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Alaska roadmeet ever?

Started by Alps, June 10, 2015, 11:33:15 PM

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tckma

Would be interested in a meet like this but no idea if finances and ability to get time off work would allow.


jpi

Quote from: tckma on October 10, 2016, 01:32:54 PM
Would be interested in a meet like this but no idea if finances and ability to get time off work would allow.
Same here, again this is a bucket list road trip for my wife and I but I am aiming for sometime 2020 or beyond that. Next year I am aiming for my 5th road trip to the southwest\ west so we shall see.
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

kkt

I'd like to... I wonder how well it would work to drive northwards, after driving as far north the pipeline road as possible and a side trip or two, then put the car on a freight ship back to Washington while I fly.  Much as I'd like to take the Alaska Ferry, the chance of being able to take long enough to drive one way and explore in AK for a while and take the ferry back seems small.

SSOWorld

Quote from: Alps on July 08, 2016, 12:04:08 AM
The plan was to drive the Alaska Highway to Fairbanks and have the meet there, including an excursion up to Prudhoe Bay and back. If we go around July, the road should be in good condition and we should have enough daylight to make it all the way up in one shot (figure 35 mph average, some stretches can be faster than others). So 3 days in Alaska, figure 6 days to get there and 6 days back, equals a nice 2-week trip. For those with more limited funds, just fly up to Fairbanks for the meet itself. Still to be determined is the starting point for the official drive. I'd probably want to save a few days by flying out to a Vancouver, Edmonton, etc., and spend the extra time exploring that area more.
Reminder of potential itinerary.

I'm not counting this out for now [/revolving door decision].  It depends on how much more enthusiastic I am vs doing any work on the house as both cost a lot of money.  If I go, I'll likely fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks myself (as I had said this is a definite air-hop).  Anchorage affords a drive up the Parks and back on the Alaska/Glenn.  Anchorage is about 500-600 and includes a stopover in SEA (or non-stop if from O'Hare), a bit more to Fairbanks - and you have to stop in Anchorage anyway.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

oscar

Quote from: kkt on October 10, 2016, 04:53:40 PM
I'd like to... I wonder how well it would work to drive northwards, after driving as far north the pipeline road as possible and a side trip or two, then put the car on a freight ship back to Washington while I fly.

The southernmost 10 miles or so of the Dalton Highway is one of the worst segments, which is why it's slated for a new-alignment replacement in a few years.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

A.J. Bertin

A few of us who attended the Birmingham AL meet this past weekend were talking tentatively about how we could feasibly drive from, say, the Midwest to Alaska and back. Brian Reynolds, Valerie Deane, Brandon Gorte, and I were pondering this. For me I shouldn't have any trouble getting two weeks off from work, but I have to make sure my significant other is truly okay with the idea of me being gone for this long. I think he will be okay... especially if he plans on taking a trip to Europe with a friend around the same time frame.

Driving to Alaska and back is something I want to do once in my lifetime. I hope this ends up being possible for me.
-A.J. from Michigan

hbelkins

Would there be a possibility of driving to somewhere on the west coast, taking some form of water transportation to Alaska, and then renting a car once there?


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

corco

#157
Quote from: hbelkins on October 10, 2016, 10:19:01 PM
Would there be a possibility of driving to somewhere on the west coast, taking some form of water transportation to Alaska, and then renting a car once there?

That is definitely possible, but would be significantly more expensive and quite a bit slower than either driving or flying. It's a six day, $970 sailing from Seattle to Homer.

hbelkins

Quote from: corco on October 10, 2016, 10:24:14 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on October 10, 2016, 10:19:01 PM
Would there be a possibility of driving to somewhere on the west coast, taking some form of water transportation to Alaska, and then renting a car once there?

That is definitely possible, but would be significantly more expensive and quite a bit slower than either driving or flying.

Well, when you don't fly and you don't really want to deal with the hassles of border crossing -- especially re-entry into your own home country -- you have to look at other options.

Although Alaska isn't really that feasible for me anyway.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

SSOWorld

Quote from: hbelkins on October 10, 2016, 10:19:01 PM
Would there be a possibility of driving to somewhere on the west coast, taking some form of water transportation to Alaska, and then renting a car once there?
The option is there, you should consider the Alaska Marine Highway System and go to Whittier - take your car with you on to the ferry - Whittier to Anchorage will get through the Alton Anderson Tunnel (The one-lane shared with railroad tunnel that's a roadgeek's dream) - That will take you through to Anchorage after which you can take the Parks hwy (by Denali) to Fairbanks... otherwise go to Valdez and drive up the Richardson and Glenn to the Alaska highway to Fairbanks to meet the crowd.

