Roll Call Alaska 2018

[JANETRUPP]

Okay...I know 2017 hasn't even taken off, but those of you that remember me from Roll Call 2013 know that I plan well ahead of time, lol.
4 years is way too long to go without being in Alaska so we are heading up again. This time my sister (Barbara), her husband (Pat) and their baby poodle (Koko) are going with us with their Bounder. We are planning to leave from Bullhead City, AZ around the end of May.
Would love to get a roll call started if anyone else out there is as much of an early planner as I am.
For those of you heading up this year, have a safe and wonderful trip and maybe you will enjoy it so much that you will join us in 2018. :W

Janet and Gary

[CA_Traveler]

Comments on the above:

9,600 miles from the Phoenix area plus 2,600 miles on the toad for us.

Yes it's an expensive trip but $130K is a little over the top. :@ If you buy supplies and fuel between the non existent large towns expect to pay for the convenience.

And add 3% for transaction fees like the AmEx card. 😞 None on our Visa card. Plus we get 5% cash back on fuel with our PenFed Cash Rewards card in the US and Canada.

[AlaskaShooter]

Dang, that has to be a long trip from Alabama to Alaska and back. We live in WA and spent 3 months visiting Alaska and back in 2016, 8,000 miles for us. Of course a 225 mile day was a long day. Also did Alberta Jasper and Banff Parks and Glacier National Park for a week with a group of friends on our way home. Expensive trip for us. $130K between fuel, lodging at RV parks, food, activities and misc expenses and the new 5th wheel we bought in Missoula, MT on our way back to WA. One place we stayed at outside of Watson Lake wanted $18.00 CD for a 5 lb bag of cubed ice. I laughed my way out of that place. Beer was $100.00 a case in much of Canada. We took $3,000.00 cash US on the trip and used our CC plastic most of the time when we could. Be sure and take a CC that doesn't charge a foreign currency exchange fee on transactions in Canada.

We did get to see a stampede of Byson along the Alaska Hwy in the Yukon. They got spooked by something next to the Hwy and the northbound traffic would not stop and let them settle down so they were running next to the road making a bunch of dust. Saw the dust cloud a couple miles away. We totally stopped on the road in the event one of them or more decided to cut across the road in front of us.

[jmckelvy]

Barring unforeseen circumstances we will be returning to Alaska again this coming summer. My brother and his wife are also coming along. This will be our third trip.

We will probably leave home late May--- return ????. Will keep a lookout for any Roll Call signs.

If you see us wave or stop by.

[jacketsbum]

Lots of good info here and love the links to blogs , pictures, etc. we will be lucky to get in two months and might not get to go at all. Our 45 year old son is sick and his health will dictate whether we go. Late summer will probably be our best shot. We've been to Alaska on a cruise in September and it was beautiful! It just happened to be on sept 11, 2001 but that's another story.
Please keep the experiences and links coming!

[CA_Traveler]

In our 42' MH the trip was similar to Janet's. Once you get north there aren't a lot of route choices. TOW through Dawson City is one. At TOK you can go clockwise or counterclockwise, consult the weather crystal ball to determine the best one. Then there is the Kenai Peninsula and Valdez.

So glad we took the Haines Junction, Haines, ferry to Skagway route. And don't miss Hyder. Next time we'll likely check out Prince Rupert. And don't miss Hyder. 🙂

Scroll down a few pages to see our route. Click.

[JANETRUPP]

jacketsbum wrote:
Ok, we have been going back and forth on when to do this trip. We were originally looking at August and September for 8-9 weeks. But from what I've been reading, May and June are better for wild life viewing, scenery(mountain snow etc) and less crowded. My question is how soon is too soon concerning icy roads and closures? Just bought a new fiver, a 37' Cougar, 6 ft longer than my old Grand Design. I'm assuming the size increase shouldn't cause any problems. For those who have done this trip already I would appreciate your thoughts!!

The last couple of times we went, we took our 40' Monaco Diplomat with 4 slides. No problem at all. This next trip we just bought a new Coachmen Concord which is considered a class C but is more rounded than a usual class C.
We will be starting out mid to end of May and my sister with their rig is tagging behind us. We go by way of Vegas up the 15 thru Calgary, over to Edmonton (we like Edmonton) then over to Alaska Hwy. Our preference is to come home by way of Cassiar Hwy and then go to Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff (some of our most favorite stops). Whenever you go and which way you go is up to each individual.....JUST GO, lol
It is the trip of a lifetime even if you go one time or several times. You will never regret it.

Janet

[2gypsies1]

jacketsbum wrote:
Ok, we have been going back and forth on when to do this trip. We were originally looking at August and September for 8-9 weeks. But from what I've been reading, May and June are better for wild life viewing, scenery(mountain snow etc) and less crowded. My question is how soon is too soon concerning icy roads and closures? Just bought a new fiver, a 37' Cougar, 6 ft longer than my old Grand Design. I'm assuming the size increase shouldn't cause any problems. For those who have done this trip already I would appreciate your thoughts!!

First, your 37' will not be a problem. You'll see many larger than yours.

Secondly, can you plan your trip for longer than two months? I'd suggest crossing into Canada the third week of May. Take your time through Canada and the Yukon - lots of beauty there! Plan to begin leaving Alaska between the third week of August to the second week of September.

