[Richard]

I thought I would take the time to document some “driver’s” notes before the memory chips corrupt. We are back in the lower 48 from the Alaska trip, and here are some somewhat random thoughts on the coach related aspects. Rhonda will update the campground/itinerary later. 

The concerns about fuel on the Alcan were unfounded. I used either the TDS card or Visa. No discount with the TDS but it works at the Cardlock stations. 

The roads for the most part were far better than I expected. However, the 400ish mile section from Destruction Bay  to Tok is miserable. I would drive about 40, which gave me time to slow to 20 for the worst sections. Until you have driven the “frostheaves”, it is hard to picture exactly what that describes. Heave is a misnomer, actually what is happening is the base of the road is giving way leading to an irregular dip. The worst section were like driving an giant strip of fried bacon. Imagine that kind of surface and you get it. The people that had problems were primarily the folks with pull behinds going WAY too fast. 

I did not see many breakdowns on the Alcan. 

There is a lot of truck traffic, and consequently a lot of diesel shops along the route. Not the Mercedes showroom kind of place, but diesel shops nonetheless. 

If you have to order a part while in Canada or Alaska remote regions, talk to the place you want it shipped before you order. Why? Because for each place they will tell you which service delivers. For example I had a part shipped to Tok via FedEx, only to find out FedEx delivers to Tok once every two weeks but USPS delivers every day. 

How did the coach handle the road? I had one repairable stone chip in the driver windshield. I did see some nastier rock induced problems. Somewhere in all that, I destroyed a suspension bushing, which resulted in extreme toe in, which led to a undesirably worn front tire. I have some new rattles and squeaks that I will need to address once I get home. 

For the time, 7 wks, we spent there I am glad we were in the coach for a number of reasons. One, in general the restaurant food in Alaska and along the Alcan is mediocre at best. We were able to find lots of fresh veggies in the grocery stores so the coach made our diet much healthier. Two, we got a lot of wet weather with wind in the low 50’s. We are spoiled southerners so those days kept us inside occasionally. It was nice to have the comforts of home while holed up. 

Starlink was a huge success for both internet, TV streaming, and phone calls. 

I would boondock more along the Alcan and visit campgrounds less. There are lots of really nice boondocking parking lots, and a lot of the campgrounds just plain suck. Crowded, tight, dirt parking lots, with 30 amp service. I sound spoiled and I don’t mean to. Three outstanding boondocks were just south of Destruction Bay, Liard Hot Springs, and Denali View South. 

We did not use air conditioning after we left Edmonton and until we returned to Calgary. We did use heat almost every night. 

The Alcan and the interior of Alaska was not scenic to use. Lot’s of rolling terrain through dense scrubby vegetation. Exceptions were the Kluane mountain range and Denali State Park. 

The coast is the prize. Totally different than the interior. We visited Seward, Homer, Valdez, and Haines. The drive from Haines Jct to Haines is the most beautiful highway I have ever been on. 

Anchorage is gritty. I’ll leave it at that. 

We hired a guide and fished for salmon. I highly recommend that.

We went on two small plane trips to see bears fishing at Brooks Falls and clamming on the beach. Both were great, but I preferred the watching the bears on the beach. 

The weather was interesting in that if changes rapidly during the day. The difference between sunny and light wind and rainy with wind felt like about a 40 degree shift to me. We were constantly changing clothes. 

I couldn’t help it, I worked on several coaches for people I met in campgrounds. My recovering engineer program has occasional slips. I found it interesting that all of the coaches I worked on were practically new. The lesson is, don’t take off to Alaska with unproven hardware. 

The 64,000 USD question. Would you do it again? No, I would not drive to Alaska in the Newell again. I wouldn’t take a million for the experience, but I wouldn’t give you a bent nickel to do it again. Why, it’s a very very very long way with little to experience along the drive. It is tedious at times. It is hard on equipment. HOWEVER, if the question is would you go to Alaska again? Absolutely. I would rent a Class C in Anchorage, focus on the coastal regions, and utilize the ferry system to get around instead of long drives. 

I would prefer a rented camper over being hostage to hotels and restaurant food. 

I witnessed the cruise ship/bus tours. I am not a tour kind of guy. They sure do cram a lot into a short period of time, perhaps that is your thing. 

I spent some time with people on RV tours. Again, I am not a tour kind of guy, but I also witnessed how hard and intimidating it was for Rhonda to put this trip together. A packaged tour takes a lot of work off the table. It was entertaining to watch the circus as one of the RV tour groups rolled into a tight campground trying to get 15 or 20 big rigs parked. 

I will probably think of more as soon as I hit the post button.