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/routes.shtml

Canada is avoided as well.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

Alps

I've set up a date poll - https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=18996. Thinking about day of week - if people start traveling Friday or Saturday and averaging about 4 days to get up there, maybe the meet is on Tuesday or Wednesday, followed by Dalton Highway drive, followed by the return.

oscar

#161
Quote from: SSOWorld on October 10, 2016, 10:29:07 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on October 10, 2016, 10:19:01 PM
Would there be a possibility of driving to somewhere on the west coast, taking some form of water transportation to Alaska, and then renting a car once there?
The option is there, you should consider the Alaska Marine Highway System and go to Whittier - take your car with you on to the ferry - Whittier to Anchorage will get through the Alton Anderson Tunnel (The one-lane shared with railroad tunnel that's a roadgeek's dream) - That will take you through to Anchorage after which you can take the Parks hwy (by Denali) to Fairbanks... otherwise go to Valdez and drive up the Richardson and Glenn to the Alaska highway to Fairbanks to meet the crowd.
If you don't take your own car on the ferry, you might need to take a train to Anchorage to rent a car there, since there may be no car rental places in Whittier. Car rental places in Valdez are more likely, but should not be nailed down before setting ferry reservations.

In addition to snagging the Anderson tunnel (by train), you may also have a chance to snag the hard-to-reach Yakutat borough, which has no road access and limited ferry access (most visitors arrive and leave via Alaska Airlines jets). However, Yakutat may be a "flag stop", skipped unless someone is getting on or off the ferry there.

Also, many or all of the ferries between Bellingham WA and Whittier will skip Petersburg and Wrangell boroughs, since they can't safely traverse the Wrangell Narrows between Petersburg and Wrangell except at high tide. The M/V Kennicott, which I took from Ketchikan to Juneau this May (and which started its journey in Bellingham), skipped Wrangell and Petersburg, while pn the return trip I took the smaller M/V Matanuska to Petersburg on the return from Juneau, and later that week took it from Petersburg to Prince Rupert BC via the Narrows, with stops in Wrangell and Ketchikan.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Brandon

I've been doing some research ever since I spoke with Val and AJ Saturday evening.  There are a few different ways to do this.

1. We take passenger cars/trucks and carpool to Fairbanks from here (being as I'm the westernmost of the group, here would be Joliet, IL).  The advantages are that we'd have our own vehicles with minimal issues crossing the border with them.  The disadvantages are that we'd have to have hotel rooms, restaurants, and rest areas.

2. We fly to Anchorage from O'Hare and drive up from there.  I checked out the rates, and it appears to be about $350/per person roundtrip, nonstop.  Advantage is speed.  Disadvantages are that the whole point of of driving to Alaska are negated.

3. We rent a small (Class B or Class C) RV.  The disadvantages could be cost and fuel (a Class C gets 8-10 mpg, a Class B gets 15-20 mpg).  The advantages are that we could bring food and have our own toilet on board.  We could also choose to drive through the night as well, cutting the duration from 5 days to 3 days, and getting through some less interesting stretches of road faster.  We would also not need a hotel room in Alaska.  However, we might need a different vehicle for the Dalton Highway (a Class B could handle it better than a Class C).

Based on what I've seen, I'm leaning toward option 3.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

corco

#163
My plan is to drive up to Alaska solo from Boise in my vehicle, an obsessively maintained low mileage 2002 Jeep Liberty with 4WD and new tires that can easily handle the Dalton.

So I'll have extra capacity to haul folks  who either fly up or take an unsuitable vehicle for the Dalton to Fairbanks.

Rothman

Quote from: oscar on October 11, 2016, 12:48:36 AM
In addition to snagging the Anderson tunnel (by train), you may also have a chance to snag the hard-to-reach Yakutat borough, which has no road access and limited ferry access (most visitors arrive and leave via Alaska Airlines jets). However, Yakutat may be a "flag stop", skipped unless someone is getting on or off the ferry there.

Right, but can you disembark and get back on the ferry at a single stop to say that you actually had your feet on the ground in the borough?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

oscar

#165
Quote from: Rothman on October 14, 2016, 09:05:54 AM
Quote from: oscar on October 11, 2016, 12:48:36 AM
In addition to snagging the Anderson tunnel (by train), you may also have a chance to snag the hard-to-reach Yakutat borough, which has no road access and limited ferry access (most visitors arrive and leave via Alaska Airlines jets). However, Yakutat may be a "flag stop", skipped unless someone is getting on or off the ferry there.

Right, but can you disembark and get back on the ferry at a single stop to say that you actually had your feet on the ground in the borough?

Probably not a problem, if the stop is long enough, and is not skipped entirely (as might be an issue with Yakutat). Of course, the stop might be in the middle of the night. But BC Ferries would not let me do that at a really super-brief stop in Bella Coola BC, so for its regional district (difficult but not impossible to drive to) I made do with sailing through its waters.

Alaska Airlines doesn't like passengers leaving its jets just to set foot on the tarmac, which has been an issue for some county-counters in Yakutat (having heard of that, I went with an overnight stay there in 2009, before continuing on to Juneau). The smaller airlines using small planes to serve the blessedly TSA-free small airports of western Alaska seem to be more relaxed about that. But you might have to ask other passengers to exit too so you can leave the plane then get back on.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Alps

Quote from: Rothman on October 14, 2016, 09:05:54 AM
Quote from: oscar on October 11, 2016, 12:48:36 AM
In addition to snagging the Anderson tunnel (by train), you may also have a chance to snag the hard-to-reach Yakutat borough, which has no road access and limited ferry access (most visitors arrive and leave via Alaska Airlines jets). However, Yakutat may be a "flag stop", skipped unless someone is getting on or off the ferry there.

