Roll Call Alaska 2013

[JANETRUPP]

Just thought I'd start a thread regarding who will be starting up to Alaska in 2013. It would be nice if we could share information so everyone has a memorable and safe trip.
We will be leaving around the end of May out of Las Vegas. We will be traveling with our 40' MH and towing our Equinox car. We are heading up with my husband's cousin and her husband and they have an airstream.
We have gone before but in 2005 so we are really looking forward again to the adventure. It is surely a trip of a lifetime and to do it more than once is a blessing. We are only on this earth for a short while.
Travel safe!

Janet

[CA_Traveler]

Our AAA Experience:

We used the AAA maps Alberta British Columbia and Alaska and NW Canada to map out our route. We also have the Western Alaska and Canada Tour book. All of these have useful information.

Then remembering the old strip TripTik with lots of useful information besides the actual road information we spent 2 hours getting the current TripTix. This new TripTix (526 pages for Canada and Alaska) has detailed road information but no other information unlike the former TripTiks. The road construction information might be useful if it’s current when we get there but overall I’m not sure it was worth the time spent especially if you have GPS.

You may know that AAA has phased out their camping related books and maps – if you have them treat them like gold. They now sell Woodall’s instead.

We bought the Woodall’s Far West AAA book for the member price of $3.99 which looks like a good compliment to Trailer Life, the Church book and the All Stays app on my iPhone (also online). I’d recommend this book and it covers Mexico to Alaska Western areas. Other states, Alberta, etc may be in other books. It does have a different page numbering system, for example pages 1615-1798 are missing. Apparently these are states, Alberta, etc in other books. I would have thought they would have just hit the page renumber button. But for $3.99…

[CA_Traveler]

daily double wrote:
Does anyone know when the 2013 book by Mike Church comes out?

We have the current 5th edition and online updates.

[daily_double]

Does anyone know when the 2013 book by Mike Church comes out?

[JANETRUPP]

Welcome two travelers. Join in our fun with anticipation of our adventure :B

[JANETRUPP]

ROLL CALL - ALASKA 2013
We will need to hang a sign in the window with our screen name so we will recognize each other while traveling. I know I have too much time on my hands, lol

janetrupp - Bullhead City, AZ
DesertHawk - New Mexico
TwoHands - California
SD1209 - San Diego, Calif
Lonnie4801 - Texas
LindaZ - Colorado
JUrban - Delaware
AprilWhine -Pahrump, NV - Smart Caravan
PA12DRVR - Houston -Anchorage
KPSmithSr - St Louis, MO
JoeB - Florida
Jim4929 - Roaroke, VA
HKsilvereagle - North Pole
gandalf42 - Fort Collins, Colorado
tsimtcu8 - Vancouver, British Columbia
Hjudge49 - St Augustine, Florida
Jnharley - Indiana
sodajerk - Dallas, Texas
b2egypt - Michigan
pasco1215 - Central Alabama
glen68 -Warba, MN - Great Falls, MT for SMART Caravan
CA Traveler - Sun Lakes, AZ
Gonecamping444 - Michigan
rickjf - Florida
daily double - Ketchum, Oklahoma
retired frog - Albany, NY
jonlin - North Carolina
phxkayaker - Washington state
glaciergus - Minnesota
Dirtsailor - Halethorpe, MD
donp5311 - Iowa
AidenJ - Adirondocks, NY
Texas Roadrunner - San Antonio, TX
hjeaton - Ohio
S Ski - Chandler, AZ
Tom&Susan G - Ringgold, Georgia
lizzie - Unaka, North Carolina
Butch50 - Bentonville, Arkansas
pistolpeter55 - Maine
bajarat - Austin, Texas
pnordan - North Carolina
dlklose - Colorado
fanrgs - Denver, Colorado
Elmer Zilch - Bossier, LA
Takemeanywhere - Wisconsin
taviking22 - Omaha, Nebraska
bigtuffy2 - Merkel, Texas
Alan M - Cobb, CA
Hoaugh - Columbus, Ohio
Bob n Izetta - Florida
glen112233 - Iowa
yukiroad - South Pasadena, Calif
Bakers - ? (friends of Texas roadrunner)
two travelers - Smithtown, NY

[hjeaton65]

Looking at tours, etc. tonight. Anyone know anything about the Alaskan Airline "Day at the top of the world" which is a one-day to Barrow and back to Fairbanks for 574/person?? Arctic tours one day to Barrow is over $700 and sounds very similar....

