Streets are gravel in Dawson City.This is the highest diesel price we saw $2.049/ liter.Boarding the ferry in Dawson City to cross the Yukon River.
Ferry ride. Very strong current.Northern most US border crossing.
Good morning from Silty Slough. Things got busy and my post are lagging behind as usual.
Sunday June 18
Brother Ed and I are up early in Carmacks, YT. It’s a pretty quiet place. Heading up the road toward Dawson City paralleling the Yukon River. Yes the same river that Ed stripped down and jumped into last night. Something on his bucket list, not on mine. We met the first car coming toward us at mile 21 from Carmacks, the next at mile 27-36-40-52-63, you get the picture no traffic. At about mile 50 there was a dead coyote in the middle of the narrow road. I ask you my friends, just how unlucky does this coyote have to be to end up dead crossing a 20 foot strip of asphalt with all this traffic. I don’t think the Roadrunner had anything to do with this. This shows that when it is your time, it is your time.
On to Dawson about 150 more miles. The pavement ends here and all the streets are gravel. We had some lunch and checked out the sites. Ed had some places to research for another book he is writing. We are on the east side of the Yukon River and Alaska is on farther west. There is no bridge but a ferry. We were ready to head west and got in line. Only had to wait for one short trip and we were ready to drive on. The ferry ride is only 5-10 minutes. Loading and unloading takes the most time. The current in the river is so strong we were pointed almost straight upstream with just a slight right crab to get us to the other side. Now we continue our journey on the Top of the World Highway. After climbing a steep grade the pavement ended in a few miles and we were on a good gravel road with no traffic. The road is almost all on the mountain ridges. They don’t waste any money on guardrails here. If you ever went over the side you would starve to death before you rolled all the way to the bottom. The views were magnificent, I’m concentrating on keeping the rig between the white lines so no pictures. There are no white lines. Somewhere along here we reached the northernmost point of our trip 64 degrees 14 minutes North, the Arctic Circle is 66 degrees 34 minutes a little over 100 miles north of us. On my bucket list to drive up there sometime but near the bottom of the bucket. I’m not sure how much further it is to the US border but after a while we can see the buildings up ahead. I told Ed that if they won’t let a couple of Americans cross here we will swing around and come in from our southern border. Will only take a few more days/weeks. We could unload the Vette for him to drive across and I will fill the trailer with illegals. Should cover our expenses and make a tidy profit. We could drop them off in some sanctuary cities along the way. I’m thinking maybe Seattle and then taking the ferry to Alaska.
Border was no problem. Same questions. Where do you live? What’s in the trailer? Did you buy anything in Canada? Have a safe trip.
The road is paved for 10 miles from the border. I would venture to say the best 10 mile stretch in the state of Alaska then it is back to gravel, not quite as good as the road in Canada but Ok. This route is closed in the winter from outside of Tok to Dawson. Kari and I have ridden it a few times on the “Trek Over the Top” snow machine ride and party in Dawson. The highlight in Dawson is the Sour Toe Cocktail. Google it, I don’t have time here. Anyway back on the road and back to the trip and on to Chicken, Alaska. When the prospectors discovered gold here they wanted to name the place Ptarmigan but no one could spell it so they just called it Chicken. Tastes like ptarmigan. After a brief stop to see the big metropolis it is on to Tok and our room for the night. After fueling and a good meal at Fast Eddie’s it is time for a nap. Fuel is cheaper here about $4.09 a gallon so we added enough to the big tank to get us home to Wolf Lake. It gets expensive again in between at Glenallen.
I had planned to write about the next day when I started but this is too long now. I will try to finish the next leg of the adventure next post.
I hope sometime soon I will get these posts and pictures transferred to my blog at www.siltyslough.com.
I hope everyone had a great 4th. Thanks for listening.
Mile 0. The beginning of the Alaska Highway.One of the many bears.Sign Post Village at Watson Lake. More than 77,000 signs
The Yukon River flows way faster than the Yentna.
