NL 25

Alaska trip update

May 1999-Sep, 1999

Folks,

Ok I owe this one to all the RVrs that haven't been to Alaska, and have been waiting for the report from our 9 month, 20,000 mile drive around.  So if you aren't into the RV end of these NL's (Newsletters) then you can yawn and go to your next mail!  LOL! 

The main thing I ran into in asking RVrs about their own experiences in traveling to Alaska was that you'd hear 180-degree answers from one to the next!  Accck!  One says never again - worst roads they ever saw, and the next says the roads are great!  So why the disparity in the group that always seems to be in synch?  Well now that we've been there we think we know.  So hang on and I'm gonna try to get this report somewhat organized.  And as succinct as I can (don't y'all laugh all at once!  LOL!)

THE CLIMATE

We got there in June and in Fairbanks really needed an air conditioner.  It was sunny and 90 degrees!  The inland areas are outstandingly comfortable for lower 48rs!  They have mosquitoes from hell though!  I don't like that DEET stuff and we used the old Avon Skin so soft.  Worked great!  OK ya have ta put it on a little more often.  But my skin has never been so . . . . .ooops!  Never mind!

The coast has more rain and can get chilly late in the season (Late Aug to mid Sept) but is still fine for us lower 48rs.  Unless you're one of those that has a problem with cold nights and misty cool days.  We had lots of sunny warm days on the coast too.  But it's very variable. 

Clothes should include full foul weather gear, and warm coats as well as shorts.  You will get it all depending on the day and the altitude.  But the summer is very nice by any standard.  We had from 90 plus in Fairbanks to 60 degrees and drizzle in Valdez in September.  The coastal areas are cooler in the summer.  We got no freezes at night, but did need to use the furnace some towards the end of our stay.

THE ROADS

Now this is the real bugaboo for all that haven't been!  Accck!  One says take six spare tires for the rig and have giant screens on the front, and make sure you have windshield insurance, and don't bring a big rig, and don't bring a rig you care about staying nice!  Then the next says that it's all pretty good and don't worry just do it. 

After going there, we can see both sides, and my opinion is on the side of the ones that say "It's fine just go!"  Ok I found the roads to be great!  Much better than I-10 in Houston.  But . . .they can only work on the roads in the summer, and when they have to do a repair, it has to be all the way down to the foundation, because of the seasonal temperature fluctuations.  Now here I have to say few things that I observed that are gonna sound partisan but aren't.  (OK, I am not responsible for the opinions I express here, they were written under the influence of assorted light beers and are solely the responsibility of the reader and don't send me nasty grams if you read onnnnnn!!!!) 

The key to the roads in Alaska is to expect delays in areas where they are doing major repairs and expansions to the roads.  Now if you are an RVr and can't handle a 2 or three-hour delay once or twice in your trip without having conniption fits, stay down here.  But for the rest of us.  Ahhhhhhh!  Every delay (and the longest for us was only an hour by Steamboat mountain for blasting) was a gift! 

At Steamboat we had Dall Sheep come to within yards of our rigs.  We got out and took pictures and videos, and we were almost disappointed when the rigs started up and we had to press on.  It was a great break and a terrific photo op! 

There were a few in the line of 50 or more RVs that were obviously not happy campers.  If you are on a schedule, and subject to anxiety from a very few delays in your trip, stay home!  LOL!  The delays are few (I think we had only three that were more than a few minutes). 

OK here's where I get the nasty grams.  (Takes a deep breath)  One of the reasons we enjoyed our trip so much was the wildlife and the breathtaking scenery.  I have no problem with driving my rig at 70 mph, but why??  I need to go at a speed that gets us there but gives me the chance to look around too!  Well, we encountered a whole lot of Motorhomes that had much bigger wheels than we did and in construction zones and twisting mountain roads, had em pass us at speeds that guaranteed damage if you missed a flag.  (OK Flags: In Canada they put red flags on the side of the road to let you know that there's a rough spot.  If it is only on your side and the other side is clear you can just ease over to the left and press on.  If they are on both sides then slowwwwww down!) 

Problem is that in one place they flag everything from a stick in the road to a pebble.  So ya get used to that.  Then the next flag is a one-foot dip!

Then ya get to Alaska after all the Canadian flags and hit a 6" dip with no warning flags and get back to looking ahead real fast!  Americans don't flag the work like the Canadians!  (That's not a problem just a rude, and sometimes expensive, awakening.) 

