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Old 07-28-2009, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Bethel, Alaska
21,368 posts, read 38,116,924 times
Reputation: 13901

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Quote:
Originally Posted by nwcountrygal View Post
Don't know about the car rental other than it is dang expensive now.

I leave by Saturday this week... looking at speding orginally 4 days Seattle area to Seward, now researching places and knowing me I will have to stop to fish or take pictures giving myself 5 days... well see how long it takes to get up there but want to rush kinda ot get up for fishing.... but still stop off side road a little....

For anyone now looking for a time period in Seattle for a passport.. you can get it the same day if you have airline or ferry tickets proof of intenary or purchase not sure if for first time passport but renewals.. driving don't count. But I did apply for my passport on the 18th of July, paid for expedite, and by tracking records and spending a little more it should be here tomarrow.. 7/28.....

Have fun everyone

Good places for food:

Chetwynd BC.....Brookside Inn--Burgers are great

Buckinghorse BC....Everything here is good.

Fort Nelson..... Mag n' Mel's Dixie Lee Chicken

Toad River Lodge....everything here is good!

Laird River Hotsprings....good sandwiches

Watson Lake....Good chicken at the main gas station across from the Sign Post Forest

Teslin....Mukluk Annie's Salmon Bake

Jake's Corner.....Great burgers and big dishes on everything

Anywhere in Whitehorse is good.

Bunch of nice places to eat in Haines Junction.

Beaver Creek......Buckshot Betty's and the Motor Inn

Tok....Fast Eddy's!
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Old 07-30-2009, 04:47 AM
 
Location: Big Island- Hawaii, AK, WA where the whales are!
1,490 posts, read 4,181,613 times
Reputation: 796
Thank you all Wahoo gonna head out tomarrow night!!! Decided to get past all the Seattle Everret BS at night time - I really hate traffic! and cross the border around midnight..then start the trip!!! Added it up today and my plans for first day to get to Vanderhoof would be around 650 miles.. didn't want to try that will Seattle BS want to stay between 450 and 550 miles a day.... gonna take the Cassier instead of Fort Nelson way... see what happens...

Thank you so much Warptman for telling me to get the MilePost ... Great info!! Can't wait to get out of here today at the house 108 degrees inside has cooled down to 90degrees..... All time record in Seattle today of 102... ugh can't wait!!!!! Get me away from this heat!!!

One question I am used to our puny black bears around here = I know moose can be aggresive... if I have a dog in the back of the truck that is on occassion to bark allot? Mainly it is only when someone is near truck or a bicyclist is there. Is this gonna be an issue? I did buy a shock collar to curb this being an unknown area to me. Plan on keeping him on a leash for the most part but I really need to let him run at times... he is a Border Collie any advise before I leave?

On other question... figure I will get the answer when at the border but .... Will they limit me on "How" much fish I bring home crossing Canada? The regs say one thing but what is anyones experience? Or should I just get it shipped?

Last edited by nwcountrygal; 07-30-2009 at 05:01 AM..
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Old 07-30-2009, 08:58 AM
 
Location: Bethel, Alaska
21,368 posts, read 38,116,924 times
Reputation: 13901
Ship the fish to yourself or a friend frozen on Alaska Airlines.
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Old 07-30-2009, 11:07 AM
 
Location: Interior AK
4,731 posts, read 9,943,043 times
Reputation: 3393
We just came up last week and anyone coming up the Alcan right now should be aware that they have the entire pass between Tetsa and Toad river (between Ft. St John & Muncho) completely torn up. They're in the process of resealing it, but for now it's almost all gravel. Very very very dusty gravel that kicks up a thick cloud so bad that you can't see more than a foot or two in front of your vehicle... which is so NOT cool when you're on a winding mountain pass with steep drop-offs on either side. At one point, we were creeping along and the dust cleared just enough for us to see we were headed for the top of a tree... oops better turn right a little! I'm a roadtrip veteran, but that rattled me just a bit. Also, almost all of the lodges and gas stations are shut down along this pass due to the construction, so gas up before you get there or consider staying somewhere else if it's getting late (I would NOT recommend driving that stretch at night unless you are very familiar with the road, the dust in the sunlight was bad... can't imagine how much worse it would be with headlights!!).

Roadwork outside all the major towns is the same as always, annoying but not horrible. They are working on a lot of the larger bridges, so if you get freaked out by very narrow bridge crossings with minimal/temporary guard rails, etc... you might want to let someone else drive! Gas is getting more expensive... averaging between .99 and 1.19 (except in Pink Mountain and Rocky Mountain Lodge which were WAY more expensive). You can still find a few places that have gas for less (the little station in Yale, past Hope, was .95 and the gas was good); but we got the cheap gas only once after Yale and found out that it was crappy (rough running and lower MPG)... stuck with Husky, FasGas, etc after that.

