YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT ALASKA CARAVANS

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Barry and Monique, “Just received our Trailer Life Magazine and thoroughly enjoyed reading your adventure in Alaska.  How about some advice.  How do you find a wagonmaster, will he provide caravan info, if not where would you look.  Would appreciate any info that you could supply. Thank you Carol” OUR RESPONSE: Carol, Thanks for your note. We went to Alaska with Adventure Caravans led by Ken and Carole Adams.  They did a great job of keeping members of the group informed and on schedule, with lagniappe (Cajun talk for extras), like inviting the mining train fiddler to Caravan Members Joined with Local Musicians entertain us at the campground with two fellow musicians.  When you browse for caravan companies on the Internet and read what different companies offer, for those you make contact, I would suggest asking questions about the personalities of the wagonmasters.  Some folks like a very structured tour; others, like us, want lots of opportunity to explore on our own at our own pace. Adventure Caravans, and probably most of the other companies, have a daily blog for each caravan written in turn by each of the members of the group.  You might ask for the URL for some of those to sample how things were going on the trip. We had almost-perfect weather for most of our 58 days, but take into account that outside forces cause changes and disappointments.  On our way up to Alaska we crossed paths... Read more

PLANNING FOR ALASKA — REVISITED

On the Trip of a Lifetime Dear Julie, See what you started when you asked about your 2012 trip to Alaska as newbies. We received comments galore to our rv.net blog posted November 1, filled with good advice.  In case you or any other readers are planning a first-time trek to Alaska, I suggest you check out all the comments, but let’s revisit some of the advice given by fellow travelers. I think the most important guidance mentioned by many is to spend as much time as possible testing your RV before taking off on an 8,000-mile or more journey.  These castles on wheels have come a long way for dependability in the past 20 years, but there are so many systems and so many chances for human error in construction, it’s best to go on the road to check that everything is working – and for the arduous Alaska trip, you want to start out confident that everything is working right. The second most mentioned suggestion is to see the Canadian Rockies.   Commenter John recommended following the Rockies up from Las Vegas, New Mexico.  When we make our return visit, we might try that. I’ll cover informational resources in a minute, but there are two items that came up worth further discussion.  One is the Alaskan ferry system along the Pacific coastline and among the islands.  We haven’t experienced it, but I’m sure it’s spectacular.  What I believe are the two major problems with that are, 1) it’s pricey, and 2) you’ll miss the driving adventure. On the other hand,... Read more

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT ALASKA?

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Ah, Alaska is in the air … or at least in the thoughts of many RVers. Last week I received the following email from a couple in Florida: “We are new owners of a 40 ft allegro bus, never had an RV before. My husband wants to take a trip from Florida to Alaska but not through Canada. We have been there. Please give me your experiences and what time of the year is best.  I will follow this blog [more on this below*].   It is very educational and fun.  We have no friends that have RVs.” An interesting email, to which I replied:  Monique and I went up through Washington State to Oliver, B.C., over to Banff and up to Whitehorse.  There were many notable sights and experiences, but following the Canadian Rockies was the highlight.  If you haven’t purchased “Milepost, Alaska Travel Planner,” that’s where you should start your planning. Unbelievable Beauty for Hundreds of Miles Along the Canadian Rockies [I am assuming that by not going through Canada, she means that they don’t want to cross the border from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, or from Minnesota.  “Milepost” gives several alternate routes with crossings in Montana and Washington.] I have often written about journey-versus-destination travel. Depending on your time and financial resources, my suggestion is to start as the weather warms up and work your way across America visiting places you haven’t been.  There... Read more

Are You Bear Aware?

