Alaska via the trans Canada

[BrianE]

Welcome back JDUB. Would guess many of us dig this thread. A future rally in Edmonton, Yellowknife, Dawson or Fairbanks? Maybe a scouting expedition is in order.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Welcome back JDUB. Would guess many of us dig this thread. A future rally in Edmonton, Yellowknife, Dawson or Fairbanks? Maybe a scouting expedition is in order.

Speaking of the Frozen North, have any of you been watching the New TV Series on Sunday nights about "The Ice Road Truckers"? Man that is something else.

Not that any of us would attempt that type of drive in one of your nice buss's, but just the thought of driving a big rig over 400 miles on roads made over Frozen Lakes, UNBELIEVABLE

Gary S

[merle&louise]

JDUB,

Didn't mean to keep the information about Alaska a secret, I'll start posting my findings under this thread as I find out more. So far all I have found out is that Alaska is big and beautiful, the roads are paved but they have frost heaves, and it will probably be an expensive trip (diesel cost r.t. from Houma, LA at today's prices = $4600)

This is the only gentlemen's club that I could find in Alaska:
http://www.akbushcompany.com I've heard that the tacos are outstanding here and the BBQ is to die for. Can I count you and MM in on the trip with us. We don't have to mention the strip joint to Karen do we?
I wonder if it is open year round?

Better yet, how about BrianE's idea: a rally in Alaska

[Larry W]

Made it back out of Canada today and to a RV Park with Wi-Fi.
Frost heaves are really arctic speed bumps. The will make you drive slower to see all the vast expanse of the arctic. They are really caused by the road being built over areas of permafrost. Permafrost is ground that nevers thaws.
Some of the far north is permafrost and some is not. Driving over them requires slowing down. Some are just small bumps and others are bad. Most road crews seem to put small flags or some kind of warning on the edge of the road by the heave. But it seems they forget to mark some of the big ones.
There are very few frost heaves before one gets past Whitehorse, Yukon.

[QueenOfTheRoad]

Hi all,

I was asked in the new member forum to post my Bus Conversions magazine articles on our trip to Alaska. I don't really think the folks in that thread knew what they were getting into.

We made the trip in the summer of '05 and would do it again in a heartbeat (in the summer, of course - and only in a bus). I'm a little hesitant to post these because as posts go, they are LONG, as you can see. So please let me know if you think this one is useful and you'd like me to post more, or if there's another place to do so. Warning: There are 17, count 'em, 17 articles! Yee gads! I can try to post one every couple of days, or feel free to cry UNCLE. Also, feel free to PM me with any specific questions not answered. For now, suffice it to say, Alaska was one of the highlights of our year-long trip.

America’s Last (Bus) Frontier: An Introduction
The last major (and that’s an understatement) trip Tim and I took during our year on the road was Alaska. It was a fitting end to a wonderful journey, as our 49th state is like no other. However, if you’re going North to the Future by bus, it does take a bit of planning.

Definitely spend the $26 (as of May 2005) to get an Alaska Milepost. Just suck it up and do it. The Milepost, which put out its first edition in 1949, is an annual magazine that takes readers through every possible road in Alaska they could possibly drive, providing information down to the tenth of a mile, ranging from locations of RV parks and gas stations to (and perhaps most crucially for big rigs) every rut, dip and frost heave in the road. (As a former Princess from the Island of Long, now of course promoted to Queen of the Long Narrow Aisle, I must admit I had no idea what a frost heave was. I therefore resorted to my East Coast, fancy-schmansy education to theorize that they probably occurred when iron-deficient, ice-age monsters, entombed during the original paving of the road, broke through the black-top, grabbing at unsuspecting vehicles, of which buses, driven by hapless men living their dreams, were undoubtedly the easiest targets. Needless to say, upon completing the drive, I returned my diplomas.) The Milepost also tells where to look out for moose and caribou crossings, even where to look up to see an osprey nest in a tower. It also lists all turnouts, including whether they’re paved, gravel, double-ended, particularly wide or narrow. In other words, it’s invaluable.

Tech note: Verizon won’t work in large sections of the state (except Anchorage and Fairbanks and most of the Kenai Peninsula) unless you buy an analogue phone. Cingular seems to work a bit better and nothing works in Prince Rupert. As for your satellite internet and TV -- are you kidding? But hey, you’re probably traveling in summer when even 24 is in reruns. Also, many towns and RV parks have WiFi.

Cats and dogs need proof of current rabies vaccinations. We were asked for them every time we crossed into the US. For a website that gives good information about this and other regulations try: http://www.alaskaone.com/welcome/planning.html.

Most importantly: Bring DEET. A gallon or so should do, as the mosquitoes in Alaska would make even the new Airbus jealous. (There’s also a bug there so disgusting, I don’t know how it can stand itself – but that’s for another article.)

I can’t stress enough how much we particularly enjoyed taking the Alaska Marine Highway through the inside passage. But, you need to book early. We did in February and got our choice of what we wanted. If you’re flexible, you can probably book a little later. Cabins are the first to go, then space for cars and rigs. We chose to leave from Prince Rupert, BC, which saved us $2000 in fare over what we would have paid if we had left from Bellingham, WA. We got the added bonus of stunning scenery from Seattle to Prince Rupert on excellent roads. Regardless of where you chose to depart, you cannot stay overnight in any of the parking lots for the entire ferry terminal system, so plan accordingly. Reservations and information for the ferry can be found on line at www.akferry.org or call 800-527-6731. You can also go through a travel agent, such as Viking Travel in Petersburg AK (907) 772-3818. Our total fare for 6 stops (Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Haines), for two people, one 40 foot bus, one 15 foot tow vehicle and one overnight in a cabin was $2500. Not only will it save you driving time and diesel, but none of these towns (except Haines and Skagway) are connected to the Alaskan interior by road. You are not allowed on the parking deck during the voyage and pets must remain on board your rig. The only exception: If the trip is more than 6-8 hours, the purser takes pet owners onto the parking deck at a preappointed time. (So, if you forget something you need in your rig, become a “pet owner.”)