So when we only felt safe at 15 in a Construction Zone, motorhomes doing 50 passed us!  Now folks, some of my best friends own Motorhomes.  (Ooops!)  But in Alaska there is only one real through route around the state.  And you'll see all the folks you passed at the next stop!  So when ya pass em at 50, and then start in about how ya broke an axle or messed up a tire or took a rock in the windshield . . . . well we saw ya back on the road driving like ya wanted to collect on yer insurance! 

OK there were a few 5th wheelers that did the same.  But the ratio was way skewed to the motorhomes.  Now, I am just saying this.  If you drive like you gotta pass all on the road, you are gonna have trouble there.  If you drive extremely conservatively, no extra precautions are necessary.  I had one spare for the truck, and one spare for the Trailer, and never needed either.  I drove my rig and we were traveling with Bob and Gloria who had a new 99 Ford crew cab Powerstroke, and a 1998 35 foot HitchHiker fiver with the large triple slides - no problems!

Neither of us had any problem.  I did get a rock crack on my windshield . . . In New Mexico, after we got back!  Some realistic preparations I would recommend. 

Because all the road repairs usually have gravel on the top, and at speed, that can damage the front of your Fiver or your Toad behind a Motorhomes, I strongly urge you to have your mudflaps extended to 1/2 inch above ground level loaded.  And it's cheap and easy.  Just go to the local place that services the conveyor belts in your town.  Buy some 3/8" rubber conveyor belt material in the exact dimensions of your existing flaps, and then four 1/8-inch holes and four screw and nuts and you are done.  Looks pretty good too!  And when they do hit the road from a dip, there's no damage or sparks.  Cost me all of 9 bucks and a few minutes.  Or you can go to a dealer and spend hundreds.  NO problem. 

My truck is a dually and had no stock flaps on the front.  Now I have to repaint my dually fenders from gravel damage.  I have the flaps on the front now.  Kinda like locking the barn after the horse has gone!  Oh well.  But that's because of good roads!!!!  The minor repairs you fly over at normal speed!  And there's a lot of em.  No damage if you extend your front and rear flaps.

FUEL

We found that there were diesel fuel stations at least every 50 miles.  We did not fuel at every opportunity.  There were even more with just gas.  We found all stations took our credit cards.  We did not stop at every station.  So if ya find one that doesn't take plastic....ohh well! 

The point is that I was told to have plenty of Canadian cash.  Being the type of person I was, I took 50 bucks Canadian and that's it.  The only places that didn't take credit and debit cards were the state liquor stores and they said they would by next year.  If you use your credit card you actually make more on the deal because you avoid the exchange charge inherent in all bank in-person money exchange transactions.  (4-8%) 

Also the math in Canada is sometimes  . . ."different?"  I was at one state liquor store and brought exactly 10 dollars worth (Canadian) to the check out and the lady said yes it is a 40% discount.  So she took my 10 dollars American and promptly gave me 4 dollars in change-in Canadian!!!  I am still not sure if I was given the right change or not!!??  In my mind 6 US at the time equaled 10 CD.  Which meant I should have gotten 4 American back, or almost six CD back.  Credit cards avoided the hassle, I got a better rate on everything, avoided embarrassment, and my bank did the math.  I was too embarrassed to take of my tenny-runners to have my full calculating abilities at my disposal in the checkout line.

PRICES FOR CAMPING

Canada all but forbids camping outside of a campground, on or near the roads.  They do allow up to 8 hours at rest stops.  Go figure! 

In Canada there was a 40% difference (read discount) from the devaluation of the Canadian Dollar.  So our fuel and camping fees were really cheap.  The average for nice resorts and campgrounds were 12-15 dollars American!  20 -30 bucks Canadian.  There were a few places in Alaska that were outrageous for what was there, but the average was 20 bucks a night with all hookups. 

In Alaska there were bunches of places to boondock and it was legal.  Canada's provincial parks are a great deal as they have lots of full hookups and many boondock spots.  But the prices were about what a resort there was.  So if ya hit a good one it was great, if ya didn't it was a drag. 

If your rig is a big'un, and 50 amp, be prepared for 15Amp household type hookups throughout Northern Canada and most of Alaska, outside of the cities and larger tourist areas. They have to use generators for their power up there in most places. 

