CTDs to Alaska

[mbaston]

Here ya go,

Arctic Caribou Inn Summer 2003
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
__ The Arctic Caribou Inn will be open for the summer season beginning June 1st and operating until the beginning of September. _ We offer hotel accommodations, restaurant, visitors center, tours, RV parking, and showers.
___ Located in the community of Deadhorse, at the end of the Dalton Highway, the Arctic Caribou Inn is approximately 500 miles north of Fairbanks. _ When you reach the end of the Dalton Highway turn left at the "T" and drive 1/2 mile where you will find the Arctic Caribou Inn on the right, next to the Prudhoe Bay General Store and Post Office. _ We are also close to the airport and offer free airport shuttle.
Rooms
__ (2 week advance reservation recommended) These rooms have private bathroom and satellite TV.
___ Double Room___ $ 125. 00 per room
___ Our double rooms accommodate 2 adults with either 2 single beds or 1 double bed.
___ Triple Room___ $ 160. 00 per room
___ Our triple rooms accommodate 3 adults with 3 single beds or 1 double and 1 single. (these rooms are limited)
Tours
____ The Arctic Ocean Oil Field Tours will begin operating on May 30th. _ This tour operates daily at various times and lasts approximately 2 hours. _ Due to security restrictions on the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field a minimum of 24 hour advance reservations are required to go on the tour. _ You may make this reservation by calling toll free 1 (877) 659-2368. _ When making reservation you will need to have the names of everyone in your group and a valid government ID number for everyone (Drivers License, State ID, Passport, Social Security, etc. ) All guests will be required to have this ID in their possession at the time of the tour. Children will be required to be with their legal guardian and need only to give their date of birth. Further information is posted at http://www.arcticcaribouinn.com/tours.html check this site frequently as any new information will be posted as soon as it is received.

Arctic Ocean / Oil Field Tour___ _
___ Adults:_ $37. 00 ea. ____ Children 12 and under:_ $ 17. 00
RV Parking
___ $ 15. 00 per night includes electrical hookup and use of hotel rest rooms (showers extra).
Showers
___ $ 10. 00 each
For further information please contact the Arctic Caribou Inn at:

Phone___ 1 (877) 659-2368_ (toll free)
Fax_______ 1 (907) 659-2792
Web______ http://www.arcticcaribouinn.com
Email_____ -- email address removed --
Address____ Arctic Caribou Inn
_________________ Pouch 340111
_________________ Prudhoe Bay, AK 99734

Thank you for your interest and we hope to see you soon.
Arctic Caribou Inn

 

[mbaston]

If some are interested in the trip up the haul road, and time (and money) allows, I might be interested in leading a side trip that direction.

I just have to be home in Palmer by July 18

 

[BRUTUS]

Outstanding!

Awright!

Now we're cookin'

Thank you Marty. You do have influence up there. They have'nt answered me yet...

Jerry and others, come on up there while the gettin' is good.

We'll call for camping and tour reservations before we leave Fairbanks

Les

 

[mbaston]

Kodiak is beautiful. It is pricey to get and stay there but it is called the emerald island for a reason.

You could take the ferry out of Homer. It usually leaves about 11:00 at night and arrives in the morning. You could then fly back. Alaska Airlines,

www.alaskaair.com

has daily service. Although the ferry travels at night, remember it doesn't get dark much. If you are up for a real adventure/experience, take the ferry all the way out the Aleutians to Dutch Harbor then fly back. It is a sight and experience that few in the world have enjoyed. I used to live in Sand Point, one of the stops out that way. Weather can get crazy.

Once in Kodiak, prepare to lay out some bucks for fishing trips etc. Remember that the community has a few months to take in all of its tourism money.

If you are interested in a Halibut fishing trip, I can hook you up on a boat out of Homer. The costs are usually about 150 bucks per person a day.

Heading up the haul road, there is good grayling fishing along the highway.

 

[WDaniels]

BRUTIS,

Uncle Ben's bug dope is good and about the best. Anything will work as long as it has "deet". The higher the deet content the better it works. Just don't touch plastic with your hands while the bug dope is on them. Will melt plastic. Wipe the palm side of your hands with a baby wipe to clean them. Besides, baby wipes should be a must have for any camper.

WD

 

[HBarlow]

I'd love to go to Deadhorse also but there is a limit to the amount of time I can be gone from home. My wife is patient, but there is a limit.



I've already traveled into the Artic Circle although I didn't see much. My mode of travel was a submerged submarine. My travel and accomodations were paid for by the United States Navy.



Harvey

 

[jcarew]

Prudoe bay trip

Good info Marty count us in to go to Prudhoe may drive toad up there an stay in motel depends how we feel. Les sounds good if you want to go north Harvey I won,t tell your wife that you went up there, if you don,t tell

 

[HBarlow]

jcarew:



I appreciate your offer of keeping a secret but if I leave home in the first half of June and don't get home until the end of August, it's going to be difficult to convince her I wasn't gone 2 1/2 months.



Fortunately, my wife is very tolerant of my urge to wander. I may be able to explain the situation when the time arrives. It does seem like a missed opportunity to be that far north and to skip driving all the way to the Artic Ocean.