To get on and off at the various stops, staying several days at each does not cost significantly more than just staying on board the entire time and we would highly recommend it, as each town is quite unique. All the boats were comfortable. The nicest is the Malaspina, the quickest are the new high speed catamarans, like the Fairweather, which will cut your passage time nearly in half. The longest ride was 11 hours, the shortest 2. If you don’t feel like making all those stops, Tim and I agree that we most highly recommend Sitka, however, we can’t agree on which of the others we liked second best, so you’ll just have the read my next articles and decide for yourself.

If there are two of you traveling, you’re better off assigning the bus to one and the tow vehicle to the other on your tickets. You get charged by the foot, so it’s cheaper to unhook, rather than pay for a few feet of tow bar. Also, once you board at your origination point, you shouldn’t have to hook up again until your very last stop, as all the campgrounds are a short distance (the longest was 14 miles) from the ferry terminals. Do make campground reservations in advance: you know when you’re going to be on these islands anyway, and a few of the campgrounds have been known to fill up. When I write about the specific places in upcoming articles, I’ll also suggest where to stay. Again, I’m not sure Tim and I would have thought our trip to Alaska worth the time and effort if we hadn’t done the inside passage. It was that spectacular. We did it on the way up, so that we would have more flexibility to return when we wanted, but it doesn’t really matter. To give an idea of how much time you’ll need, we caught our first boat on June 11th, arrived on our last stop in Haines on July 5th, toured the interior and started home on the Alaska Highway from Tok on July 27. We never encountered traffic. As for road quality, stick to the Alaska Highway coming in and out of the state, rather than the Cassiar.

Within the inside passage, gas prices were cheapest in Ketchikan (avoid Canada). If your ferry ride ever calls for an overnight, go for it – it adds less than $100 for an outside cabin (which, depending on the vessel, includes linens, shower, toilet and 4 single bunks). If, however, you’re sick and tired of luxury, by all means, bring a tent to pitch for free on deck.

Tim was concerned the deck hands would be obnoxious due to having their patience tried again and again guiding terrible RV drivers to their parking spots (yes, as an Ex-East Coaster, I can find a way to be a snob about anything), but they were wonderful. Each ferry also has a park ranger/naturalist on board to point out wildlife and give a bit of area history. All the boats have a snack bar, a couple even have restaurants.

Next month, I’ll start our trip to Alaska in Canada, where we made our way to our first stop on the Marine Highway, Ketchikan.

[garyde]

[QUOTE=QueenOfTheRoad;26322]Hi all,

 (There’s also a bug there so disgusting, I don’t know how it can stand itself – but that’s for another article.)

I think we have a Mascot for POG.

[QueenOfTheRoad]

Mascot? Totally depends on the outfit. I'm a winter, so fuzzy orange not good on me.

[dreamchasers]

We drove from the Livingston, Texas to Alaska in 2005. It was a great experience with the scenery well worth the cost and effort. We left Texas in May and returned in September. As a Texas boy that has always lived in warm climates, all the ice and glaciers were a 'big deal' for us.

I would suggest driving through the Canadian Rockies. In our opinion, this was were the scenery begins, Banff, Lake Louise, WOW!. Check out our web site for pictures and comments on the trip through the Canadian Rockies. Our route took us through Calgary, then west into the Canadian Rockies.

http://www.dreamchasers.us/canada.htm

We also used the Alaska Marine Highway. We used it on our return from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington. Yes, the ferry is expensive, but if you take the ferry from Haines, you have an opportnity to drive the spectacular 'Hanies Highway'. The highway cuts from the Alaskan Highway to Hanies. The only regret is that we did not spend the night along the Hanies highway (We actually drove one this highway twice!). There are no RV Parks along the way, you would just pull over. The high country was spectacular. We stayed a week in Hanies waiting for our scheduled departure on the ferry. It was a unique place to hang out and recoup from the busy trip. Be sure and read the article of the 'Inside Passage'. Girls can be Girls! Check out our Alaska pictures and comments.

http://www.dreamchasers.us/alaska.htm

After driving the 10,000 plus mile trip, we encountered much worst highway conditions in the US. Yes, there will be construction along the Alaskan Highway, there always will be. The road surface buckles due to the changing temperatures. They call these spots frost heaves. The message is 'slow down'. if you hit one of these spots at nrmal road speed, I can promise you that will only happen once! We drove our American Eagle and had no problems.

Hope this info helps.

Hector

[Ray Davis]

Great information. Keep 'em coming!

Ray

[Coloradobus]

We drove our 2001 Country Coach XL 2 slider in 2002 to Yellowknife, NorthWest Territory, towing a 1999 Range Rover. The last 42 miles into Yellowknife is unpaved, but the bus and Rover did just fine. We drove into Yellowknife connected, but leaving we drove detached since it was greasy and muddy. I wanted to be able to fish-tail while spinning the bus wheels to keep it going without playing crack-the-whip with Rover. The Country Coach installed traction control was a great help.