RESERVATIONS:  We made no reservations and were turned away once, and got the last two spaces once.  The turn away was no problem as we got spaces a few blocks away at a provincial campground with no hookups, but great sites.  We found campgrounds at least every 100 miles or so (usually every 50) and where there was one, there were usually a few others.

OUR ROUTE:  We entered Canada at Roosville, just above the Glacier Nat. Park, went to Banff park in Canada, then Lake Louise, Jasper, and the ice fields, then over to Prince George.  Prince George is the decision point.  From there you can go up to Dawson Creek and the start of the AlCan.  Or you do the Western route to the Cassiar HWY.  These are the only two routes.  Both meet on the last of the AlCan by Watson Lake. 

We went up the AlCan and back down the Cassiar.  Both routes are very different in scenery and wildlife.  We encountered all but a hundred miles of the Cassiar paved in 1999, and expect it is all sealcoated by now.  No matter what your route, or what your plans are, having the current Mileposts book is a must.  It warns you of steep grades and all the construction, and all the things to see and do milepost by milepost.  I am not kidding when I say it will warn you of a dip in the road around a sharp curve 300 yd. past mile marker such and such, and you better pay attention.  It is hard to believe the information in that one book.  It's worth every penny of the thirty some odd dollars it costs.

If you look at a map of Alaska you'll see the paved main road is a circle with branches down to Homer, Seward, Valdez, with route 4 as the only route across that circle.  Tok is the start and like Prince George is the decision point.  Make sure you stop at the Tok visitor's center and get all your info and free brochures there.  It has a lot of stuffed bear, wolves, and other interesting things to see all in a tiny building-quite nice. 

We chose to go up to Fairbanks first, where we stayed at Eilson AFB which had a nice RV park and had broken ground on a new one that year, hope it is finished.  Do Alaskaland in town and plan to spend the day.  It's like a giant museum / display of Alaska and the people and times they went through.  It's free, and RVs can park in the lot. 

Many folks opt to drive the Dalton HWY to the Arctic Circle, which is about a 12 hour round-trip on gravel road.  We saw a picture and all there is is flat tundra, sparse grass, and a sign that says Arctic Circle.  Saw the pics and we decided if we really wanted to do it we could charter a plane, and passed on that drive. 

Just outside of Fairbanks is a nice pull over with an interpretive center and our first look at the Alaskan pipeline.  You can only see the pipeline from the road, but stop and walk over; it is a good intro and free. 

Just past that is Gold Dredge #8, where it cost 16.00 dollars each for a tour instructions on how to pan for gold, a place to pan for gold, and a "guaranteed" poke, which is a bag of dirt with some gold flakes in it.  After the tour you get lessons in gold panning, and get to try your hand at it.  We bought the cheap 10.00 tickets, which turned out to be even better.  See, most of the tourists got the guaranteed poke, and sloshed 90% of the gold back into the trough, through impatience and inexperience.  I just scooped up the bottom dirt and ended up with twice as much as the poke holders got!!  LOL!  We got there late and didn't have but an hour, next time we'll go early and really clean up!!  It is a tourist thing, but worth it to see if ya want to try your hand at gold panning, and the dredge tour is very interesting. 

Just outside of Fairbanks is the Turtle club, claiming the best Prime rib you ever tasted.  We went, it is.  I don't care how hungry you think you are, order the smallest size your first time there.

From Fairbanks we went to Denali.  All around the park entrance are numerous private campgrounds.  We stayed outside of the park and took the bus tour with a quick phone reservation the day before.

The inside campgrounds are limited hookups and once in the Park, and camped, you are restricted from using your vehicle until you hitch up to leave again.  Shuttle busses are provided inside the park instead.  In the summer the animals are usually most active at dusk and dawn, so do the 0500 early tour bus.  Many of the campgrounds in Denali area have small spaces, and even though we got in ours with big rigs, don't pay for any space till you have looked at it.  Mine took forever to back into as the road was so narrow, and I am good at backing.  Once in, I had a beautiful good-sized stream rushing from mountain run-off directly behind me next to our picnic table.  I figured the scenery was worth the effort.

