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Old 06-14-2016, 08:15 AM   #1
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Loneoak's Alaska Trip

We left June 1 on our Alaska trip. It took us until June 9 to get to Dawson Creek, Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway. We stayed there for two nights before heading north.

The first stop was Fort Nelson, where we met a couple from Washington State and another couple from Kansas. We stayed at Liard Hotsprings Lodge the next night, along with our Kansas friends, and now we are at Watson Lake. Our Kansas friends are with us again tonight and the plans are today to stop at Johnson’s Corners with them. They will then go their own way while we go to Whitehorse.

We were delayed at a construction site for close to half an hour the day before yesterday, but there was none yesterday. We saw some Stone Sheep yesterday by the side of the road, and also a number of bears – black brown, and Grizzly. We also saw quite a few Bison.

The views were nice yesterday and the day before, but somewhat obstructed due to clouds, rain and fog. There was no fog on the ground, just up in the mountains.

Other than the construction site, the roads have been good. Everyone here in Watson Lake has a dirty rig. There are a lot of RVs of every description everywhere we go.

We put up a sign in the Signpost Forest. After Whitehorse we are going to Tok. After Tok will be Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage, etc.

We have not yet decided whether to drive the Top of The World Highway from Tok to Dawson City. We are getting conflicting reports as to whether or not it is a good idea to take our trailer there.

We have had internet in most places, but it is never great internet.

I will post updates and pictures whenever I have the opportunity and decent internet. Right now I am using my iPhone as a hotspot so I will post pictures another time.
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Old 06-14-2016, 08:43 AM   #2
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Glad to hear you are enjoying your trip. It is beautiful country
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Old 06-14-2016, 09:42 AM   #3
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When you get back to Tok,(stay at Sourdough campground)head to Chicken then to top o the world. it is stone ,but smooth and the views are great. Dawson city is cool.(Stay downtown)
We found the best internet was at tourist info centers .
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Old 06-14-2016, 08:59 PM   #4
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We are currently in Whitehorse and planning to go to Tok. We are trying to decide whether to do the Top of The World Highway from east to west or west to east. We have been given conflicting advice.

Any thoughts from those who have gone before us?
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Old 06-15-2016, 10:38 AM   #5
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Like I just said ,gotta do top o the world ,either way. Remember that from Destruction bay to the Alsaka border is a 15 kmph ,10 mph, trip trying to avoid all the potholes.You do not want to run that road twice. Plus,when in Chicken,stay for free in the lot next to the old chicken bar and restauraunt.
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Old 06-18-2016, 10:59 AM   #6
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We are now in Dawson City, heading to Chicken, Alaska tomorrow. We are taking the Top of the World Highway heading west. We are told that as long as you go slowly, the road is fine for big rigs.

We have had no issues with the trailer, everything is working well so far.

Dawson City is an interesting little place, very quaint. We saw the Keno, the stern-wheeler which was used during the Gold Rush, and we also toured the Commissioner's residence. Today we are going to tour a dredge mine.

The weather since we left Whitehorse has improved (no more rain), and is sunny and warm. This also means the highway tomorrow will be dry and much nicer to navigate.
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Old 06-18-2016, 11:08 AM   #7
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Here are some pictures of our trip so far. The last picture is the ferry across the Yukon River.
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File Type: jpg IMG_2703.JPG (606.9 KB, 10 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_0086.jpg (199.4 KB, 9 views)
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Old 06-18-2016, 11:26 AM   #8
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I've been to Alaska on a cruise and took some trip excursions on shore but was the touristy stuff. Long time gold miner. Done the dredging sluicing high banking and panning for years. Trip to Alaska where I could take my time is a dream I hope to do one day. I am 66 hours from Chicken I believe so would be a trip just getting there. Count yourself blessed. One day I hope to be there too.
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Old 06-20-2016, 08:15 AM   #9
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Yesterday (June 18) we drove from Dawson City, Yukon to Tok, Alaska. First we had to cross the ferry at Dawson Creek. It is said that in the height of the season the wait can be up to three hours for this crossing. The ferry is quite small and can only accommodate about two RVs. We got there shortly before 7 a.m. and only had to wait a few minutes for the boat to dock and we got on, along with a motor home. The crossing does not take that long, maybe twenty minutes tops, but the lineup grows quickly when everyone leaves Dawson to travel west. If there is a caravan which is crossing, then this could take a while!

The first part of the trip was on the Top of the World Highway. This road is mostly gravel, and it improved as we went. Overall, not a bad road, and the views were spectacular. We have found from experience that when you have a really great view, the camera cannot do it justice.

