Desertdude
Expedition Leader
Killer stuff
Alcan Winter Rally: February 16-26, 2008.
- Thread starter Bill Beers
- Start date
Bill Beers
Explorer
We rolled out of Dawson around 0800 and headed for "The Corner," where we filled up. One nice thing about being the only diesel on the event: not a lot of wating at the pumps.
After topping off, our caravan of four, (our truck, two WRXs and a Forester,) headed North toward Eagle Plains, 256 miles away. I hear they're changing the name of that gas station to "We've got you over a barrel gas."
The Dempster is a beautiful road, and we had great weather for our drive: Highs of 39, lows of 11. When out of the car, we only needed jackets when the wind was blowing. Apparently, it was -40 or so a week ago.
Here's a picture of our main competition, the Keatleys, and Olgivie Ridge.
Cars lined up at Eagle Plains, the halfway point between Dawson and Inuvik.
Some miles north of the Eagle Plains, we crossed the Arctic Circle and stopped for the photo moment.
Getting closer to Inuvik.
We're staying at the Capital Suites in Inuvik, and apart from being like an oven in the hallways, the hotel is really nice. I was able to clean all of our clothes in the hotel's laundry room. While I was doing laundry, I ran into a fellow Oregonian who is up in Inuvik filming the Ice Road Truckers show for the History Channel.
Tomorrow: Driving on the MacKenzie and the Beaufort Sea to Tuk!
After topping off, our caravan of four, (our truck, two WRXs and a Forester,) headed North toward Eagle Plains, 256 miles away. I hear they're changing the name of that gas station to "We've got you over a barrel gas."
The Dempster is a beautiful road, and we had great weather for our drive: Highs of 39, lows of 11. When out of the car, we only needed jackets when the wind was blowing. Apparently, it was -40 or so a week ago.
Here's a picture of our main competition, the Keatleys, and Olgivie Ridge.
Cars lined up at Eagle Plains, the halfway point between Dawson and Inuvik.
Some miles north of the Eagle Plains, we crossed the Arctic Circle and stopped for the photo moment.
Getting closer to Inuvik.
We're staying at the Capital Suites in Inuvik, and apart from being like an oven in the hallways, the hotel is really nice. I was able to clean all of our clothes in the hotel's laundry room. While I was doing laundry, I ran into a fellow Oregonian who is up in Inuvik filming the Ice Road Truckers show for the History Channel.
Tomorrow: Driving on the MacKenzie and the Beaufort Sea to Tuk!
SilverBullet
Explorer
Nice thread guys, as a former SCCA Rally driver and navigator, this has really peaked my interest. Keep the updates coming and good luck with the race.
BTW - I noticed you had zip ties on your antenna, was this on purpose? We used to do this in the snow Rally to keep ice from forming, the moving ties don't allow water to settle... just curious.
I also find it very cool that in timed events and transits, you take the time to help others, so many racers don't bother. Good way to keep the sport alive.
:26_7_2:
BTW - I noticed you had zip ties on your antenna, was this on purpose? We used to do this in the snow Rally to keep ice from forming, the moving ties don't allow water to settle... just curious.
I also find it very cool that in timed events and transits, you take the time to help others, so many racers don't bother. Good way to keep the sport alive.
:26_7_2:
SafariPacific
Adventurer
Wow, awesome photos!!! Thats an incredible drive up there. Have fun on the rest of the trip!
Bill Beers
Explorer
Up to Tuktoyaktuk and back to Eagle Plains
After our Thursday night video capturing/blogging geek-out, we started out Friday morning by leaving the hotel, and driving down to the boat ramp and onto the frozen MacKenzie, north to Tuktoyaktuk. The first 40 or so miles of the ice road north of Inuvik are very smooth and wide, in some places I'd estimate at least eight lanes wide.
With the sun coming up so late, you can see the moon quite well at 8 a.m.
Wide and smooth.
The second half of the ice road is narrower, bumpier, and can catch you out if you are careless or unlucky. At the mouth of the MacKenzie, the ice road turns east, onto the saltwater, and continues to Tuktoyaktuk. Stevan and Kristin we're about 5 miles ahead of us when they called back reporting a right rear flatted tire. Stevan had come around a corner, saw the pothole, (big!) and managed to avoid the worst of it, hitting only the rear wheel. That was enough though: The wheel hit edge of the ice hard enough to bend the rim, gashing open the sidewall of the tire.
We were on the scene within a few minutes, and rather than unstrap his roof spare, and dig out his jack, Stevan used ours, and I fished out the spare tire we were carrying for him. We were back on the road in about 10 minutes, this time with our Dodge in the lead, calling out the rough spots.
The Car 14 team of Perret/Hansen was not so lucky. In the same section their Impreza suffered damage to both front and rear struts on the right side, in addition to holing one of their right side tires.
We arrived at the monument at the end of the road, and checked in with the time control. I walked around the town for a little bit, but it was cold enough that frost was forminig on my beard.
We stopped by the general store before we headed back south for some hot chocolate. When I say "general store," I mean they sell everything: furniture, food, diapers, bras, flat screen tvs, etc. We saw the same phenomenon at the North Market in Inuvik, with the notable additions of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Polaris snowmachines all in the department store.
Weight limit on the ice road. That's amost 70,000 pounds.
Hot cocoa in hand, we headed back to Inuvik.
It was a good thing that we left when we did, as a hell of a fog had come in, and chased us over 45 miles of the 109 back to Inuvik.
We stopped to switch drivers at one point and noticed that the fog had left a 1/4 of ice on every leading edge of the truck.
