HELP! 19 year old driving to Fairbanks 1/7!!!!!! (Tok, Metlakatla: hotels, home, purchase)

[Irish4evr]

Originally Posted by tigerfan3

If he's going to do it no matter what, she's smart to try to help him.

I'm kinda old school and not from the age of entitlement. My roof...my rules....my checkbook....my rules....I fully support independent thinking....if one can afford it.

[tigerfan3]

Good point. I wonder if she's paying for his school? If she is, she could say she's only doing it if he flies.

[Grannysroost]

Whose name is the car in? the insurance? Do they have passports? I didn't realize a Lumina was a 2-wheel drive, going through mountain passes with animals, blowing snow, ice...way below-zero temps compared to Colorado....I have done a lot of crazy trips, but that would not be one of them. While you are spending money, if the car is in his name and the insurance, I would buy some tire chains, and they should no means be driving all night with animals in the road and maybe no one coming by for hours....Please heed the other posters comments...

[AADAD]

I am going to be heading South the 13 -15/Jan.

[Shelly in Colorado]

Thanks all for your replies, and I wish I could not worry, but I will be a wreck from when he leaves till he gets there no matter how hard I try not to worry. I quit smoking 4 years ago, and while he is driving up there I am afraid I will start up again and become a drunk too!! I don't have any other kids, just him, so it is hard. To answer some questions, I bought the car for him when he was in 11th grade, the title is in his name. He moved out this past July, so he doesn't live at home, he is paying his own car insurance and paying his own way for the trip up there. I am not paying for college, he is taking out his own student loans. He has his passport and it expires 2/2011, which he is aware of and plans to get it renewed.

I am not supporting his driving trip up there, he is going to drive no matter what I tell him, believe me. I talked to a serviceman at a chevy dealer when we brought the car in a couple months ago for some service and told him my son was planning to drive to AK and he said he wouldn't risk the trip in "that thing", even though his car is in very good shape, it is 13 years old, also I think he would've liked to have sold a new car too. I told my son that and his reply was that he is saving extra money in case something happens or the car breaks down. He is going to drive no matter what, he asked for the car winterization for his xmas present. Do I refuse because I dont think he should be driving it up there in winter, knowing that he will drive it regardless even if I don't get it winterized, or try and help him make the trip without having his car breakdown. I choose to do what I can to help him get to Fairbanks without any major incidents knowing he is going to do it anyway. I didn't offer the winterization, he asked for it as his xmas present.

I am having a hard time trying to get a price quote from some places here in town for the winterization, we don't do that kind of stuff here to our cars.

Questions that I need to get answered please!
-What is the minimum I can get away with as far as winterization, just a block heater, or everything else?
-Does he need to put a piece of cardboard in front of his grill as I've read in other posts?
-This is the planned route, is this the best and also where do you suggest he spend the night along the trip? Denver/Billings/Edmonton/Dawson Creek/Ft St John/Ft Nelson/Whitehorse or Haines Junction/Fairbanks.
-I know he shouldn't drive at all at night, but what part of the trip (areas) would you consider this absolutely mandatory?
-I checked hotels along the way and it seems that Best Western has hotels in every one of the cities he will be passing through, including Whitehorse. Is a credit card sufficient or will he need cash in Canadian money?
-How many hours of daylight will he have to drive in?
-I assume the Milepost will list all the gas stations along the way? Should he carry any gas with him, in his car or trunk?? I also assume it will list emergency numbers, what kind of emergency service/towing is available after edmonton and how long would it take to get to him if he broke down or got in an accident?

Thanks for your suggestions!

[Marty Van Diest]

You can get away with just a block heater...but a battery blanket is nice in fairbanks.

He can do the cardboard trick but he better know something about mechanics. He needs to watch his temp guage, if its real cold and his engine is not warming up he can put the cardboard in front. But then, when the temp warms up he needs to take it out or the engine will overheat.

He needs to use the milepost and plan his stops on the way depending on the weather...don't make those stops hard and fast. If the weather is bad he will have to slow down.

Don't drive at night. That said I have driven this highway at night many times. I once got into a herd of elk...stopped just before plowing into them. I had to stop and wait for awhile for them to clear out.

Get some high beam lights in addition to your current ones that will light up the highway way out in front, but them on a separate switch.

I have driven the highway in a 97 lumina...what do you know. Studs would really be nice. I drove to Prince George and bought studs there. Then I threw away my two worst tires and tied the others onto the trunk...that lumina had a trunk lid with a little rack on it.

I have four kids... a 24 yo who is now in Argentina and I haven't heard from her for 2 weeks, a 21 year old here, a 19 year old in boarding school because they teach flying, and a 16 year old that got his license last Thursday and has been driving a beater Toyota pick-up every day since. So I know what you are going through.

I drove that highway in the winter when I was 19...but the road and the cars were a lot better than. Ha. We were in a 67 Plymouth Satellite. My buddy was 18...we had a great time... but the stories wouldn't give you any comfort so I won't tell them.

[warptman]

Questions that I need to get answered please!
-What is the minimum I can get away with as far as winterization, just a block heater, or everything else?

A block heater will be fine.

