Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Thot that SHE meant Stuff Happens, Eh....in Canada, of course.....love the trip....thanks for allowing us along for the ride.....Mike

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Professor, thanks for allowing me to ride along with you on this great adventure! I'll be checking for the latest post.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Are we there yet? I'm in the back seat with the others. What kind of camera are you using? Amazing photos.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Enjoying your trip!! The northwest is a beautiful place to live if one likes mountains and water. My great grandparents lived near/in Calgary. I remember going the world famous Calgary Stampede when I was about 5 or 6. We lived in Spokane WA then. Thanks for taking the time for sharing.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Day 5

Short drive today, only 282 miles, 1,698 so far.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3bgvbeys.jpg

I spent the morning in church with a little congregation of 50 in attendance. It was fun associating with them and learning some "Canadian", like "aboot" for "about", "sory" for "sorry", "oat" for "out", and a lot of "eh?" at the end of sentences. Of course, they treated me like a celebrity since I sang in what President Reagan called "America's Choir", the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and just because of the car that had come such a long way in so short a time. One of the members gave me two buckets of fresh honey from his hives, one for someone he promised one to in the town next to mine and one for me. He said the "Peace Valley" honey was world renown as the best honey in the world. So, I didn't get on the road until almost 3:00 p.m.

The rest of my journey began at mile marker 0 smack dab in the middle of Dawson Creek, the official and historical beginning of the Al-Can highway that, as the sign says, runs 1,523 miles to Fairbanks.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pswibwl7qq.jpg

Then we were back out on the road through the wilderness.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pseoqh7c0i.jpg

Eventually, we were driving through an area of forest fire with fire not far from the road. It really hazed everything over. The smell of the burning trees was, of course, very strong.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0w22c5v0.jpg

It colored the sunlight orange that turned the light colors in our interior more orange.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psumrtshls.jpg

Our lowest elevation today was 312 meters, or 1,023 feet.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psnfzsdpgv.jpg

Something I forgot to mention about the lower elevation yesterday is the very pleasant surprise of a boost of power in the engine. It was especially noticeable when climbing hills and accelerating. I almost envied all of you that get to drive flatheads near sea level all the time.

No, it wasn't that extra power used for a burst of speed that lead to this.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psnuuqwawp.jpg

I stopped at this spot to take a picture of this stretch of road. As I usually do to get this kind of shot, I walked back up hill a couple hundred feet for the shot. Then, I saw this truck coming the other direction and decided to wait until it passed so I wouldn't have to Photoshop it out. Well, as it got closer and closer it got slower and slower until it looked like it was going to stop when it turned on its overhead police lights, did a U-turn, an pulled up behind the car. I was so far up the hill from the car that he didn't even know I was there. I was certainly curious what he was going to do next. Get out and ask little Lady for her license? Of course, she would be able to give it to him because she has no opposing thumb to take it off of her collar.

But, he just sat there for the longest time while I got this and other pictures of him. Eventually, he got out and headed up to my car. I yelled down at him, "Hey, I'm trying to take a picture and you're in the way." He was pretty startled to turn around and see me way back there. He was immediately apologetic, jumped in his truck, did a U-turn, drove up to across the road from me, got out with his camera and came over for my photography lesson about the great picture that can be taken under those circumstances. Of course, he had some fancy huge DSLR camera, and to get anything like the pictures I took with my little point a shoot had to go back to his truck and get his long telephoto lens and put it on his camera. We had a nice visit, he went on his way, and I finally got the picture I stopped to get.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pslevtgbjo.jpg

Of course, the bugs continued to pile on.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psj6hspptu.jpg

When we got to Fort Nelson, I knew we were about two hundred miles behind our schedule, not that it was too big a deal, but I've scheduled two extra "emergency days" in the itinerary in case I have to sit and wait for a part to be flown in or something and don't really want to use it up lolly-gagging. It was only 9:00 and the sun was still shining. So, I wanted to do another hour to get a little further along. But, we're to the point now that civilization with accommodations, or even gas, are much further apart. There was no place to stay or camp for 100 miles further along. My body was telling me it was actually an hour later by my home time so we got us a nice tent site in the RV park and set up camp for the night. I figured if I could get this report done at night we could hit the road real early in the morning and make up some miles.

