AKsilvereagle
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Re: 31 below zero, RV antifreeze failed?
I have lived in Alaska for now going on 42 years.... As far as any type of antifreeze is concerned - I would tend to use my antifreeze tester to see what the TRUE concentration reading shows - mixing 65% Prestone antifreeze with 35% distilled water will actually show a different reading then using the same mixture 2/3rds antifreeze-1/3rd water with the Peak brand....just by looking at RV antifreeze itself with a label rated past -50 below F I laugh and say no -way ! as I lived in the arctic for too long - and I am a native southern Californian ! I never used any kind of RV antifreeze for my cabover for outside winter storage, as I simplify any RV life I ever get (only up to one month a year as I still am a working stiff) so I just never use the sink or toilet to begin with - as I purchased a portable toilet for the girls, and use my own honey bucket with a lid and a removable toilet seat to boot along with using a couple of Prestone jugs for #1 nature calls if I am not in the wilderness or a nearby rest stop or bathroom facility.1.7KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Anyone tried double towing in BC Canada?
I know it's a little late to post this - as the GS site here finally accepted my RV.net credentials and to get used to this new format - so here it goes : British Columbia commercial vehicle enforcement is STRICT - really STRICT - can't stress out how much REALLY STRICT they are....The main reason is the fact BC has very mountainous terrain and many hills in between in most parts.....not to mention hearing stories about the weight police in BC establishing road blocks with their portable weight scales on controlled area sites which I have yet to ever encounter to this day as my three quarter ton old Ford Trucks would never be in compliance as they would enforce not to drive the vehicle until the GVWR limit is met. Found out how strict they were in August 1991 when relocating my Mother to live in Alaska with me as I helped hauling her household goods and car with a 26 foot U-Haul(t) truck - All I was told by the U-Haul dealer when renting the thing was : "Make sure you do stop at every weigh station upon going thru Canada to comply with their commercial vehicle law" and I did just that ! Sooooo, First weigh station was Hope BC (check) permitted to proceed- Second weigh station was Williams Lake BC (check) permitted to proceed- Third weigh station was Quesnal BC - The officer "demands" and not ask me "where is your permit".... I ask what permit are you referring to - as the officer tells me your weight permit - as I reply that I am no where near the max GVWR and as far as I know not required- as he interrupts me and yells "YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS WEIGHT PERMIT WHERE IS IT" - told him the U Haul dealer never mentioned I was required to obtain one going thru Canada -as I get interrupted again as he says YOU NEED A HOUSEHOLD GOODS PERMIT THRU BRITISH COLUMBIA and instructs me to step out of the vehicle as I was informed the U-Haul rig was going to be seized for eluding two previous weigh stations after disclosing which routes I commuted upon since entering Canada... I requested a supervisor which was granted, as I explained the first two weigh stations waived me thru after the green lights were lit - as the supervisor asked me in my best detail memory where the proceed lights were positioned at each of the two weigh stations and describe other features to help prove that I was actually present at those two previous stations - which satisfied the supervisor.... So the supervisor instructed the officer to issue me a household goods permit and not impose any fines or penalties (as the officer still questioned the supervisor as to why) and the officer reluctantly issued the permit to me in which was $126 CAD - Once I arrived in the Yukon at the Watson Lake Weigh Station - there main concern was if I had a disease since I was wearing a N95 mask as I replied that it was used as a dust mask when commuting thru the 300 mile stretch of unpaved roadway between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake at the time when I inquired about a permit valid for the Yukon - as the officers stated that I was kewl and no permit was required as you are now out of the BC riff raff. After my experience with the BC commercial vehicle enforcement - I realized they don't play - and I was WELL in compliance !2.7KViews1like0CommentsRe: Crossing into Canada
