TWOLOST: Alaska Or Bust in 2008

[twolost]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

Cheers,

[twolost]

Here is a list of Ford dealers along/near our intended route (just in case)...

[twolost]

Here is a list of hospitals along/near our intended route as well...

[kmessinger]

We leave on July 30 to catch the ferry north on Aug 1. We'll be in Alaska and Canada all of August.

When is everyone else leaving? As I recall we are in Teklanika August 12 and the Artic Circle August 21.

Regards,

Keith
SMB Sprinter

[twolost]

Hey Keith,

Looks like we are going to be a full month ahead of you and will be driving back down through Canada as you begin your ferry trip north.

Here is to zero SMB issues, great weather, no bugs, and fuel under $5.00 per gallon...



Have a safe and enjoyable trip,

[Ford_6L_E350]

Before you go, be sure and get a copy of The MilePost:

www.themilepost.com

It lists all the roads in northern Canada and Alaska, milepost by milepost. The amount and quality of the information cannot be gotten anywhere else. We've been to Alaska twice, 1999 and 2004 and wouldn't consider going without a copy of the book.

A couple of places high on my list of places to visit:

- Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay). A highlight of our first trip. Both Deadhorse and the Dalton Highway (following the pipeline) going to and from are unbelievable.

- Denali. We've been able to stop and get a campsite a couple of days out. Then we do some nearby sightseeing for a couple of days and return to camp in the park.

- McCarthy/Kennicott. Don't miss the old Kennicott copper mine.

- Eagle. Visit the museum and tour the town and area.

- Whittier. Put your van on the ferry to Valdez.

- Turnagain Arm. Get a tide chart for Anchorage and check for the highest High Tide followed by a low Low Tide. You may get to see a 'Bore Tide' (do a web search). We got to see (and hear) a 5 foot tall wall of water come down the Turnagain Arm. Probably a once in a lifetime experience for us.

Hopefully, you will have better weather than we did in 04 (95 degree heat and bad, bad fires amd smoke). Actually, in 04 we couldn't go to Deadhorse because of the fires and smoke.

Driving to Alaska, I would suggest the Cassiar Highway over the Alaska Highway. It's shorter, quicker and more scenic. Stop in Hyder at the southern end of Alaska. On the way up we go through Dawson City and take the ferry across the Yukon River and onto Alaska.

Enjoy the trip,

Mike

[pjpvi]

We're get on the road June 14 and hitting Teklanika on July 1. We're driving up then taking the ferry part way down getting on at Haines and ultimately off at Prince Rupert with a few on / offs in-between. Total time will be 6 weeks (not enough time!).

I second the zero SMB issues, great weather, limited bugs (no bugs is unrealistic) and fuel under $6.00 per gallon (again, trying to keep it real).

Have a great trip!!

Phil

[windom]

...in our Westfalia Synchro. Highlights were Denali NP (took 4 days backpacking), Haines, Seward, Juneau (took the ferries back). Actually, the ferry system was wonderful and worked really well for us.

[twolost]

Well, the day for adventure north has finally arrived. All of the projects to the van are nearly complete, we are mostly packed, and this bus leaves the station on Friday (hopefully). Here is a brief preview of some of the mods we have been up to lately:



Replaced the stock "D" rated BFG's with some "E" rated Toyo tires:




Added an additional spare (thanks to help from my MotoJackRack):





Added Fuel Capacity (perhaps flammable like a Ford Pinto). This mod was specifically added for our trip out the Dalton Highway (Haul Road) from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and it will be stored elsewhere on all but the Haul Road:




Plus there are several other mods that I have to hang on departure morning (once the paint dries)... like roof rack hangers for my HiLift Jack, PulPal, and scaffold.


Necessary/useful... maybe not. Fun to make, absolutely.



Alaska, here we come.

Cheers,
TWOLOST

[cellularSTEVE]

Two Lost,
Nice mods. Be careful with all that fuel. Could you store it up top?

Have a great and safe trip. I hope you update us from the road! I know a lot of us want to do this trip.

Cheers,

steve