Roll Call Alaska 2014

[sljohnson1938]

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 MI, one in late June the other in early August.
So next year we are planning to leave home in NC in mid July, we plan a 2 month trip. We were there in 2004, only that time we were with paid RV tour. Loved it, and would take another paid tour in a 'heart beat', but the cost is now too much.
The reason for the mid July date is looking at the 2013 Alaska postings the wx, road conditions and insects are at their worst. Later in the season all three are better. Plus I want to travel back on the Cassiar Hwy in Sept is supposed to be the best time of the year on the Cassiar, plus less travelers.
Finally, money is an issue with us. So we will 'boon dock', stay at
free or low cost CG's, rest areas, etc. when ever possible.


Hope you all have a great trip and hope to see you some where along the way.

[CA_Traveler]

The 2 "Roll Call Alaska 2013" threads contain a lot of very good information including experienced posts from people like JoeB and Sue.t. It's well worth reading these very long threads to access this valuable information IMO.

[CA_Traveler]

We planned Grizzly Lake CG in Gakona, AK as a stop over due to our length. But when we arrived they said just park parallel to the lake and we stayed several days with WE. This is one of the very few CGs that has grass.

Also don't expect 50A as most are 30A plugs.

[CA_Traveler]

Cell data: Cell phone towers and data are very limited. The only data option in Canada would be to purchase a Canadian MiFi equivalent for several hundred dollars.

WiFi: Very limited in most CGs. Don't dependent on any ad stating they have WiFi as it's often limited, only available at the office and may very well be overloaded by everyone trying to use it and/or they don't have WiFi. At times my website updates would be batched and updated down the road.

Cell phone: With Verizon you can add Canadian access for $15/month additional. We do this on every trip to Canada, add this just prior to the border. AT&T is much higher.

Our Verizon phone and MiFi worked fine in Alaska. Our AT&T phone less so which is consistent with our AT&T experience in the lower 48.

[CA_Traveler]

Very few of the CGs were our favorites and apparently most felt that way. They are basically stopovers and offer few amenities.

The best by far was Portage Valley RV park. They were very helpful, had a covered area for BBQ, fires and supplied the fire wood. Beautiful location, etc.

At Seward we got a WE site on the water which was great but no other amenities. We liked Deep Creek Beach which was dry but right on Cook Inlet. Alison Point in Valdez was dry and on the water. Most of the rigs in these locations and others preferred the commercial CGs.

CG's in the larger towns offer limited amenities. However they do offer location.

We made some reservations sometimes on the day of arrival. Anticipate ones that might be full and make a reservaion. Fairbanks and Homer were two for us although there were other options.

Primarily we planned to arrive at a CG by 1:00-2:00. To often many sites were reserved by caravans but this timing put us ahead of most of the rest of the pack for the remaining sites.

Be flexible and have backup plans. Or just pull off of the road as most of us have self contained RVs.

[bgnmky]

mclee47 wrote:
I heard from Amazon yesterday that the Church camping book is shipping about a month early, and I should have my copy by January 8.

Interesting I just checked my amazon order and still showing Feb shipment…I am hoping it is earlier!

I know we can read the book, but I was curious if we can get a list of people's favorite campgrounds and IF they have to make advanced reservations.

[CA_Traveler]

BTW One of my favorite sayings is:

You can drive the speed limits (or faster) on your trip to Alaska.

No problem at all - just bring enough money to buy a new rig. :B

This brings home the point to my friends that they need to adjust their driving.

[CA_Traveler]

Why we went to Alaska:

For many years I wanted to make the trip while DW was less interested. Then we bought the current rig which was 2 years old. As part of that process I said that I would not take this beautiful rig to Alaska in part because of all of the postings mainly on these boards about what could happen.

And then there we were headed to Alaska for a "once in a life time" trip. Along the way this "once in a life time" trip turned into an unexpected adventure as we learned about the country and people.

We're planning to return in 2015!

And trust me it wasn't a cheap trip.

[CA_Traveler]

I absolutely agree that driving slower will help and perhaps that's why I didn't have any significant damage to the front of the motorhome.

While I respect Joes comments and many years of experience our single 2013 trip led us to conclude:
1. The fastest drivers were the locals when towing or not.
2. Many/most of the cars/trucks in Whitehorse have broken windshields and apparently they will not be repaired.
3. We wondered if the locals simply accepted rock damage as a condition of living there just like the weather that they can't control.
4. The most considerate drivers were indeed the big trucks (I posted big rig above). This group consistently moved to far right as possible.
5. Very few locals moved to the right.
6. Very few visitors moved to the right.

There were very few rocks on the paved Alaskan roads.

If you drive to Alaska you should expect that rock damage may occur and it's more likely than in the states. But if you don't go then you'll miss out on a great trip and adventure.

[CA_Traveler]

Graydust wrote:
This is a very informative subject. I will be pulling a TT. My truck has the broom type mud flap on it when I pull the TT. Will this also cause a problem with rocks hitting the TT? We plan on leaving the end of May. You mentioned the broom type on a motorhome so it got me thinking. My profile shows my rig. Thanks.

Yes but it helps. You could add a horizontal shield which would help. Another option is to cover the trailer with say the bubble type of material. You appear to have a DS door that would allow it to be secured by bungee cords etc. possibly w/o the use of tape. But you might be exposed to grit underneath the cover which would need frequent washing to prevent paint damage.

You should also consider protecting your radiator. It's one thing to get paint damage and another to be in the radiator shop.

[2gypsies1]

We don't have a rock guard on our motorhome. We do have mud flaps at the tires. We didn't get any rock damage to the Jeep.

We observed folks in Whitehorse taking off their rock guards stating that they were throwing rocks at the towed vehicles. Indeed, we saw one vehicle with a thick layer of rocks sitting at the bottom of the windshield.

Also, this Fall on a boring rainy day of riding in the passenger seat, I began watching RVs going in the opposite direction. The ones with rock guards had a high arc of water hitting their towed vehicles. The ones without rock guards only had a low splash. Interesting observation.

Joe's suggestion of driving slow is the trick. You're in no hurry - enjoy the scenery! Also, when oncoming vehicles approach, move over to the right as far as safe. Sometimes we even pulled over and stopped completely until the big trucks, especially, passed. Typically, you won't encounter traffic to do these things so you'll have options. Have a great trip!

[joe_b_]

The broom types do seem to work better than do the solid ones, on the back of any vehicle. The Alaska Hwy is paved, but most of it is not the type pavement many from the lower 48 or southern Canada are used to driving on, around where they live or generally travel. Much of the Alaska hwy is a process, that they call "chip and seal" which consists of a heavy grade of asphaltic oil, spread over the gravel road base, then a layer of crushed stone (gravel) is placed on top of this, then more oil and more gravel, till they get it the thickness they want. For a few weeks after this is done, there will be loose gravel, especially on both outer edges of the road and down the center section. In time this will work its way into the pavement or get worked off the side of the road. It is a process that works fairly well in the north country, not as expensive as a hot mix of asphalt and the use of paving machines. Pus the average road crew has the equipment, to lay chip and seal. Just takes a grader, an oil tank to put in the back of a truck with a spray boom on it and some dump trucks to haul and drop the gravel on the oil.

If every driver would remember the physics lessons they had in class, about every action has an opposite and equal reaction, much less damage would occur to vehicles. The gravel is just laying there, not doing anything but enjoying the sunshine and the scenery. Till a vehicle comes down the road. Depending on the speed of the vehicle, will depend on the speed of the rocks/gravel, as it is slung off the tires. Going slow, the rocks will also be going slow, and may not even bounce on the road. Drive fast or meet someone driving fast and damage will occur. If both meeting vehicles are running at 100 kph, then the resulting impact of the rock with glass or paint, will have the kinetic energy of a rock traveling at 200 klicks per hour, if only the rock was moving.