Just to make it clear upon this post - The US Government enacted the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Inititive) which requires that ALL United States Citizens returning to the United States obtain a passport or passport equivalent - Enhanced Driver License is a passport equivalent - The last I knew if memory serves me right, only four US states participate with the enhanced driver license program (Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, New York) with a 5th US State later on applied to participate in the program (Vermont).... There are four differences between a : 1 -real ID or real ID driver license 2 -enhanced driver license 3 -passport card or equivalent 4 -passport book 1 - The purpose of the real ID or real ID driver license is maintaining a central federal database for permitting domestic US air travel, access to US federal gov't buildings and installations...it has no bearing what so ever for international travel.... 2 - The enhanced driver licenses are only allowed to be issued from Continental US states that directly border with Canada, with the option to participate.... When the program first started under the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative managed under the US Dept of Homeland Security), only four US states first optioned to participate (WA, MN, MI, and NY)...and later on I believe VT joined to issue enhanced driver licenses.... Enhanced driver licenses that are issued from these 5 US states are both equivalent with the same characteristics as a valid passport card while also real ID compliant.... 3 - A passport card (also managed under WHTI), permits entry to all land and sea ports of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands only....To my knowledge it cannot be used for air travel, however the last I knew there was an added exception a couple years ago to start permitting restricted air travel to only four int'l airports in Canada with the US passport card to and from the United States via Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and I think either Edmonton or Montreal.... 4 - A US passport book's purpose is designated for all forms of air, land and sea travel at all ports of entry (international) while it is also domestically real ID and passport card compliant.... The last I knew, Real ID's and passport cards are valid for 5 to 7 years (unless recently changed) as US passport books are still valid for 10 years at a time.... The one factor upon real ID's, enhanced driver licenses, passport cards or equivalent, and passport books all have in common are : They all establish both proof of identity and proof of citizenship. For the record, I first obtained a US passport in 2006 to be future compliant when the US government announced their new required travel rules between countries, and since they added the real ID initiative in the mix later on - a US passport book supersedes any restricted real ID and passport card compliant measures as there is no need for me to obtain any other form of ID as I have a US passport book (valid for 10 years) and a standard driver license (now valid for 7 years).... Here is a twister in the mix upon the WHTI rules strictly between 'typical' United States and Canada citizens ..... Only citizens of Canada can enter the United States without bearing a passport, as all US citizens and other foreign citizens are required to bear a passport or equivalent to enter or re-enter the United States.... A citizen of Canada that wishes to enter the United States without a passport must show established : -proof of citizenship (a birth certificate or equivalent) AND -proof of identity (a government issued ID or driver license if operating a vehicle) Not under the WHTI rules : Only citizens of Canada and the United States can enter Canada without bearing a passport.... A citizen of the United States that wishes to enter Canada without a passport must show established : -proof of citizenship (a birth certificate or equivalent) AND -proof of identity (a government issued ID or driver license if operating a vehicle) However, any US citizen when entering Canada will always be asked to present a passport or equivalent mainly because the government of Canada fully knows that US citizens are required to bear a US passport or equivalent when re-entering the United States.... If a US citizen wishes to enter Canada with just a gov't ID and proof of citizenship - there are some exceptions depending the circumstances that a CBSA or immigration officer of Canada will determine at their discretion, however if one declares that they are taking a long vacation in their RV to Alaska while planning to return to their origin destination in the states - I wouldn't really count on any Canadian official permitting entry as more likely they will inform that US citizen to obtain a travel document. Not under the WHTI rules (which is US law) : Citizens of the United States that re-enter the United States without bearing a passport or equivalent CANNOT BE DENIED ENTRY.... -One will automatically be referred to secondary inspection and... -One will be going thru additional screening measures until CBP officers are satisfied establishing -proof of identity and proof of citizenship on an individual.... More likely when it comes to dealing with CBP re-entering the United States under those circumstances, one will wish they had a passport.2.1KViews1like0CommentsRe: ? condition of highways from Montana thru Canada to Alaska?
