While working on the Alcan Highway near Lower Post, BC, Private Carl K. Lindley from Company D, 341st Army of Engineers was injured and taken to the Army Aid Station in Watson Lake to recuperate. During that time Carl’s commanding officer got him to repair and repaint the directional post. While Carl was carrying out this task he decided to add his home town sign of DANVILLE, ILLINOIS. Carl was known as the homesick, lonesome soldier and he was aware of the tradition that he started and what is now known as the World Famous Signpost Forest.
My wife and stepson just drove the Alcan Highway this past week and are now in Anchorage. My stepson is 19 and accepted a job there as an aircraft mechanic. He has never lived away from home...Please keep him in your prayers.
Bought our Newmar Dutch Star in Feb 2022 and took it to Alaska in June. Drive the road and not the speed limit. It was an epic journey, and we put 13,000 miles on the coach. Congrats on your trip up there.
OK! We finally finished the video! Gotta be honest, Victoria was so much more expressive when the Border Agent asked the question than ours were when he was telling us we had 10lbs of weed in the RV. 😂 I think both of our brains just couldn't process what was going on. 😂 Great great video! -J
I am the most gullible person out there!😮 I'm freaking out - like what the heck happened - did they just leave you behind? I rarely go to comments but had to find out 😢 OMGOSH! what a horrible prank!!!! You guys deserve a big king crab dinner!
@@mslauralee6478 Oh not horrible at all 😁 And to be clear - watch the tape and see who originated the idea because... it wasn't Craig and Victoria. They're just taking all the blame. -J
In 1951 my folks towed a 28 foot house trailer , as they were known then , from Cincinatti , Ohio to Fairbanks , Alaska with a 1937 Chevy sedan . My dad and uncle beefed the old sedan up with a welder and pickup springs , welding on a ball hitch too , and rebuilt the engine in frame in the driveway . It took two weeks and several tires , but no breakdowns , when there wasn't a speck of blacktop from the Canadian border on .
I didn’t even have one single issue on the entire trip. Not even up the Dalton. Zero flat tires, zero windshield chips, not one issue. Absolutely loved that trip.
@@lhollybow I have no idea. Well actually I think I figured it out somewhat while watching folks drive up and back. While I’m taking my time and enjoying the scenery and minding frost heaves by going nice and slow, people were zooming by. It was crazy. Then down the road they’d be broke down or pulled over in a parking peering under their rig or changing tires. Zero concept of “take your time and enjoy while saving your equipment”.
That was just wrong what y’all did at the border, the ending of their video makes sense now. Crossing the border is always an experience that can be scary! Y’all take care and enjoy the adventure! My two favorite channels!
We had no problems in 2017 going to Alaska. We actually drove the Alcan in 1973 and no problems, 1100 miles of gravel roads. Paved roads only around towns. It’s great driving to Alaska, just take your time and enjoy it
We drove our 2021 Forest River Berkshire XL 41 foot Class A Motorhome while towing a trailer with a Ford Explorer on it the full length of the Alcan and Cassier HWY without any problems to our RV. Our Explorer on the other hand, two cracks in the windshield. We took 4 extra cans of diesel fuel with us. Lost one to the Alcan on the way through Destruction Bay on the way down to Watson Lake. We did this trip in June 2023.
Gotta say, I did this on a motorcycle last year, saw 3 RVs with broken axles or blown tires. I was so glad to be able to dodge the potholes and frost heaves by being on 2 wheels, it was almost like a rhythmic dance at times. It was a lot of work to do, but worth it.
My brother-in-law was on the ALCAN Hwy when you were! The wildlife he saw was AMAZING! Thank you for taking us along for the ride! That was funny what the border officer did … cute!
Worth the wait you guys. Loved watching your friends wife’s face when he said pull over there, we’ve been told 10lbs of pot she was like straight faced yet waiting for the punch line 😂. Had to look up the scriptures and I agree I we all look for a supportive working soulmate. Didn’t you make that sunflower sweater Victoria? Love the narrator and informative episode. Until next time enjoy and safe journey ❤
So I came back home a few weeks ago, the worst of the Alcan is between destruction bay and Tok. Being from AK, I have to say, I’m embarrassed for the conditions of the Ak side, they have paved a good section of the road but there is a large amount that is horrendous. Love the videos and your love for the adventure.