The View from the Outhouse
The adventure continues
Thursday June 15
I got a late check out from the Edmonton Airport Holiday Inn and hung around until 1 o’clock. Then I headed for the WalMart to get some items for the trip. Still had time to kill so I stopped in at Costco. A good place to park to wait until brother Ed gets in at 4. I will have a hot dog and a sundae to pass the time. Ed arrived and we headed up the back roads on the west side of Edmonton to one of my usual fueling spots and then on to join Canada 16 headed west. It’s about 300 miles to Grande Prairie, Alberta one fuel stop from the big tank and on to our room for the night. Pretty boring ride but thankful for no problems.
Friday June 16
Our planned stop for the evening is Toad River, British Columbia. I woke up early and aired all 8 tires up to 80psi and checked the oil while Ed was getting ready. The Caterpillar jump start compressor combo from Costco did just fine on the tires. Felt good to use the free electricity I charged it up with at Jim Long’s. We topped off the tanks at Costco first thing then headed to Dawson Creek, BC and mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. A stop at the visitor center for Ed to buy a tee shirt and hat. Then it is on up the road to Ft. Saint John to top off of the fuel tanks for $1.689 per liter. This should get us to Alaska and a refuel at Young’s Chevron in Tok. We are getting 9.1 mpg not bad if you average in the Vet in the back not burning any fuel.
In a few hours we arrive at Ft Nelson. A food stop at A&W for a burger and root beer. In about 50 miles the really pretty part of the trip begins. Up the steep grade over Steamboat Mountain we were able to maintain good speed, about 30 mph, without the transmission or engine overheating. We are really heavy tankering the 100 gallons of extra diesel, but it will come in handy the next couple days. Down the backside of Steamboat “trucks use lower gears” keeping my big #8 shoe off the brake pedal. Anytime your foot is on the brake you are wasting money. On to Stone Mountain Provincial Park and Summit Lake. Then it is a very steep grade downhill. As they said at Mt. Kilimanjaro “Pole, pole” Swahili for slow, slow. Then on to the Toad River Lodge, a Moscow Mule, some cheese and crackers, and a nap.
Saturday June 17
We are up and on the road before 7. Muncho Lake is beautiful as usual even with the clouds and fog in the mountains. This is the very best part of the trip for scenery and wildlife. On past Llaird Hot Springs and the Buffalo on the roadway sign. So far we have seen dead porcupines, a coyote, several brown bears, several black bears, a moose with her calf, buffalo in the roadway, and one live porcupine. At Watson Lake we stopped at sign post village and took some pictures. It’s on to Teslin for a fuel stop and then to Whitehorse for 1 more A&W burger and a root beer. It is reported that the road from Haines Jct to Tok is extremely rough. We are going to deviate and leave the Alaska Highway and head north to Dawson City. 100 miles north of Whitehorse is our stop for the night at Carmacks, Yukon Territory. Same drill. Mule, snacks, nap.
That’s about all that happened except for the Kubota buckets shifting in the bed of the truck. We got those strapped back down. Should be good for the rest of the way. Fuel at Whitehorse was $1.98 a liter x 3.8 liters a gallon divided by the exchange rate of $1.34 Canadian to $1 US equals $5.61 a gallon. Happy to have the extra 100 gal tank and not having to buy any there.
I’m not saying that this trip is expensive but the receipts alone weigh over 6 pounds, but that’s only about 4 pounds Canadian.
Lunch stop near Wisconsin, Dells. Maybe closer to Camp Douglas. Kubota buckets top loaded nice. Redline Systems Hutchinson, MNThe picture says it. No caption necessary.Trophy moose sighted near my hotel in Saskatoon.Starlink Mobile
The View from the Outhouse
Greetings everyone, it’s been a few days since I have checked in, more than 270 I think. I’m writing this from the road in Edmonton, Alberta.
I had a few free days so I decided to fly to Indiana to pick up the truck and trailer that has been down there since before the Covid hoax.
The cabin addition is coming right along but that’s for another post.
Wednesday June 7
Kari took me to the airport for my 10pm departure for a six and a half hour flight to Ohare and picked up our grandson Thor arriving from Hawaii.