Carry $500 - $1000 CAD in cash if you're in a truck or traveling with family!!! Most places don't offer exchange, so it's $1 for $1 if you pay with USD, and most banks are now charging a foreign transaction fee (roughly 1-10%) on all ATM/Debit/Credit transactions in Canada. Also, you might want to tell your bank that you are traveling through Canada so that they don't cut off your cards for "suspicious activity"... nothing like showing up at a hotel after a long day's drive and finding out your bank has frozen your Visa!! (GRRRRRR -BoA did this to me everyday even though I kept calling them every night and approving the charges to get it unfrozen -- what a PITA, protecting my money so well even I couldn't use it).

Also, don't count on cell reception, not even at the larger towns... we saw locals talking on cells, but ours (AT&T) couldn't pick up or connect with the local network in a lot of places (even after we shut it off and turned it back on). We had much better luck finding hotels that had wireless internet for guests... Inn on the Creek at Dawson Creek, Big Horn at Watson Lake, and Talbot Arm at Destruction Bay. Cell coverage got a little more stable once we hit Tok.

The fire outside Laird is somewhat under control, but it is still active and is still putting out some decent smoke. We were going to stop at the hot springs, but decided against it because it was really smokey that day, was probably safe from the fire but couldn't hack the smoke (DH has asthma).

Had a major tire issue on the U-Haul (tire de-laminated, bulged and blew... luckily not a blow out) just outside Dawson. Kal-Tire (across from the Inn on the Creek) fixed us right up ASAP that morning after I called U-Haul roadside assistance (if you can afford it, pay for any repairs out-of-pocket locally wherever you are if you can instead of waiting for them to dispatch someone because that can take HOURS... don't worry, if you keep the receipt they reimburse you when you turn the truck in).

If you go through Dawson Creek, I highly recommend The White Spot on 8th... extremely good food, and reasonably priced for the quality. Breakfast at the Continental Divide Lodge is excellent... much better than the Belvedere in Watson Lake, so it's worth waiting for your first gas-up out of town to eat if you stay in Watson Lake. Be careful eating at the Grumpy Grizz in Tok... don't know what the dealio was, but DH & I suffered all night
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Old 07-30-2009, 11:43 AM
 
Location: Bethel, Alaska
21,368 posts, read 38,116,924 times
Reputation: 13901
Fas Gas has a deal all across Canada where you get money back from gassing up with them on your trip.

Litre Log
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Old 07-30-2009, 05:55 PM
 
Location: Big Island- Hawaii, AK, WA where the whales are!
1,490 posts, read 4,181,613 times
Reputation: 796
Thanks for the help and advice everyone!!! I am off and gladly running away from the horrible heat we have been having in WA!!
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Old 07-30-2009, 06:00 PM
 
Location: Bethel, Alaska
21,368 posts, read 38,116,924 times
Reputation: 13901
Disregard all those places to eat for you aren't going that way!
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Old 07-30-2009, 06:03 PM
 
Location: Casa Grande, AZ
8,685 posts, read 16,845,111 times
Reputation: 10335
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwcountrygal View Post
Thanks for the help and advice everyone!!! I am off and gladly running away from the horrible heat we have been having in WA!!
Drive safe and have a good trip!
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Old 07-30-2009, 06:05 PM
 
Location: Big Island- Hawaii, AK, WA where the whales are!
1,490 posts, read 4,181,613 times
Reputation: 796
Ya I know but thanks for the thought!! I did make a note for Fast Eddy's in Tok!!! Loaded up on real homemade Beef Jerkey, Turkey and Cheese for snacks ... Bring some breakfast stuff and stop along the way!!
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Old 07-31-2009, 01:28 PM
 
Location: WA
5,439 posts, read 7,728,481 times
Reputation: 8548
Probably too late for the original poster. But driving one way and flying home one way wouldn't seem to be the most economical way to see Alaska by car. And most of the Alaska Highway trip through BC is pretty boring. The Stewart-Cassiar highway is actually a more interesting adventure.

What I would have recommended to the original poster is to fly into Anchorage and rent a car. Then do a big loop through Alaska and the Yukon by car, returning to the original rental location before flying out.

Or do the same thing out of Juneau or Whitehorse. That eliminates the one-way rental issue and also the one-way airfare issue.
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