[two_travelers]

We're flying to Anchorage in late May and renting a 24ft class C. Living on Long Island in NY it was just too many miles there and back for us. This will be our 3rd trip. Going through Milepost now to plan our trip.

[CA_Traveler]

We bought the 2012 Milepost and I'm glad we did. It's already been very useful for planning. We guessed that the 2012 information would be adequate for the trip, but if you see us lost out there then we need help. :B

Or we probably need help even if not lost!

[CA_Traveler]

90F :@ I'll have to return to AZ to cool off...:B

[fanrgs]

Janet,

The 2013 MIlepost will be available on amazon.com on March 19.

And, for those who haven't been there, it gets over 90 degrees F every summer in Fairbanks, but rarely gets over 80 in Anchorage.

[CA_Traveler]

I've saved the Roll Call sign as a Word 2003 doc which may help to download it. It does have the rv.net logo graphic.

Roll Call Word 2003 doc

This is a Microsoft Word doc and you need Word or one of the free compatible Word programs to open and edit this file.

[JANETRUPP]

I know some people think when you mention Alaska that it is all snow and igloos, lol :E
I bought the Church book also, but I am waiting to get the Milepost til the new 2013 edition comes out in March (I think).
With the sign, I had to upload it a few times before it would open. If you want to make your own, It just read in Bold Cap letters

ROLL CALL
ALASKA
2013

(Add your screen name here)

RV.net emblem was here

This planning is alot of fun. It will be nice if along the route we meet up with some of you.

Janet

[hjeaton65]

Thanks for suggestions and links. I found the coupon book. The specific things we were looking for aren't in it, but we'll look again.

Perhaps I will forward mail to our son and he can go through it and open what looks vital. We really got into planning last night and I am in the process of printing these forum pages so I can read them better. Somehow on paper I can concentrate better then on a screen....lol. I tried to open that last RollCall sign and my computer didn't like it...is there a graphic on it?? Kept telling me it couldn't convert the graphic. Maybe tonight if I get the rest of the last few pages of posts read, I will find out something else I missed.

We got the Alaska Camping book by Church and it has a LOT of good general info. Will wait a bit before I download the updates as y'all early travelers might add to it before we actually get headed north from our conference in Portland.

Was thinking of printing one roll call paper, putting it in a sheet protector and taping to back of trailer, as there are no windows back there. That is, if dearhubby will let me put tape on the outside walls.....lol. Funny how people that hear about our trip ask about how cold it will be. Having trouble convincing people that it isn't always cold and snow in AK. We enjoyed our cruise/tour in the 90's and didn't hardly have to wear coats on land. We'll be prepared but not worried...

[JANETRUPP]

hjeaton65... Here is the web page for the coupon book.
Coupon Book
It is a 2 for 1 coupon book and a good tool. One tour will pay for the whole book. $99.95

As far as the mail. We also do as previously stated. We do most everything online. I do have someone that checks in on my home a couple of times per week. He brings my mail in. I keep a priority mail box so he can pile anything important in it. If we know ahead of time that we will be in a certain area for a few days and they accept mail, I will email him and tell him when and where to send it.

Hope this helps :B

Janet

[CA_Traveler]

hjeaton65,

We have almost no reliance on snail mail. Basically everything is done online - bank accounts, payments, bills, etc. And it doesn't matter if we are on the road or not.

We hire someone to bring in the snail mail and look for anything special. We have the largest mailbox we could find. The bottom is removed and the mail drops down into a cement block structure which our house person empties once a week. We can reach each other via email or cell but it's rarely necessary. Maybe a friend or family member can help you?

One battery may be a bit light or not depending upon your usage. We could discuss this all year but why don't you go a FHU park, don't plug in and see what happens under your camping setup? I'd run the furnace a bit or not if you're the snowman type.

The Alaskan Camping book by Church has 486 pages of camping information including electric, water, dumps etc. Don't leave home w/o it.