Patterson, put to bed.

We were a little slow getting going, but eventually we got back on the road.

This kindly Canadian waved us goodbye from Prince George.

Upon leaving Prince George, we headed south, straight for the fires; and, it showed.

We were driving south in hopes we could see the Frasier Valley (Hugo’s wish), but the relentless fires in BC drove us West at highway 24, a normally scenic backroad made a mess due to the traffic diversion coupled with road work. It made the short detour a very long one. When we finally reached the end of highway 24, we were greeted with a long, steep downhill drive that required I shift down to 2nd. Patterson was pushing us pretty good down that hill, the first time I’d felt that the entire trip.

At Hwy 5 we turned south toward Kamloops, then ran into stop and go traffic. We also picked up just enough cell reception to text. About then I received a text from Marty. We began texting back and forth about the fact that we were stuck in a traffic jam. It turns out we were only about fifteen minutes apart. Throughout this trip this group just found ways to run into each other.

Since the four of them planned to stop in Abbotsford, we stuck with our plan to reach Renton as soon as we could. What we didn’t expect were the mountains between Kelowna and Abbotsford. There were multiple climbs and multiple drops, larger than any others we’d experience anywhere else in the trip (the exception being the steep drop earlier in the day at the end of highway 24 .. it was steep, but not as long). It was the first time I felt our Grand Cherokee struggle a little as we pulled Patterson. It was relief when we left those mountains behind!

It was also a relief when we arrived at the Sumas border and found a short line to cross into the US. We went through first. Fortunately, they didn’t ask where all our t-shirts went! Though our crossing was easy, the customs discovered that folks at the Alaska border hadn’t stamped Hugo’s passport, which meant they had to go inside and explain why. Inside, they asked when Hugo was flying out of the country. Fernando told them the correct date, but Hugo got confused and said a different date. This caused some confusion. Ann and I waited about twenty minutes before we saw their jeep approach us.

In Sumas, the Vidals removed their stickers and gave them to me.

After that, we began our two hour drive to Renton, arriving in the dark. The next morning, we put Patterson away, effectively ending his trip. He might have only driven a small portion of the highway, but it was a blast while we were doing it. It worked out better that way in the end, as I could drive while Ann took video and snapped pictures.

EPILOGUE

On Saturday morning we unpacked quickly, carefully washing Patterson in the process. The ol’ DJ-3A needed a gentle wash before being put away. We plan to preserve all the signatures with a clear coat. Continue reading →

<– Day 20: Aug 9, Whitehorse to Lake Deese (On our own) | Day 22: Aug 11, Patterson Ends His Alaska Journey –>

The farther south we got, the smokier it got. Eventually, Ann had to wear her mask.

Back together with our traveling buddies, we and the Vidals had another long day of driving, almost entirely without cell service.

The early morning was beautiful. Ann shot this photo of some random lake. 

A couple hours later we stopped at this rest stop. Signs all over the rest stop warned us to beware of bears. By this time we’d seen several bears along the road, so we took the signs seriously.

Continue reading →

<– Day 19: Aug 8, Naps & Teslin Refugees | Day 21: Aug 10, Lake Deese to Prince George (Reunited and it feels so good) –>

Lake Deese about an hour south of Whitehorse

On Wednesday we jumped back on the road and left Whitehorse. We had a long drive in front of us. Because of the overnight delay Hugo and Fernando experienced in Teslin (only two hours south of Whitehorse), we figured we could catch up to them if we put in a long day, so we didn’t stop much.

We drove south an hour, then pulled over at Dougie and Bev’s place off of Lake Deese. We’d met them on our way north and they invited us to stop by on the way back. They invited us into their wonderfully eccentric shop, then home. Gold Nuggie Dougie is Doug’s  trademark and both are well known around Whitehorse, having owned three hotels at one point (including the one we stayed in). The wonderful couple shared all kinds of interesting stories about their place and Whitehorse and we had a great time with them. Unfortunately, we manage to lose most of our photos from their place!! Here are a few I managed to find. This unique structure is a working outhouse, just behind their shop.

The couple spend part of their time each year in the US and part in Canada. They’ve embraced both countries, flying a joint Canadian-American flag.

Their backyard is an oasis. They used to have boats and cruise for days without running out of water ways. As I understand it, from Lake Deese a person can boat all the way to the Pacific Ocean. 

