Roll Call Alaska 2016

[GGeorge]

I have been planning this trip for 4+ years. It is now time to update my estimates and make my reservations.

Estimate Wash/BC border about 5 May 2016, north on route 97/1/2 to Tok, south to Valdez, make the hump to Anchorage, then to Homer and Seward, north to Denali, Fairbanks, back to TOK and off to Dawson, then south to Watson Lake, Smithers, then to CAN 16 east to Jasper,/Banff, on to Glacier in Montana, arriving early Sept so I can get thru the park then west to Kalispell. South thru the US to Houston area for the thanksgiving holiday and Florida for the Christmas holiday. Since I am sure it will be cold in Ohio I wont return home till April 2017.

Alaska here we come!!!!

G George

On edit, yup it's time to plan 2016. I edited your post to modify the title to be consistent with previous years; it will facilitate future searches for members.

... Eric (Moderator)

[rag-ftw]

Wow! The ice must have really been thick. When we were there last week he was pushing chunks as big as the boat out of the way enroute to the face!

You can tell he really enjoys what he does and it is more than just a job for him. One of the good things about owning the boat is you don't have to live by a schedule. It was 9:30 when we got back in the harbor on our last trip. He was on schedule to get us back around 8:30 but we saw a whale just before the narrows and that obviously extended his time on the water. Talked with Cpt Alan of Stan Stephens and he indicated one of the complaints against the Lu-Lu Belle was always getting back to port late. I thought that was interesting that someone would complain about missing a dinner reservation because they had spent an hour watching a humpback put on a show!

[Fer2005]

Big shout out to Capt. Fred and the LuLu-Belle crew. We've been to Valdez many times done tours with both companies. The LuLu-Belle does not disappoint.

Today was rainy all day and the ice was too thick to get really close to the Columbia Glacier. Capt. Fred likes to get within 1/4 of the main face of the glacier. Instead of driving in a little ways and leaving, the other company did, Capt. Fred drove in to the west face of the glacier and it was awesome! We spent plenty of time as Fred is not a clock watcher.

If in Valdez this year or next, check out the LuLu-Belle.

[fanrgs]

lizzie wrote:
fanrgs: We have already been to Waterton-Glacier, several times. We also came up through the Okanagan Valley in May. I agree that it was special. We have an appointment in Sacramento, then will travel on I-80 to Reno for another family stop. After that???? Incidentally, I bought a great book on Alaskan Roadside geology and we have been busy looking at rocks everywhere we go. We mostly pick up the pretty ones! Wish your were here. lizzie

Wish I were there too, lizzie. I am going to a conference in Fairbanks in June, so instead of this year, 2017 will be our next trip to Alaska. Glad you got the Alaska roadside geology book--most states have them now, but a full set could get pretty costly! And glad you saw the Hyder bears too!

If you need an RV park in Reno, the Gold Ranch Casino & RV Park in Verdi has paved roads, very nice concrete parking pads, grass between spaces, nice trees (especially in the back corner), heated pool, private showers, and a nice laundry. It is also not too far west of town, only one exit from a huge Cabella's store, and very convenient to Lake Tahoe. Because it is a little higher and nearer the mountains, it is slightly cooler than RV parks in town too. Of course, if your family is in Sparks or Carson City, it might be a little far away.

If you haven't traveled it before, take "The Loneliest Road in America" (US 50) instead of I-80 after you leave Reno. You will really get a taste of Nevada's Basin & Range topography and geology. We took that route last summer on our way home from California and really enjoyed it. We stopped overnight in Ely to visit the Ruth Copper Mine and ride the train and in Baker to visit Great Basin National Park. The NP road up Wheeler Peak was actually more picturesque and challenging than I expected.

Have a great trip home no matter how you go! And, if you decide to come through Denver, PM me and we will try to get together for dinner.

[bigboomer]

Rambling RV Rat: Whitehorse, YT - Stop 32 on our Trek North to Alaska

http://ramblingrvrat.blogspot.com/2016/07/whitehorse-yt-stop-32-on-our-trek-north.html?m=1

[Kidoo]

GGeorge wrote:
Left Valdez sunday morning. I am now in Prince George, hoping to get the generator on the RV repaired tomorrow. Everybody pray please. I am a foreigner, I am in a foreign country, I drive a big RV, I need assistance and people think I am rich, guess what, I am not. Oh well, sure hope it is a simple fix. Next stop Jasper (if the generator is working), if not I will reroute to someplace.

Safe travels to all.

When they see us, they see dollars signs and the more desperate we look, the worst it is. If my gene ever quit and it cost too much to fix, I think I will switch to a Yamaha or honda and remove this big heavy beast from the RV. You could also find a cheap one at harbor freight or at a hardware store to get you going until you find a decent place to get fixed. Princess auto is a good place, there is one in Prince George.

