Off to Alaska in March ARRIVED IN FAIRBANKS

[fulltimedaniel]

SEE THE MOST RECENT UPDATE AT THE END OF THE THREAD

An update to my earlier posting:

After a Four day run from Tucson we are now in Bellingham. We arrived yesterday afternoon about 4pm (Sat 3/4)this morning it is snowing.

Not to worry it isnt sticking but snow isnt going to keep me from going anyway...it's just such a jarring change from the beautiful weather of Tucson.

In Tucson I insulated the underside of my trailer with the Pink Foamular by Owens-Corining and put coroplast over that. I could not completely cover the underside in one smooth installation for a couple of reasons; one is my frame rails (I Beams) are only 8 inches deep thus my water tank hangs below that by several inches when full and then there is the waste tank plumbing and I wanted to keep open access to my slide mechanism for lubrication and repair if necessary.

But I was able to get the insulation over the entire bottom except my water tank, and coroplast to cover it it just took a lot longer and much more work.

This wont have much effect on the interior temperature of the trailer but it will help keep the pipes warmer and insulate the heater ducts.

I also lined all the pipes that are accessible with pipe insulation tubes. It isnt a perfect solution but will help. In addition I insulated the big front storage compartment under the big bedroom and all the doors of all the other storage areas.

The insulation work I have done is mostly for the cold spring and fall nights we will see while in Fairbanks. Since we don't leave until the end of September I figured that the extra insulation was worth the trouble.

The Home Depot snafu. While in Tucson at the HD trying to decide on which insulation to use I had a terrible time getting any help. They had two types of the Pink insulation but were out of the thicker one. But crazily the thicker one was $7 LESS per 4x8 sheet than the thinner one. I finally got the manager to ask him when he might get the thicker one in...confusion reigned...not for a long time. So Why is the price lower for the thicker one I asked, this seems crazy? No idea...he said scratching his head. But he did tell me that he would "take care of me" on the price when I came back to get it and gave me his card. I needed to go measure to see exactly how much I would buy.

When I did go back later that day and got to the checkout I told the person there that they needed to Call Cory the manager and explained why...more confusion. Finally Cory was found...all I heard the woman say was..."All of them?" Then she rang up my stuff and told me Cory was GIVING me the insulation, which was $20 per sheet and I had seven sheets. I told her I certainly didnt; expect that and I was willing to pay the lower prices and told her I thought this was very generous.So my insulation project was made considerably cheaper by that great customer service. Sometimes a rare event in HD.

While here in Bellingham I will winterize the water system in the trailer just before we leave. I wont need it as we will stay in motels after Quesnel anyway. (depending on temps)

My truck is getting the oil changed and new fuel filters here in Bellingham and FCA is putting in a Block heater cord which was not included with the truck originally.

To say that I feel a bit crazy to leave the warmth and sunshine of Tucson for the cold and snow is an understatement...but I need to be in Fairbanks on March 15th so off I go.

[fulltimedaniel]

Update: Day One Bellingham to Williams Lake BC

Well we are parked in the Wildwood RV Park in Williams Lake BC. That is 338 miles from my starting point today. It's not as far as I wanted to go but we had several construction stops and didn't get out of Bellingham until after 9AM.

First thing this am I got up and after a semi leisurely coffee and doughnuts I winterized the trailer draining the water system and adding in RV antifreeze. I added a good amount down each drain and into the toilet so that the valves will have standing anti freeze in them as will the traps. This means we cant use the water system but we only expect to be able to use the trailer a few times on the trip. The rest will probably be in motels.

It is about 23f and lightly snowing here now at about 7:30 PM. We arrived before dark and this little park is very nice. Open at this time of year with nice hot showers and very friendly owners. And good WiFi.

We have had some light snow at times in the higher elevations but the roads have been clear and wet in spots. The weather for tomo around Prince George is calling for a high of about 15F with sun and some clouds.

[sljohnson1938]

just read this post. according to my mapping program it is 2059 miles from Bellingham, WA to Fairbanks, AK. He must drive that far in 9 days. I hope the wx and roads are good. I look forward to following his progress. If the roads are decent I would guess no problem. If he left today then he has 9 days (March 7 thru 15) to go 2100 miles = 233 miles per day.

