North to Alaska!

[Titus]

Another caravan issue - mechanical problems. They will happen, and not at the same time. Your mechanical glitch may add a few hour on day 1, the next guys/gals will add a few hours on day 3, etc. This downside is reduced (a bit) but the fact that one can help the other, but still seems to be a frustrating time-adder to me.

And just think of the time spent dumping/refilling tanks one at a time.

The more I think about a caravan the more I shudder...

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by Titus

I would expect that fuel will be our largest cost (~$2000?). We do not care for commercial RV parks so I expect our camping costs to be ~15-$20 per day (~$20x 40 days=$800). Commercial CGs would double that. And some people just use the AI as the travel vehicle and stay in a hotel every night ($$ more). We eat mostly simple meals in the AI ($10 pp x 2 people x 40 days = $1200), but going out to eat 1x per day could add $20 pp or more. We will do a lot of day-hiking and plan a few boat rides and other tour-type things (eg. Gold Dredge #8 in Fairbanks), and those costs add up quickly. Museums range from free to $10 per person. We are taking the ferry from Haines to Juneau to Prince Rupert and that costs about $1700 (incl. a cabin).
Tincampers estimate of north of $10,000 seems high for what I think we will do in our 40 dayish trip but it would not be hard to reach that cost; a couple of flightseeing trips and/or fishing trips would get us to that level. We are fortunate to not have to worry about costs, but our tastes do not run on the expensive side of things either.

I cannot see us traveling in a caravan. The number of stops would go up by 50% and the time taken at each stop would go up by 50% (waiting for your turn in the bathroom or at the fuel pump) and we would have zero interest in stops that others in the caravan would think is a must-do. Finding a campground with space for 1 for the night vs 2, 3,4, etc.

We are planning to be gone most of the summer but also plan to travel as you have described. Seeing western Canada is a big part of our trip.

[InterBlog]

Speaking of Canada, I got my shark knife across without a peep from anyone. Then I went on a 6-mile hike in a wilderness area where I estimate the coywolves are at least 60 pounds apiece (judging from the size of the droppings). After said hike I was ravenous and made a bee-line back to civilization for my favorite pizza. Walked into the pizzeria not realizing that the knife was still strapped to my leg (it’s so comfortable that I forget it’s there). That is exactly what NOT to do in Canada, where the law depends heavily on intent. I can justify the knife in the wilderness. Not in the pizzeria.
:-)

[Titus]

Our planned 40 days is about 2x our longest trip so far, and has my wife a bit apprehensive: grandson-withdrawal-syndrome and hubby-aisle-coordination-dancing among other things.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by Titus

Our planned 40 days is about 2x our longest trip so far, and has my wife a bit apprehensive: grandson-withdrawal-syndrome and hubby-aisle-coordination-dancing among other things.

Our longest trip is 9 months, but not in the AI, but in our AS Flying Cloud.

[TexAirS]

Originally Posted by Titus

I would expect that fuel will be our largest cost (~$2000?).... etc.

I've mapped out from Central Texas to Fairbanks and back to around 8300 miles. Alcan and Cassiar. And does not include side trips. Kamloops' diesel is around 1.26 per liter or $3.67 (1.26*4/1.056688*.77) per gal. Suspect U.S. diesel north of 3 bucks. Using these prices, towing only will cost around $2,300. And double the mileage and cost for sightseeing?



Two of our favorite things was flying from Talkeena to the basecamp at Denali and Kenai Fjords boat trip. Heard Talkeena is very commercial now.


Missing the trip north this year, but I hear the Upper Peninsula is very nice.


John
2001 30' Classic with slide

[M and R]

Originally Posted by Titus

Were your fuel availability problems on the Alaskan Highway or one of the other, less traveled, roads?

ALCAN south end of Yukon Territory. I gave our Milepost to someone making the trip this summer, so I can not give you an exact location.

[Titus]

Thanks, I'll keep my eye on the fuel gauge and fuel stops in this area of the ALCAN. I may regret it, but I think I'll pass on trying to carry 2x5 gallons of stinky diesel fuel inside the MH.

[M and R]

Originally Posted by Titus

but I think I'll pass on trying to carry 2x5 gallons of stinky diesel fuel inside the MH.

