flybob63
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Re: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
Research the website for Canadian Border crossing with firearms. There are specifics on there about pistols that do allow for crossing but, to me, it was more of a pain in the neck than it was worth. For me to carry a .45 auto I would have had to submit paperwork months in advance and arrange for the firearms officer of the province meet me at a prescribed date and time at the border, inspect my weapon and then give approval if he/she felt it appropriate. Smaller weapons that are more concealable like my 2 inch 38 are prohibited weapons and not permissible at all. I am a retired police officer and still qualified to carry in the USA but it made no difference to Canada. Maybe there is an exception with your military orders. The website might list that and they have numbers to call as well. As I said before, long guns are no problem as long as they meet length, and I believe, capacity requirements. If you end up with any doubt I would ship to avoid losing your guns and having troubles.421Views0likes0CommentsRe: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
i, personally, won't travel those roads without a firearm. You can go to the Canadian Customs website to download the forms for declaration at the border and info on permissible weapons. Don't go outside the law as they commonly search vehicles and if you get caught it's big trouble. I declared a 12 shotgun I was glad to have in the rig.364Views0likes0CommentsRe: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
Grizzly Bear Campground near DeNali was not a good choice for us. Our spot was close to the highway and it was basically just a dirt parking lot. They have a lodge there and we felt they were paying more attention to that. On to the good ones. River's Edge in Fairbanks was really nice. Beautiful location on the Tanana River (If I recall name correctly) that was in town, convenient to everything. In Home there is a campground on the right on the way in that was right on the bay. (Waterview or Water's Edge maybe) that was just beautiful. In Seward the city owned campgrounds are right along the bay. VERY affordable with amenities and again, right along the bay. Really nice in my opinion as you had access to walk along the bay right there as well as walk into town within just a mile or so. Highly recommended. A word of caution on campgrounds; in some of the more popular tourist areas like Skagway you'll want to make certain you have reservations. We didn't. We arrived and found two cruise ships and a couplke rv caravans were in town and we had real problems. We wound up in an overflow spot with no hook-ups and could not get a ticket for a boat ride or any of the tourist things to do as they were all booked up. Subsequently we stayed one day and left. Another great campground we discovered by accident on the way up was a Canadian National Park campground along the Icefields parkway near Banff and Jasper. It wa called Mosquito Creek. We were between pont A and point B driving and pulled in about 10 PM. They were full and put us in an overflow. THere was no charge because it was overflow and no hook-ups but we were withing about 15 ft of a rushing river coming right down off of a glacier. Awesome. Not sure if they have hook-ups for regular spots or not.364Views0likes0CommentsRe: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
You should be fine but remember that a lot of things change from year to year and as we experienced having knowledge from a current issue can make a big difference. We were traveling through the Yukon and were going to traverse a long stretch with limited facilities. The current issue had info about a gas station that had closed down and I'm quite sure that knowledge helped us decide to fill up beforehand and saved us from running dry. It wound up being 180 miles between available diesel stops. So follow the old rule of not letting it get below half in many of the remote areas and if in doubt call ahead about road conditions and such. There is an 800 number in the book if memory serves so the older issue should be fine. It can help you make informed decisions. All the recommended scenic drives and tourist info should be basically the same except for road conditions which can change from day to day depending on weather and construction. I've mentioned it before on this forum and I think it holds true that the locals can be a great source of info on road conditions, things to see, campgrounds etc. When we went up this July the AlCan near Destruction Bay was horrendous. We saw people with flat tires, busted axles, busted trailer necks etc in an 80 mile stretch that was under construction in the rain that day. We just took it slow. On the way back down in August I asked a State Trooper about road conditions on the AlCan and the Top of the World Highway. He said the AlCan was fine at the time and the Top of the World had been torn up good by massive rains. We drove the Alcan on the way down and it was just fine. Nothing like on the way up. Without asking that Trooper we would have gone the other route. Local knowledge.... Hope this helps!! Enjoy your trip...399Views0likes0CommentsRe: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