@@wildrvlife yes, I saw your comment, when we had someone in front us, I told my son, we are chasing the rabbit, he said what, in turn, I told him, we can see how bad the road is as the Rv goes up and down and how quickly they brake, 😂, enjoy your trip, it does get better and AK is an amazing place. Been here 35 years and still haven’t found a place I would move to.
My wife and I did the same drive with a travel trailer 10 years ago. We were not warned abouy frost heaves. We hit our first one pretty hard, no major damage. Bent the spare tire and bike carrier a little. Another thing, if you have enough fuel to get to Tok, dont get fuel in Beaver Creek. Tok is about 30% less.
Such beautiful scenery. Can't wait to see next week! Very exciting that you made it to Alaska! The border crossing was hilarious! I watched Open Roading last night and saw their take, now yours....that border patrol agent....oh my 😅
Your going to have to take the Top of the World highway on the way back to avoid Destruction Bay section. If you want some more different views on the way how, just past Whitehorse take a detour to the smallest desert in Carcross. The Cassier Highway is also a beautiful route with the turn off just before Watson Lake.
Nice video my wife and I just got back from Alaska three weeks ago this was our 2nd time the first was in 2018 .destruction bay and going to Tok is the worst part on the Alaska hwy you just have to slow down and it helps to not overload the vehicle . In 2018 we had a truck and trailer I got tired of pulling the trailer so we sold them last year and got a Winnebago revel we wanted to have a little more freedom ,this trip we did the Dalton to Prudhoe bay ,Denali hwy ,road to McCarthy and top of the world hwy talk about some bad roads!! No big damage to the van just a broken windshield and a broken fog light to be expected going to Alaska my advice to anyone that is thinking of going to Alaska just do it !!!! Take your time don’t get in a hurry on the Alaska hwy and you’ll be fine ,thanks for sharing your videos .
I would think with the extreme weather conditions up there it’s got to be hard on the roads, but you say it’s not to bad. It is defiantly gorgeous up there, a lot of the scenery is breathtaking.👍👍❤️❤️🇨🇦
Enjoying your videos. To break up the long drive and for your viewers - Liard Hot Springs has a great Territorial (provincial) park attached and price includes the hot springs. Watson Lake has an interesting Northern Lights show, and Whitehorse has lots of interesting museums, pubs, a walking tour of Miles Canyon on the Yukon River.
When passing trucks coming the other way get over to the right as much as possible instead of staying closer to the center. Drove those roads 2 years ago and had zero rock problems.
Wow!!! That was a FUNNY BOARDER CROSSING!!! Pay back is not gonna be fun for you all. 😂 You all are BRAVE!!! Those roads look BRUTAL! Glad to see and know Craig didn’t mess up that Brake install and they are good to go. One thing to try and avoid is letting your diesel get too low. I have seen people stop cold even though they still had some diesel in the tank but the pump would not pump fuel because of low pressure. I hope the Brinkley and the GEN-Y folks are watching you alls travel and make you their first Brand Ambassadors upon your return. Craig, you are missing a center cap BTW also. 😆 Jusy thought I’d let you know and help you out. 😉
Ever watch "Changing Lanes" ? Another fulltime RV couple . One of their recent episodes, they literally ran out of diesel about 50 feet from the pump. Just adding one jug of diesel wasn't enough to start their truck. They needed almost 2 jugs of diesel before it would prime and start. That would really stink, had it not started!!!. I think they were preparing to call a diesel mechanic. 😳😲😱 But they did eventually get it to start.
Always enjoy your videos. Learned a lot. You have most likely saved us many dollars in new RV's misstates money. Just ordered a Brinkley Z Air 285 and scheduled a Morryde visit for an IS and disc upgrade. So really can't hit the road until after Jan.2025. But, love your Alaska trip. Great photos and Info.