After bid Doug and Bev goodbye and thanked them for their good will, we hadn’t traveled far before we passed a walker pushing a child stroller. This was the same guy we’d passed a week before. He is walking around the world (and making good progress it seems!).

Continue reading →

<– Day 18: Aug 7, Long Drives | Day 20: Aug 9, Whitehorse to Lake Deese (On our own) –>

On Tuesday August 8th, the last remaining Alaska Or Rust folks decided to gather for breakfast at Tim Hortons in Whitehorse, Yukon, before everyone left for home (Except Ann and I … we planned to stay one more day).

Left to right: Merlin, Brittany, Diana, Don, Marty, Rob, David, Ann.

After breakfast, Ann and I returned to our room at the Town & Mountain hotel. Even though I slept well Monday night, I went back to sleep for two hours (and that was after drinking some espresso), woke up, then slept an additional hour! I am finally feeling like I’m feeling more normal.

With two successive naps out of the way, we decided to walk around Whitehorse and visit the MacBride Museum of Yukon History. We spotted this neat statue on the way.

When we reached the museum, we discovered there was a bunch of construction underway, so not everything could be seen. But the museum did have a great set of photos and explanations of the Alaska Highway construction (with lots of jeeps) and the Klondike and the effects of the stampede for gold.

Upstairs in the museum was an extensive look at Yukon’s wildlife:

Downstairs was a great ALCAN exhibit:

Continue reading →

<– Day 17: Aug 6, Alaska Paul’s M-38 | Day 19: Aug 8, Naps & Teslin Refugees –>

On Monday August 7th we left Palmer for Whitehorse, a twelve hour drive.

The first part of the drive on Monday to Tok could have been a spectacular one, if not for the fog and clouds. The mountains were tall and the muddy rivers wide. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, one of the few times on our trip it didn’t go our way.

What I can report is that when the weather turn beautiful, the roads, AK-1N and Yukon-1E, between Palmer and Tok turned worse. Most of the trip was a fast 65mph, while other portions were undulating hops that reminded us of a roller coaster. Some shifts were obvious, but a few took us by surprise and at least one felt like it launched Patterson into the air. We both felt that parts of AK-1N and Yukon-1E were the worst paved roads we’d encountered (though I’m sure there are plenty worse in other parts of Alaska).

This photo was taking going up the pass out of Palmer. We soon ran into fog (or the clouds themselves).

Eventually the clouds lifted and the sky turned blue.

It always felt like we were headed for mountains, but never actually got to them.

When we finally arrived in Whitehorse around 10pm, waiting for us were Marty, Don, Rob and Diana (Diana had flown into Anchorage to accompany him home). The four of them had just completed the “top of the world” road to Dawson City, which they enjoyed immensely. The only exception to that was when Rob lost brakes because his entire brake booster fell off due to sheered bolts. Thanks to some quick engineering by Rob and Don, the foursome was soon back on the road. Later on, he got some holes in his radiator. He turned to Q-bond which fixed the holes instantly. We all plan on getting some of it.

Continue reading →

<– Day 16: Aug 7, Parting Ways | Day 18: Aug 7, Long Drives –>

Paul sitting in his stainless M-38

On Sunday we drove from Wasilla, to Anchorage, then to Palmer for the night.

We spent most of our time Sunday in Anchorage area being entertained by Paul and his Goddess (and their parrot, Samson). Paul and I have been exchanging emails since November 2009 (I had to look it up). You can see the Paul’s very first post here. Upon seeing the photos associated with that post, one reader commented at the time, “Paul, I’m going to show this post to my wife so she can see that there is someone out there MORE INSANE THAN ME when it comes to Jeeps.” That first post gives some great examples of Paul’s artistry.

I never thought I’d actually get a chance to see this jeep, but seeing it has always been on my bucket list. It took Alaska Or Rust to finally get me to Alaska and gave me my chance to see this amazing jeep and meet the man behind it, and meet the Goddess behind the man, and meet the bird behind the couple.

When we arrived at noon, Paul came bounding out of the house. He’s a tall, lanky fellow with eyes that twinkle. Deborah soon followed with her ever-present smile. There’s a happy-go-lucky feeling about Paul and Deborah’s home, perhaps best captured in the oversize lawn chairs that make a person feel like a kid again.

After relaxing in the huge chair, Paul was eager to share his jeep with me and I was equally eager to see it.

