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I've been lurking for a long time as my husband and I have planned our relocation from Western Mass to the Mat-su Valley. We are 10 days away from our departure date, have a house set up to rent, he has a job, and we feel as though we're pretty well prepared for the journey. But as always with a big adventure, I'm sure there will be things we never thought of or didn't see coming, so I'm hoping to pick your brains for any last minute advice!
We will be driving all the way up, bringing just what we can fit in our car and a trailer. Our car will make the journey but is due for replacement, so once we arrive we'll be trading in for something a little more suited to the winter weather. (Didn't want to take on new car debt right before the big move!) Our house is in Big Lake and my husband's job is in downtown Wasilla, which is also where I figure I'll be working. We are debt-free and have enough savings to last a few months just in case I have trouble finding employment, but as a waitress with lots of experience I figure I'll be able to pick something up fairly quickly.
The cold and snow will only be slightly worse than we're used to here, and we like winter (and dislike hot summers) anyway, so I don't think we'll have trouble adjusting to the climate. We're prepared for the cost of living to be a little higher than we're used to, but our rent is the same and we suspect utilities will actually be lower- drafty old New England houses are expensive to heat!
As far as the journey itself, we've allotted a good 7 days for it and have some leeway on when we arrive in case we get tired of driving so much every day. We've had the car thoroughly checked out and have this year's Milepost for guidance along the way. We've gotten our passports and arranged to ship our firearms.
Is there anything I might be missing? I feel as though we've covered our bases but who better to advise on what unexpected stuff might pop up than the people who've made a similar move? Any advice on making the trip up or what we can expect living in the area that can't be found on statistics sites would be greatly appreciated.
Is there anything I might be missing? I feel as though we've covered our bases but who better to advise on what unexpected stuff might pop up than the people who've made a similar move? Any advice on making the trip up or what we can expect living in the area that can't be found on statistics sites would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your input!
Make sure you enjoy the trip. Moving can be very stressful and things will probably be hectic when you get here as you try and get settled. I'm sure the last couple of weeks was just as crazy. Use the drive as a time to relax and enjoy the pause between the relocation craziness.
Enjoy the drive... Keep the camera ready. Watch your fuel and plan your fuel stops. Eat at Fast Eddies in Tok. Oh, and enjoy the drive. You'll never forget it.
Watch for wildlife in Rural Canada too... And keep an eye on the weather reports, talk to people when you stop to get gas. It is helpful to bring a few loonies along the way. IIRC, someone on here posted that a local Wal-Mart in Canada will take USD$ and convert them to loonies - as long as you are buying something. They bought a pack of gum and paid with a $100 bill. Some of the fuel stations do not take credit cards or US$ (granted, I only found ONE that didn't take a credit card) - but if the credit card machine is down, cash will get you on the road. Be prepared to spend 2x what you would in the lower 48 for most things while in Canada, 2.5x in rural Canada. Highest price for fuel I saw was $1.90 / liter, which is around $7.20/Gal. I paid around $1.35 - $1.54 a liter. Tough to find sub $100/night hotel rooms as well.
Road conditions in yukon are here: Current Road Conditions - Highways and Public Works - Government of Yukon - As you can see the road is fair on your journey from haines junction and past destruction bay. Also, it appears they are not done with construction. There was a LOT of construction when I went thru a month ago, mainly in Northern Alberta, Northern B.C., and Yukon.
Even on the paved portions, the Alaska Highway part of your trip is slower going, between the lower speed limits, construction, and slow moving vehicles. Take your time and get there in one piece!
I don't know if you picked out a route yet, but for purely monetary reasons, I would stay in the U.S. as long as you can. I could have gone into Canada earlier, but I waited until Montana to cross the border.
You've done a good job of setting up your move. I think you might find that you need more time driving from the east coast. We drive the highway every year in October to the center part of the US and we take about 7 days. You will be driving during leaf season and you don't want to be so stressed out and tired trying to make it as fast a trip as possible that you miss out on the beauty of the drive. Some people only make that ride once.
Unless the weather patterns change you will hit snow in the Northern Rockies so if you are not driving an 4WD, AWD or at the very least front wheel drive, get as aggressive set of snow tires as possible and cable chains. You do not want to be pulling a grade and lose traction with a trailer in tow. A lot of the businesses that are featured in the Mile Post will be closed for the season or offering limited services so plan your gas stops accordingly. Fill up in Fort Nelson for that stretch to Watson Lake. There might be 2 other gas stops between, one at Muncho Lake, the other at Toad River, possibly one more, all limited hours. Carry cold weather and emergency gear.
Another piece of advice: Don't drive the section between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake at night. Buffalo stand all over that road, they are very hard to see at night until you are right upon them and they yield the road reluctantly at best. Hitting a buffalo will ruin more than the buffalo's day. There will be winter weather present or passed and the area around Summit Pass can be tricky. We make it a rule to travel in daylight on the Alcan for a number of reasons.