We towed a 5x8ft utility trailer. The diesel cans were in the trailer.

[Titus]

Maybe I will get enough better mpg without a trailer that I won't need the extra fuel

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Titus

Our planned 40 days is about 2x our longest trip so far, and has my wife a bit apprehensive: grandson-withdrawal-syndrome and hubby-aisle-coordination-dancing among other things.

Our Alaska trip was 90 days total, from Maryland to Minnesota, up the ALCAN, about 30 days in Alaska, then to Victoria, BC, on to Washington State west coast, then Seattle and Portland before returning home. That set the limit for my wife. Now we try to keep our trips to about 30 days. [emoji41]

[M and R]

Originally Posted by Titus

Maybe I will get enough better mpg without a trailer that I won't need the extra fuel

This is a pic of the trip screen page. I reset it when we started the trip. I thought 16 mpg was good while pulling a loaded trailer. We came south with a 10 cubic foot freezer full of salmon and halibut.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Titus

Question 3 above is a bit misleading. Not all of the listed items are prohibited (per their other website), so I am not sure why they ask about them.

There is no shortage of confusion on these laws, and it counts. The answers matter for those of us who need to feed ourselves on the road.

ASIDE: Do we have any mental health professionals on this forum? I know we have multiple engineers, a flotilla of technicians of various types, and we do have MDs. Briefly let me explain why this is relevant. I routinely get accused of being oppositional, when in fact I'm not the slightest bit oppositional. I am strongly disagreeable, however. Lay people would see those two as virtually interchangeable. Mental health professionals know that they each indicate fundamentally different temperaments.

I am not inclined to defy the law enforcers when it comes to food restrictions at the border. However, I'd be perfectly happy to question and debate the true reach and intention of those restrictions until the sun comes up the next day.

One of the things I did on last week's trip was buy this pepperoni before boarding my Toronto to Houston flight. Pearson is a freaking nightmare - it's one of the worst airports in the entire world, bar none. I timed my journey from inbound domestic flight to outbound international connection, and it was 1 hour 22 minutes to execute that gate shift. Almost all of that time was spent dealing with U.S. Customs. And Customs is fixated on this idea of transporting food.

I bought the pepperoni as a preemptive defense, just in case I needed it. We have to sign these dire statements that we are not bringing meat, vegetables, fruit, etc. into America from Canada (and vice versa). Yet the minute we step out of that Customs chute, every one of those items is for sale in the secure area of the airport. There are people buying rare steaks, fresh salads, and fruit cups as take-away at the airport pub, and dragging them onto U.S.-bound flights, with nobody opposing them. Other people are taking pepperoni that says “proudly Canadian” on it. And all those products are originating in the very same places as every other piece of food that is sold in each country. There’s nothing special about it.

So if I’m ever confronted about any food item I’m taking, my question will be, “If your literal intention is to prohibit these items, then why is Every. Single. Frickin. One. Of. Them. legally for sale at the departure gate, and why are they transported internationally from hundreds of departure gates? May I please ask you to clarify your regulatory intent on this one?”

Not only is the law itself very unclear, so is the intention itself, in other words. It’s a complete mess.

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

There is no shortage of confusion on these laws, and it counts. The answers matter for those of us who need to feed ourselves on the road.

ASIDE: Do we have any mental health professionals on this forum? I know we have multiple engineers, a flotilla of technicians of various types, and we do have MDs. Briefly let me explain why this is relevant. I routinely get accused of being oppositional, when in fact I'm not the slightest bit oppositional. I am strongly disagreeable, however. Lay people would see those two as virtually interchangeable. Mental health professionals know that they each indicate fundamentally different temperaments.

I am not inclined to defy the law enforcers when it comes to food restrictions at the border. However, I'd be perfectly happy to question and debate the true reach and intention of those restrictions until the sun comes up the next day.

One of the things I did on last week's trip was buy this pepperoni before boarding my Toronto to Houston flight. Pearson is a freaking nightmare - it's one of the worst airports in the entire world, bar none. I timed my journey from inbound domestic flight to outbound international connection, and it was 1 hour 22 minutes to execute that gate shift. Almost all of that time was spent dealing with U.S. Customs. And Customs is fixated on this idea of transporting food.