From Denali we went to Anchorage and stayed at the Elmendorf AFB FamCamp.  Fort Richardson next door is said to have a new FamCamp with full hookups and the Air base has only water and electric.  We met some nice folks and stayed there several times.  Next trip we'll try the Army facilities.  We caught up on our commissary items and a new light switch for my truck as mine had burned out.

From there we went down the Kenai peninsula planning on staying one night in Soldotna, so Bob and Gloria could visit the town of Kenai, which the river is named after.  We didn't like the commercial park in town but the Fred Myers (Big as a super Wal-Mart) allowed free parking and had fresh water, and a dump station in their parking lot!!!  But we heard about a boondock area by the airport and decided to boondock it overnight there.  We were right next to the Kenai River, and found the nicest people there who told us the Red Salmon run should hit any moment.  We ended up staying there and boondocking for two weeks, and camping with a great bunch of folks who taught us all we needed to know to catch our share, six fish each per day, per species.  We caught hundreds of pounds of fish, shipped a lot back to family freezers via FEDEX overnight (Salmon costs 3-5 dollars for the least variety (Pinks) down here, and the cost to overnight it

frozen was only a dollar a pound!)  We went to the Fred Myers every three days to dump and take on water, (I have to have my showers! ) LOL!  Our neighbor who had a big generator plugged us into his rig to keep our batteries charged, and refused any payment or fuel.  (We got him a nice gift when we left.)  We made lots of new friends there who we have kept up with since. 

From there we went back to Anchorage to re-supply and then went to Seward.  (We never got down to Homer.)  We had been calling the Army resort there for two weeks trying to get reservations, but they were always full!  So we just pulled in and they had two spots we could have for the whole week we planned on staying there. 

After we set up camp we went over for the lottery drawing.  The camp has several large boats for charter and several smaller ones that take you out to the bay.  Every day they have a drawing for as many as 40 people to get a free charter trip for their group, and they keep drawing till all the berths are filled.  I walked in and told everyone in our group that we were going to win it and to be ready to go get the bait and tackle we'd need for big halibut.  We won, went out and limited out on Halibut, Red Snapper, Rockfish, Silver Salmon, and even got a large Ling Cod.   Two days later we won again, and got another full ticket of fish.  They had commercial vacuum sealers and fish cleaning stations that were free except you had to buy your own vacuum bags.  We also made a few side trips around the area that were pretty interesting.

Our next stop was Valdez, where we stayed for the rest of the trip, about 30 days.  We stayed at the Eagle's Rest RV Park where the owners and hosts were absolutely marvelous, having fish fries, and guide services, etc.   We toured Hatcheries, saw lot of bear, hiked to glaciers from which the view was just spectacular.  There we met up with some friends that had their own boat and went out in the bay many times on a 32-footer for only a share of the fuel!! 

Another friend, Warren, took us out in his FolBoat many times in the bay.  There are tours of the Pipeline terminal (Valdez is where the Alaskan pipeline ends, and the tankers fill up) 

Towards the end of our trip we took the big charter out to the Alaskan Gulf for the big Halibut and Ling Cod.  We passed by where the Exxon Valdez mess happened, saw whales, sea lions, puffins, and eagles everywhere.  Bob caught the monster fish of the trip, an almost 90 pound Halibut.  They can go up to 300-500 pounds, but they are hard to find.  We limited on everything again, and the view on the run back was absolutely the best of the trip.

Sept 5th we headed out and stayed overnight in Copper city, then back to Tok and down almost to Watson Lake, where we hooked a right on the Cassiar Hwy.  We were doing less touring on the way back and were trying to make better time, so traveled daily.  However there is one of the largest Jade mines in the West on the route where we made a lunch break and picked up some jade.  They had giant boulders weighing tons of pure high quality Jade!!

The scenery was spectacular and a whole different landscape than the AlCan.  There was construction and less than a hundred miles of gravel as opposed to the several hundred we feared.  However, having been so recently sealcoated, was very good road overall. 

We re-entered the States from route 1 in Canada at Sumas Washington, as it is much less busy that the Peace Bridge, took us maybe ten minutes to cross.  We beat feet to San Diego, and took our usual spot on the Coronado Navy Yacht club and RV park called Fiddler's Cove, visited with family, had campfires, and sadly parted company with Bob and Gloria, as they had a relative they wanted to be home with during an operation.  Lynn and I waited till the southern route cooled down to the 80's, and returned to Louisiana.

RV/dg