Right, but can you disembark and get back on the ferry at a single stop to say that you actually had your feet on the ground in the borough?
I view being on a boat in the water the same a car on the road. As long as you're surrounded by the county (not in the ocean, at least an inlet if not a river), I count boat clinches.

cl94

Quote from: Alps on October 15, 2016, 08:29:54 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 14, 2016, 09:05:54 AM
Quote from: oscar on October 11, 2016, 12:48:36 AM
In addition to snagging the Anderson tunnel (by train), you may also have a chance to snag the hard-to-reach Yakutat borough, which has no road access and limited ferry access (most visitors arrive and leave via Alaska Airlines jets). However, Yakutat may be a "flag stop", skipped unless someone is getting on or off the ferry there.

Right, but can you disembark and get back on the ferry at a single stop to say that you actually had your feet on the ground in the borough?
I view being on a boat in the water the same a car on the road. As long as you're surrounded by the county (not in the ocean, at least an inlet if not a river), I count boat clinches.

In that regard, are we counting train clinches as well? Still ground-based transportation.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

oscar

Quote from: cl94 on October 15, 2016, 08:34:54 PM
Quote from: Alps on October 15, 2016, 08:29:54 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 14, 2016, 09:05:54 AM
Quote from: oscar on October 11, 2016, 12:48:36 AM
In addition to snagging the Anderson tunnel (by train), you may also have a chance to snag the hard-to-reach Yakutat borough, which has no road access and limited ferry access (most visitors arrive and leave via Alaska Airlines jets). However, Yakutat may be a "flag stop", skipped unless someone is getting on or off the ferry there.

Right, but can you disembark and get back on the ferry at a single stop to say that you actually had your feet on the ground in the borough?
I view being on a boat in the water the same a car on the road. As long as you're surrounded by the county (not in the ocean, at least an inlet if not a river), I count boat clinches.

In that regard, are we counting train clinches as well? Still ground-based transportation.

FWIW (not all county-counters will necessarily agree), I would count train clinches. Indeed, when I completed the U.S. counties in 2010, there were several counties in western Kansas and maybe elsewhere which I had covered only by train (later, I drove through most or all of those counties).
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Rothman

I'd count train clinches, but boat clinches seem iffy to me.  No "Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway" sign in the middle of the water. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Alps

Quote from: Rothman on October 15, 2016, 10:04:07 PM
I'd count train clinches, but boat clinches seem iffy to me.  No "Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway" sign in the middle of the water. :D
Can't tell you how many county lines I've crossed without seeing a sign.

cl94

Quote from: Alps on October 15, 2016, 11:56:01 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 15, 2016, 10:04:07 PM
I'd count train clinches, but boat clinches seem iffy to me.  No "Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway" sign in the middle of the water. :D
Can't tell you how many county lines I've crossed without seeing a sign.

*cough* NYSTA *cough*
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Rothman

Quote from: Alps on October 15, 2016, 11:56:01 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 15, 2016, 10:04:07 PM
I'd count train clinches, but boat clinches seem iffy to me.  No "Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway" sign in the middle of the water. :D
Can't tell you how many county lines I've crossed without seeing a sign.

To me, it's like flying over counties -- is there a real means of making sure you actually are in whichever county when you're on a long boat trip, especially when the boat may be travelling parallel to such?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

cl94

Quote from: Rothman on October 16, 2016, 12:30:36 AM
Quote from: Alps on October 15, 2016, 11:56:01 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 15, 2016, 10:04:07 PM
I'd count train clinches, but boat clinches seem iffy to me.  No "Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway" sign in the middle of the water. :D
Can't tell you how many county lines I've crossed without seeing a sign.

To me, it's like flying over counties -- is there a real means of making sure you actually are in whichever county when you're on a long boat trip, especially when the boat may be travelling parallel to such?

Use a GPS.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Alps

Quote from: Rothman on October 16, 2016, 12:30:36 AM
Quote from: Alps on October 15, 2016, 11:56:01 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 15, 2016, 10:04:07 PM
I'd count train clinches, but boat clinches seem iffy to me.  No "Welcome to Ketchikan Gateway" sign in the middle of the water. :D
Can't tell you how many county lines I've crossed without seeing a sign.

To me, it's like flying over counties -- is there a real means of making sure you actually are in whichever county when you're on a long boat trip, especially when the boat may be travelling parallel to such?
I count the Alaska counties where my cruise ship passed between island and mainland. Surrounded by land within the county, counts as being in the county to me. I do not count the counties where there was open ocean on my left, even though I was close enough to shore to technically be in the county. That's one way to know. I would never count flying over, because I was never in contact with the Earth.



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