Once you start getting further north there is a fantastic chain of stores called Fred Meyers. They are like a Super Walmart on steroids except they are much cleaner, the stores have friendly personnel the actually ask you if you need help and the fresh food they serve is very good. They allow you to stay in their lots, as do Walmart's. Great stores and they are all over Canada and Alaska.399Views0likes0CommentsRe: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
We stocked up on many things like soap, detergent, paper towels, etc. Prices north of the lower 48 tend to be a little high so it's worth it as long as you don't go overboard considering weight and space. Not sure which way you are coming but there are a couple of states with no, or very low sales tax. I believe they were Oregon and Montana, if memory serves.399Views0likes0CommentsRe: Helpful Ideas for Alaskan Travels
We just did our first AK trip. Pulled a 26 ft fifth wheel from Florida. A few thing to think about 1. Have a trusted friend with a key watch your house while you are away. They can come by a couple times a month to give you peace of mind. 2. Leave your info with the local police. That way they have contact info for you and your emergency contact and will probably have volunteers check the house once in a while. We did that. The dept I retired from had that service too. 3. You mentioned vehicle length and height issues. We often one-night in Wal-Mart parking lots when between point A and point B. Wal-Mart in Shreveport Louisiana has a low entrance and a sign saying 12 feet. We pulled in 1/2 asleep, saw the sign and thought "It's Wal-Mart, we have to fit. Nope....Hit the AC unit. No issues at all the rest of the way. 4. Maintenance. I think you said you were rebuilding or fixing up a fifth wheel. Make sure to have the equalizer on the leaf springs checked by a pro. It needs to be checked every 15-20K miles and will cause undue stress on the leafs and tire wear if it is not. I kept wearing tires on the outside and could not figure why. Finally three of the leaf springs snapped. We were not even close to overloaded. An expensive repair that could have been avoided. Wheel bearings. We bought our fifth wheel used in 2009. Been on a couple major trips but it had sat for two years prior to this trip. Had not the wheel bearings inspected and professionally packed since before the last trip. I always just use the Ultra-Lube system and keep them full by checking every 1000 miles or so. We burnt out a bearing and an axle very shortly after having the leaf springs fixed. Thank God this was in Dallas Texas and not on the AlCan. Get them checked and you might consider having them inspected while you are in Ak too. 4. An old adage up there; don't let it get below 1/2 and carry a 5 gallon spare can of fuel with you. Those words of wisdom served me well. I drove a diesel truck and there was a place in the yukon where, because of station closures and remoteness we had 180 miles between available fuel. 5. By a copy of The Milepost when you get up there. It's dubbed The Bible of North Country Travel for a good reason. It's updated yearly with border information, road information, tourist information, gas stations, restaurants, scenic drives and etc. Well worth the $32 we paid at a visitor's center for it. 6. Locals. Locals are a great source of info up there. I asked people about road conditions on particular highways when deciding when and where to go. They were very helpful, in particular the State Troopers. 7. Free things to do. There is a plethora of free things to do for value conscious travelers like my wife and I. Hiking in DeNali was awesome as was the walk up to Worthington Glacier. Believe that was in either Seward or Valdez. If you go past the end of the maintained trail you are on your own but many, including us, kept right on going and walked right up to the glacier. Touching a glacier and drinking water from a melting glacier was quite an experience for a Florida boy and his wife from Thailand. 8. Pullouts. Pullouts all along the AlCan and many of the highways up there provide nice, free places to stay for a night between points a and b. They are remote and you will more than likely be on your own. I choose to carry a 12 gauge in the rv. You can research Canadian Border website and download the rules and paperwork for declaring the gun. Expect to be searched so don't hide anything. 