Thursday June 8
Arrived at O’hare on time, then waited an hour and a half for the gate. Got to baggage claim and for the first time in my flying life my bag was the first one on the belt. I may have a chance for the 1015 South Shore train to Indiana. Hopped on the Blue Line to the Washington Street station. Took the pedway to Millennium Stataion. The 1015 train left a few minutes ago so now a wait for the 1238. So for breakfast I had my first Chicago Dog that I’ve had in a long long time. Arrived at the Gary station and everyone is getting off. End of the line for now due to upgrades on the track. So it’s a bus for the last leg to Dune Park where Jim Long is waiting for me. Picked up the truck at Anderson Automotive where John had serviced all the fluids.
I type a few words and my phone completes what I’m trying to say. I typed “The View” and the phone completed the rest. Is the the artificial intelligence that has been in the news lately? And all this time I thought artificial intelligence came out of a bottle.
Friday June 9
I had planned to leave on Sunday morning, but the woman added a stop, so now I need to leave Saturday afternoon. Lots to do. On the road before 6 for a quick trip to White Pigeon, MI to a RV surplus place to get a couple spare tires for the trailer. Back to Costco for food for the trip. Boiled eggs, ham, sausage, cheese, lemon juice, ginger beer, vodka, and root beer which will be the majority of my diet for the next week and a half. Then to Home Depot for some ratchet straps and a DeWalt drill and driver set in case I need to screw things down for the trip. On to Michigan City for a couple Chicago Dogs then to Valpo to see Mark, Jess, and the granddaughters. Picked up a solar powered vent fan for the greenhouse that Amazon Prime wouldn’t ship to Alaska. A stop at Tractor Supply for a fuel transfer pump. Back to North Judson to see my friends at NAPA. Joe had some filters and parts for me. He also had a Milwaukee drill driver set that was only a little more than the DeWalt I just bought so I got one of those. Never can have too many drills. At the Longs I moved the trailer down to the shop and unloaded everything that was loose so it could be reloaded for the ride north. I’m too tired to load everything today so it is time to break out the lemon juice and have a Moscow Mule, some pizza, and a nap. Funny thing a Moscow Mule has nothing to do with Russia or mules.
Saturday June 10
Time to load up this box on wheels and get ready to hit the road. About 3 hours Jim and I had everything loaded and secured. What does one haul to Alaska you ask?
A 1974 Corvette, 2 large cookers for Jess to cook bear bait on, tools for the road, a desk that Kari’s dad made, 2 spare trailer tires, an extra spare for the truck, filters, parts, a mirror for the cabin, 4 antique sewing machine frames, and an assortment of other treasures. Air the tires, fuel the truck, get a dozen doughnuts from Fingerhut Bakery and it is about time to leave. Another quick trip to NAPA for last minute items which I promptly drove off and left in Jim’s truck. I’m really sad to go this time because I’m missing the North Judson Firemen’s Fish Fry by about 4 hours. Then it’s through downtown Chicago on to the northwest side of Milwaukee to pick up 13 garbage bags of quilting fabric for the woman. On to Madison Holiday Inn via Johnson Creek Outlets where there is a discount tool store. Disappointed that they didn’t have anything I couldn’t live without. Feeding on doughnuts and food out of my cooler today.
Sunday June 11
Heading north up US12 to Wisconsin Dells. Stopped for fuel when walking around the big rig I saw a screw in the trailer tire. Checked the pressure and it was only down slightly. I aired it up and decided to head on to the next rest stop and change it. I didn’t want people watching the old guy changing it at the gas station. Just when I pulled in the rest stop it started to rain. I googled “tire repair near me”. It’s Sunday and everyone is closed except one guy about 6 miles behind me. I called and he said to bring it down. 8 miles to next exit make a U and 14 miles back. He plugged it and said $20. I thought that was an awful lot so I gave him $30. On to Hudson, Wisconsin and a stop at Fleet Farm where I got a canner and jar lids for the woman. I fuel up here and headed around the north side of Minneapolis to St Cloud Holiday Inn. Cory’s uncle and aunt met me to give me some things to take to him, a table saw, Arctic Cat parts, and other treasures. They also had Arctic Cat parts they had picked up for me.