As noted, For the most part by answering the thumping 20 to 30 ft interstate type of highway or roadway question leading to the far north : NO However as noted again - there will be occasional frost heaves, lots of road construction zones, lots of small patches of uneven road surfaces that you can drive fast or (safely)-slow over, pilot car escort delays, temporary road bypasses, bridge repair or bridge replacements in which there is just no getting around any of those factors.... If one feels the need to be in a substantial hurry to haul a heavy trailer, cabover, or what have you driving these far north roads upon the factors mentioned above - then this kind of trip is NOT for YOU !!! Go ahead and risk suffering the consequences in remote places where one's trip will be severely delayed and very costly in both money and time.... There was one traveler in a 30 foot travel trailer with Maine plates that was Alaska bound and got impatient to pass me at least 65mph near Glacier Creek - north of Destruction Bay, as it was a nasty stretch of frost heaves while I was driving 40mph and getting ready to slow down even more - the driver still crossed over that stretch at 65mph while I crossed over the same stretch safely for my rig at 15mph and was ready to take evasive action as that travel trailer had violently launched while veering side to side practically out of control....You swear this driver was driving that rig like the state of Alaska was ready to detach from the North American continent or something within the next hour - I know for sure that person will never make it back to Maine driving like that ! Also, one can face potential road closures due to wildfires or flooding which are generally unexpected but do happen - so expect the unexpected in that regard. If one like myself does not ever hurry enroute to a destination in my 1970 or 1975 Ford Truck hauling a heavy cabover camper around on these far north roadway conditions over the years since 1996 in an RV - I have yet to encounter any suspension or other vehicle related damage to either of my two rigs used for a RV.... (-now 15 times out of the last 27 years permitted entry into Canada in my RV) (*and my 30th permitted entry driving into Canada in the last 38 years total since 1985 upon my first Alaska Highway trip) Due to the covid restrictions in 2020 thru 2022, this was the only reason of not visiting Canada on a yearly basis and it was nice to see most everyone there again in 2023. This year for me in 2023 was a short 7 day RV trip consisting of the Klondike Loop...Now my 9th time visiting Dawson in the Yukon Territory and a first time consisting on a odd numbered ending year* (1992 1998 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 *2023) For the most part, all the routes were the typical norm as far as road conditions were concerned with the exception noted : The North Klondike Highway route was a bit rougher than in years past north of Stewart Crossing, as this route was upon the 7th time I driven it (all 7x southbound) - and I am not including the stretch of major construction between Dempster Hwy. Jct, and Mc Questen area. The Alaska Highway 83 mile stretch from Destruction Bay to White River was still better than in years past with some of the upgrades still intact, as my log showed making it in 2hr-30min at 33 mph (2023) than the old normal time of 3hr-45min at 22mph (2010)... Only twice I ever made this stretch in my RV in less than 2 hours (1:46 and 1:50) when they made substantial upgrading, as these far north roads don't stay upgraded for long. The Alaska Highway stretch on the Alaska side from the border thru Northway Junction (mile 1222 thru mile 1264) had another major reconstruction job (the 6th time that I know of since 1989) as they are constructing majorly at mile 1240 thru 1250. Here are my total travel figures and expenditures for my 2023 Canada trip : FUEL EXPENSES - 9 Purchases Start Point : Milepost 328.3 Richardson Hwy - Both Tanks Full @ $0.00 Ending Point : Milepost 328.3 Richardson Hwy - Both Tanks Full $768.97 USD Total Cost 1268.4 Fuel Odometer Miles 146.0 US Gal $5.267 USD per US Gal .60625c USD per mile 8.68 Miles Per US Gallon US Purchases x4 - $336.41 USD - 69.3 US Gal @ $4.854 USD Canada Purchases x5 - $567.75 CAD - 290.5 Litre @ $1.954 CAD $7.402 CAD (per US Gal) -to US Dollar and US Gallon conversion : $432.56 USD - 76.7 US Gal @ $5.643 USD Rate of Exchange : $1.3125 CAD 1x @ $1.3496 CAD 1x @ $1.3237 CAD 3x @ $1.2770 CAD (from 2019 cash envelope) ----TRAVEL FIGURES---- Total Odometer : - 1293.6 miles Non Route Miles : - (+23.9) Direct Route : - 1269.7 odometer miles Direct Route Travel : - 34-hrs 17-mins Average Total : - 37.035 MPH -OUTBOUND ALASKA- Richardson Hwy MP 341.0 to MP 266.0 (Alaska Hwy MP 1422) : 74.5 odometer miles - 1:31 travel = 49.121 MPH Alaska Hwy MP 1422.0 to MP 1301.7 (Taylor Hwy MP 0) : 120.7 odometer miles - 2:23 travel = 50.643 MPH Taylor Hwy MP 0 to MP 95.7 (Boundary Spur Road MP 0) : 93.9 odometer miles - 3:52 travel = 24.284 MPH Boundary Spur Road MP 0 to MP 13.2 : 13.7 odometer miles - 0:30 travel = 27.400 MPH -YUKON TERRITORY CANADA- Top of the World Hwy MP 65.8 to MP 0 : 65.4 odometer miles - 2:58 travel = 22.045 MPH North Klondike Hwy MP 323.4 to MP 0 (Alaska Hwy MP 894.8) : 324.5 odometer miles - 8:21 travel = 38.862 MPH Alaska Hwy MP 894.8 (via to MP 887.4) thru Alaska Hwy MP 1188.0 (Alaska Hwy Historical MP 1221.3) : 304.3 odometer miles - 8:02 travel = 37.879 MPH -INBOUND ALASKA- Alaska Hwy MP 1221.3 thru MP 1301.7 (Taylor Hwy MP 0) : 77.9 odometer miles - 2:22 travel = 32.915 MPH Alaska Hwy MP 1301.7 thru MP 1422.0 (Richardson Hwy MP 266.0) : 120.5 odometer miles - 2:39 travel = 45.471 MPH Richardson Hwy MP 266.0 to MP 341.0 : 74.3 odometer miles - 1:39 travel = 45.030 MPH Here are a few current September 2023 pictures of road surfaces taken to show upon why I barely averaged 37 MPH over 1269 direct route miles upon taking my time and not tearing my rig up.... Some frost heaves are clearly marked with signage - Mile 1176 Alaska Highway -Mirror Creek- Central Yukon Territory Canada : Other frost heaves are marked without signage - Mile 1092 Alaska Highway - Central Yukon Territory Canada : Other frost heaves are not marked at all - Mile 255 North Klondike Highway - Central Yukon Territory Canada : If one sees multiple tire marks on the road surface, that's an indication of a pretty bad unmarked bump for a heavy rig so it would be wise to really slow down like these others didn't - Mile 1284 Alaska Highway - Interior Alaska : Mile 1248 Alaska Highway -construction bypass- Interior Alaska : Living in the far north has it's challenges, especially on maintaining roads which is a never ending battle due to the harsh terrain and the extreme climate temperatures it endures. Hope this gives a better perspective for some that never traveled the far north region of what type of road conditions they are going to experience, so slow it down when needed if hauling a heavy rig of sorts. This posted message has been brought to you by : 'YOUR' - 2023 Nenana Ice Classic 'WINNER' !1.9KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Denali Hwy 8
Although I haven't driven the entire Denali Highway since 2001, I doubt much has changed at all.... The eastern half of the Denali Highway route has always been quite a bit rougher than the western side, as it can get pretty rough along the MacLaren Summit corridor.... Especially if it rains hard, or after a significant rainfall - the entire unpaved portions of the Denali Highway can be just plain rough period - and particularly along the MacLaren Summit area during rainfall are known to have poor to zero visibility conditions also as I got caught up in that more than one time.... Two to three days is generally ideal to experience passing thru the entire Denali Highway upon excellent to light rain type weather conditions while taking your time as I drive pretty slow thru this stretch with my old 1970 Ford Truck and cabover camper on it (5 to 10 mph if needed) as I would generally average in the low 20 mph range on the unpaved portions that were not rough.... I would say wear and tear will not be an issue if one would allow "in general normal conditions" 6 hours driving time on the unpaved portions and a total of 7 to 8 hours total driving time on the entire 135 mile route. I would allow an extra day stretch of travel along the Denali Highway upon bad weather conditions of three to four days time while leasuring in between - for those who care about their rigs and not constraint for travel time. As the other posts were spot on, large area turnouts and parking to accommodate a large rig are limited, however one should appear no more than a 30 mile gap distance at the most (safely for a large rig) if my memory serves right.... As far as for other potential travelers reading this post taking on the Denali Highway regarding fuel distances as being a concern, my sound advice would be to always carry extra spare fuel and ONLY count on fuel supply available in Cantwell (west end of Denali Highway) and Delta Junction (81 miles from east end of Denali Highway).... Rule of thumb for those upon traveling in the far north of Canada and Alaska : Never truly rely on fuel supply from any remote location of a lodge or roadhouse