Great job on the driving you guys plus you have a Brinkley. Congratulations they are amazing. If you’re gonna take any RV on the road that was probably the best one to take with their suspension system and your fifth wheel hitch. Good job.👍🏻👏🏻🙏🏻
It is so fun watching this journey from the perspectives of both caravaners: you fill in gaps left by Open Roading and vice versa. It must be fun and reassuring to be making such a journey with good friends. Continued safe travels to all 8 of you (2 couples + 4 pets).
It was nice meeting you today in the Mariner Park Campground in Homer. We have been in cabover truck campers since end of April when we left California. It's been such a fantastic experience so far. We LOVE Alaska! Enjoy the rest of your trip!
@wildrvlife beautiful scenery up there but I sure as heck wouldn't be pulling a travel trailer up there unless the road has improved dramatically in the last 5 years.
Here I figured it was the guy that Joe made move at the lake that said they had 10 pounds of pot, it was you that did that to them, lol. Hope the trip is going great and you are getting good weather. Stay safe and healthy.
Having seen their video the other day, I was confident it was you guys just having some fun. I can't wait to see their next episode!!! From the sound of the border patrol agents voice, he's done this prank before with other tandem/group travelers. The question now is,... will there be a "Payback" somewhere along the rest of this journey?!? LOL 🤨🤔😆🤣???
Off subject...Victoria, will you tell me the name brand of the jeans you are wearing? They look great on you. I want to see if they come in tall...36" inseam. Thanks! Safe travels always 😊
I hope you have better luck than I did on my last camping trip. My axle broke on my trailer, after looking for hours I found the tire. I bought two new axles and did all the repairs. On my way home a truck going the other way shot a Boulder from its tires, destroying the windshield of my new truck. Good luck on your travels. I still want to make that trip someday.
So excited for our both on your new adventure!! Something you can use in your cabinets or pantry to keep things from moving around too much or falling out on you is shower tension rods. Safe travels!!
Destruction bay to Tok was the worst road when we did it 2 years ago. Just take it slow and you’ll be fine. We had our class A Forrest river. Then you have to do it going back lol
The other risk to consider is what happens with a major breakdown. Shops are understaffed and super busy in the summer. Good luck finding someone competent to fix a Dmax, Cummins or a Superduty and when you do, it’s a 4 week wait. Longer for a warranty repair. Our shop rates are over $200hr, now.
Hi from 2 Kiwi fans from New Zealand we love watching your travels on you tube stay safe on your Alaskan trip so cool seeing all the neat places you go too when we retired we bought a Doge Ram and fifth wheel and travelled many states great you can do it so young and work remotely
We use stretch bars in our fridge and pantry areas. They are used for curtains to hang. You can get them at Walmart in the curtain section or Camp World. Palmer grows huge vegetables and has an amazing history. Take the train ride through to the glaciers and take the ride to see the calving glaciers. There is a train ride through to Denali. It’s a state owned train. You will go through Wasilla. All I saw. The official start of the Oder of. Take a visit and meet some of the dogs and learn the history of the Oder of. Scagway is a train ride that you can ride to with your Rv and truck on a flatbed. Anchorage has several Costco’s. You can still see what the earthquake did to change that town with an upper and lower part of the city. Fairbanks has President McKinley’s train, a museum and an all you can eat bar b q that is amazing with hungry wolves pacing the perimeter. We also noticed a lot of old vehicles just dead on the side of the road. Also, I found it hard to get used to sunlight for 24 hours. Many drunks sleeping on benches, grass and street corners. Anchorage has Fred Meyer grocery stores and even Home Depot. We did visit North Pole AK and Santa and the reindeer. We learned some roads are under construction a lot because of permafrost conditions. Mt Aleaska had a nice ride on a ski lift with a restaurant near the top of the mountain. They charge for the ride. We panned for gold and got some. Salmon soup is delicious.
We used to do maintenance work on prisons here in New Hampshire. I used to love to tell them that the other trucks that were coming in were armed.😆 We were all bonded so they never did the strip searches though.
@@wildrvlifesuch good editing! I’m so happy that the crossing guard wanted to mess with Joseph and Kaylen! So funny! The word you were looking for was ubiquitous but I think you might have invented a word so I would go with it!
My husband and I have been watching your videos for a couple of months now preparing for a road trip to Alaska from Alabama. We had no idea you would be going around the same time. We were walking from our campsite yesterday to an excursion and passed your camper. It’s so cool to see you guys are in the same campground.