No one has any control over the other drivers, but you/we, do have control over your own vehicle, if you are the driver. The driver is the only one, that can decide how the toad or trailer, being pulled, is going to survive the trip. The vast majority of drivers on the Alaska Hwy, seem to understand this concept, but there are always a few that just don't get it. I think a lot of it has to do with where a person learned to drive and their experience driving larger vehicles. I have talked to some RVers, that their diesel pusher was the first vehicle, larger than their four door sedan they drove most of their adult lives. For some that learned to drive in large urban areas of North America, seem to think the term slowing down, means to drop back down to the posted speed limit. This works on many outside roads, unless you see the red and blue lights on behind you. But it won't work on the Alaska Hwy and other secondary roads in North America. I will now put my soap box back in the closet. LOL

For those that are used to driving on secondary roads in their state or province, they won't have any problems with the Alaska Hwy or the feeder roads attached to it.

[Graydust]

This is a very informative subject. I will be pulling a TT. My truck has the broom type mud flap on it when I pull the TT. Will this also cause a problem with rocks hitting the TT? We plan on leaving the end of May. You mentioned the broom type on a motorhome so it got me thinking. My profile shows my rig. Thanks.

[CA_Traveler]

Changing the subject I'll post:

There are 2 types of vehicles that should use extreme caution when going to Alaska if they go at all.

1. Any Lipper based 5er. I met 2 with bent hitches and 19 days to repair.

2. Any rear radiator DP unless the radiator is well protected. My 04 Endeavor had a heavy screen under the engine and in front on both sides. Years ago a friend replaced his radiator twice.

OK, My flame suit is on...

[CA_Traveler]

Well we're planning to return in 2015 and hope to have Joe's luck.

Further observations: Canada does not sweep the rocks off of the Alaskan Highway and this is very very apparent in the Rockies. We did see sweepers in Alaska. The people that drive to fast are generally the locals and the lower 48 visitors. The visitors don't know any better. I believe that for the locals the road conditions are just a given. The best drivers were the big rigs. They consistently pulled as far to the right as possible.

In Whitehorse I talked to 3 CG neighbors that had MH windshield damage. Two required replacement. One got 3 rocks and 2 of those remained imbedded. We also estimated that close to 50% of the local cars/trucks had broken windshields.

In Whitehorse we had 3 star chips repaired in the toad windshield. We left with the windshield covered and it was toast when we stopped. Apparently there was a 4th star chip.

Vehicle design is a factor. Several people with a jeep had minimum paint damage. Since our CRV is lower that is a factor.

Even after removing the rear solid mudflap in Whitehorse we continued to find rocks on the toad including even a few on the roof.

Some/many had no significant rock damage. Since my very high priced MH windshield survived you can put me in that category.

A fellow camper excited about the view in Valdez and hit our parked MH mirror. With a fiberglass crack the estimate is $3K+. But at least it wasn't a rock.

[joe_b_]

The best way to avoiding damage to your vehicle is to slow down and drive at a speed appropriate to the road conditions. The road is not moving, just your vehicle is, an damage is directly related to the vehicle speed. Slow down when meeting other vehicles and stay in your lane. The bigger the rigs, the faster some drivers go, especially those with little experience with gravel sections of roadway on secondary roads. In my 51 years of driving the Alaska Highway, I haven't had the combined damage that CA had on his first trip to Alaska. Check and consider removing your rear mud flaps if the solid type that go across the entire rear of the motorhome, as they will often drag in the dips and shower your toad with any loose gravel on the road.

Are you going to get a few paint chips? Sure you will but I get them here in the lower 48 also. The last windshield I cracked was in Iowa on the Interstate. My wife was washing her Lexus today and was mentioning the paint chips on the front of her hood. That car has never seen a gravel road and has only been out of Florida once. LOL

Some people report good success using one of the covers that are parallel to the ground and cover the area between the motorhome and toad. I have seen motorhome drivers pass me on the Alaska Hwy running 65 or 70 mph in sections I wouldn't run over 25 mph. They not only damage their rigs but shower others with debris as well.