Customs wil ask you about money at the border. We carry US currency and credit/debit cards and we pick up Canadian money at an ATM at our first outpost of civilization in Canada. It's far easier and costs less in exchange than buying it locally at least here in AK. Customs will also ask about alcohol, tobacco, wild game products and fresh fruits and vegetables. Coming from AK the no-no's are potatoes and apples, there might be different things at your port of entry. I'd check the Canadian custom's website of the province that you plan to enter.
While the experience of the first person's response on this link is relatively rare, it seems to happen to younger folks moving to Alaska most often. Don't despair. It happened to us in line for a ferry at Prince Rupert. We managed to repack a large trailer in time to get on but it was upsetting and it was US customs that tore apart our load. The entire thread is good and especially note the need for fuel additives in the northern boonies.
Thank you everyone for the responses so far! I am the type that will get stressed out and forget to relax and enjoy the trip, so it is good to have the reminder.
Our rough route has us crossing into Canada in North Dakota and taking a fairly straight NW path up to the start of the Al-Can. I can definitely see the appeal in waiting to cross later, but I don't know if the highway(s?) headed north through BC would be rougher to drive? I realize that no matter which route we end up taking we'll have to watch for wildlife and might run into some snow, so I'm prepared for that.
7 days is about what we figured we'd spend driving, but we don't have a hard deadline for when we need to arrive, so if it takes longer that will be fine. We'll definitely be stopping to see some sights along the way, but I don't imagine we'll want to leave the trailer with all of our belongings unattended for too long, so that will limit the sightseeing a bit.
I do worry about customs. I have also heard horror stories and I'm not looking forward to the possibility of having to repack everything or having stuff destroyed because some customs official is in a grumpy mood. With any luck they'll see that we're the nice, responsible, never-had-a-run-in-with-the-law middle class citizens that we are and won't give us too much trouble!
I always go in through Wa, then again I have a second -- well 3rd or 4th -- place on the west coast. I have never had a problem with the stretch through Canada from there. There's a lot of traffic from Wa up so, while I have always gone that way, I don't think the roads would be any worse and maybe even better. We towed a trailer this first time up, and that's in '80 when the roads were not nearly as good as they are now, and we had no trouble. Well I should say we had some inclines on the AlCan that we had to get out and throw down sand to get up them. BUT that was in the days when there were "gravel cans" at different spots because they knew the inclines were such that you would need traction to get up them. lol They no longer have them for good reason. You DON"T need them!! YEAH!!!! The road is nice and paved ALL THE WAY, unlike before when long sections were not. We have never had a problem with Customs, on either side, even towing a trailer. Make sure you are honest and forthcoming. Have passport, vehicle info etc in hand. I think, last time we crossed they asked if we had funds to get to Alaska. First trip was Military and we knew nothing about the money issue but when they saw our orders it was good. They actually said they didn't care how much we haqd because the Military would get us out if needed. Trip after that they DID ask if we had funds of $1,000 per person. Another trip they asked for $2000 per person and actually checked the available balance on our credit cards, we weren't carrying that much cash although we usually do. I think there is an actual amount but I'm not sure and I NEVER argue with Customs. I think it helps if you look like you have investigated what they need at Customs, what is allowed and not allowed to bring over. Just remember some people will get inspected no matter what you do and take it all with grace. I do agree, I think you are not allowing enough time. It takes us 4 days from NCa to Anc and thats pushing it. This may be, for you, a once only trip so enjoy it and take as much time as you can. I do wish we took more time, and we have made several trips. We always seem to be in a hurry to get home to Alaska and a hurry to get to wherever we are going when we leave. The "sooner we get there the sooner we can leave" theory on the trips Outside. To keep costs down look for the smaller motels that have a restaurant or gas station attached as, my experience is, they are cheaper --and nice and clean -- than the larger ones. If you need to stop and it is late look for one that has curtains open. If the curtain is open it is available and you can take it. They operate different than the U.S. in that the small ones do not staff an overnight staff so they are on an honor system. You take a room and pay in the morning. You didn't say anything about pets so I assume you don't have any BUT if you do --dogs and cats must have health clearances and I have yet to see them allow birds of any kind, not saying they don't but I have never seen any. I agree with chains. Our first trip we needed chains early in the season, went to bed and it was nice and clear next morning snow all over and not just a dusting -- I want to say around Prince Rupert but that was 30 years ago -- and some areas have already seen snow. I am assuming, coming from Mass, you have good winter gear. Keep it handy on the trip.
Otherwise I have to commend you on doing excactly what is reccomended
You have a job lined up
you have a place to live and
you have a savings!!!!
Even with a smaller savings as long as you have a place to live and a job you shouls be fine.
Welcome to Alaska!!
Last edited by AlaskaNana; 09-15-2012 at 03:01 PM..
Thank you for the links! I am sure they will prove useful.
As regards driving time, I originally worked out an approximate itinerary of about 10 days, doing 9-10 hours of driving (split between myself & my husband) a day in decent road conditions. He said "I'm not sitting around for 14 hours a day when we could be driving instead." Hence the shorter expected transit time. :-)
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