Pipe to Alaska

Some of the small "towns" in YT are little more than a simple roadhouse lodging, a bar, a Chinese/Pizza takeout place, and then a few scattered homes spread out over a few square miles. I've driven the Alaska Highway 7 times, beginning in 1972. At the times the US Dollar was worth more than the Canadian Dollar, guys running the pumps at the little all-in-one roadhouses would charge you the amount shows in Canadian $$ as if it were straight across to USD, thereby ripping you off. Next time through, the currencies may have changed position, and if the USD is worth less than the Canadian Dollar, they charge you the difference.

Highway channels throughout Canada change from region to region. Best to ask at a store around Dawson Creek, BC, the historical jumping-off point to what at least used to be about 1,500 miles of gravel road. Also as you go through Prince George or Dawson Creek, stop and buy a copy of a book called "The Milepost". It's updated annually, and is like an "atlas with advertising". Its greatest utility is that every feature that is along all of the roadways is identified by its clearest milepost (maybe as "902.3") and calls out narrow bridges, fuel stops, tourist traps, etc. When I lived in Alaska, I always kept a current copy of The Milepost, as it had the same detail for Alaska, too. Before GPS and cellular phones and widespread ham repeaters, it could be thought as foolhardy to try the road without a CB and a Milepost. My personal rules for personal travel on the Alaska Highway included carrying two mounted spare tires; never pass a fuel stop that's open, because the next open one might be 150 miles or more ahead of you (which admittedly is probably not as big a deal when you haul 100 gallons of fuel); carry a couple of ready-to-eat meals in the pickup in case there's no roadhouse nearby; carry a couple of gallons of windshield wash (you'll use a lot) at all times; likewise carry a fair amount of potable water; and ask at every stop which CB channel is used locally. On my second trip up & down the highway, I found out why my CB was so quiet on the previous trip -- I'd had it on 19, and they were using (I think) 14 and 17 in Yukon.

I haven't been on the Alaska Hwy in 15 years now; it's possible the gravel has made the transition from gravel to chip seal to real asphalt paving, so that a lot of this is moot.
In which case, never mind.

73

 

Never heard of the milepost... And most people use VHF radios now

 

http://www.themilepost.com/

good info

 

Hope you have a safe trip. See you have done onions now and traveling to Alaska..
2 things I have never done yet and I've been out here since the late 70's
Again bee safe and enjoy your trip

 

You're old.

 

Darn beat me to it!

In all honesty, I would love to run up to AK at least once so I can say I have done it. I have talked to a husband wife team at R&R who go up there regularly and said it pays very well going in and sometimes they get stuff coming out, but then again they do ammo and stuff like that.

 

Yes I am. Got another birthday coming up next month also...

 

Make sure you plan your fuel stops!