-Does he need to put a piece of cardboard in front of his grill as I've read in other posts?

This will keep the radiator out of the cold, won't hurt to have it further north.

-This is the planned route, is this the best and also where do you suggest he spend the night along the trip? Denver/Billings/Edmonton/Dawson Creek/Ft St John/Ft Nelson/Whitehorse or Haines Junction/Fairbanks.

This is the only logical way to go.

Denver, CO to Fairbanks, AK - Google Maps

Unless he wants to see the Mall in Edmonton, he can avoid the crazy city by hanging a left at Edmonton International Airport to Devon, this bypasses all the traffic in Edmonton, which is a huge city.

Up towards Grand Prairie, he can avoid that crazy place by heading up to Sexsmith and hanging a left there. This will take him to Brainard and then up to Dawson Creek, British Columbia.

-I know he shouldn't drive at all at night, but what part of the trip (areas) would you consider this absolutely mandatory?

Don't drive between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake at night, lots of animals on the roads and this is in the Northern Rockies.

-I checked hotels along the way and it seems that Best Western has hotels in every one of the cities he will be passing through, including Whitehorse. Is a credit card sufficient or will he need cash in Canadian money?

A credit/debit card works, call your bank and tell them he's driving through Canada.
-How many hours of daylight will he have to drive in?
That time of year it'll be around 10 hours of daylight, give or take a few hours.

-I assume the Milepost will list all the gas stations along the way? Should he carry any gas with him, in his car or trunk?? I also assume it will list emergency numbers, what kind of emergency service/towing is available after Edmonton and how long would it take to get to him if he broke down or got in an accident?

There are plenty of places to fuel up in the winter. Top off in Fort St. John, this is the last bigger city on the Alcan going north. You can top off in Buckinghorse Lodge, it's open year round. From there you will get to Fort Nelson on the remainder of the tank. Call ahead to Buckinghorse to make sure they have fuel. Next stop is Fort Nelson, top off here that night or in the morning. Once again, don't drive at night from here north. It's about two hours to Toad River, good food here and there is also gas, top off if you wish. Next fuel stop is at Liard River Hot Springs, it's open year round as well. Depending on how much you burned in the climbs and descends in the Rockies, gas up here. About 20 miles south of Watson Lake is a place called Contact Creek, it claims to have fuel cheaper than Watson. Watson Lake has a couple hotels, I prefer to stay at the Air Force Lodge, great place. Top off here. Next place to fuel up is at the Continental Divide Lodge, also open year round. Next place to fuel up is in Teslin, Yukon. From there the next place to fuel up is Jake's Corner, also open year round. There you can get to Whitehorse, numerous places to fuel and lots of hotels. From there it's north to Haines Junction, can also fuel here or wait until you get to Destruction Bay. Gas at the Talbot Arms. Last place to fuel in Canada north is at Beaver Creek. You can gas here, too. Then it's a very long and boring ride to Tok. Welcome to Alaska.


Alaska Highway, Alaska Highways, Alaska

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by Marty Van Diest

You can get away with just a block heater...but a battery blanket is nice in fairbanks.

He can do the cardboard trick but he better know something about mechanics. He needs to watch his temp guage, if its real cold and his engine is not warming up he can put the cardboard in front. But then, when the temp warms up he needs to take it out or the engine will overheat.

He needs to use the milepost and plan his stops on the way depending on the weather...don't make those stops hard and fast. If the weather is bad he will have to slow down.

Don't drive at night. That said I have driven this highway at night many times. I once got into a herd of elk...stopped just before plowing into them. I had to stop and wait for awhile for them to clear out.

Get some high beam lights in addition to your current ones that will light up the highway way out in front, but them on a separate switch.

I have driven the highway in a 97 lumina...what do you know. Studs would really be nice. I drove to Prince George and bought studs there. Then I threw away my two worst tires and tied the others onto the trunk...that lumina had a trunk lid with a little rack on it.

I have four kids... a 24 yo who is now in Argentina and I haven't heard from her for 2 weeks, a 21 year old here, a 19 year old in boarding school because they teach flying, and a 16 year old that got his license last Thursday and has been driving a beater Toyota pick-up every day since. So I know what you are going through.

I drove that highway in the winter when I was 19...but the road and the cars were a lot better than. Ha. We were in a 67 Plymouth Satellite. My buddy was 18...we had a great time... but the stories wouldn't give you any comfort so I won't tell them.

I was going to say your post was a good one...till I got to the end...why do males do that? I would have never told what I did.... Oh I just had the step-daughter come back from Argentina with her 2 kids and 18 suitcases after a year...last week.....as for the rest, I am glad I am here and they are where they are.. ...Shelly, I still think get him tire chains and make him practice putting them on...

[Metlakatla]

We'll get you through this, Shelly. He's probably going to be just fine.

If it were me...I'd give him the winterization gift but I would make it conditional (I know, gifts aren't supposed to be conditional but what the hell, you're a mom). And I would make it conditional on him promising not to drive at night.

[starlite9]

Make sure he has a good camera, and good Arctic gear to wear if he has issues. Otherwise, he is going to have an adventure!