Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 09:24:07 -0400
Reply-To: Duane Fahey <dfahey@VISUALAUTOMATION.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Duane Fahey <dfahey@VISUALAUTOMATION.COM>
Organization: Visual Automation, Inc.
Subject: Re: Roadhaus - Prince Rupert to Juneau & Beyond Info request
In-Reply-To: <BB467FDA.8C0%cmathis@houston.rr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Alaska, my favorite place...
I drove there back in '94 from Wisconsin in my 1988 BMW 528e, with a
tent. It was a comfortable ride, but I would have been screwed if I had
had any car problems. No dealers until Anchorage. I saw a lot of
Vanagons along the way.
I drove the Alaskan highway most of the way, but I took a right and went
North to Dawson in the Yukon. I camped on the Yukon river on a bluff
overlooking the historic town of the gold rush, with 2 women from Sweden
that I had given a ride 2 a couple of days earlier. (Is that your car?
Are you going to Alaska?)
The timing was great, as they were about to have a music festival from
people "down South". I was puzzled at first, but then I figured out
that they meant Vancouver. So, places like the "Midnight Sun Saloon",
complete with Saloon doors, had several musicians getting up and jamming
with each other. It was really great, still daylight at 3 am and
everything. A little hard to sleep in a tent when it's daylight all
night...
From there, I took the "Top of the World Highway" over to Chicken,
Alaska. I believe that this is the only other way to drive into Alaska,
other than the Alaskan Highway. This is basically a very long dirt
road, with no houses or intersections for a long, long way. So, I drove
fast. I came around a curve and noticed a huge rut going across the
entire road. I slammed on my brakes, but didn't stop fast enough. I
didn't need that spoiler anyway...
I stopped in Chicken to get something to eat. Chicken is basically a
building with a generator out back (or was then anyway). It's an old
gold town, and I actually met real gold miners there. One guy, with his
wife and baby, were living in a Vanagon camper. He was panning for gold
and she was waitressing. The building is divided into a restaurant, a
bar, and a gift shop (of course, it's the law in Alaska).
When I was eating, I felt pretty tired from staying up late at the
Midnight Sun Saloon in Dawson. I asked if there was a campground
anywhere. He asked me what I was sleeping in, then told me to just
pitch my tent up out back with the sled dogs. Yep, that's right, sled
dogs. The road is closed in the winter, so that's how they bring
supplies in. I felt pretty safe against bears, figuring the dogs would
bark a lot if anything came around.
In the bar that night, I met people from all over the place. France,
Vermont, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Montana, etc. Most of them were
living there, not just traveling through. This was maybe my favorite
night in Alaska. It's sort of a "real" Alaska kind of place, but maybe
not anymore. Tour buses were starting to stop there, traveling from
Fairbanks to Dawson. I think the Discovery Channel featured the town
once, and it's become another tourist stop over kind of place, as are
many places in Alaska now. Everything is changing there...
My ultimate dream vacation would be to drive my Vanagon there for the
summer, then take the Marine Highway to little towns all over, with the
Vanagon, to experience more of the "Real Alaska".
- Duane
Chuck Mathis wrote:
>Can't add much to John's list since I wasn't a '30-year Alaska Sourdough'
>just a three year Coastie visitor. Here's a few suggestions:
>
>Juneau - check out the Mendenhal Glacier north of town, best eagle viewing
>is at the dump, good grilled salmon at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake (kind of
>touristy but you eat outside and the food is good), best resturant in town
>is the Fiddlehead. I think they still do the free pipe organ concert in the
>SOB (State Office Building) everyday at noon.
>
>Juneau - Hanes - Stay on deck or close to a window the whole way up the
>scenery is all good.
>
>Tok - Pretty rustic, not much here but pause long enough to see the sled dog
>demonstrations.
>
>In general stand by for visual overload. And I second getting a current
>copy of The Milepost -- easy to find at any of several book stores in
>Juneau.
>
>Chuck
>'85 Wolfsburg Westy - 'Roland the Road Buffalo'
>
>on 7/24/03 11:00 PM, Automatic digest processor at
>LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM wrote:
>
>
>
>>Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 21:44:28 -0500
>>From: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
>>Subject: Re: Roadhaus - Prince Rupert to Juneau & Beyond Info request
>>
>>Juneau - Red dog Saloon
>>
>>Fairbanks - Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn (Just out of Fairbanks between
>>Fairbanks and Nenana on the Parks Highway) - get a T-shirt while you are
>>there.
>>
>>Fairbanks - Malemute Saloon - Just out of Fairbanks at Ester.
>>
>>Fairbanks -- Travel up the Steese Hiway to Circle City on the Yukon and
>>Visit Circle Hot springs while you are in the area.
>>
>>Fairbanks - Visit Manley Hot Springs, just out of town.
>>
>>Fairbanks - Visit the Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska which is
>>just down the road from Fairbanks.
>>
>>Fairbanks - Investigate driving "the Haul Road" to the North Slope. Even
>>if you don't go all the way, it's a hell of a trip!!!!
>>
>>Get a copy of "The MilePost" , the definitive guide to the Alaska
>>Highway and points beyond. It has road maps included and a mile by mile
>>description of EVERYTHING along the highway from Dawson Creek in Canada
>>- Which is the startpoint north to Alaska, through Northwestern Canada
>>and throughout all of Alaska.
>>
>>You can get The Milepost off the net or order through your favorite
>>bookstore.!!
>>
>>Enjoy your trip.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>John Rodgers
>>88 GL Driver
>>30 year Alaska Sourdough!!!
>>
>>Larry Chase wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Volks,
>>>
>>>Rolling into Prince Rupert today.
>>>
>>>Next stops ... Juneau, Whitehorse, Anchorage & Fairbanks.
>>>
>>>If anyone has "Must See" suggestions alone that route or beyond, they
>>>would be most appreciated.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Larry Chase
>>>Email: RoadGuy@RoadHaus.com
>>>Web: <http://www.roadhaus.com/> www.RoadHaus.com
>>>Cell: 480 620 8966
>>>What: North American Road Trip
>>>How: RoadHaus - 1990 White VW Westfalia Syncro
>>>Today: BC, the Yukon and soon Alaska.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
--
Duane Fahey
Visual Automation, Inc.
http://www.VisualAutomation.com
517.622.1850 517.622.1761 fax
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