I bought the pepperoni as a preemptive defense, just in case I needed it. We have to sign these dire statements that we are not bringing meat, vegetables, fruit, etc. into America from Canada (and vice versa). Yet the minute we step out of that Customs chute, every one of those items is for sale in the secure area of the airport. There are people buying rare steaks, fresh salads, and fruit cups as take-away at the airport pub, and dragging them onto U.S.-bound flights, with nobody opposing them. Other people are taking pepperoni that says “proudly Canadian” on it. And all those products are originating in the very same places as every other piece of food that is sold in each country. There’s nothing special about it.

So if I’m ever confronted about any food item I’m taking, my question will be, “If your literal intention is to prohibit these items, then why is Every. Single. Frickin. One. Of. Them. legally for sale at the departure gate, and why are they transported internationally from hundreds of departure gates? May I please ask you to clarify your regulatory intent on this one?”

Not only is the law itself very unclear, so is the intention itself, in other words. It’s a complete mess.

It's.all about business. You can bring the items in once you've cleared customs which means technically you're in the US. Toronto has the US customs right in the airport which really makes it slow but at the same time if they don't let you on you you don't have to fly back. As far as airports go I could think of some that are worse. Starting with Chicago and Heathrow and then Miami.

[Tincampers]

Passed the 5,000 mile mark yesterday south of Denali. No major issues with the AI except the drivers window. The riser connection to the window has broken. My temp fix lasts about a week. No issues with buying fuel, it was very expensive in Whitehorse at $1.41 per liter CDN.

We are currently in Sterling, AK on the Kenai Peninsula heading to Homer.

Best fuel mileage = 26 mpg, worst 18 mpg while hauling arse in Illinois on the interstate trying to get through that place.

We are spending a lot less than estimated.

We have adapted to the AI quite well and no longer feel like we are in a tiny space. Best part is backing into a camp spot and not having to get out!

Internet access is sporadic, will post more when I can.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Our Alaska trip was 90 days total, from Maryland to Minnesota, up the ALCAN, about 30 days in Alaska, then to Victoria, BC, on to Washington State west coast, then Seattle and Portland before returning home. That set the limit for my wife. Now we try to keep our trips to about 30 days. [emoji41]

90 days is well beyond my wife's (and my own) limit. But you enjoyed it, and I am a bit jealous of all you got to see.

Originally Posted by Tincampers

Passed the 5,000 mile mark yesterday south of Denali. No major issues with the AI except the drivers window. The riser connection to the window has broken. My temp fix lasts about a week. No issues with buying fuel, it was very expensive in Whitehorse at $1.41 per liter CDN.

We are currently in Sterling, AK on the Kenai Peninsula heading to Homer.

Best fuel mileage = 26 mpg, worst 18 mpg while hauling arse in Illinois on the interstate trying to get through that place.

We are spending a lot less than estimated.

We have adapted to the AI quite well and no longer feel like we are in a tiny space. Best part is backing into a camp spot and not having to get out!

Internet access is sporadic, will post more when I can.

Been following this thread. Looking forward to your next update.

[wachuko]

Thank you for the update!!! Stay safe and enjoy!!!

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Tincampers

Passed the 5,000 mile mark yesterday south of Denali. No major issues with the AI except the drivers window.

Internet access is sporadic, will post more when I can.

Great news! Hoping to see more updates soon. So jealous of you & folks who have done these big trips. Someday, we will have the contiguous time to do a few weeks. Baby steps

[Titus]

I assume that the 26 mpg is based upon an instantaneous readout (going down a long hill?). I have been keeping track of mileage based up tank filling - which has ranged from 6 to 19 gallons. Mileage has ranged from 17 to 22 mpg. My best was on the Natchez Trace - a road with a 45 mph speed limit.

We are looking forward to our trip to AK that begins in about a month.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by Titus

I assume that the 26 mpg is based upon an instantaneous readout (going down a long hill?). I have been keeping track of mileage based up tank filling - which has ranged from 6 to 19 gallons. Mileage has ranged from 17 to 22 mpg. My best was on the Natchez Trace - a road with a 45 mph speed limit.

We are looking forward to our trip to AK that begins in about a month.

No, the 2007 has no such luxuries. That is a tank refill calculation. It was a slow driving day though.