Where's Ready to Travel?

[Grizzly]

George,

Thanks. My preference is for a fall trip for the reasons you mentioned. I also think the 8 week duration is best for me too because it lets me investigate areas without feeling rushed.



Here are several more questions;

1. Did you find enough dump stations and fresh water sources?





There are more than enough Dump Stations and Fresh Water along the way. No problem at all in the bigger cities, such as Anchorage, Farirbanks, Homer, Valdez and Soldatna. Again the Mile Post will tell you all that information plus hospitals, police stations auto servive that repair shops for trucks and RV's and much much more.



2. Did you find convenient grocery stores, Wal-Marts, etc. for provisions?



Not too many Wal-Marts, but ample grocery stores. Check the Mile Post.



3. Did you find convenient laundries in the smaller towns?



RV Parks all have Laundry machines. The larger towns have Laundermats. Check the Mile Post.





4. Did you have any travel restrictions (height, length, weight) on ferry boats?



Only to board a train in Portage or Whittier, I forgot which. They do allow RV's of a certain length and width. My truck and Lance camper were too long and wide. The train is a much faster way to get to Valdez.



My thinking is to travel for 4-5 days at a time then stop for provisions, laundry, relaxation, etc. Of course I'd like the stops to coincide with site seeing if possible. But many times in my past travels, the site seeing was significantly away from any services. I'd like to stop somewhat frequently to keep my travel weight to a minimum and also let me look around the surrounding areas. Some of my best travel experiences have been in areas that are not known as a "destination". Also, I think some of the larger truck stops have all these services and I'd use them but I'd rather experience the local ambience if convenient.



I have thoughts on that. I'll reply when I have more time.





Thanks again.



JustDave

george... ...

 

[JustDave]

George,
Thanks again, definitely sounds like Mile Post is the holy grail for Alaska travel. I can't wait to get the 2011 edition. I forgot to ask a couple of questions,
1. How reliable are the cell phone signals?
2. Are they only in the major cities or do they cover some of the rural areas as well?

Dave

 

[ENafziger]

As George said, I don't think you'll have problems finding places to dump or fill up with water.

That being said, I think I had to pay to dump maybe 3 or 4 times, and all the rest were free. Since RV/TT travel is so common, I found a lot of the smaller cities/rest areas/pull offs/etc to have dumping and water fill services. Furthermore, a good amount of the service stations do as well.

I would definately recommend a good bear pepper spray. This is the one I went with: UDAP Bear Deterrent Pepper Spray

Handguns are completely illegal in Canada, so with respect to avoiding the risk of having your rig confiscated, that option is out. You can have a firearm sent from a dealer in the states to Alaska for pickup when you get there. However, after watching a LOT of bear attack videos, I actually felt as safe with the UDAP as I would've with a handgun. There have been plenty of bear attacks thwarted with UDAP, but in most cases, a grizzly will continue to charge even after 6 or 8 rounds of a handgun are imbedded in him!

I'd be interested to here George's thoughts on this though. I believe having pepper spray saved alot of hassle at border crossings as well. They physically wanted to inspect them several times, but gave us no hassle. Make sure you DON'T get the small personal size cans, as they are illegal in Canada as well. I think I got the 15 and 18 oz versions.

--Eric

 

[Grizzly]

George,

Thanks again, definitely sounds like Mile Post is the holy grail for Alaska travel. I can't wait to get the 2011 edition. I forgot to ask a couple of questions,

1. How reliable are the cell phone signals?

2. Are they only in the major cities or do they cover some of the rural areas as well?



Dave

Dave,



Most of the time we had no cell phone reception while traveling through Canada. When we did, we were on roaming. We have Version and I understand they do not have many towers in Canada. We had no problem in Fairbanks, Anchorage and some other larger towns.



george

 

[Grizzly]

George,

Thanks. My preference is for a fall trip for the reasons you mentioned. I also think the 8 week duration is best for me too because it lets me investigate areas without feeling rushed.



Here are several more questions;

1. Did you find enough dump stations and fresh water sources?

2. Did you find convenient grocery stores, Wal-Marts, etc. for provisions?

3. Did you find convenient laundries in the smaller towns?

4. Did you have any travel restrictions (height, length, weight) on ferry boats?



My thinking is to travel for 4-5 days at a time then stop for provisions, laundry, relaxation, etc. Of course I'd like the stops to coincide with site seeing if possible. But many times in my past travels, the site seeing was significantly away from any services. I'd like to stop somewhat frequently to keep my travel weight to a minimum and also let me look around the surrounding areas. Some of my best travel experiences have been in areas that are not known as a "destination". Also, I think some of the larger truck stops have all these services and I'd use them but I'd rather experience the local ambience if convenient.



