Seattle to Alaska and back

O Team

New member
Fun Trip

Thanks for bringing back some great memories. We also traveled the same road and made the same stops as your family, including the Sign Post Forest & Hot Springs. Gotta watch for those buffalo on the highway at night.
Cheers
 

Stitebunny

Adventurer
It was an awesome trip!
Trying to get more pictures on the computer to continue.

The cargo carrier was already on the front. So we just left it. The van is a walkthrough style, I guess you might call it. We used the back doors quite a bit to access the van so the carrier would have been in the way.
 

mnfeo2

Adventurer
Awesome report! Please keep the updates coming. Your giving the wife and I some great ideas for our trip, hopefully next year we will have the time to do it.
 

Stitebunny

Adventurer
Got up the next morning and Lucas wanted another dip in the hot springs! We let him swim for a while we browsed the Milepost to see what was in store for the day.

We stopped to take lots of pictures today! The scenery was beautiful!

Muncho Lake!

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Some good looking ski water!!

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Big Horn!

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Lucas getting some camera work in!

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Stitebunny

Adventurer
Hello Moose!

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It just seems to go forever!!

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We found a park in the book called Duhu Lake. Seemed like a good place to stop. We passed the access road and turned around to find it. It was maybe 3 miles in on a dirt road. There was some construction going on in the area and some of the big trucks were really moving down that road!
We pulled into the camp and it was empty except for one trailer. Construction workers I think.
We had an interesting night because Lucas got sick in the wee hours. If you have kids, you know how that can go! Add the van, no running water, mosquitoes, well you get the idea! All part of the adventure!

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Eniam17

Adventurer
Amazing pictures, what a great journey you are on. Are the moose skiddish up there or do they stand in your way until they feel like moving?
 

VegasUnderworld

Adventurer
When I was little, I used to think Alaska was an island because on all the maps of the US it was just floating on its own like Hawaii. Hawaii is an island, so in my head, it made sense. Over the years, I would hear friends of the family saying how long of a drive it was coming back from Alaska. I would laugh like they were joking, but I did find it odd they all told the same joke. HAHA Stupid kids.

Great pictures and thanks for sharing.
 

Stitebunny

Adventurer
The moose are pretty mello really. They just kind of meander along at their own pace!

That's funny about Alaska being an island! I have told people about the trip and a few have been surprised you can drive "all the way back" to Seattle!

From Duhu it was down the road with a still sick kid! We didn't make many stops. We turned on some movies for him to take his mind off of it and he seemed to be okay with that!

This was one of our very few stops this day. The sun peeked out from behind the fog and we stretched out and threw the frisbee for a while.

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We made it to Dawson Creek, the official beginning of the Alaska Highway, and took time to putz around town for a bit and see the sights

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From the wife:
" Next we stopped in Chetwynd, where I went gaga over the chain saw sculptures! Look at these things! They are incredible! Unfortunately the contest had been the weekend prior, we would have all loved to watch that! Maybe next year!!!"

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From the wife;
We looked through The Milepost an stopped at a few campsites on the way, finally deciding to stay at Crooked River/Bear Lake for the evening. This place was CLEAN! And the showers were free and hot!! This was such a welcome after... um... let's not actually announce the number of days since the last shower at this spot, mmkay? :)
Lucas threw the frisbee around some more, and I did a few days worth of dishes since we had running water.


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VegasUnderworld

Adventurer
That's funny about Alaska being an island! I have told people about the trip and a few have been surprised you can drive "all the way back" to Seattle!

I'm willing to bet someone reading this thread just learned Alaska is not an island. HAHA

Could you tell us a little more about the van? I don't see anything covering the walls and ceiling, so I imagine it can get loud and hot in there.
 

Stitebunny

Adventurer
I'm glad we could educate someone!!

The van really has no insulation or wall coverings! The floor has a foam underlayment, and then 3/4 inch plywood with carpet on top. The walls are bare expcept for some thin carpet running up the first 2 feet or so of them. The loudest part was probably the metal, work van type cabinets and drawers rattling around!
My other ride(s) are Datsun 510's and the van is quieter than those! But not as quiet as the BMW's I work on! I have Fatmat and Reflectix to install before insulation and probably some mass loaded vinyl as well to keep out road and other noise.
It never got real hot in the van. The temps were pretty mild up there. We are going to Eastern Wa this weekend (desert) and it can get into the 100's over there. So this weekend we may be a little toasty! But with the top up and it's windows open it has been pretty comfortable. I'm sure it will be pleasant when the insulation and walls are in!
 

DiabloBlanco

New member
Great Trip. Thanks for sharing. This is why i love this forum. I might not write much on here but i love reading storys like this. Congrats on the van. Looks great for the family.
 

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