For anyone interested, here's the extra battery in the trunk with the black clamp on the negative post, the same as the other end is on the car battery under the hood, and the red clamp on the positive post.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psb7bry3eq.jpg

Then in just a few seconds, I move the black clamp to the positive post, clamp the red clamp to the positive clamp from the inverter, and clamp the inverter's negative clamp to the negative post on the battery. With the two 6 volt batteries now in series with the inverter, I have a huge amount of 12 volt power to run and charge everything all night and still plenty to start the car in the morning.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psgbjcrjov.jpg

My bedroom and work space for reporting.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psobvyhjfb.jpg

If you look close you can see the cord running from the trunk to the tent.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psjgu7cekf.jpg

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psarb1wer0.jpg

I was hoping to get to Skagway tomorrow but won't likely make the 638 miles we have left. But, we'll make up some time, then get there early the next day, get my sticker to say I did, and head back for home.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

And, very few people very far apart.:)

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

I use this little Sony DSC-WX350 point and shoot.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...DL._SX425_.jpg

It gets me some good pixels to then work with Photoshop to get the pictures you actually see. They don't come out of the camera looking like that.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Yeah, whenever I hear something strange, my heart skips a couple of beats, then I look at the speedometer. If it's reading any forward motion at all, I'm good to go. No worries as long as we're still going. Most new noises eventually go away or aren't a sign of anything to worry about before you get home anyway. I don't get worried until the speedometer involuntarily reads 0.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

A member actually sent me an original Ford accessory screen for the grill. But, I tried putting a screen in front of our family van in the summer once on a long cross country trip. The engine ran hotter until I took it off. Those screens actually block more air flow than any amount of bugs. Try it sometime at home with a table fan and some screen and see how much flow screen blocks.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

As usual, some outstanding photos and narrative.
Do I see the birth of a 'coffee table book' in the future ?

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Day 6

We made a little better miles today, 452 to Teslin for the night, not quite to Alaska yet, 158 more miles to go. Total so far 2,200.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pswpqtrp0u.jpg

I thought it would be pretty much the same stuff as we'd seen and we'd just make some good mileage without many stops for pictures. But, there were some interesting things to see.

The main thing we watched for anxiously was places to get gas. I'd heard horror stories of how few and far between they were and how so many that used to be along the way had closed down. Here's one of the first ones we got to that was abandoned:

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pstzppgbwp.jpg

But, we eventually came upon one that was still in business. It was pretty quaint with the old style pumps and, none other than full service! Don't see that much any more.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psjzvxrxih.jpg

And, when we went inside to pay he was still using the old credit card slider. Haven't seen one of those for years.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psw4imeo8g.jpg

And, he had an old pop cooler a year older than Old Henry, made in 1946, that was still working and full of pop.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psljnoyvom.jpg

There were some other styles of fuel delivery too. This one had the pump attached right to the surface tank.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psvtdcwddy.jpg

I think the highest price I paid for gas today was $1.599 per liter.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psbsnty0xa.jpg

That's $5.90 per gallon!

I was glad when we finally hit a section of unpaved road. The drive wouldn't be complete without a little mud and dirt on the car. It's traditional.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pslzh6dmtp.jpg

But, alas, it was just a section under construction for just 3 miles. Oh well. At least we got our mud. There was just one other short section and the rest was all paved although fairly worn with a lot of patches.

A couple of the many quaint old cantilever bridges a long the way.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...pska7agank.jpg

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9drtqomf.jpg

Stowaways. Some of 'em still kickin'.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psir09p01b.jpg

Then we started to get into the high mountains.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psqvzmm7yd.jpg

Now, there is something interesting about the mountains here. We are driving at an elevation of only 1,221 meters, 4000 feet.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6itre5fs.jpg

Yet, you see that we are almost at the timberline above which nothing will grow. That timberline where I live is up at 10,000 feet! I have found that the further north I have traveled, the lower the timberline. I first noticed that when I first went to Glacier National Park in Montana and the timberline was only 6,000 feet.

A couple of the many beautiful lakes along the way:

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psjb02kotx.jpg

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psqe0i3xuj.jpg

And some other mountain scenery:

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9uhc2u8j.jpg

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psiip51uyg.jpg

Wild mountain sheep grazing along the side of the road. On what? Gravel?

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psd7kfsnnk.jpg

And lots of bison, too. (No, they are not buffalo as many suppose. Those live in Africa.)

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psb6arnqs5.jpg

One final landscape with the low sun for the end of today's report.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...psxecwfqx4.jpg

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Blimey ! That is truly amazing and there's folk bleating on about not getting their I Pad whatsitts working in the car !

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Well another thumb tack in the map. I also go down and drive the same road on street view, and have actually seen the same areas in your pictures. BTW, great bunch of guys back here.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Thank you , thank you..

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Craig,

Good music would be the 'frosting on the cake' that this trip of yours is. Did you bring any along with you? If so, can you give us a listen?....

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Beautiful!!! Just beautiful!!! Lucky dog!!
Rowen

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Nice

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

If Canada uses any kind of salt product for deicing the roads, it could be the sheep have learned they can lick it up off the roadway.

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

As per today's pix: OMG

Re: Alaska attempt daily report
 

Two questions: what does "'SHE" refer to and what's the deal with the map and the 86h? Is the map not up-dated?