for even those handful of remote reputable places who know how to pay their bills and have a great credit line for automatic fuel delivery, as there have been more than enough times where the fuel companies themselves are the major problem upon delayed delivery or supply issues as these remote out of the way places are not priority for fuel deliveries when those logistic glitches happen. Paxson Lodge (east end junction of Denali highway) over the years was hit and miss for fuel availability - Open and maybe fuel available - Open and maybe NO fuel available Closed up for business Reopened for business and maybe fuel available Reopened for business but no fuel available Closed for business again, etc, etc.... The Denali Highway is truly scenic in every aspect as I have also taken on both directions of travel, and in my opinion it is a bit more scenic and enjoyable while viewing the trip enroute from east to west direction as you deal with the more rugged half side first and have more downhill and less ascend in the westbound direction from MacLaren Summit - the only minus grade from east to west direction of travel here would be if one were to commute during the time of 900pm and later, as the sun will be staring right at you for 2 to 3 hours until it lowers toward the horizon.... The Denali Highway route also has the least amount of general traffic and hardly any commercial traffic at all out of all the Alaskan "major highway" routes too, even less traffic busy than the Dalton and Taylor Highway remote routes as you get the least "I'm Joe blow and I'm in a hurry" type of drivers from behind to deal with. This posted message is from YOUR - 2023 Nenana Ice Classic Winner !!!!1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Best itinerary for Alaska
X 3 on the current boondocking status in Alaska these days.... Upon my analysis of the past few years speaking for someone like me equipped with a cabover camper, small travel trailer or equivalent of 20 to 30 feet of space - if one included the Dalton and Denali Highways in the entire Alaska road system, I'd say one would be lucky to find between 150 to 200 places total to freely "roadside boondock" entirely in Alaska nowadays.... Although I have not visited Canada since 2019, I doubt there are much changes between Delta Junction and the border at Port Alcan on the Alaska Highway for free boondocking spots that still exist, however I can clearly speak for the status of the Parks Highway and all the significant changes since 2016. PA12DRVR is spot on with the posted comment pertaining to all the major road construction and remote roadside properties getting bought up as most of the access trails and gravel pit yards off the highways now have metal gates, concrete slab pylons, large boulders and other barriers blocking access to these areas that used to be available for boondocking because people abused these spots as mentioned leaving trash, junk vehicles, dead bodies, animal carcasses etc, and whatever else unimaginable.... Most day use waysides along the Parks Hwy. now have metal gates they secure at night to eliminate overnighters.... Even in Anchorage now, most former permitted overnight sites that now prohibit overnight parking have 24 hour security patrols to ensure no one violates overnighting stays....I had to resort to Cabelas in south Anchorage the past two years that permits overnight parking, as they still patrol pretty heavy there too - I witnessed security escorting someone off of the property after they observed their camper there for three days (while I stayed for two nights and did not get bothered) Since 2016, the Parks Highway between Nenana and Willow (mile 300 and mile 74) now has 15 intermittent stretches of extra passing lanes in both directions ranging one half mile to 2 mile length intervals, which removed a handful of boondocking spots and turnouts.... Not to mention the major 2015-2017 projects of the Broad Pass mile 194 Chulitna River and rail under bypass, Goose Creek mile 91 rail under bypass, and Sunshine Creek mile 100 rail under bypass that were way overdue. The reason I say they were overdue : A friend of mine that works for the Alaska Railroad back in 2000 told me of this 30 year planned project starting in 1985 of eliminating all rail "roadside" crossings along the Parks and Richardson Highways between Anchorage and Eielson AFB... 14 total rail- road, over and under crossings on the Parks Hwy.... My time in Alaska since 1982, 9 of the 14 rail crossings were "road", as 5 were already established over and under pass crossings. 