Continue reading →

<– Day 15: Aug 4, You Want to do WHAT? | Day 17: Aug 6, Alaska Paul’s M-38 –>

Jay signed the jeep at Denali National Park.

On Saturday, Ann and I, the Vidals, and their friends, began our trek south. Our objective was Anchorage.

Our drive from Fairbanks to Wasilla, Alaska.

Saying goodbye to the Alaska Or Rust adventure, Ann and I, along with Fernando, Hugo, LuisCarlos and Giselda, began our trek home. Our first stop was to obtain some smoked salmon from a local seafood processor Fernando found: Interior Alaska Fish Processors. They had a wide selection of smoked salmon separated by salmon type and spices. Best of all, they had lots of free samples!

It was hard not to buy a variety, but we used some control and only walked out with two different kinds of smoked salmon.

Our next stop was for gas just south of Fairbanks. I suspect the moose and bear have been featured in lots of photos.

Continue reading →

<– Day 14: Aug 3, Reaching Alaska | Day 16: Aug 5, Parting Ways –>

At the Arctic Circle: Pictured left to right bottom row: Joe’s CJ-3B, Joe, Emily, Bill, Cowboy, Russ, Don, and Jim’s CJ-2A. Picture left to right top: Jim, Marty, and Don.

This is the full and final update related to Alaska Or Rust trip. Our collective objective was to drive as a group from Dawson Creek, BC, to Fairbanks, Alaska.

In the late afternoon of Thursday August 3rd, the group finally arrived in Fairbanks, tired. When we went to check in, there was some confusion, but we got everything corrected. Afterwards, we all went out to have some great barbecue at Big Daddy’s BBQ in downtown Fairbanks. We’d been on the road since early morning, so pretty much everyone was tired.

While awaiting the delivery of our meals, Joe got the idea that we all should drive to the Arctic Circle starting at 3am or so on the morning of August 4th. He calculated the trip would take six hours and that they’d be back before our 11:00am meet-up at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum. Essentially, they’d be driving on only a couple hours sleep on a muddy, gravel road.

The drive to the Arctic Circle sign. It’s a mostly gravel and mud road with few pullouts and a lot of big rig trucks. It’s a 194 miles north of Fairbanks.

After some discussion, others decided they wanted to go, too. This led to more discussion on when they should leave. Eventually, the group decided to leave around 2am (I never did hear when they actually left). I told them to have a good time, but also that they should be back by 11am, because they’d all agreed to attend the museum event.

“Oh yeah, we’ll be back in time,” They promised. Personally, I had my doubts, but it wasn’t my role to tell them what they could and couldn’t do. At one point Cowboy asked me if I’d be mad at them if they didn’t show up in time. I told him that of course I’d be mad. I’d passed the idea of the meet-n-greet by them before having Rick make the arrangements and everyone agreed it would be fun. But, I also told them that I’d get over it. I appreciated their sense of spirit; I just wanted them to abide by what they agreed and that was to attend the meet that we’d worked to arrange.

To make a long story short, 11am rolled around and they weren’t back. Those left in Fairbanks rolled over the to the museum. When we arrived we learned there were already folks there who wanted to meet us. Noon rolled around and they weren’t back. 1pm came and went and they weren’t there. Finally, about 1:20pm, they appeared at the parking lot. Here are some pics of their journey:

On the way north.

Sixty miles to go.

The Arctic Circle drive is dirty business. Bill’s face it peaking out over his rolled down window.

Marty at the Yukon River crossing.

Continue reading →

<– Day 13: Aug 2, Perma-Grins Despite Melting Permafrost | Day 15: Aug 4, You Want to do WHAT? –>

The mosquitoes are REALLY big up here.

On Thursday August 3rd we crossed into Canada, bound for Fairbanks.

Some of the team decided to go camp, while others stayed at the Beavercreek Motel and RV Park. It’s rustic. It was the FCA videographer’s last day with us, so he got some last minute coverage, including a long sequence that had us driving away into the distance while a drone followed us.

I was also interviewed to give my thoughts on the trip and Hugo.

Here’s a partial video from the morning:

https://youtu.be/ezKdqS2tBqw

Following the filming, we left for the border and to hunt down the campers. The early morning sunrise was very pretty, making for a good photo. The roads were the roughest we’d seen. Melting permafrost portions of the road pretty rough. Various sections were under construction.

A welcome sign gave us our first glimpse of the US. First the campers went past the sign, then the remainder did.

Continue reading →