Thanks again.



JustDave

Dave,



That sounds too regimented. These are my thoughts. I made an Itinerary for both trips, which didn't work. I allowed so much time to spend at each place of interest and so much time for travel. My itinerary got shattered almost right away. On places we liked, we spend too much time and the travel from Dawson Creek, BC, start of the Alcan, to Tok, Alaska was much faster than it it was on the first trip due to much improved road, less frost heaves and far less road construction, or reconstruction. It is good to have an outline of the places you want to go to and perhaps a rough estimated amount of time you want to spend there, but don't be too rigid with your schedule. I believe you're enjoy the trip much more if you play it by ear, sort of speak.



I actually made reservations at places like, Prince William Sound Cruise, Katmai NP (went to see grizzlies fishing in the river a few yards away from us), Railroad Tour and one or two more. Well I had to call ahead to change or cancel some of those reservations. We kept the Katmai NP and the Prince William Sound Cruise. We spend more time than planned in Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, Skagway and Valdez. We spend less time in Anchorage than planned.



I say alway have enough provisions with you because you never know when you may need them. Don't worry too much about weight. Weight doesn't effect mileage as much as frontal profile wind drag and speed. That is within reason, you don't want haul around 500 lbs of food and 5 gerry cans full of diesel with you.



Again, play it by ear. We still used up 8 weeks on the trip. More time would have been great, but my wife had to get back to work.



george

 

[ENafziger]

Most of the time we had no cell phone reception while traveling through Canada. When we did, we were on roaming.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), we had coverage about half of the time once we left the lower 48. My sister had been in an bad boating accident that left her in a coma and seizures for the majority of our trip. I was able to check in almost every day at some point.

I had signed up for AT&T's Canada plan... however, I found out after the fact that my particular phone ALWAYS has data being transferred, and that the unlimited data package does not apply to Canada. This is not the $480 surprise you need coming back home. If you have a "smart" phone that can't be disabled (like mine), I'd recommend taking the battery out except when you absolutely need to use it.

If you plan on doing much ferry travel, you may be better served with a pop-up slide in. The rates get astronomically more expensive for over length, trailers, over weight, etc... so much so, that we opted not to take a ferry at all. The ferry that we took across the Yukon is government ran and is free of charge.

--Eric

 

[Grizzly]

Fortunately (or unfortunately), we had coverage about half of the time once we left the lower 48. My sister had been in an bad boating accident that left her in a coma and seizures for the majority of our trip. I was able to check in almost every day at some point.



I had signed up for AT&T's Canada plan... however, I found out after the fact that my particular phone ALWAYS has data being transferred, and that the unlimited data package does not apply to Canada. This is not the $480 surprise you need coming back home. If you have a "smart" phone that can't be disabled (like mine), I'd recommend taking the battery out except when you absolutely need to use it.



If you plan on doing much ferry travel, you may be better served with a pop-up slide in. The rates get astronomically more expensive for over length, trailers, over weight, etc... so much so, that we opted not to take a ferry at all. The ferry that we took across the Yukon is government ran and is free of charge.

--Eric

Eric, was that crossing the Yukon River at Dawson City, Yukon? That was the only ferry we took, which is part of their highway system and it is free, as you said.



george

 

[ENafziger]

Eric, was that crossing the Yukon River at Dawson City, Yukon? That was the only ferry we took, which is part of their highway system and it is free, as you said.

george<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Yes, that was it exactly!

We had discussed taking one of the ferries through the inside passage, to Kodiak island, etc; however, the rates for ferrying a 20,300 lb load that was over 11' tall and nearly 60' long were greatly discouraging. I don't remember exact figures, but it was enough to disuade us by a long shot. If I recall correctly, had we been under 10,000 lbs and under 25', the rates would've been MUCH more reasonable.

--Eric

 

[JustDave]

Eric and George,
Your information has been really helpful. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. My thinking right now is to boon dock as much as possible or for as long as I'm comfortable. I'll be flexible with the sites I want to see as well as those I might find interesting. Right now I have 5 definite "destinations", Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, Katmai, then the Arctic Circle and possibly Prudhoe Bay. I'm sure there will be many more stops but these are the "musts".