3330 Massey Drive
Prince George, British Columbia

[Yeti_plus]

lizzie,
We are heading south, I guess everything is south from now on 😉 to Whitehorse for a few days and then into B.C. before heading north again to Yellowknife. I'll post up some notes on the roads, but that changes daily up here it seems!
On the journey south on the Dempster we pushed pretty far after leaving Inuvik and the sun was from the west on the mountains bringing out spires and tors that we wouldn't have seen if we had stayed at Eagle Plains overnight.Forecast was for rain on day 2 of the drive, so we pushed. I am extremely glad we did even though today was sunny in Dawson City. I think the Dempster is one of those roads you could drive every day for years and see something new every time, by changing time of day and weather.
Brian

[petrel]

GGeorge wrote:
Left Valdez sunday morning. I am now in Prince George, hoping to get the generator on the RV repaired tomorrow. Everybody pray please. I am a foreigner, I am in a foreign country, I drive a big RV, I need assistance and people think I am rich, guess what, I am not. Oh well, sure hope it is a simple fix. Next stop Jasper (if the generator is working), if not I will reroute to someplace.

Safe travels to all.

If your Genset is an Onan, may want to look for a Cummins of Western Canada convenient to your itinerary. We consider ourselves fortunate to have landed near their Edmonton, AB location with genny issues. They were accustomed to servicing things much larger and more expensive than a motorhome. They also gave us some of the best service I've experienced at a fair rate.

We are leaving Talkeetna in the morning headed to a park "nearish" to Denali.

[lizzie]

We are in Port Hardy, having come down on the ferry yesterday from Prince Rupert. It was 11:30 pm when we arrived and the darkest night we have seen in months. I think we must be heading home. We will hang around here on the Island until we feel the urge to move on. I agree with "Yeti plus" the Dempster Hwy was spectacular.(We also few to Tut). After hearing from friends who did it, we had no interest in the Dalton. I am now very interested in exploring other far northern roads (Yellowsknife, Great Slave Lake?) on future trips. lizzie

[GGeorge]

Left Valdez sunday morning. I am now in Prince George, hoping to get the generator on the RV repaired tomorrow. Everybody pray please. I am a foreigner, I am in a foreign country, I drive a big RV, I need assistance and people think I am rich, guess what, I am not. Oh well, sure hope it is a simple fix. Next stop Jasper (if the generator is working), if not I will reroute to someplace.

Safe travels to all.

[sljohnson1938]

now in Whitehorse, Yukon. tomorrow heading for Skagway for 2 days then to Haines. checked to see if I could get ferry boat from Skagway to Haines, but nothing for the days I need. so we will drive around.
see ya

stuart

[Yeti_plus]

Well we have left Alaska now, and are in Yukon. We have now crossed the Arctic Circle twice, once on the Dalton, once on the Dempster. Drove all the way to the end of the road on the Dempster.Next year they are planning to open the new section to Tuktoyaktuk. We flew from Inuvik to Tuk and put our feet in the Arctic Ocean. One young lady in our group actually went swimming in the Arctic Ocean.
The Dempster is absolutely amazing.Pictures cannot do it justice. Ever changing mountains followed by tundra, followed by MacKenzie river delta.
I have limited band width so pics will have to wait until we get home.
Speeds on the Dempster, posted at 90 km/h, but I did 60 km/h for part and also did close to 100 km/h for part. Part was through rain and slop, part was dry and dusty and sunny.
Sorry guys , but the Canadian drive is far nicer than the US version, but a lot further to Arctic Circle.
We cheated on the Dalton and did it in the comfort of a tour bus. Let someone else drive from Fairbanks to Arctic Circle and back in one day! Got to stop and take pics and had all my time to look around and not have to concentrate on the road! BONUS!!
Brian

[bigboomer]

http://ramblingrvrat.blogspot.ca/2016/07/copper-center-ak-stop-29-on-our-trek.html?m=1

In Iskut,BC now heading to Stewart Thursday to see those bears Lizzie!

[lizzie]

Forgot to tell everybody that we are in Hyder and yes, we did see bears. lizzie

[lizzie]

fanrgs: We have already been to Waterton-Glacier, several times. We also came up through the Okanagan Valley in May. I agree that it was special. We have an appointment in Sacramento, then will travel on I-80 to Reno for another family stop. After that???? Incidentally, I bought a great book on Alaskan Roadside geology and we have been busy looking at rocks everywhere we go. We mostly pick up the pretty ones! Wish your were here. lizzie

[2lazy4U]

I'm currently in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana and I would vouch for it as a great place to be. Hamilton's a cool town and the mountains here are spectacular, though a bit smoky right now from a fire burning on the west side.