7 of the 9 "road" crossings are now converted rail- "under" crossings thru 2017 with only two rail-"road" crossings remain on the Parks Hwy. now (mile 169 and mile 235). The mile 45 North Wasilla rail- "under" pass construction started the 30 year planned project of eliminating the road crossings. 3 total rail- "road" crossings on the Richardson Hwy.... They only converted one of the three "road" crossings in 2014 (southbound) and 2015 (northbound) to rail "under" crossing at mile 345... Two "road" rail crossings still remain on the Richardson Hwy (at mile 350 and mile 359). So thru 2022, they have 4 more road crossings yet to convert - which was projected to get done seven years ago. In 2016, the state started expanding the Parks Hwy. on extending a 4 lane divided highway badly needed from mile 45 to mile 49 and got the squatters out of that area.... In 2021 and 2022, the state even expanded further north converting the 4 lane divided highway thru mile 52 at Big Lake Junction. The state had more highway improvement projects in 2021 and 2022 at Chulitna Pass in a 5 mile stretch (mile 188 to 193), and (mile 229 thru 233), Montana Creek (mile 96) and Sheep Creek (mile 87) areas. As noted - all of their infrastructure, materials and machinery were staged along any turnout and clearing they could use which were places that others used to boondock. Pretty similar to the Cassiar Hwy. with the power transmission intertie project during 2013 where the south corridor between Bob Quinn and Tatogga Lodge at the time hoarded up every single turnout, space or clearing to use to where I could not boondock anywhere - staging their infrastructure, materials, atco buildings, machinery, etc. With all the more road projects and added infrastructure, there will be even less roadside access boondocking within the highways of Alaska - it ain't what it used to be. The few turnouts along the Nenana River and the Broad Pass turnouts are still permitted overnight parking along the Parks Hwy.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Looking for best route from Modesto ca to Yuma Az
On a second note... If heaven forbid or hell in this case - one "somehow" does end up in the Indio-Coachella area during mid summer - If proceeding via eastbound I-10 thru Blythe and US 95 : Either leave Indio no later than 630am or leave Indio after 1100pm during the night when ascending uphill out of the valley due to avoiding extreme hot daytime temperatures enroute towards Chiraco Summit to avoid potential overheating an engine while commuting - Outside temps in the Coachella Valley start at 90 to 95 degrees F as soon as the sun pops up over the horizon during mid summer... If proceeding via southbound thru the Imperial Valley to reach El Centro and I-8 via Yuma : I would much rather commute on the CA 111 route (east side of the Salton Sea) for two reasons.... 1 - It is more scenic 2 - A bit safer than the CA 86 route known as the "killer highway" between Coachella and Salton City as there are more head on collision accidents that occur, while having to deal with a higher volume of semi truck traffic... One will be present at over 200 ft below sea level on the CA 111 stretch along the south end area of the Salton Sea , so be prepared to do a lot of yawning if not adapted to the elevation climate and somehow maintain full alertness when commuting along the Salton Sea area on a prolong commute.... As noted, the desert southwest is very very hot at this time of year, and especially both the Coachella and Imperial Valleys are no joke - how I know is I was raised there in my teen years after being raised in the Los Angeles basin prior to that and in my late teen years. Also noted - I too would opt to commute via CA 58 via I-40 with the addition to Needles, cross River Rd. into the Arizona side for a couple miles in Mohave Valley and top off fuel tank(s) at the Arco AM-PM mini mart station in order to NOT pay for someone elses retirement (if you know what I mean) - head back to Needles and proceed south via US 95 to Vidal Junction via CA 62 to Parker via AZ 95 and US 95 south at Quartzsite via to Yuma.654Views0likes0CommentsRe: Lowest grades Calgary to Spokane towing trailer
