Posted: 11/25/2013 1:24:59 PM EDT
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OK, so I like adventure travel. One of my favorite trips was driving across the Australian Outback. I covered most of the distances on the limited “roads” (dirt paths) they have there so a 4-wheeler with a big fuel tank was a must (a dual-tank landcruiser worked great.) I haven’t done any research yet, but it crossed my mind that it might be equally fun to take a landcruiser up into the northern parts of Alaska. I would be doing this in the summer.
Question: Does this sound like a good idea or am I totally off-base here? I am aware that there is a certain level of danger. Thoughts? |
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It is unpossible.
You can drive from Fairbanks to Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay). That's it. You can drive that in a car, so big whoop. Otherwise, there are no roads. There are no bridges. There are mountains. There are rivers. Did I mention there are no roads? No jeep paths, no hobbit trails. Nada. |
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Yeah, The maps you see of Alaska do include ALL the roads. It is shocking there are not more.
There used to be the Alaska Road Commission, whose mission was to BUILD roads from here to there. There has not been a real road open to the public built into the wilderness since the Hickle Highway was built to Prodhoe Bay in the 70s, Yeah, the lack of roads really impact the economic viability of this state, and sadly, a huge proportion of Alaskans are perfectly comfortable with that. Appalling. |
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A trip that looked interesting for me is a road and gold mining trails from the town of Ruby on the south shore of the Yukon river to the town of McGrath west of Denali on the upper Kuskokwim River. I don't have Google Earth on this computer, but I remember following a trail from Ruby south to McGrath using it. You might be able to barge a jeep from Nenana to Ruby on the Yukon, and then barge it back to McGrath to Bethel to Anchorage on the Kuskokwim. Probably insanely expensive to do that, maybe cheaper to fly into Ruby with a mountain bike and fly out of McGrath. I don't know anyone who has done this, but it looked like a route for an adventure trip you're looking for. Looks like it's passable in winter, I guess it's part of the northern route of the Iditarod trail. Looks like the Ruby-Poorman road ends out in the middle of nowhere 60 miles north of McGrath. |
| Don't let us tell you you can't do it let Alaska show you you can't do it. Remember no one cares about a person who was told no and listened, however the person who doesn't listen and dies in the process can very well end up with at least one book and movie deal and probably a week long series on nat geo or discovery. Or hey take the easy way out and go drive across a country that could fit in Alaska over four and a half times. |
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OP ""fun to take a landcruiser up into the northern parts of Alaska. I would be doing this in the summer. ""
. Landcruiser is a serious gasoline hog, but you can drive from Valdez, at Prince William Sound all the way to Deadhorse, at Prudhoe Bay. Fuel is normally available at maximum intervals of 250 miles. You will pretty much follow the route of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, and cross the Yukon river, the Arctic circle, and two mountain ranges. NEW tires, of the best possible quality are strongly advised, including at least a full sized, mounted spare tire , ( two is better ) and at the very least an air compressor and tire plug/ repair kit. The adventure is orders of magnitude more fun, and probably cheaper via motorcycle. . Do it. Make the trip. Bring camera, take many pictures. Dont let anyone talk you out of it. |
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Quoted: Well, Okay then..... I guess I better start learning Japanese because Japan is the other trip I was considering for this summer haha Thank you for the feedback, M |
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Yeah, I was going to suggest pitching it to a cable channel. If they know anything about what you are proposing, after they get done laughing they may actually fund a camera crew. Because not only is pain funny, it is profitable. I talked with a Lady from the company that Does shows Like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers about this. Answered an ad on Craigslist. We are still talking. Aviator |
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Quoted: I talked with a Lady from the company that Does shows Like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers about this. Answered an ad on Craigslist. We are still talking. Aviator Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, I was going to suggest pitching it to a cable channel. If they know anything about what you are proposing, after they get done laughing they may actually fund a camera crew. Because not only is pain funny, it is profitable. I talked with a Lady from the company that Does shows Like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers about this. Answered an ad on Craigslist. We are still talking. Aviator I got a call a few weeks back from a lady from Discovery wanting to do a show about zombies and AK. She said they are looking to do anything in AK. She made it sound like doomsday preppers meets zombies in AK. Ill pass. |
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I got a call a few weeks back from a lady from Discovery wanting to do a show about zombies and AK. She said they are looking to do anything in AK. She made it sound like doomsday preppers meets zombies in AK. Ill pass. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah, I was going to suggest pitching it to a cable channel. If they know anything about what you are proposing, after they get done laughing they may actually fund a camera crew. Because not only is pain funny, it is profitable. I talked with a Lady from the company that Does shows Like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers about this. Answered an ad on Craigslist. We are still talking. Aviator I got a call a few weeks back from a lady from Discovery wanting to do a show about zombies and AK. She said they are looking to do anything in AK. She made it sound like doomsday preppers meets zombies in AK. Ill pass. WHAT?? You could have actually justified " Der Loudenboomenshutzen" 
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Quoted:
OK, so I like adventure travel. One of my favorite trips was driving across the Australian Outback. I covered most of the distances on the limited “roads” (dirt paths) they have there so a 4-wheeler with a big fuel tank was a must (a dual-tank landcruiser worked great.) I haven’t done any research yet, but it crossed my mind that it might be equally fun to take a landcruiser up into the northern parts of Alaska. I would be doing this in the summer. Question: Does this sound like a good idea or am I totally off-base here? I am aware that there is a certain level of danger. Thoughts? Back in the day guys used to take sleds down the rivers. Heard a rumor of a guy going from fairbanks to the coast via bike in the winter on the river but that was back in 1900 ish. |
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Quoted: WHAT?? You could have actually justified " Der Loudenboomenshutzen" Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, I was going to suggest pitching it to a cable channel. If they know anything about what you are proposing, after they get done laughing they may actually fund a camera crew. Because not only is pain funny, it is profitable. I talked with a Lady from the company that Does shows Like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers about this. Answered an ad on Craigslist. We are still talking. Aviator I got a call a few weeks back from a lady from Discovery wanting to do a show about zombies and AK. She said they are looking to do anything in AK. She made it sound like doomsday preppers meets zombies in AK. Ill pass. WHAT?? You could have actually justified " Der Loudenboomenshutzen" "Der Eargesplitten Loudenboomer"needs no justification. Because i can is all that is needed. |