Home to Alaska

[MargueritaM]

I am planning my return home to Anchorage, from the Las Vegas area. Last year,on April 30th, I hit a whiteout between Watson Lake and Teslin and I really don't want to go through that again!

I have more technology to help tell me the weather but most of all, I'd like to have a travel partner. I take it slow - about 300-350 miles a day - and prefer to stay in campgrounds along the way.

This will be my 12th driving trip up the AlCan, but only the 3rd as the driver. I like crossing the border at Osoyoos and going up 3 to 97C to Cache Creek, then through Ft. St. John (not Hudson's Hope) to Ft. Nelson.

Any other Alaskans headed home around May 1 or so - weather depending?

[MargueritaM]

Hi Joe, Hahaha - yes it's tough mixing fishing techniques among friends! I commercial fished for 2 years on a siener and was "boat slave" for 10 years because I was in a relationship with the owner/skipper. I think I miss the boat more than him....(j/k). But our best friend is a fly fisherman. I take my fish any way I can get them now - hook, dipnet, fishwheel or seine.

I had just started wondering if the Mat-Su has the same program! Next year I might apply to go out there. My best friend lives in Wasilla.

You are right, I could see myself doing the trip again, if I had a smaller rig and more experience, then I might be able to do it every few years. I really enjoy it with someone along who appreciates the ride.

I think that if I bought land on the Kenai, I'd just park a fifth wheel. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the engine rusting up from just sitting there. But then, my real dream is to live in a Connex! I love the small house trend, but I guess that's why I'm comfy living in an RV. If I didn't need space for my quilting I'd be quite happy in just an RV 🙂

[MargueritaM]

Thanks Tee Jay, I am going to have lunch tomorrow with 2 friends and see if either wants to do the trip. I am open to leaving as late as May 8 or so. I've crossed at Sumas many times, but never went toward Kamloops from there. We just went through Hells Gate and followed the Fraser River - it's steep but gorgeous. But that was just in the truck.

The time we towed a trailer full of excessively heavy household goods we went via Montana, Calgary & Edmonton to avoid the hills, and the time we towed a jitney we went via Osoyoos to Princeton & Merritt on the advice of our Canadian friends. Thanks for the offer - I'll be in touch!

[Tee_Jay]

MargueritaM wrote:
I am planning my return home to Anchorage, from the Las Vegas area. Last year,on April 30th, I hit a whiteout between Watson Lake and Teslin and I really don't want to go through that again!

Stay in touch if you don't find a better option. Millie and I will be going up, and she didn't like the weather last year either. She likes the 350 mile legs a lot. Most years it is May 1, but may delay a bit this year. Our route differs from yours between the border and Dawson Creek. Stops north are Charley Lake/Ft St John, Toad River, Teslin Yukon Motel, Tok Sourdough Campground, and on to Sterling. The only long stretch is Teslin to Tok, the rest are in the 350 mile range.

Most years we cross at Sumas and take Canada 1 to Hope, then to Merritt and Kamloops and north to 16, east through the park toward Hinton, north to Grand Prairie and on to Dawson Creek. We have some FRS radios for on the road contact. We stop every hour or so to stretch. If this is of interest, PM me with an Email and I will put you in touch with Millie and you can work it out or not.
Terry

[joe_b_]

Most of my commercial fishing friends work out of Homer, or at least pull their boats out of the water there for the winter. One works a tender out of Bristol Bay and lives in Washington. One of my buds fishes out of Bristol Bay and out of Nome, some years other places like Dutch. Sure not easy for a fly fisherman like myself to publically admit I have friends that fish with nets. Then a couple of others live in Homer and fish different parts of the state but not in the Homer area.

One close friend and his wife winter in Anchorage and summer in Wisconsin, just the opposite of most people. He says the weather is just too brutal where they have a home on Long Lake Wisconsin, just south of Duluth, MN in the winter. They spent over 25 years in the bush, mainly in the Interior of Alaska, and think Anchorage is part of the tropics. LOL

I would agree that twice a year trips could get a bit old quickly. About every other year works for us to do a round trip. We have considered buying a second home in Alaska, probably on the Kenai somewhere, as real estate is still reasonable up there. Then leave an RV up there and fly back and forth to use it. Of course, the Interior of Alaska is great in the summer time, but at my age, 72 now, I have gotten too soft to spend any more winters in the Interior and deal with the cold.

The last I heard, the Mat Su Sch District also has a camping program, especially at their more remote schools such as out the Petersville Rd up by Talkeetna, all their forms to apply were on the school district web site. My wife and I have thought it sounded like a good way to spend a summer some year.

[MargueritaM]

Hi Joe, I am trying to get into a program with the Anchorage School District, which has RV'er park/live full time on school grounds in the summer. It starts May 20th or so, so I'd like to have the big rig up here by then. Actually, I did fly home for several weeks, leaving the RV in Arizona! My original plan was to fly back to AZ May 22 and then drive north, but I really want to be in this program.

I'm working toward the goal of having 2 RVs as homes - the big one is going to stay in AK and I'll fly down to AZ this coming winter and pick up a second one (24-26 foot) as my "winter home". I've had enough of driving the AlCan twice a year. Oh, I was a commercial fisherman for a few years out of Seward. I'll bet your comm.fish friends are from Homer?

I should have included "in May" in the topic - I thought I did that but apparently not.

I've learned a lot in my first year of RVing, and #1 is that I don't need a 31' rig and I don't like driving it alone. The gas cap is above the back bumper, making it a PITA to fuel. I do like the slide and I can make this RV work for me for Alaska, where I don't travel much anyway because I've lived here 30+ years and did all my traveling when I was younger. Now I just stay near my daughter (yes, you remember correctly!) and two granddaughters for the most part, except for Valdez in August for silvers, with my friends.

I'd be open to a female travel companion in the rig - I've got the word out to my friends and "friends of friends". I had a publishing acquaintance fly up from New York City last September just to make the trip south with me. We had a great time 🙂 I bet that I'll see many Alaskan plates on at least a few RV's on my way north. Thanks for your info - it helped!

[joe_b_]

Sounds like you have a few options. The first that comes to mind, is to wait a month to head up to Anchorage, leaving the end of May instead. Now you may have some time line that you need to get back sooner.

Another option is to store your RV outside and fly back to Anchorage. I have good friends that were both born and raised in the Interior of Alaska, but since both have retired, they like to winter in desert SW. But they don't drive the Class A they own back and forth. It stays in storage in the Lower 48. They claim they are too busy during the summer time back in Alaska to use it much anyway and the cost of the driving trip would far exceed the cost of their two round trip plane tickets.

I know of a few fisherman, commercial types, that live outside but either drive or fly back north for the salmon runs. They generally head back up in early spring, in time to get their boats back in shape and back in the water, ready to fish. One of the forum members and his wife own two businesses on the Kenai and winter in Washington, I believe, and they head back north in their 5th wheel which they use for housing in the summers on the Kenai. So hopefully you will get some contacts. From your post I am not sure if you are looking for a travel partner to go with you in your rig, or someone with a rig to go along as a two rig caravan?

As I remember, you have mentioned having a daughter that lives in Anchorage. Any chance she would be willing to fly outside and ride back up with you?