Bound for the Ice Road ????

Stupid me forgot my laptop at home.

 

When the Alyeska Pipeline was built, I had 22 trucks running from canada to the North Slope atr Deadhorse.

We ran it with 318 Detroits, 350 Cummins, KW's, Louisville's Macks etc.

Fairbanks to Deadhorse was 501 miles and a rounder was sometimes made in 31 to 33 hours.


We never had TV Producers following us, we had the almighty CB for communications.

Pipeline worker camps were plentyful alomng the road and drivers ate, slept in them and also had flat tire repairs etc. when required. All the above was free of charge to my drivers as long as they were north of the Yukon River. Alyeska, with Bechtel Corp. as managing contractors were fantastic to work for.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_Highway

 

Heck, why don't they shoot a TV Production of Gravel Road Truckers during the summer months????


Despite its remoteness the Dalton Highway carries a good amount of truck traffic: about 160 trucks daily in the summer months and 250 trucks daily in the winter.[3] The highway comes to within a few miles of the Arctic Ocean. Beyond the highway's terminus at Deadhorse are private roads owned by oil companies, which are restricted to authorized vehicles only. There are, however, commercial tours that take people to the Arctic Ocean. All vehicles must take extreme precaution when driving on the road, and drive with headlights on at all times. There are quite a few steep grades (up to 12%) along the route, as well.

 

This is a "REAL" Ice Road.

http://www.diavik.ca/ENG/ouroperations/565_the_ice_road.asp

http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/Winter_and_ice_roads.aspx

 

Any one who's driven the Ice Roads... Props to you. Doing something that I couldn't see myself doing for awhile.

 

In 1978,the 82nd Airborne Division unit I was serving in out of Ft.Bragg,N.C. jumped into Ft Wainwright,Alaska for some arctic training.We had plenty of spare time,and I remember talking to a pipeline worker in Fairbanks..

I remember him saying,he made $1400 a week,(1973)for a relatively easy job,and at the camps could eat STEAK 3 times a day for free...Does that sound true..? Just wonderin...

I loved it there,and,all those years ago,vowed to return,sadly,I haven't yet,and don't know if I ever will...Still,I do know this.......

It will NOT BE as an Ice Road Trucker...Your the Best.... (But,I will stay with the rest)

 

Good food was the best way to keep workers in Camps for a couple of years but steak 3 times a day is a bit of an exageration. Yes, the money would have been that good. The hours worked on the line were usually 10 to 12 hour days 6 days a week and sometimes 7.

Some of the loads that we hauled (12 wide) building sections for pumping stations etc. paid as high as $5.28 a loaded mile and the fuel, tires, meals etc. was all supplied north of the Yukon river. By the way, the dalton starts at the Yukon River....about 90 or so miles north of Fairbanks.

It's the same road that you run during the summer, in the winter there is snow on it....no big deal. The snow is no diffrent in Alaska than it is in Minnesota or elsewhere in the lower 48.

A TV production always seems to have "dramatization" doesn't it?

 

Yes but judging by the fine welcome im not welcome here? See ya..

 

You know, I have a friend that lives in Anchorage. He left New Jersey with a load for Anchorage 31 years ago, when he got there he loved it so much that he never went back. Got married up there and now he goes fishing in the Kenia Peninsule with the Grand Kids. Alaska is a BEAUTIFUL state and the people are also very laid back.

 

Acts like him.....