems at all.
Just be ready for problems as they come up, and to the best that you can to resolve or minimize them - but do travel to and thru Alaska - wow, wow, wow!
No insult to Sue's T's, and others, great pictures - but few of them really show what this place is all about.
Have fun, travel safe, be ready and prepared, but enjoy!
Best to all,
Smitty