The reason for my interest in a late summer early fall timing for this trip is to stay away from the crowds and minimize the need for any reservations. I'm interested in a relaxed, simple, low key site seeing trip that I can adjust if the mood strikes. I'll definitely keep enough food and fuel to be safe in case of a breakdown or unexpected layover. Definitely want to be safe.

Speaking if which, Eric, I'm glad to hear you took bear spray and it went through customs OK. Yes, I'm familiar with UDAP and Counter Assault as well. I'll make sure I carry the large cans. Like I mentioned, no hunting except with my camera.

I'm glad to hear the dump stations and water fills are easily available. I'll carry my usual water purification gear just to be safe. It's part of my backpacking kit anyhow and travels easily.

The cell phone coverage is something I'm going to figure out. I have difficulty getting a signal in rural Georgia let alone Alaska! I figured the cities wouldn't be a problem but I didn't count on the Canadian roaming fees. My thinking right now is something like an iPad WiFi/3G with a month to month voice/data plan. I'll talk to Verizon and AT&T and see which covers Canada the cheapest. I'd rely on WiFi at various stops then the 3G as back up. I'll let you know what I find.

I had no idea that ferry travel could be so expensive. I've only taken a car on a ferry on the Outer Banks, never anything larger. It sounds like these boats are large enough to handle just about any vehicle. Good to know.

I don't think I need to read the article I originally inquired about! Your help has been invaluable. In the meantime, I'll be completing some truck projects. Replacing the ball joints and rod ends with Moog components next weekend. Want to make sure everything is as reliable as possible.

Dave

 

[Grizzly]

Dave,



I like the first four of your must do destinations, Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, Katmai. The Arctic Circle is not a big deal. We just crossed a point with a sign that said you are in the Arctic Circle. We took a couple of pictures of the sign and went on our way toward Prudhoe Bay. We didn't make it because we feared running out of Diesel and it was getting late. I don't believe it's worth going to. It's a heavily guarded and restricted area since 911. There are much better places to spend your time and diesel. Denali NP is a place we will spend much more time on our next trip. We loved Katmai NP, but my wife may not want to go again because she's not to keen on flying those little one prop planes. Add Valdez to your list of must do. We went to Kodiac on the first trip by way of the Marine Ferry and stayed at a Bed and Breakfast. We stored the truck and camper at an RV and boat storage on the Homer Spit. Kodiac is worth going to and we will go again on our next trip. Like Eric said, we won't take the truck and 5th wheel because of the cost and we may be too big anyway.



P S, Add Skagway to your must do list. It's a hoot.



george

 

[HBarlow]

Eric and George,

Your information has been really helpful. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. My thinking right now is to boon dock as much as possible or for as long as I'm comfortable. ... ..... <SNIP>... ... ... ... . Dave

Dave,

On the subject of boondocking... ... ... ...

When I went to Alaska during the summer of '03 or '04, the current edition of Mile Post emphasized that overnighting in "turnouts" was prohibited. IIRC, the warning was printed on every page in the Mile Post and highlighted. The term "turnout" apparently refers to unimproved space alongside highways and bridges.

I ignored the warnings, with some trepidation the first night or two. Soon I realized that the RCMP didn't care. I spent most nights of my trip boondocking alongside highways and near river crossings, occasionally at truck stops. I did spend several nights in commercial RV parks in AK to do laundry, etc. and at Wal-Marts where they were located. RCMP cars in BC or Yukon Territory occasionally drove past but paid no attention to me.

I was pulling a conventional travel trailer with no slides and, of course, did not discharge anything on the ground, cut any wood, or build any fires.

 

[Grizzly]

Harvey,



We never had a problem with overnight stays in pullouts either. Often times we were joined by other campers and sometimes an 18 wheeler. In the big cities, like Anchorage, Fairbanks and Soldotna we stayed many nights at Fred Meyers parking lots. They actually encourage overnight stays and some had free RV Dump Stations with fresh water available. Wal-Mart did not allow overnight stays.



Dave, As far as communication with the lower 48, we used our laptop at places that had wi-fi, such as coffee shops, hotel parking lots and libraries. You can find the locations of libraries on the Mile Post. My wife now has a smart phone with hot spot locator.



george

 

[JustDave]

Harvey,
Thanks for the information. That's how I'm planning to travel also, boon dock as much as possible then find some place to re-supply, dump, fill up, etc. But I'd like to have the option of stopping to relax, nap, have a meal, spend the night, etc, as I feel like without worrying about getting run off or ticketed. I'm also hoping my small footprint will be as inconspicuous as possible.