About 40 miles outside of Inuvik, the weather was again beautiful and clear. We were able to pull up alongside Stevan and Kristin on the wide section and shoot some neat photos:
The Team D Saab entered a tighter right hander just a little too quickly and ended up in a snowbank. A local good samaritan gave them a tug out, and they were soon on their way.
After some quick souvenier shopping and some pizza, we loaded back up in the Dodge and headed South for Eagle Plains.
Leaving the Northwest Territories.
Doug had picked up sandwich fixings in Inuvik, so we were not able to sample the $25/plate buffet in the dining room. We did partake in a few Eagle Claws and rounds of pool in the bar. After retiring to our room with Team Sirius to polish off the last of our Kokanees, a few local fellows came in to hang out. As it turns out, they were hunters from Ft. MacPherson, on their way south of Engineer Creek to find some caribou. One of the hunters described the oldest of the three as having "caribou eyes," which I took as having the knack for finding them.
Next: Back to Whitehorse.
After our Thursday night video capturing/blogging geek-out, we started out Friday morning by leaving the hotel, and driving down to the boat ramp and onto the frozen MacKenzie, north to Tuktoyaktuk. The first 40 or so miles of the ice road north of Inuvik are very smooth and wide, in some places I'd estimate at least eight lanes wide.
With the sun coming up so late, you can see the moon quite well at 8 a.m.
Wide and smooth.
The second half of the ice road is narrower, bumpier, and can catch you out if you are careless or unlucky. At the mouth of the MacKenzie, the ice road turns east, onto the saltwater, and continues to Tuktoyaktuk. Stevan and Kristin we're about 5 miles ahead of us when they called back reporting a right rear flatted tire. Stevan had come around a corner, saw the pothole, (big!) and managed to avoid the worst of it, hitting only the rear wheel. That was enough though: The wheel hit edge of the ice hard enough to bend the rim, gashing open the sidewall of the tire.
We were on the scene within a few minutes, and rather than unstrap his roof spare, and dig out his jack, Stevan used ours, and I fished out the spare tire we were carrying for him. We were back on the road in about 10 minutes, this time with our Dodge in the lead, calling out the rough spots.
The Car 14 team of Perret/Hansen was not so lucky. In the same section their Impreza suffered damage to both front and rear struts on the right side, in addition to holing one of their right side tires.
We arrived at the monument at the end of the road, and checked in with the time control. I walked around the town for a little bit, but it was cold enough that frost was forminig on my beard.
We stopped by the general store before we headed back south for some hot chocolate. When I say "general store," I mean they sell everything: furniture, food, diapers, bras, flat screen tvs, etc. We saw the same phenomenon at the North Market in Inuvik, with the notable additions of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Polaris snowmachines all in the department store.
Weight limit on the ice road. That's amost 70,000 pounds.
Hot cocoa in hand, we headed back to Inuvik.
It was a good thing that we left when we did, as a hell of a fog had come in, and chased us over 45 miles of the 109 back to Inuvik.
We stopped to switch drivers at one point and noticed that the fog had left a 1/4 of ice on every leading edge of the truck.
About 40 miles outside of Inuvik, the weather was again beautiful and clear. We were able to pull up alongside Stevan and Kristin on the wide section and shoot some neat photos:
The Team D Saab entered a tighter right hander just a little too quickly and ended up in a snowbank. A local good samaritan gave them a tug out, and they were soon on their way.
After some quick souvenier shopping and some pizza, we loaded back up in the Dodge and headed South for Eagle Plains.
Leaving the Northwest Territories.
Doug had picked up sandwich fixings in Inuvik, so we were not able to sample the $25/plate buffet in the dining room. We did partake in a few Eagle Claws and rounds of pool in the bar. After retiring to our room with Team Sirius to polish off the last of our Kokanees, a few local fellows came in to hang out. As it turns out, they were hunters from Ft. MacPherson, on their way south of Engineer Creek to find some caribou. One of the hunters described the oldest of the three as having "caribou eyes," which I took as having the knack for finding them.
Next: Back to Whitehorse.
Bill Beers
Explorer
More Ice Racing in Whitehorse tomorrow!
We're back in Whitehorse tonight, more about that drive later, but I wanted to let anyone local know that we're here.
Tomorrow we have another TSD near the hospital, then out to Lake Schwatka once again for another round of ice races. The racing will be from around 0900 to around 1200.
Then we head out: one TSD section in near Watson Lake, and overnight at the Liard Hot Springs.
-Bill
We're back in Whitehorse tonight, more about that drive later, but I wanted to let anyone local know that we're here.
Tomorrow we have another TSD near the hospital, then out to Lake Schwatka once again for another round of ice races. The racing will be from around 0900 to around 1200.
Then we head out: one TSD section in near Watson Lake, and overnight at the Liard Hot Springs.
-Bill
Desertdude
Expedition Leader
Stellar 
:lurk: :lurk: :lurk:
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:lurk: :lurk: :lurk:
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Bill Beers
Explorer
Redline said:
Hi Redline,
We do have an overall durability, and range adavantage, but it is generally only evidenced in transit, (non competition,) sections. During the TSDs, a smaller, more nimble vehicle that can quickly change their average speed, and maintain a high average speed through some of the hairy stuff has the advantage.
Similarly on the ice race: Cars are much lighter and can speed up and slow down much more quickly than we can. The one advantage we have in the ice races is that if, (when,) we go off course, we can get back on course ourselves, and don't need to be tugged out by the sweep vehicle.
-Bill