Monday June 12
This morning I’m headed 50 miles south to Redline Systems in Hutchinson, MN to pick up a quick attach bucket, a rock bucket, and a set of quick attach forks for the Kubota. We loaded them on top of the fuel tank and travel box in the bed of the pickup. Hope customs doesn’t want to look in the travel box. Matt the owner wanted to know what else I was hauling to Alaska. I told him a Corvette. What year? 74. It isn’t red is it? Yes. Do you want to sell it? Do you want to be named co-respondent in a divorce case? I could load you up with buckets to sell in Alaska. Next trip. Off to Devils Lake, North Dakota. I could see the tallest structure in North America a TV tower north of Fargo. Most days you can’t see it from I-29 and I was surprised with the haze from the fires in Canada. It doesn’t look that tall from 15 or 20 miles away. Al and I drove by it on one trip. It looks very tall from the base. Up to Grand Forks and a fuel stop. On to Devils Lake on US 2 I saw a couple billboards and a semi advertising “Home of Economy” tools and hardware. As I rolled into Devels Lake there it was Home of Economy, I had to stop. I was barely in the door and my phone rang, the woman on the wire. Where are you? I figured it would be easier to tell her I was in a strip club than a tool store but I fessed up. “Put the tools down. Step away from the register”. I’ve had interventions like this before. I did find a better pump than I bought at Tractor Supply for $70 cheaper and should have bought it but didn’t.
Tired of eating out of the cooler so I found a steakhouse with a large parking lot for the big rig and had a nice meal.
Tuesday June 13
I was on the road by 630 headed to the next Home of Economy in Minot. The woman won’t be up this early in Alaska. Bought the items that I left in Jim’s truck. It’s about 80 miles or so to the border at Portal. 6 or 8 questions at customs. How long in Canada. Where do you live. Any alcohol. Yes. Any tobacco, firearms, ammo, canibus. No. $10,000 or more in cash? Are you kidding. What’s the black thing in the pickup bed? Kubota buckets and a nuclear reactor. Ok, have a nice day. Up the road to Moose Jaw and an early finish for the day.
Wednesday June 14
Another early start. I saw a Starlink antenna like I have at the cabin mounted in the back of an oilfield pickup in the hotel parking lot. Wonder if it works on the move.
I ate my last Fingerhut doughnut this morning on the way to Saskatoon where the traffic was bad, delayed a total of 7 minutes. Doughnut was a little crunchy but ok. Waste not, want not. Stopped in North Battleford with the fuel low light on. No problem. It’s time to start using out of the hundred gallon tank. Hooked it up to the truck battery, no workey. I knew I should have bought that other pump at the tool store. I wiggled the wires and it is ok. Glad the syphon hose is in the yellow box that is under 600 pounds of Kubota buckets.
Stop at Lethal Sports in Lloydminster Alberta to pick up a part for the Prowler. One of the few places in the world they had one.
Across Canada they have cardlock fueling points operated by various oil companies. The fuel is cheaper and accessible 24/7. One is UFA, United Farmers of Alberta. I tried to get a card from them years ago. Didn’t happen so I forgot about it. I saw UFA prices listed on the GasBuddy app so I decided to pull into the one at Vermillion. I told the lady there I needed a card. She said easy peasy, took my info to enter in the computer and said that a card would be in the mail. She also said if I wanted to fuel today I could use one of their cards if I would return it. Worked great. I can’t believe that I’m getting a card now that I’m in the Autumn of my Alcan trips. Maybe I will have to start hauling and selling Redline buckets.
It was raining when I got to the Holiday Inn at Edmonton Airport. I normally don’t come this way. Usually take the backroads and completely bypass the city. Too many cars. My brother Ed is flying up from California to join me for the rest of the adventure.
I didn’t feel like making another trip to the truck in the rain so I opted to have a steak salad at the hotel restaurant. Plenty of time to forage from the cooler the next 3or 4 days.
The View from the Outhouse 