We crossed the border into Alaska, and for a few miles the road was paved and very nice. Then it turned to gravel and deteriorated. It was probably the worst road we have ever been on. It was narrow, full of potholes, had soft shoulders and steep drop-offs. At one point we were coming around a corner and maybe taking a bit more road than normal (we are towing a 34 foot trailer, after all), and some yahoo in a dually came the other way at a break-neck speed. He missed us by inches and honked angrily as he went by. You need to slow down on these roads, not drive like a maniac! When we stopped in Chicken, we met up with our Washington State friends and they and encountered the same person, only they were on a straight stretch and didn’t almost get hit.

The road eventually improved and we made it to Tok in one piece. Our friends didn’t fare as well. They are towing a 35 foot Silverback fifth wheel and had a bike rack attached to the bumper. They stopped at a rest area and when he did a walk-around he noticed the bike rack was in the process of tearing off the bumper! He immediately removed the whole thing. He would have lost the rack and the bikes if he had not spotted this. I guess all the jarring around is not good for these things.

The internet at most campgrounds is not great. For people who are “camping”, this is not an issue. They usually want a park with trees and a firepit. We are RVers. We like a level parking lot with services and internet. We are travelling and this is our home. We travel this way because we want our own bed, make our own meals, take lots of stuff with us, meet new friends, and bring our pets if we have them. So good internet would be really nice. What we have here in Tok RV Village is one hour of free internet (you pay for more) and you are not allowed to use Skype, Facetime or upload photos. We are going to Fairbanks next so there’s always McDonalds.

Our plan after Fairbanks is to go to Denali for a few days, then Anchorage. From Anchorage we may do a day trip to Steward. Valdez will be our next destination, and from there, back to Whitehorse and then down the Cassiar Highway.

I will post more pictures when I have good enough internet to do so.
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Old 06-21-2016, 12:56 PM   #10
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Here are some more pictures. The first one is a street in Dawson City, Yukon. Next is a picture from our truck on the ferry going to the Top of the World Highway. The third one shows one of the drop-offs along the Taylor Highway (U.S. side). The last one was taken along the Alaska going to Fairbanks.
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File Type: jpg 2016-06-18 (24).jpg (248.1 KB, 12 views)
File Type: jpg 2016-06-19 (2).jpg (144.9 KB, 13 views)
File Type: jpg 2016-06-19 (14).jpg (387.4 KB, 12 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_2709.JPG (512.3 KB, 13 views)
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Old 06-21-2016, 02:55 PM   #11
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Glad you avoided an accident with the dumb---. Thanks for sharing the pics and safe travels.
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Old 06-22-2016, 09:18 PM   #12
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Here are some pictures we took at Denali today:
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File Type: jpg DSC00158.jpg (184.0 KB, 8 views)
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Old 06-23-2016, 06:57 AM   #13
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Great pics.
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Old 06-23-2016, 09:01 AM   #14
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How much planning vs on the fly are you doing for this trip?
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Old 06-23-2016, 10:21 AM   #15
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Please! Keep posting pictures, you're saving me a long drive!
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Old 06-23-2016, 02:14 PM   #16
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Wow! Truly beatiful......
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Old 06-23-2016, 04:42 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AbbaZabba View Post
How much planning vs on the fly are you doing for this trip?
We had our general route planned before we left, and made adjustments as we went based on recommendations from people we met. We reserve a few days ahead because a lot places are full. We had not planned to go to Valdez until someone told us it was awesome, so now are going there.

For example, we reserved at Denali while we were in Fairbanks, and reserved Anchorage from there as well. From here (Denali), we reserved Valdez, which is after Anchorage. We are going to Tok after that but will not reserve as there are lots of campgrounds there.

You can do all the research you want ahead of time, but nothing beats meeting people who have been there recently.

I hope this helps. We found after many trips over the years that this is the best way - reserve a few days ahead when you know you will be there.
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Old 06-23-2016, 05:21 PM   #18
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More pictures, these are in Denali National Park. The first one is a grizzly bear. The second one is Mount Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley. We were told that it is only visible about 30% of the time, so we were very lucky to see it. The third picture is a caribou, and the last one is a bunch of caribou hanging out on some snow on the side of a mountain.
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File Type: jpg 2016-06-23 (14).jpg (260.3 KB, 9 views)
File Type: jpg 2016-06-23 (21).jpg (128.6 KB, 7 views)
File Type: jpg 2016-06-23 (37).jpg (339.7 KB, 8 views)
File Type: jpg 2016-06-23 (40).jpg (256.5 KB, 6 views)
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Old 06-23-2016, 06:41 PM   #19
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Beautiful pictures. I'm envious.
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Old 06-23-2016, 09:19 PM   #20
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Wow,
I wonder how long our lil camper sides would last if that Big Griz wants to get in bad enough ?!?
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