9. Fishing. Spend the money to either deep sea or salmon fish. Fishing is the best I've ever seen. Caught my limit of Halibut and had fish for the rest of the trip. Fresh fish on a grill. Didn't have a freshwater license but salmon were running so thick I couldn't help myself. I waded in and picked two of them up right by the tail!!! Threw them right back of course. New version of catch and release? 10. Reservations. We do not like to make reservations because we like to float as we choose. That said; there are a couple places you at least need to consider making reservations. These are the national parks of the American West and the tourist areas of Alaska. We wanted to stay a few days in Yellowstone but it was all booked up and we wound up with only one night. In the tourist areas of Alaska if you arrive the same time as the cruise ships and RV Caravans you're gonna be S.O.L. We had that befall us in Skagway and we could not get a place to sleep except in an overflow with no hook-ups and we were unable to book a single one of the many things to do because the caravan and ships had everything all sewn up. 11. Have fun-enjoy this trip of a lifetime. Do not be in a hurry. Many of the "highways" in Alaska are very optimistically named. In many places you cannot plan on traveling X number of miles in a day. A highway can be twisty and windy with 25 MPH speed limits for a good distance, could be under construction. You just never know. Just give yourself plenty of travel time and you'll be just fine. 12.... ENJOY!!!! Hope this helped.400Views0likes0CommentsRe: Roll Call Alaska 2014
sue.t wrote: I remember when the Worthington Glacier (on the way to Valdez) reached the highway, about 50 years ago that was. I'll bet all the glaciers were just amazing then. We walked up to Worthington about two weeks ago. It was so special for us the way it is now that I can only imagine how it was then. First time I ever got to really touch a glacier or drink a handful of water as it melted off. Nature's beauty abounds so much in Alaska. It really stirred my soul in so many ways.281Views0likes0CommentsRe: Roll Call Alaska 2014
There are ways for people to get up to Athabascar by one of those big rigs. I saw that. We chose the walk. I really don't go in for the touristy stuff most of the time. I wouldn't pay the $29.00 (If I remember right) to walk out on a piece of glass overlook neither. We enjoyed it but you can definitely see how it has receded. We walked up to a few and all have receded greatly we could see. I am a Florida boy and my wife is from Thailand so just getting to walk up to a glacier was special for us. Firsts for both of us.280Views0likes0CommentsRe: Roll Call Alaska 2014
hr0082 wrote: We are now in Houston. No, not that Houston. We are at Shady Rest RV Park in Houston, BC. We will go to Jasper and after that will work our way to Missoula, MT which for us is great place. After that, we'll go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Durango, CO, Northern NM, and then home to Hattiesburg, MS. Of our three trips to Alaska, this one has been the best. I think that is mostly because we know so much more about how to do things and the places that we most enjoy. I put Valdez at the top of our list, followed by the Kenai area. We also enjoyed the last two nights at Hyder. If the weather had been better this morning, we would probably have stayed longer. My husband is already talking about coming back next year. I will need to get home and think about that before making a final decision. BTW, if there is anyone on this forum who would like a Tour Saver book? I have one to offer. We got our money's worth by using the Stan Stephens and LuLu Bell glacier cruises, the Hurricane Turn Train and fudge in Tok. Other than those, there are still some good offers left. It's free to whomever wants it. I'm just not sure how to get it to you. If you are on your way North and you run into us in a Scamp 5th wheel, just give me a holler and I'll give it to you. Don't know what type of camping you do but Mosquito Creek campground just north of Lake Louise is gorgeous. We pulled in late at night and they had to put us in an overflow spot. We had no charge except the $19 fee for entry to the road as we were in overflow. No hook ups. I dont believe the park has any hook ups at all but I'm not sure. It was spectacularly beautiful. We parked probably 50 feet from a rushing glacier fed river. We took the time to walk up to a glacier here. We didn't pay for the glass lookout or the other fancy stuff. WE just walked up to Athabascar Glacier. It's directly across from the main building (Icefields?) where they have a gas station etc if I remember right. Have a great trip back.280Views0likes0Comments
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