TheSamba.com :: View topic - Planning a trip to Alaska (Dalton Hwy): recommendations?

Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:50 am

Glad you are home. How many miles and how many days? When you are ready that is.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:18 am

some pics:

hoptober:

Midnight at the arctic circle:

Holy carp! Whats that giant pipeline thing?

You need fuel cans:

Atigan pass:

going down:

north slope coming out of the brooks range:

dogs found some crystal clear water to swim in:

rest stop for food

muskox:

So much snowgoodies!

Oversize:

ok that covers the first 300, still 1500 to go!

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:35 am

Great. wide open spaces, what's the white stuff on the rear of your van? Does it come off easy, does it hurt the paint? Love the dogs smiles!

Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:36 am

DAIZEE wrote: Great. wide open spaces, what's the white stuff on the rear of your van? Does it come off easy, does it hurt the paint? Love the dogs smiles!

It's mud.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:21 pm

Arctic Ocean:

"Holy $hit we made it!"

It was cold and wet:

Reinjection well for gas:

The most wonderful perfect texture mud splatter:

GPS at arctic circle:

Need fuel!

They keep the gas pumps inside so they dont freeze up:

Just one small part of the industrial complex known as prudhoe bay:

More muskox:

Came at just the right time to see all the tundra brush changing color, was pretty:

The rear mud splatter is like a perfect coat, made for a nice privacy curtain in the rear window:

Doggah watching me:

Wiseman AK, little town above the artic circle that was a gold town back 100 years ago:

This little "store" is kinda like a come take some stuff, and leave the money:

Nice rack(caribou hunters):

Back down to the arctic circle:

hoptober:

Back over the yukon river:

They only said please, they didn't say not to:

Seems to me its up to me to decide:

Original markings from X-ray:

Back to the start of the Dalton:

Who's gonna call it?

Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:44 pm

That sign is in desperate need of a New Belgium Brewery(or any other Fort Collins brewery) sticker. You need to go back and slap one on. ASAP :lol:

Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:58 pm

FNGRUVN wrote: That sign is in desperate need of a New Belgium Brewery(or any other Fort Collins brewery) sticker. You need to go back and slap one on. ASAP :lol:

I put a NASA sticker on, I think the NB or Odells or FoCo Brew, or Equinox should be your task.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:19 pm

It's on my "to do" list.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:47 pm

That mud looks like cement. Is it from all the gravel? Do you need 4 wheel drive to do that trip? Amazed to see trees and grass above the arctic circle. When does the snow/ice start? Nice pics. Thanks. That pipeline disturbs me for many many reasons >>> it is so vulnerable.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:57 pm

Mud came off fine, turns out there was plenty of black tar flung over the back from some fresh paving along about coldfoot.

I did not need 4wd.

The last black spruce tree is along before atigan pass, no more trees past that, not really any grass either, just really shrubs.

Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:40 am

oh ok, thought I saw a lawn around the trading post.

Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:28 pm

thank you, thank you so much for the pics.

Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:47 pm

Ok so I got a gallery online for the first time ever:
http://colorado4wheel.com/content/ak/index.html

But I'll go through and continue posting pics that I like.

Custers last stand:

Van hadn't been shutoff in over 48 hours at this point, also I took off my shoes to relax:

Over halfway there:(note max speed)

Dogs checking out the buffalo:

Stopping to make some food:

FREE!

It even came with the engine:

Here we are at the signpost forest next to another poor soul in a Vanagon:(note our identically damaged bumpers)

Signpost forrest:

Cooking some food:

Sandy found a nice little nest in the back when we forgot to put the seat back up. Then later after we put it back up she jumped back up there and slept on the sleeping bags.

MMMM beer:

The signpost forest is a pretty huge place, it would take hours to even read part of what is there, even take awhile just to walk around in it to get a glance at everything there.

Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:11 pm

This is my new desktop:

Denali national park, we were not here long:

Van at night:

And the van in morning with Denali way off in the background:

Some big glacier:

Sandy likes to chew on paper towels and napkins:

Wrangell st-elias national park, kennecot mine:

The meat house:(something I just love about this photo)

The glacier used to be so big that you couldn't see the mountains on the left behind it, that was 60-70 years ago!

This was a really really big engine:

This is an un-altered photo, this is how it was taken, I really like how it turned out:

GEARS!

WHEELS!
[img]http://colorado4wheel.com/content/ak/content/AK_1204_large.html[/img]

ENGINES!

ok, I think I'm done for now.

Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:06 pm

nice photos!

makes me want to pack up the van right now and head north