Harvey

 

[BRUTUS]

Aleutians

Marty



Decisions, decisions, decisions

The idea of taking a ferry to Dutch Harbor has a lot of appeal as well. I'll wait and talk it over with you (and myself) during the trip, and also get the opinions of the other group embers.

You are turning out to be quite a great ambassador for Alaska and the bestest tour guide for our little CTD (and one Phord) assemblage. Many thanks!

Les

 

[mbaston]

Thanks, Les

 

[mbaston]

The next day will be a short drive, about 120 miles to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon. We will make some stops along the way. There is a lot to do in Whitehorse. We might want to take in a show or something.

To learn more about Whitehorse go to:

http://explorenorth.com/library/communities/canada/whitehorse.html

and

http://www.whtvcable.com/webcam/streetcam.htm

for a webcam.

For a summary now:

30th. Meet AM Dawson Creek
1st. Travel to and stay in Ft. Nelson area.
2nd. Soak in Liard Hot Springs
3rd. Travel to and stay at Teslin Lake
4th. Short drive to Whitehorse

Tentatively, I am thinking the following for the rest of the trip up.

5th. Travel to and stay in Haines
6th. Spend day in Haines, hopefully get some fishing in.
7th. Travel to and stay in Kluane country.
8th. Travel to and stay in Tok
9th. Afternoon departure to Fairbanks with a stop at Delta Junction (official end of the highway)

We are there!

On the 10th or 11th, we can do a 3 day trip up the haul road. Mostly, on this trip, you just take in what you can while driving.

After that, down to Denali Park. A night there then to Palmer, just outside of Anchorage. This should put us there about the 16th. From there, I can suggest side trips and perhaps the Local TDR members could put something together.

What do you all think?

 

[HBarlow]

Marty:



Sounds good to me.



What are you referring to when you say "haul road?" Is that the highway that goes north to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay?



When you say three days do you mean three days roundtrip?



Harvey

 

[mbaston]

Yes, haul road is the road to Deadhorse. 3 or 4 days roundtrip. There isn't many places to stop and get off the road along the way. It is pretty much just driving up... . maybe take the tour to the Arctic Ocean, then drive back.

 

[HBarlow]

Marty:



Each time you announce another leg of the journey I update my own copy of the itinerary, figure out where the spot is on the map, and calculate the mileage between stops. It helps me become more familiar with the area.



I see "Kluane National Park" in the southwest corner of Yukon Territory but the only highway that shows on my Rand McNally seems to skirt the area. What will our actual overnight stop be?



Harvey

 

[mbaston]

Probably around Burwash Landing somewhere.

 

[BRUTUS]

Itinerary

Sounds good to me

Les

 

[HBarlow]

Marty,



Okay, I see Burwash Landing.



Did you previously write that the "haul road" is gravel from Fairbanks to Deadhorse?



I'm tossing around the idea that when the group goes north from Fairbanks I may go south toward Anchorage instead. With a limit to the time I can spend, I think I'd prefer to see Anchorage, Seward, Homer, Valdez, etc.



What is a reasonable distance to travel in one day in the area of Fairbanks to Denali NP, Denali NP to Anchorage, Anchorage to Seward, Seward to Homer, Homer to Anchorage, Anchorage to Valdez? Is 200 to 250 miles in one day acceptable?



Harvey

 

[DBF]

Is 200 to 250 miles in one day acceptable?

HBarlow,



Each of the segments you mention is do-able in a day.



The Anchorage to Valdez drive is 260 miles or so; you can do it, but you won't have much time to look at things in between them.



We enjoyed walking on the Matanuska Glacier just off the Glenn hwy. We were camped close by, so we took the truck over to it and walked around on it. It's a valley glacier (ends gradually in a valley rather than abruptly into the ocean), so you can drive up close. Drop any trailer you're towing at the parking area at the top of the access road - don't take it down into the valley.



It's easy to walk around on this thing because a lot of the grit it has pushed down the valley is on top of the ice (the top surface of the ice melts, but the grit stays).



Have fun, DBF



PS: the first port I visited by submarine in Alaska was Nome.

 

[radar doctor]

Alaska

Went to Alaska in a 95 4X4 ctd in 1996. Drove over 12k miles in 10 weeks from kansas. Had a great trip. Got a rock stuck in the left rear wheel and it made a loud sound. This was on a gravel road. Stopped the truck put it in reverse and it dislodged the rock . No more trouble. Burned 702 gallons of diesel fuel. Averaged over 18 mpg for the trip. Not bad for a Automatic. Want to take a Boat up the inside passage in my 99 and drive back. Maybe next summer. was going this year but lost my job and will have to wait to get enough money to make the trip good luck to all on your trip. Oo. Oo. Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[HBarlow]

DBF,



Thanks for the info. I'll split the trip between Anchorage and Valdez into two days.



I think the glacier you mentioned was discussed and shown in the travel video I bought recently, "Alaska by RV. "



I never made a port call in Alaska. The boats I rode were Atlantic-based. A few months after I retired off the McKee, it made a port call to Alaska. I regretted missing the trip but... ... .





Harvey