Wildlife is a huge part of the mountain and wilderness regions of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, Alaska, Alberta, and British Columbia. Deep snowpack, more grizzlies Grizzly bears are powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose. (Credit: talktocanada.com) Numerous encounters between grizzly bears and humans have been reported this spring, attributed to a growing bear population stuck in the low country as a result of the deep snowpack. High winter snowpack levels mean bears are moving to lower elevations and are likely to stay there longer than in previous winters. Grizzly bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but their numbers have been growing in recent years, increasing the chance for encounters with humans, according to Chris Servheen, the grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, heavy snowfall this winter has taken longer to melt in cool spring weather. “You have more bears, and then you have these high snow levels so the bears can’t be in the mountains where they want to be,” Servheen said. In a nonfatal encounter, two hikers were mauled by a bear in the Gallatin National Forest (Montana) when they came across a young grizzly bear and a sow chasing an elk. The 36-year-old woman tried to climb a tree when the sow bit her in the leg. The man was bitten in... Read more

The World’s First National Parks Turn 100

What was the first country in the world to establish a national parks system? If you guessed the United States or a European country such as Austria, Switzerland, Norway, or Sweden you would be wrong. Jasper National Park, Alberta. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved This year, Parks Canada, the first national parks service in the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Banff was discovered accidentally in 1883, when explorers fell through the roof of a cave into a warm, sulphur-water spring below. Sixteen miles around Sulphur Mountain and the Cave and Basin, were set aside as a National Park in 1885, predating Parks Canada by 26 years. Other sites were added until 1911, when the Dominion Parks Branch of government was formed. In 1911, when J.B. (Bunny) Harkin was appointed Canada’s first commissioner of national parks, he thought “the word park seemed a very small name for so great a thing.” The number of visitors to the Canadian Rockies at mountain parks now known as Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier, and Waterton Lakes was increasing and the federal government felt it needed to protect the magnificence of the region. “Wonder, reverence, the feeling that one is nearer the mystery of things—that is what one feels in places of such sublime beauty,” wrote Harkin. Today, Parks Canada administers 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites, including nine canals, and four national marine conservation areas. More than 4,500 wardens, guides, scientists,... Read more

Our Alaska Trip Epilogue

We decided to add a brief concluding chapter to this series, mainly to answer a few questions that have come up several times in the comments section   FIRST:  To find the entire series (plus our earlier articles), go to http://blog.rv.net/author/barry-zander.   THE RIGHT RIG:  The trip into Alaska via western Canada takes you through vast, gorgeous expanses.  We really don’t think the size of your rig matters.             On our 58-day trek, we pulled our 28-foot Bigfoot trailer with a GMC 2500 diesel and had no problems, other than one of the first unexpected frost heaves, which cost us a bottle of blueberry wine and a bottle of balsamic vinegar.  Also on our caravan were 12 motorhomes with towed vehicles, two Class Cs, a Winnebago View, two fifth wheels and a Class B van conversion.. That’s a pretty representative group and each handled the trip without any special problems, suffering only the same types of inconveniences that can happen in the Lower 48.             One commenter to the series weighed in that the best way to take this trip is in a truck camper.  It might have its advantages, but we think you can make the trip without concern in whatever RV you have now.  When you take the trip, do it in what makes you comfortable.  We saw very few pop-ups on the 5,700-mile journey.             That said, we’ll pass along the advice of just about every expert on making this trip:  Make sure your rig is in good condition, particularly... Read more

Our Alaska Trip Part XXXII-B Some Final Thoughts

This is the second part of a two-part article, No. 32 in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska CB Radio – Since caravans require having a CB radio to communicate with the staff and other rigs while on the road, on my son’s advice we got a powerful CB radio with a faceplate loaded with knobs and toggles.  That gave us more opportunities to accidentally hit or turn the wrong feature, … opportunities we took!  Suggestion 1) Get a good CB radio, but if you’re not familiar with them, don’t go overboard with features. And 2) ask advice on which antenna to buy and where to put it on your truck or rig.  It makes a difference in reception, particularly, for us, when you’re trying to talk with a caravan member located behind the trailer. Speed Limits – I mentioned earlier that I taped a chart on my steering wheel to convert mph to kph.  We’re still in Canada and I’m still referring to it often.  An inconvenience is that Canadian roads don’t have “Resume Speed” signs, so it’s not obvious when you can legally get back to 90 or 100 kph.  And it gets tricky in towns posted at 40 which have a stretch of unpopulated areas and then you realize you’re still in town where 90 could get you a hefty ticket.  Also, when a road sign before a curve says “SLOW,” it’s a good idea to slow down. Sales Tax – The merchants often explain, “The ministry wants its share” when adding the sales tax.  In Alaska, there is no sales tax – except... Read more

