zero Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Kind of interesting article. Especially for someone like me who has never done the trip and likely never will. I'm not allowed to come through Canada so that is one of may issues. The lady in 1985 drove a Toyota Micro RV but never gives any specs on it. Said she drove nearly 12,000 miles and spent $1200 in gas. Going by gas prices at the time I figures she averaged a little over 14 MPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Not so rare anymore. Chris who is a member here has been living and traveling in her motorhome for 6 + years now. http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2012/08/meet-queen-of-road.html Sisters on the fly can be found at many remote camping sites with the cutest trailers in the country and some mad fishing skills http://www.sistersonthefly.com/ My neighbor who recently passed away traveled every summer in her huge Class A with her husband. She always drove. He was intimidated by the size. After he died she continued her trips alone until she was in her 80's. And then there's me. Never traveled far in my Toyota cause California has so much to offer but in 2001 and 2002 I put 12,000 miles on my old Dodge van camper showing my young daughter the country. Have never met anything but wonderful people on the road. That van was a basket case and every time we broke down someone came to our aid and helped get us back on the road. I've traveled overseas and I have to say Americans are the nicest people in the world Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 It is a waste of time to stereotype senior women as we broke down those barriers 50 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Who was trying to "stereotype" women, or senior women? Must be some subtle point I missed. I found the article interesting for the following reasons. #1 the RV went nearly 12,000 miles on probably crappy roads with no reported breakdowns, #2 the person was alone, not young, with several medical issues. I think it's a pretty interesting feat for anyone of any gender or age to undertake a trip like that. Especially back when Alaska was a bit more wild, main roads worse, and repair shops were few and far between. I would of loved to have done it when young but I was working two jobs, seven days a week with a house full of kids. If I HAD done it, I would of had a large amount of extra parts and lots of tools with me. I assume the woman did not - but then again, who knows? I know many people cannot even consider such a long trip until they get old and don't have to show up for work somewhere. By that time, some "old" people are less apt to chance such a road-voyage. Seems to me that there is a bit of truth to the saying "youth is wasted on the young." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I love the article, I will share with my daughters this weekend. My mother is out fly fishing with me all the time, she does so while sitting in a chair as she is disabled. Last fall she was fishing next to a 1 legged guy who used crutches and fished nearly the entire day. Just imagine, in the days of no cellphones, gps, pda phones, going on a trip to Alaska. I would be hesitant do it today without my gadgets in a brand new vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 And in 1985 that would have been on the bad axle. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydancer2992 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 "Overweight and speed are the greatest RV hazards." She is right. I'm bad about the speed part as my time is limited. Retirement looks so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 It is a waste of time to stereotype senior women as we broke down those barriers 50 years ago. I LIKE these "stereotypes", if that is the correct word here. Mabye not. A "stereotype" would connote how we'd expect something to be. I don't "expect" all the camper babes looked like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I love the article, I will share with my daughters this weekend. My mother is out fly fishing with me all the time, she does so while sitting in a chair as she is disabled. Last fall she was fishing next to a 1 legged guy who used crutches and fished nearly the entire day. Just imagine, in the days of no cellphones, gps, pda phones, going on a trip to Alaska. I would be hesitant do it today without my gadgets in a brand new vehicle. You did not need a gps to get to Alaska in those days and you still don't. They used a book of maps called "The Milepost" You can still get them. It gives mile by mile information on the Alcan Highway and all the other roads in Alaska that are out there in the Wilderness areas. it is not just a map, it also tells you where there is gas, car repair, food, lodging, medical and gives sight seeing information. You should have one of these for your trip. http://www.themilepost.com/ Your gps will work on the trip however you don't want to be relying on electronics alone, you need physical maps as a backup plan. Take a compass along too. If you are cell phone dependent you better get a satellite phone because for a lot of the trip you won't have regular cell phone coverage. Also you are going to be in a different country so out of country rates will apply and those can be very expensive and not covered under your cell phone plan. Sure its a great road trip adventure but it is not extreme adventure traveling as it is a well traveled, paved route. The amount of adventure depends on the time of year you make the trip. My son drove it without any issues in his high mileage, hand me down car when he was 19 years old. Biggest issue was mosquitos. You won't always be able to camp where you were planning to due to those pest. I have done a lot of camping and traveling in Alaska, its not that big of a deal unless you are away from all roads. Pretty much like traveling most anywhere except for the scenery and much longer stretches between big towns. My first summer of there I even hitchiked from Anchorage up to Denali Park. Closer up to the park most of the rides were short ones from guys out on fishing trips who were stopping off at one creek or another. The year was 1970 and I was a 20 years old. No issues with any weirdos. I lived there for 7 years going camping frequently in the summer and early fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I moved to Juneau in '71 and after that, drove the Alcan many times. Back in '71, the Canadian portion was almost all gravel and, in the Spring, gravel and mud. The highway has come a long way since then. Like Karen says, its pretty much like traveling anywhere else except for the scenery. Ahh, the scenery... John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbit Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I would love to drive to Alaska....actually, I'd love to drive anywhere in the lower 48 too. I figure I've got maybe 20 years to do it, if lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 I would love to drive to Alaska....actually, I'd love to drive anywhere in the lower 48 too. I figure I've got maybe 20 years to do it, if lucky. I know the feeling. My dad and my brother both died at the age I'm at now. Hope I got my mom's genetics. She lived a lot longer. I don't care much about Alaska anymore. I had a chance to go and work on the "new" pipeline back in the 70s and chickened out. I blew a chance to see Alaska when it was still a bit more "frontier" then it is now. I'd like to see more of the lower contiguous states. I've got two kids who live in Colorado and have never been to either of their places. I drove out west - from New Jersey to Mexico in 1969 and since then, have never left the northeast or northern Michigan except for a few quick trips to the Florida Keys. We're hoping to drive all over the Michigan UP this summer and head out west to the National Parks this fall. That if gas doesn't hit $10 per gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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