Denver To Alaska December 08
- Thread starter DH2002
- Start date
Bill Beers
Explorer
DH2002
Adventurer
The main problem isthat so much is closed in the winter all the campgrounds I saw were shut down and must of the turn outs had no overnight parking hotels were easy to find since it was winter only truckers really drive it. If you could find a place to set up and had the right gear it would be sweet
DH2002
Adventurer
Thanks was bout 3200 miles not to bad
I can give you some pointers ... been snowboarding by -52C, it was -40C last weekend.
your nostrils freeze as if covered in dry snot (poor image, but that's exactly how it feels)
cold "attacks" any exposed body parts ... usually nose and the cheek bones. Obviously, that's assuming your ears and fingers are covered. A rather intense tingling feeling within seconds ... which turns rather painful for a few minutes when they warm up again. Nothing to get worked up over ... just wait it out.
If the cold is intense enough, it also feels as if your head was very slightly squeezed in a vice. Not painful or anything, just enough to notice.
I haven't had to deal with hypothermia yet, I dress in layers (2 socks, 3 pants, 3-4 shirts, balaclava, scarf and hat). However once you get cold or sweaty you're done until you find a warm place, and not just for an hour or 2. Talking getting warmed up for the night.
You can't get anything done outdoors. Everything takes forever because nothing works. Straps are frozen solid, anything plastic snaps ... god forbid you start touching some metal with your hands.
You have small gloves in the big gloves, can't grab anything, take the big ones off, small ones let the cold in and your fingers "freeze".
Oddly enough however, when it's that cold it's also very very very dry, and if you start sweating or plan to do some effort, you can open your coat and let the brisk air through to make sure you are dry.
When it's very cold the snow is incredibly light and fluffy ... best snow there is.
Cars hate it too.
Crank the engine in the morning and it will sloooowly go through the near solid oil. You can actually hear it turn over and gather speed. We have block heaters for that purpose.
My buddy's diesel truck did not start last weekend despite multiple glow plug cycles, fuel froze in the lines I think.
Any flaw in the car's mechanicals will show. Every single time the temps drop below -30 I see many cars on the side of the road with a broken component ... tierod, driveshaft ... you name it, it's not perfect it will break.
And if you have to do any repairs ... that's fun as well. You have to have a heated garage, and the car has to sit in it for a day or 2 in order to warm up just enough to be worked on not too uncomfortably.
I mean ... if you were stranded on the side of the road by -40, you could do the repairs ... but it would suck. Really suck.
Oh yeah, and at those temps, your tires are rock solid (even dedicated winter rubber) and the asphalt is frozen. We have black ice, ice so hard and clear that you do not see it at all. You just figure it out when you're going backwards into the ditch.
When you live in -40 climates, you pretty much try to hurry up from the house to the car, and from the car to the office.
Abel Villesca
Explorer
whooah. I'm going to stay in the Southwest.
DH2002
Adventurer
Yeah it sucks but I love it I will take the cold over the heat anyday I just couldn't stand the heat when I visited family in Texas. They would say it's a dry heat but 110 still sucks dry or not. I can allways add more clothes I can only take off so much before I go to jail. I don't know you guys take the heat.
Streakerfreak
Jan-Kee
You sound like me:elkgrin:
canadianjk
New member
I cant believe I live an hour from the start of the Alaska highway and still cant manage to make time to get up there.
DH2002
Adventurer
All I did was pull up give all the paperwork when they asked if I had any weapons I told them I had a shotgun they gave me a slip and told me to come inside. My wife and I went inside they ran our backgrounds then we went to another desk another agent asked a couple of questions like why I had it, where I was going and so on. Then they came out to the truck and measured the barrel. Then went back inside paid 25 dollars and they stamped a paperwork which they told me to keep until I left Canada. It wasn't as bad as people say maybe 30 minutes total. Getting back into the us was easier showed them the canadien paperwork and that was it. It kinda helped that the canadien agents happened to be ex-military police and I was a mp in the army so they were really friendly
silentsamurai
Explorer
sweet write up man! i am looking to take a trip from Orange, CA to Kennicott, Alaska soon. You and I have the same truck. I'm curious as to how many miles per tank you were averaging? on clubfrontier you know the speel. people were mentioning 350 a tank, sometimes more, sometimes less. When i fill up my truck and drive around the street it says a full tank is good for about 250 tops.
Basically I averaged it would take me 3,536 miles to get to alaska. at 300 miels per tank. $40 a tank to fill up.
3536 / 300 = 11.78 rounded to 13-14 tanks of gas 1 way
14 fill ups @ $40 a pop = $560.00 in gas one way.
Does that sound about right? your help would be greatly appreciated. And if you dont want to say how much it costs, thats cool. Just trying to prepare my wallet for the long haul.
Thanks for sharing and glad to hear our nissans can make it in such bad weather!
Cheers,
Adam
Basically I averaged it would take me 3,536 miles to get to alaska. at 300 miels per tank. $40 a tank to fill up.
3536 / 300 = 11.78 rounded to 13-14 tanks of gas 1 way
14 fill ups @ $40 a pop = $560.00 in gas one way.
Does that sound about right? your help would be greatly appreciated. And if you dont want to say how much it costs, thats cool. Just trying to prepare my wallet for the long haul.
Thanks for sharing and glad to hear our nissans can make it in such bad weather!
Cheers,
Adam
DH2002
Adventurer
gas will cost more in locations were supply is limited i would have about 800 dollars for gas at Watson Lake I paid about 92 canadien dollars to fill up so it adds up and with the gas mileage the truck was loaded down so I got about 250-270 a tank not to bad. Are you getting hotels or tenting it?
silentsamurai
Explorer
i'll probably tent it to save more $$ Plus hte experience will be great. Thanks for the info.
Adam
Plus hte experience will be great. Thanks for the info.Adam