I never driven thru the Crowsnest Pass so I cannot compare, as I taken BC 93 northbound thru Kootenay Nat'l Park in my 70 Ford 2WD Truck with my camper in Sept 2012 when I visited the Kootenays... Driven BC 93 again thru Kootenay Nat'l Park in Oct 2018 southbound in my 75 Ford 2WD Truck with my camper in which I had to time it just right after their early 10 inches of snowfall and before the next stormfront on my way to Sandpoint ID via Spokane WA via Redding CA via Bellingham WA while having to revert taking the Alaska Ferry home because the roads in central and northern Canada were snowy and icy.... Their are two gradual grades on that BC 93 route between Trans Can 1 and BC 95 in my opinion that should be OK for a loaded U Haul trailer and a Toyota Rav 4 to accomplish the feat.... The North end on the Banff Nat'l Park side is around a long gradual 5% to 7% grade, and the South end is a little more hilly and winding with 5% to a short 9% grade and is not as long as the gradual mellower grade on the north end - neither of the two major grades on the entire route seemed bad to me. Once you reach Radium Hot Springs at BC 95, the rest of the way is a much easy travel and relatively flat without any mountainous driving all the way to the Kingsgate-Eastport Border Port of Entry. Hope this helps the OP.355Views0likes0CommentsRe: Planning a trip to Alaska sometime 2023
Everything i have found so far indicates that the new drivers license is acceptable. You must not understand the differences between a : 1 -real ID or real ID driver license 2 -enhanced driver license 3 -passport card or equivalent 4 -passport book 1 - The purpose of the real ID or real ID driver license is maintaining a central federal database for permitting domestic US air travel, access to US federal gov't buildings and installations...it has no bearing what so ever for international travel.... 2 - The enhanced driver licenses are only allowed to be issued from US states that directly border with Canada, with the option to participate.... When the program first started under the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative managed under the US Dept of Homeland Security), only four US states first optioned to participate (WA, MN, MI, and NY)...and later on I believe VT joined to issue enhanced driver licenses.... Enhanced driver licenses that are issued from these 5 US states are both equivalent with the same characteristics as a valid passport card while also real ID compliant.... 3 - A passport card (also managed under WHTI), permits entry to all land and sea ports of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands only....To my knowledge it cannot be used for air travel, however the last I knew there was an added exception a couple years ago to start permitting restricted air travel to only four int'l airports in Canada with the US passport card to and from the United States via Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and I think either Edmonton or Montreal.... 4 - A US passport book's purpose is designated for all forms of air, land and sea travel at all ports of entry (international) while it is also domestically real ID and passport card compliant.... The last I knew, Real ID's and passport cards are valid for 5 to 7 years (unless recently changed) as US passport books are still valid for 10 years at a time.... The one factor upon real ID's, enhanced driver licenses, passport cards or equivalent, and passport books all have in common are : They all establish both proof of identity and proof of citizenship. For the record, I first obtained a US passport in 2006 to be future compliant when the US government announced their new required travel rules between countries, and since they added the real ID initiative in the mix later on - a US passport book supersedes any restricted real ID and passport card compliant measures as there is no need for me to obtain any other form of ID as I have a US passport book (valid for 10 years) and a standard driver license (now valid for 7 years).... Here is a twister in the mix upon the WHTI rules strictly between 'typical' United States and Canada citizens ..... Only citizens of Canada can enter the United States without bearing a passport, as all US citizens and other foreign citizens are required to bear a passport or equivalent to enter or re-enter the United States.... A citizen of Canada that wishes to enter the United States without a passport must show established : -proof of citizenship (a birth certificate or equivalent) AND -proof of identity (a government issued ID or driver license if operating a vehicle) Not under the WHTI rules : Only citizens of Canada and the United States can enter Canada without bearing a passport.... A citizen of the United States that wishes to enter Canada without a passport must show established : -proof of citizenship (a birth certificate or equivalent) AND -proof of identity (a government issued ID or driver license if operating a vehicle) However, any US citizen when entering Canada will always be asked to present a passport or equivalent mainly because the government of Canada fully knows that US citizens are required to bear a US passport when