As we drive north to Alaska.....

[jrgwdenner]

I want to share a few tidbits that might be helpful for those of you who are planning to make this wonderful trip.

Dump stations are everywhere....gas stations, RV parks, Provincial Parks, most small towns, lodges, you get the idea. They also often have fresh water hoses.

Your rig will get dirty. It's gotten so we can tell who is driving North (clean) and who is driving South (dirty). There are many places to wash your rig, usually for a small cost.

Showers may also cost you a few pennies. At our present RV park, we get one token per day for an 8 minute shower. If you're still soapy after 8 minutes, pay up!

Many of the RV parks are just parking lots, usually gravel, which accounts for a lot of the dirt on rigs. But there are campgrounds, too, with picnic tables and fire rings. These are tight for big rigs. We parked with our living room slide OVER the corner of the picnic table one night. And it was tough to get in and out, too.

Rates for the RV parks are reasonable, usually below $20.00. And even if the lot isn't "finished", the facilities are very nice and very clean.

Laundry has cost us between $1.20 - $2.00 per load or about $9.00 per week.

Since we have left Eureka Springs, MT on July 7, we have averaged about $2.85 per gallon for diesel which is cheaper than regular in Canada.($.82-1.12 Canadian per liter or US $2.58 - $3.26).

Be sure to get a copy of the Milepost before even planning your trip. We usually drive with it open to the area we driving through. The warnings about animals on the road are true and need to be respected. It's also valuable for pointing out pullouts and gas stations.

Buy gas in the big cities as the remote stations are always more expensive.

Canada has wonderful Visitors Centers with great literature for all the local attractions and other major points of interest. They also have internet connections through their computers. If you ask, you might get to hookup your computer and post to the forum!

Canada has a lot of homemade bread and bakeries.

Groceries are more expensive than in the US but the exchange rate softens the blow if you're exchanging US currency (about $1.20 on the dollar or 80% of the posted cost).

Beware of banks in big tourist areas who charge a fee for exchanging money. Use credit cards for the best rate but generally your purchase has to be over $10.00 before you can use them. ATMs are also available in larger cities and give a good rate for a fee.

Bring layered clothing. Morning temps are in the 40's and can rise to the high 70's. Rainwear is also important as mountain storms can appear quickly.

Don't wear shoes that you want to keep forever. Canada is very rocky, which also contributes to it's beauty.

Get a digital camera as you'll want to take pictures of EVERYTHING! and you'll be broke if you get all the pictures processed.

Travel with your camera in your left hand....not really, but have it ready. Animals or beautiful sights will appear suddenly and you'll want to be ready. Pictures taken through the windshield aren't too bad.

Relax, it's an exciting trip! Bring your sense of humor and your awe of God's creation. You've never seen anything like it. And we're not even in Alaska yet.

[virgil47]

Judy,

Thanks for your time to post these updates and tips. We're reading everyone.

[8.1al]

Glad to hear you're having a good time. We were suppose to be up there this year but things just didn't worl out. Please keep us all posted, we're enjoying your travels.

[mike johnson]

yes,thank you very much for the great info.we are reading all your posts too.we plan on going north very soon. thx again.

[Jeff Heiser]

What a great post. Thanks for the information. We are planning on taking the trip in about 2 years. Your post just adds to the anticipation of our trip.

Thanks again for a great post.

God Bless America
Jeff Heiser
Merritt Island Florida

[FireTruckerWife]

Thanks, Judy, for your travelog. I am enjoying it thoroughly. We're hoping to go next summer or year after. Hope you can continue to get on the internet.

See ya in October.

[jrgwdenner]

So glad to hear that so many of you have plans to travel to Alaska in the next few years. I love exchanging information so if you have a specific question that I might be able to answer throw it out here or PM me and I'll see if I can help.

[dannyl]

Thanks for the post. I plan on going next vacation. If you can please include information about camping locations, facilities, cost, etc.
Alot of books don't give the best information on what to see and the best routes to take.
Have a great trip and keep us posted on your progress.

[jrgwdenner]

Danny, I'll work on a list of specifics and post it in the future. Our experience with campgrounds is fairly limited since we can only stay in one per night max. We haven't been disappointed in any so far. I will say that if you want to get the campground of your choice, you'd better get up and on the road early, say about 8 AM. The reason for that is because everyone else is going to the very same place you are and the best campgrounds fill up first. But none of the campgrounds are more outstanding than others. They are not resorts but rather overnight stops up here in the less populated areas. I've been very pleased with the laundry and bathroom facilities. Most of all, they are clean and well heated. Mornings are in the 40s so heat is important. We crossed the border north of Kalispell which was a very easy entry into Canada.

[bob n pam]

Judy, thanks so much for your posts. We are really enjoying your travels.

[sreigle]

Great post, Judy! You may already know this but something we learned awhile back, just in case.... most digital cameras have a panorama or landscape setting on the dial. On both our Canon and our Nikon this caused the camera to focus in the distance instead of the closest thing it saw (autofocus). With this setting it focused on the landscape in the distance and not on the glare or bugs on the windshield. It didn't eliminate the bugs and glare but gave us much better pictures by focusing in the distance. If you knew this already, please disregard.

[jrgwdenner]

Thanks, Steve, for the tip. I finally read the manual the other day and found out a few tricks about my camera, which happens to be a Fuji. An interesting moment on our trip happened yesterday when we stopped at a scenic point. A nice couple from Vancouver asked if we would take their picture and offered to take ours. It turned out that we had the exact same camera, a Fuji S602 which is a little unusual. We didn't have any trouble taking one another's picture.

[DCP]

Your postings are just the greatest! I am getting more excited by the day when we get to make this trip next year!

[jrgwdenner]

Dave and Emily, I'm so glad that you'll be able to take the trip to Alaska. Since you're from Ohio and coming from that direction, be sure to spend some time around Banff. There is unbelievable beauty, hiking trails, and shopping there. Good food, too. The main campgrounds (we stayed at Tunnel Mountain RV Village) have no reservations so get there early and line up. As people leave others are there to take their place.

[Searchers]

We're enjoying your posts and pictures very much. It brings back fond memories of our trips to Alaska in the past, the last one in 1998 for eight weeks. Things have sure changed since then evidently as we only made reservations for two nights that year and never had a problem finding a place to stay.

If you get a chance and want a thrill go to Talkeetna and take a flight around Mt. McKinley and land on Ruth Glacier, you won't regret it!

[Montana_1240]

I suggest that everyone plan on a trip up north, if at all possible.

We made the trip down to the lower 48 after our twenty-five years in Fairbanks, and just can’t say enough about the sights and people that you will meet.

We’re presently enjoying our rambling travels around the states. We will go back to Fairbanks, next summer, for a visit with our good friends.

Fairbanksans at heart…Steve & Kim