Planning a trip to Alaska (Dalton Hwy): recommendations?

[Sir Sam]

1991 Carat->Westy, 225k on WXB(apparently with a rebuilt engine).

Planning a trip to the great white north. Planning to drive up the Dalton highway to Prudhoe bay.



Looking for recommendations on things to do in three categories.

Mechanical maintenance before the trip/Tools to bring(besides the usual assortment), specific things like that 17mm you need to change the oil.

Things to bring on the trip, camping gear, food, inspect spray, etc.

Things to do on the way/and in Alaska. This is my proposed route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&...66&z=4


Things so far planned for maintenance are a fresh oil change. Got good tires and I'm trying to figure a way to take a second spare. Have a large gas can that sits up in the cargo rack. New gas lines are waiting to be installed. Otherwise the van has been trouble free so I'm not sure what else to be prepared for.

Planning to take my thule on top to put some stuff in, but am also thinking about a rear hitch mounted cargo carrier.

Any other words of wisdom?
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'91 Carat Westy

87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon

[DAIZEE]

Take a Libby's Bong for clearing air out of coolant system. I think it's in a sticky. Sounds easy to make, doesn't take up much room and I oh so wish I'd had one several times already. Better to have and not need than.....
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'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

[aswah]

throw the itinerary out and follow your heart... so many times in my life I have met the coolest folks, seen the most beautiful sights and found total happiness by NOT follow a specific route. take the dirt road, travel down that scenic highway, stay another night... and for jah's sake take ME! I wanna go. Alaska is so incredibly amazing! I think that will be my unborn daughters first real trip in Kaya!

That and do some preventative maintenance now... a few bucks today will save you thousands out on the road. Tow trucks in remote areas can be costly, quality mechanics are far and few between...

Oh yeah, eat some great seafood and wild game for me!

aswah

"The finest quality of this stone, these plants and animals, this desert landscape is the indifference manifest to our presence, our absence, our coming, our staying or our going. Whether we live or die is a matter of absolutely no concern whatsoever to the desert. Let men in their madness blast every city on earth into black rubble and envelop the entire planet in a cloud of lethal gas - the canyons and hills, the springs and rocks will still be here, the sunlight will filter through, water will form and warmth shall be upon the land and after sufficient time, no matter how long, somewhere, living things will emerge and join and stand once again, this time perhaps to take a different and better course." - Cactus Ed
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WIT WA DA DA (Peace and Unity)

Aswah, Lisa, Beaumont and Loose Lucy Too!

1989 Westy
2013 Jetta Sportswagon TDI

[Sir Sam]

[DAIZEE]

one suggestion, several vans in here have done this trip this year. Track them down (I can think of at least 2 ?3) and get in touch with them for real life experience.
_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

[Sir Sam]

[DAIZEE]

I hear you!
_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

[aswah]

boy the world is screwed when I am asked for maintenance sugestions... snce I am a complete moron and my Benchley gets more use as a secondary cutting board than a reference manual (still can't believe Karl has the damned thing almost memorized)... I went to the GW maintenance schedue posted somewhere on their site and did everything there. I am sure there are plenty of folks far better equipped to dole out advice...

In Anchorage, go to the brewery and get yourself a pint and some seafood... Most of my Alaska experience deals with Valdez and Cordova. So, I can recommend great spots around there. I did frequently go deep into bear country, which isn't hard up there. I brought two cans of heavy duty bear spray, which as long as there is a bear on the label you can carry over borders no problem.

Oh the joy of hearing glaciers calve in the middle of the night!!! Oh, the eagle preserve outside of Haines, AK was amazing too!

bring a fishing rod and Aswah's not-so-secret Asian sauce for a kick ass meal!!!

Aswah's not-so-secret Asian sauce:

1 part Soy
1 part Water
1 part Mirin or Sherry
1/2 part Sugar
1/4 part Rice Vinegar
loads of ginger, garlic and hot peppers

simmer everything together. BTW, this sauce keeps unrefrigerated for a long ass time... the longest I had some was six months... goes great with everything... vegetarian, seafood, pork, chicken, ducks, beef, your soulmate who is driving you nuts singing 100 bottles of beer in the fridge as you are driving... road kill, whatever you feel like cooking...

mix a bit of cornstarch with water and whisk into sauce. Add more and more cornstarch till it thickens a little. strain, cool and pack in mason jars... enjoy...

i use about one hand of ginger and four heads of garlic and a few hot peppers whenever I make about two quarts. use more or less as your fancy strikes...

ASWAH

"I am drunk on the fiery elixer of beauty" - Everett Ruess
_________________
WIT WA DA DA (Peace and Unity)

Aswah, Lisa, Beaumont and Loose Lucy Too!

1989 Westy
2013 Jetta Sportswagon TDI

[outwesty]

We made the voyage to AK this summer. 9,600 miles from MI to AK and back to Montana. We took the Dalton up to the Arctic circle.. Your van will get beat up. I am amazed at how much different my van looks after the trip. We did some really far out in the middle of nowhere camping. The narrow two tracks scratched the hell out of the paint and there are a ton more chips and even a few dents. I am a firm believer in using the van so I'm okay with it.