re-entering the United States.... If a US citizen wishes to enter Canada with just a gov't ID and proof of citizenship - there are some exceptions depending the circumstances that a CBSA or immigration officer of Canada will determine at their discretion, however if one declares that they are taking a long vacation in their RV to Alaska while planning to return to their origin destination in the states - I wouldn't really count on any Canadian official permitting entry as more likely they will inform that US citizen to obtain a travel document. Not under the WHTI rules (which is US law) : Citizens of the United States that re-enter the United States without bearing a passport or equivalent CANNOT BE DENIED ENTRY.... -One will automatically be referred to secondary inspection and... -One will be going thru additional screening measures until CBP officers are satisfied establishing -proof of identity and proof of citizenship on an individual.... More likely when it comes to dealing with CBP re-entering the United States under those circumstances, one will wish they had a passport.623Views0likes0CommentsRe: Going to Canada in a Camper?
From 2009 thru December 2016, the Canadian government did require citizens of Mexico to obtain a tourist visa but that is no longer the case, just a passport and proof of full covid vaccination would be the minimum requirement at the discretion of the CBSA customs officer as far as an individual status goes for permitted entry in Canada upon visiting - Citizens of other countries may have to obtain a visiting visa as the Canadian government has a listing of who is required to do so, however US and Mexico citizens are two of many countries that do not require a visitors visa to enter Canada ... As long as the Montana registered vehicle at hand has valid insurance coverage within the United States, most every US insurance carrier will honor the coverage while visiting Canada nowadays without obtaining additional coverage cards, endorsements, etc. As noted, others had posted most insurance carriers as it is best to check one's policy of insurance carrier to verify if the policy itself does not clearly state included coverage in Canada... My insurance carrier did require temporary permit cards for additional coverage in Canada valid for 30 days, at no additional charge when requesting for one as deemed under Canadian law.... The main reason behind it was : Canada coverage requirements were much higher than US carriers (at the time) - -Alaska liability minimum $100,000 USD -Alaska property damage minimum $25,000 USD -Canada liability minimum $200,000 CAD -Canada property damage minimum $50,000 CAD My insurance carrier finally stopped issuing the temporary permit cards practice in 2017 as some major US carriers already started to automatically include coverage within Canada anyway, however each carrier still potentially had their own set of rules upon declaring operating said vehicle in Canada or what have you... I was asked for proof of insurance twice ever while in Canada... First time was entering Canada at Beaver Creek Yukon in 1991 as the CBSA officer wanted to see proof of insurance as I just obtained an insurance policy and showed it to the customs officer - the officer called out that it didn't show Canadian coverage as I pointed out an endorsement document inside the policy paperwork which stated minimum Canadian coverage limits valid for 30 days as the officer was satisfied... Second time was in 2013 just 2 km west of the Cassiar Hwy Junction on the Alaska Highway in the Yukon with this unexpected mandatory checkpoint road block courtesy of a joint venture by the RCMP's and the Yukon Wildlife Conservation checking vehicle registrations, valid driver licenses, hunting license-permits, and proof of insurance in both directions : I submitted my driver license and proof of insurance but could not find my vehicle registration for three minutes as they would not permit me thru until I found it, in which I found the Canadian coverage temporary permit card inside the registration and surrendered it to the officer as she stated "what is this, I never seen any Canadian coverage temporary permit insurance card before". So as others pointed out reference to permits, visa requirements or additional insurance coverage for Canada, hope the OP is reassured it is not a necessary requirement for permitted entry in Canada... The CBSA are not the insurance enforcement police as most every time they will not ask for proof of insurance, however they have the power to inquire asking for proof of insurance for compliance check measures at their discretion.616Views0likes0Comments