[fulltimedaniel]

Thanks to everyone for all your weather updates and road reports. And thanks to all who have posted.

I am leaving Bellingham this am and will check in when I get WiFi from time to time and with some photos.

[nevadanick]

Did you get a winter front for the truck ? It does help.

[sue_t]

Yukon has been having clear sunny days but chilly nights. It's -10F in Whitehorse this evening. The aurora has been out most nights.

Later this week they're predicting +5F during the day, with lots of sunshine.

The Alaska Highway is bare and dry in our area west of Whitehorse, very good driving. Lots of frost heaves and nasty dips in the highway though so take your time between Whitehorse and Champagne.

B.C. has been getting a fair bit of snow and more is expected. The Arctic air is moving down from Alaska & Yukon and meeting up with the coastal air around Vancouver Island, giving them snow instead of rain.

[profdant139]

Great news about your Home Depot experience -- the company just got thousands of dollars in well-deserved good publicity, so I think they came out okay after all.

Have a safe and fun drive -- I predict smooth sailing. You are as well prepared as can be, and you are not going into this without careful thought.

Keep us posted!

[fulltimedaniel]

Lwiddis wrote:
MINUS 31 predicted for Monday, March 6. Time to reconsider your plans!

I don't think so. In fact often, but not always, the colder it is the easier the driving, the sunnier the sky and the better the weather.

Don't get me wrong I don't particularly like the cold. I would rather it be 80 and sunny. But the cold in itself is not a bad thing for driving.

It's the wet and rainy days freezing at night and snow in the morning on top of that, kind of driving that is really bad.

When I was stationed at Elmendorf in Anchorage my friends and I went to Fairbanks for the weekend to go to the bars there (this was 1973 mind you) and it was -54 yes, minus 54 in Fairbanks. The Bars all along the main downtown street were all connected at the back so you could go from one to the other without ever having to go inside. And the hwy from Anchorage to Fairbanks was just being completed then and a good share of it was still dirt under construction, that is when driving in Alaska was a challenge...today it's a piece of cake.

[AKsilvereagle]

So far the month of March here has been very cold....

All this past week the lows have been in the -25 to -35 F below range with the daytime highs hovering around +5 to -10 F below....

The only exception the past two days here has broke the coldspell temporary with a half inch of snow with lows in the +5 to -10 F below range as the front is now gone....

This major coldspell returns with lows hovering in the -20 to -35 F range with highs around 0 F (wind chill down to -50 F in some places) thru Wednesday March 8 as they are predicting a front with a chance of producing snow on Friday :

...MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY CENTRAL INTERIOR OUTLOOK...

Clearing skies with cooling temperatures to start the week.

A ridge of high pressure will build over the interior starting
Sunday afternoon bringing mostly clear skies to the central
interior for the beginning of the week.

Clearing skies will bring a return of well below normal
temperatures for the start of the week. Temperatures will start
falling late Sunday afternoon and low temperatures for Monday
morning will be in the 25 to 40 below range. The coldest
temperatures will be in valley locations.

High temperatures Monday are expected to be around zero for most
locations. Tuesday temperatures will be similar, then a warming
trend with increasing clouds through the end of the week with a
chance of snow late in the week.

The first 5 days of this month have been sunny on 4 of those days so far, as any direct sunlight exposure on hardpacked or patchy ice road surfaces have been pretty slick during the daytime already.

The OP will miss this major coldspell by the time reaching the Fairbanks area, but will probably encounter some sort of snow, wind, fog, cold or what have you along the way.

[Lwiddis]

MINUS 31 predicted for Monday, March 6. Time to reconsider your plans!

[Fishhunter]

Just made the same trip about three weeks ago. Hauling a TC and pulling a small cargo trailer. Stayed in motels on the way up. Coldest was -35 in Watson Lake. Roads were dry all the way till north of Whitehorse. Worst weather we hit was in Anchorage and aroun the arm.

[PA12DRVR]

Clear, cool, and cloudless in the greater Los Anchorage area...should be a good drive up here.

[garyhaupt]

You picked a great week to make the drive. Looking really good all the way to Yukon/BC Border as of Sunday afternoon.

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca



Gary Haupt

[romore]

It was -33 in Fairbanks the other day, you sure you want to do this?