One thing that saved us a few times is an assortment of metric bolts and nuts in case something loosens up.

It is pretty cool to take the Alcan from mile 0 out of Dawson Creek. Its starts off boring and gets really good and stays good. We spent 5 days in Canada. We wish we spent more.

Camp at mile marker 13 on the hope highway if you make it down south. Go for it. you will love it. Its been 2 months since we got back and I still think about it every day.

Mile 13 on hope hwy

[Sir Sam]

[tschroeder0]

Yep, listen to Outwesty he knows what he's talkin bout.

My tranny problem was really not about the AK trip, it could have went at any time, but yes, it sucks. I leave in the morning to go back to fix it up

Other than the trans going, I really had no problems during the whole trip (and the one previous) I will be somewhere in the 12-13,000 mile range by the time I get back.

I replaced cv's prior to leaving and checked over everything, front to back.

Trust me on this one, the trip up to Prudhoe is amazing, but you are really out there.
When I asked a guy an estimate of what it would cost me to get my van towed back if something went wrong when I was up near the end, he laughed and said he knew of one "tow" (really loaded onto a semi) that cost the guy over 1000.00$!!!

I worried about gas for that trip and what I should have thought about was having 2 spare tires, we had a really hard time tracking just one 15" down when I destroyed the other one.

Check out my post for details.

Other than that I carry a lot of odds and ends including new brushes for my alternator, a fuel pump, various size hoses etc...

Have a great time! Feel free to pm me. Todd.

[Sir Sam]

Ya I saw your ordeal with the tire. If I can figure a way I'm going to take 2 spares....somehow.....Wishing I had time to do a pathfinder tire carrier before I leave.


The thing is something like your tranny, not due to the trip, but just due to it being its time. When that happens at home at worst its a bad day. When it happens in Prudhoe Bay.....ya, thats a real bad day.
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'91 Carat Westy

87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon

[becida]

You asked about preventative maintenance.
Change all the the fluids, repack the wheel bearings and CV joints.
Have a great trip!
_________________
Rob
Traveling...

[dhaavers]

[campism]

"Anyone out there ever read the book 'Road Fever?'"

Yep, read most of his stuff and this one years ago. Don't expect this to be a guidebook about Alaska. It's about a balls-out run top-to-bottom so expect the Alaska part to be over in a blink.

[Sir Sam]

[DAIZEE]

Hello, hello. News, pictures?!!!
_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

[Sir Sam]

[Chris_L]

Just got home to fairbanks last night, driving my 86 gl syncro from san diego. I have lived here since 87, so my impressions are more of the journey than of the destination (I know Alaska fairly well by now, and also know that the state is much much much better off the road system, via small aircraft).
I had driven the Cassiar highway 3 times before, most memorably in a 1968 land rover 109SW in December, and this was the first time I had done the Alaska highway proper. The area around Muncho Lake is fantastic, and Liard hot springs really is a true gem. Further north, things just stay good and Kluane is another gem. But, despite all this beauty, the icefields parkway between Banff and Jasper was hands down the most amazing area of our trip.
Next time I will start in Yellowstone, go through Glacier, continue onto the icefields parkway...


anyhow, remember to live in the moment and that the destination is but an excuse for the journey.

For your vehicle, if you can drive it comfortably in a busy city in heavy traffic then it is ready for this trip. The further north you get (until you begin the Dalton) the easier the driving gets. Less traffic=easier. High quality tires are a must...but the entire Alaska highway is paved.

For camping gear etc, Alaska is pretty much done with summer by the middle of August, so bring slightly warmer clothes and sleeping bags but not full on winter gear. Good rain gear...

The bugs are less now later in the summer, just get bug dope here if you need it, or wear long sleeves.

We used our bug net on the sliding door opening every night camping, that is a really nice addition to the van.

We have a Kelty carport awning that was nice on rainy evenings. It has been an exceptionally rainy summer.

Get a copy of the Milepost. It is kind of dorky in an RV sort of way, but just one useful tip late in a long day of driving is worth the price and more.

[Sir Sam]

Thanks for the info Chris.



Wow, long time no updates, getting ready to goto alaska to drive up the dalton highway:

New fridge is installed, watching the freezer temps:

Second deep cycle battery installed down on the left, new outlet wired to 800W inverter, two 12V outlets crammed into the old breaker box. New propane regulator hooked up with 1lb bottle adapter. since all I will be using for is the stove the 1lb bottle should work just fine.

So I used some 3/4" angle iron doubled up to make a ledge for the swivel seat:

Then I once all the welding was done I realized that I welded it in backwards.........YARG

After some correction. The seat swivels:

fridge sticks out a little further than the stock one did, but it doesn't mess up the interior space or anything:

_________________
'91 Carat Westy

87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon