so, going to Canada and then Alaska.

[unclebilly]

You absolutely need to stop at liard hot springs. It is an absolute must. The entire trip will be a waste if you don’t stop there for a soak in the natural springs (no pool).

[vash]

Originally Posted by MRM

The summer I was in 6th grade one of my classmates drove all the way to Canada and back. They had a pickup truck with a topper on it and took all summer, camping the whole way up and back. He gave a slide show of the trip to our class. Ever since then it's been a bucket list item to drive the length of the Alaska-Canadian highway and explore Alaska. Especially if I could do it in a renovated Airstream RV.

Now I can add another bucket list item to that trip and dream of taking the ferry back. What a journey that would be. I took the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles after a cruise once, and my wife and I agreed that someday we would love to do a long ferry ride along the coast.

my wife doesn't want to go with me. so it will more than likely be me - solo. i'm fine with it. one less mouth to feed. i do hope she will fly into Vancouver to meet and vacation with me for a few days. i'm not positive she will let me go with "hank". our dog.

i'll bring a tent and stove and one of those cool new ice-chest refrigerator things, plus a good ice chest. i know my truck is good for it. maybe change all the water hoses and do new brakes. and belts.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by vash

wait. my gear!! ice chest and stuff. it would be a tough move to dump it all on the side of the road as i sign away my title.

See how much of your "stuff" fits inside the cooler. Go to any UPS or FedEx or even some places that use USPS, and ship it home. If you ship it via ground, no hurry at all, it can be pretty cheap. They will even box it up for you.

[varmint]

my standard advice...

don't take a vehicle you love up the alcan.

canadian border guards are dick holes. if you've ever had a dui be prepared to cough/bribe/cough pay an extra fee.

invest in a good pair of sunglasses.

there all kinds of neat pills in canadian pharmacies you can get without a prescription.

consider joining a lodge. things like the elks, moose, vfw are still very big up here. they are often the only good place to eat in these little towns. and knowing the secret handshake could help if you break down.

there may be only five cops on patrol in a region the size of virginia. but there are only six roads. so the odds aren't good. girdwood is a notorious speed trap.

all the roads are two lanes. if you're blocking more than five vehicles the cops will ticket you.

if you're stopped in the middle of the road to make a left turn people will blow by on the right shoulder without slowing down.

we have the most awesome anything goes gun laws imaginable.

we voted to legalize marijuana. but the law is still in flux. no one knows what's going on.

an old timer told me the bull moose consider motorcycles mating rivals,and will attack. i now suspect he was bull****ting me. but you never know.

a really good way to irritate the local citizens is to leave trash around. all that stuff about garbage attracting bears is true.

thieves roam the better known campgrounds stealing generators and such.

you will take a rock through the windshield.

the stories of eagles carrying off chihauhuas are true.

there is a strong bit of pay for play in the milepost. but it is still indispensable.

tourists see a moose, stop their rv in the middle of the road to take pictures. and then are surprised when they are rear ended by a log truck. happens a dozen times a year.

there is a yearly updated book called the "milepost". it is a mile by mile listing of every gas station, motel, tourist trap, scenic vista. it is indispensable.

https://www.amazon.com/Milepost-2016-Kris-Valencia/dp/1892154358/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466732189&sr=1-1&keywords=milepost+alaska+2016




consider taking the ferry up. the alcan will take at least seven days. and you'll be exhausted with an exhausted bike. the boat will drop you off in whittier relaxed and ready to go.


the motorcycle shop in anchorage is where all the GS people meet. on a average summer day you can find a couple guys headed to prudhoe bay so you don't have to go alone.

[look 171]

That's been my dream to drive the Alcan hwy. I have the vehicle, and ready to take my kids, because their complains aren't gonna do anygood, not my wife, that's another story. I temped to do this on my own someday very soon. Pack up the 4 runner, and off I go.

[cantdrv55]

What, you’ll go to Canada but not Lodi? Dude!

[stealthn]

Someone had a bad experience...

To be clear if you have had a DUI you cannot get in to Canada. Claim everything at the border or it will get ugly. Check the latest gun refs before coming.

If coming thru Alberta, I’m sure a few of us here will want to meet up.

[1990C4S]

It is the same in both directions. A DUI blocks you from entering the US as well. Post 911 fallout.

[petrolhead611]

So I went to Alaska and the Yukon region of Canada for 3 weeks two years ago,without a deadly weapon of any kind. I didn't realise my mistake. I flew myself and family from Anchorage up onto a lake in a mountainous area completely devoid of other humanity , without shooting or stabbing anything the whole day.
Saw bear, moose, and loads of bald eagles, carefully .

[vash]

Originally Posted by petrolhead611

So I went to Alaska and the Yukon region of Canada for 3 weeks two years ago,without a deadly weapon of any kind. I didn't realise my mistake. I flew myself and family from Anchorage up onto a lake in a mountainous area completely devoid of other humanity , without shooting or stabbing anything the whole day.
Saw bear, moose, and loads of bald eagles, carefully .

Point taken. But how did you clean your fish, or cut camp food? Cut wood?

If I’m flying into an alpine lake, I’m hunting.

[recycled sixtie]

I have no idea of the restrictions crossing the border from the US to Canada. Whenever I have camped by myself or with others I carry bear spray, a knife and sometimes a filleting knife when fishing. I have never carried a firearm although if the law permitted it I would carry something compact.

Wayner is the one to ask about travel to Alaska as he did it a couple of years ago on a motorbike. It has been over fifty years since I was north of Whitehorse in the Yukon working in a mining camp. Never saw one critter in the few months I was there.

The distance to be covered driving from the US/Canadian border is immense. To be honest the drive through Northern BC and the Yukon is not that spectacular. Have never driven in Alaska but looking at Wayner's pics it looks spectacular. Taking the ferry up to Alaska as mentioned above is a good thought. Having said that if you have not done it before then it is worth driving.

The only bad experiences I have had when hiking has been the weather. Getting caught on mountain plateaus or mountains when lightning strikes is no fun. Carrying a backpack and being the most exposed object with no trees around is not a great feeling.

Cheers, Guy

[GH85Carrera]

One of my friends has a 1985 911 and he lives in Anchorage. He drove it to the last 10 Porsche Parades. Even down to Boca Raton, Fl last year. He covers the car with blue painter's tape, and hit the road.



This is his car in Boca Raton last year.

[recycled sixtie]

The "wrapped 911" above me reminds me of the rock chips that can be encountered anywhere on a hiway. Out of five golfing sessions 30 miles west of here I have had two separate rock chips on the windshield on my wife's car and my suv in the last month. I believe the Alaska hiway is paved now. Back in the 1960's it was not paved. Cracked windshields were the norm. The front of an suv will of course get rock chips too. It comes with the territory whether the roads are paved or not.