Taking the longer time will let you really experience Alaska. It's a very long trip - a 'bucket list' trip - and how many times will you do it? Don't rush it if you have the time.

[sue_t]

The weather can vary a great deal year-to-year. This year we had great weather in May; it was hot. But then on June 17 this happened all around Haines Junction YT

[missnmountains]

That was us in 2016. We got stuck three days in ft. Nelson until they cleared steamboat pass.

I agree with your timing. We love going kids May for the animals and less traffic.

Ken

[rag-ftw]

jacketsbum wrote:
... My question is how soon is too soon concerning icy roads and closures?...

It has been our experience that the last couple weeks of May are best for the roads. That is usually after most of the snow closures and before the big melt and flooding closures. Notice I said usually. As I said earlier we have had to wait in the past a couple of days towards the end of May for the snow to melt in the Canadian passes and have seen roads washed out during this same time period another year. The biggest concern is crossing the Canadian Rockies. The Alaska roads will usually be in pretty good shape by the middle of May.

We prefer going early (mid May) and returning late (mid September) as there appears to be more wildlife viewing along the roads in the spring and lots of bears chasing salmon in the fall. One year going up we hit it perfectly where the cleared space along the sides of the highway was melted and had green grass and everything else was still snow covered. We saw twice as many bears that year than at any other time. The hard part is the timing of that one week period!

In 2016 we talked with people that got snowbound in a pull-out above Dawson Creek for two days while they cleared the mountain passes. They loved it! No traffic, plenty of snow to play in, and they made some new friends! We do have our accommodations with us so we can stop anywhere we want and wait out the weather!

The two most important things are #1 just do it and #2 do NOT get in a hurry! This is the trip of a lifetime, so slow down and enjoy it. We are usually rolling between 5-6 hours a day. No 500 mile days on this trip for us!

[Veebyes]

One of the defining dates between winter & summer is when the Yukon river breaks up at Dawson City so that the vehicle ferry can be launched & operate. This date can vary depending on the severity of the winter. You can't do the TOW if the ferry is not running.

On our first trip, 1st week of May we left Whitehorse. The river had only just broken up. The ferry was launched the day we arrived Dawson City & we were on it a couple days later.

[jacketsbum]

Ok, we have been going back and forth on when to do this trip. We were originally looking at August and September for 8-9 weeks. But from what I've been reading, May and June are better for wild life viewing, scenery(mountain snow etc) and less crowded. My question is how soon is too soon concerning icy roads and closures? Just bought a new fiver, a 37' Cougar, 6 ft longer than my old Grand Design. I'm assuming the size increase shouldn't cause any problems. For those who have done this trip already I would appreciate your thoughts!!

[JANETRUPP]

Roll Call Alaska 2018.....so far

janetrupp..... Arizona.....Janet & Gary
badiamond.....Arizona.....Barbara & Pat & Koko
memtb.....Wyoming.....Todd & Marianne
rag-ftw.....Texas.....
Lwiddis.....California.....
Veebyes.....Bermuda/Maryland.....
Acampingwewillgo.....USA
bob nestor.....Texas
PghBob.....Pennsylvania
pirlbeck.....Iowa....
missnmountains.....Florida
bobkatmsu.....Florida
CA Traveler.....Arizona.....Diane & Bob
Williebago.....Kansas.....
Socalal.....California.....
TxGearhead.....Texas
c.traveler2.....California
caseyhoward.....Texas
Keyspirate.....TN & Florida
jnharley.....US
bobkatmsa.....Florida
Stickdog.....Texas
jacketsbum.....Ohio
fuzzyface.....Michigan
Just Lee.....California
danrclem.....Kentucky
Bizmarks Mom.....Idaho
n2light.....
Two Hands.....California
Mrcatahoula.....Florida
Pops.....North Carolina
Island Time.....Texas
Cbigham.....California
Want-to-travel.....So. California
Mrbarkley.....Kentucky
imamech2.....Texas
Texas Roadrunners.....Texas
Bdokatmsu.......Florida
Tgdakota.......Florida

Welcome to our new Alaska travel buddies !
Again don't forget to read up on the sticky at the front of the forum and don't forget your signs, so we can find you

We are really going to have a great group going next year. Don't forget to make your signs so we can spot each other

Janet

[2gypsies1]

Askwines323 wrote:
I think Alaska sounds like trip for a little more experience RVer.

Not much experience needed. By the time you buy your RV and do some local trips, you'll be just fine for the Alaska trip. You'll have worked out issues with your RV to begin with. By the time you cross the Canadian border, you will have the experience.

This isn't a trip like years and years ago. The highways are just like the lower 48. Yes, you will encounter some construction areas of gravel - like in the lower 48.

In a couple areas but not for the whole trip, you will encounter frost heaves in the pavement. Most of the time red warning cones will be placed in the area - but not always. You'll soon learn what a frost heave looks like from a reasonable distance. It will be wavy. The secret to the whole trip is to allow plenty of time for it - preferably at least 2-3 months, and top priority is to drive it slow. You can't be in a rush. That's when damage to your vehicle happens.

Hope you get to do the trip!

[rag-ftw]

It can be. One year in mid May
we were held up in Dawson Creek for a couple days waiting to have clear roads over the mountains. The next year the road washed out and held folks up for days in late May or early June. You just play the hand you are dealt.