Our Alaska Trip Part XXXII-A Some Final Thoughts

This is the first part of a two-part article, No. 32 in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska   Until you actually get on the road and enter the Canadian Northwest and Alaska, you can’t appreciate the distances involved — or the grandeur.  We made this trip knowing there was a lot to see, but maybe just as important to us was to check “Alaska” off our list of states we’ve visited as RVers.  Boy, what an eye-opening experience!  It’s a long way up there with lots of rough driving, but we now know we have to return. As I drove over the past two-and-a-half months, Monique jotted down a few thoughts to include in our articles.  Here are some that we haven’t mentioned or didn’t emphasize enough.   Taking Pictures — I wrote an article about photography for RV.net earlier this year called “Keeping a Visual Record of Your Travels.”  [http://blog.rv.net/2010/05/keeping-a-visual-record-of-your-travels/]  In it I asked, “Why take pictures?  Are you looking to keep memories alive?   Are you planning to give a talk to the Kiwanis Club when you get home?  Or is there a big bodacious dream of having your pictures published in a table-top book or in magazines?  These are all good reasons to keep a camera with you and snap pictures.” During our Alaskan trip, I took about 10,000 pictures, which I downloaded into my laptop.  Then I deleted about a third.  Then I looked again and deleted about a third of those.  The remainder... Read more

Our Alaska Trip Part XXX The Cost of Our Trip

This is the 30th article in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska NOTE:  This was scheduled to run a few days ago.  It’s probably the article many of you have been awaiting … We have kept daily tabs on the cost of our 58-day caravan tour through western Canada into and around Alaska and back.  The tough part now is to find a way to make our spending relevant to everyone else.  But, let’s give it a try … Tour Company:   Our only set expense was the money we sent to Adventure Caravans to participate.  You might want to take the same trip or a shorter one if you decide to caravan, and you may, after comparing features, decide on another tour company.  There are too many alternatives to cost it out in a logical way.  Add to that each year the cost of enrollment will probably be different.  If you break it down into cost per day to caravan, that also has variables, e.g., what events and meals are included.  If the trip you select offers the cheapest cost, you will probably be getting a less enjoyable tour.  And since the Alaska trip is not something you will be doing often, you want to get the most out of your visit. On the cheapie side, you may decide to do it on your own [see Part XXIX].  Staying in Canadian provincial parks or on pull-outs available almost everywhere will save you lots of money over the caravan’s full-hookup choices. This isn’t meant to dodge the issue.  You need to look at the various tour companies’ routes... Read more

Our Alaska Trip Part XXXI Since You Asked

This is the 31st article in a continuing series about our trip through Canada to Alaska NOTE:  We’re staying in remote areas of British Columbia – plenty of bears but internet opportunities are elusive.   Time to reply to comments from recent blogs, Let’s start out with an imperative:  There is too much to see and do and too many miles of highway between disparate communities to make a two-week tour worth the effort.  Our trip was to Alaska, but it’s important to understand that the journey getting there and visiting different towns and attractions is as memorable as the places.  Memories of the abundant fireweed are just as vivid as the puffin sightings and seeing Mount McKinley under the sun (we can’t say enough about the fireweed and other wildflowers in June and July) and teal blue lakes along the highways.  Riding alongside the Canadian Rockies was as breathtaking as seeing a bit of the gorgeous mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.  And if you don’t see the film in the Dawson Creek Visitors Center or spend time in the Native Heritage Cultural Center in Anchorage, you’re only seeing the surface of these incredible North American wonders. We know that our lifestyle as full-time RVers gives us a skewed perspective, but we strongly recommend visiting when you can spend at least two months in the North.  From the sampler we got as members of a caravan, we know we want to come back to color in the spaces between the lines. Before responding to your... Read more

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