Dave

 

[JustDave]

George,
I just Googled Fred Meyer and found out this is a food store. Is this the store you're talking about? We don't have this chain in my area so I'm not familiar with it.

I might carry my laptop as well but would only use it for photos and maybe DVD's. I use an iPod Touch for my WiFi and my mobile phone for tower access. However, I'd like to combine them all into one device with the iPad. I really like the iPod Touch (it's the same size as an iPhone or other smart phone) for quick email and headlines checks at coffee shops but it's too small for me for extended viewing.

Right now I think the iPad is the best compromise for me for several reasons. I'd have both communication (WiFi and 3GS) in one device, it has a bigger screen that's far more user friendly than my iPod Touch or other smart phone, and probably most importantly I can purchase the 3GS voice and data service on a monthly basis without being held hostage to some long term contract (at least I think I can, still trying to understand this). I'd really like to be able to purchase a monthly voice and data service plan for an air card or other "antenna" for my existing laptop that would function like the iPad so I don't have to purchase anything new. I'm looking into this as well. I did find an interesting option with the Amazon Kindle. Apparently it allows free 3GS access to surf the net, email, etc. It doesn't have many of the other iPod features but it sure lets the user communicate for free.

Inexpensive and effective communication is very important to me so I can have access to the family, safety, news services. etc. I sure don't want to have a mobile phone contract that, in the end, could be more costly than my diesel fuel for the entire trip!

Dave

 

[Grizzly]

Dave,



Fred Meyers is a large chain of stores in California, Oregon, Washington and other states on Northwestern part of the country. I've even seen them in El Paso. None in Albuquerque. They are also common in Alaska, but only in the larger cities. They are like a Wal-Mart and Home Depot combined. Yes, they sell lumber and hardware. They also have gas stations with diesel. Sign up for their Reward Card. It will save you money on diesel. Reward Card The more you use it to replenish supplies in the store, the more you can save at the Gas Station. They also have a very good Dali, which is inexpensive. Some stores are open 24 hours.



george

 

[JustDave]

George,
Thanks for the explanation and tip about their rewards card. Sounds like they will be a good re-supply and possible layover spot.

Dave

 

[JustDave]

I just noticed the Ready to Travel tab has been added to the web site with the article I was looking for. Thanks to those responsible.



Dave

 

[Grizzly]

I just noticed the Ready to Travel tab has been added to the web site with the article I was looking for. Thanks to those responsible.



Dave

I read some of Jim Anderson account of their trip to Alaska. I never did find any dates as to when they made their trip, but if they paid $1. 18 to $1. 60 per gal for diesel in Canada, that must have been a long long time ago.



Bill Swails' trip in 1999 is a much better account and very interesting.



george

 

[JustDave]

George,
Yes, I agree these trips were some time ago and the Swails article focused on his truck and destinations. I realize this is a Dodge diesel truck forum and knew the Swails article would be focused in that direction. However, I was hoping he would have explained his choice of campers and resulting dislike. Apparently it was enough for him to start a business and design his own! I did enjoy the article a lot and maybe he'll explain in a future article.

That's why I appreciate yours and everyone else's comments to my questions. No one camper will fit everyones needs and it sounds like there's many ways to travel comfortably, safely, and economically. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

Dave

 

[Grizzly]

George,

Yes, I agree these trips were some time ago and the Swails article focused on his truck and destinations. I realize this is a Dodge diesel truck forum and knew the Swails article would be focused in that direction. However, I was hoping he would have explained his choice of campers and resulting dislike. Apparently it was enough for him to start a business and design his own! I did enjoy the article a lot and maybe he'll explain in a future article.



That's why I appreciate yours and everyone else's comments to my questions. No one camper will fit everyones needs and it sounds like there's many ways to travel comfortably, safely, and economically. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.



Dave

Anything else I can tell you, I'd be more than happy to do so.



If you need to check out camper brand names I have the RV Consumer Group guide that rates all truck camper up to 2007 and 5th wheel and TT up to 2010 models. If it's just you I like the idea of a pop up truck camper. If you're taking your wife, you may want to consider a small 5th wheel, 22' to 24'.



george