Oh no way! Lol I've realized the world is a lot smaller than I thought when it comes to RVing. If you see us outside walking the dogs or something, be sure to wave us down!!
Drove it in 2019 with our 2017 Winnebago Grand Tour 45 foot class A diesel pusher. No clearance problems at all. On the way back the bad construction roads threw my tag axle alignment out and damaged the right rear tag axle tire. Luckly, I decided to carry a spare tire in the bed of my F150 truck I was towing. The tire shop was surprised I had a spare new tire. They said if I didn't have a tire, it would be about 30 days to get one. If possible, if you drive a class A bring a spare tire. Construction sites have a lot of very sharp rocks.
As a guy from Dawson creek I like watching peoples videos on my home town and on that highway I drove it for the first time in 2014 and all I will say its an amazing experience
I'm from north of Grande Prairie and various times watching these types of videos they pass through GP if starting out at mile zero Dawson Creek. I went up to the Yukon and Alaska in 2006 but thankfully not towing anything so could more easily put on the miles. I get the impression that section from west of Whitehorse to Tok is a lot worse now then when I was through there but oh yes there were plenty of very drastic frost heaves to cause major damage to vehicles if driven too fast. Just curious where you all went when you were up there ?
At Liard Hot Springs, a scientist studying butterflies in the micro climate during the late '70 got eaten by a grizzly . All that was left was the head. They never did get the bear.
BC is a HUGE place. Driving it gives you some idea how big BC is. You can fit several states in BC. England fits some 30X within BC. You drove past my place at the start of BC and then my sisters place crossing into Alaska.
I saw your Swift River spot and we stayed in the exact same spot last year. We parked right along the river and were visited by a bald eagle in the afternoon and again on the next day early the morning. I was in one of the tall trees across from the river. There was a truck that drove down the dead end road next to the river that drove into the river and camped down stream.
a little tidbit that might come in handy some day...the thermal imager can also help detect wiring issues...when you have bad grounds or broken wires...heat will build up in those areas and it will show it....great for vehicle and trailer use...my free advice!! LOL
The Alaskan Highway truly looks amazing! I think more than half the fun is just getting to Alaska! Such great stops! Great plug for @openRoading ! 🤩 It’s funny because we just recently listened to their podcast with some of our fellow RU-vid friends, A Travel Path. We figured we better check out their channel - so now we are official subscribers. 😁
Looks like a super highway compared to early June 1999 when we traveled that route. They were doing a lot of sections of "road lifting" where they were building up the road bed with bank run fill and you had to deal with mud and huge boulders in the road. We were towing a 24' travel trailer and had no damage the whole trip.
We just crossed back into the “Lower 48” with our Momentum 5th wheel. Only damage was the sewer line hanger that broke, almost dragging the sewer pipe. Some heavy duty zip ties fixed it till we get back home. We stayed at that pull out on Kluane on our way back!
What a wild adventure for you guys to to go to Alaska I'm so glad that the RV made it and hasn't had any bad mishaps enjoy your time up in the North country
Those bands on the leaf springs are there during install. The bands keep the leaf spring pack together prior to and during installation of the leaf spring packs. Once the leaf spring pack is installed those bands provide zero benefit. If they are loose either tighten them or remove them altogether. Love your videos and safe travels.
I’m a new subscriber, I really enjoy you two trying new adventures. I kinda skipped around but your partner is very funny. Luv your beautiful dogs. Yah I’ve traveled that highway back in 99 and 7 more times after that yr and it was a lot worse back then.
Great adventure. I guess ultimately roads are roads, some are good, some are bad and others are down right ugly but we deal with them. We have done many many miles with our trailers, and just adjust our speed and driving accordingly. Not much else you can do. looking forward to following this ongoing trip. continued safe travels....
The band around your leaf springs are just shipping straps when they arent installed. You need to re torque your U bolts due to shifting/scissoring of the leaf packs.
My grandparents and drove up the Alaska back in the summer of 1994 in their brand new diesel pusher. They did not mark frost heaves, the first one we hit it through the front of the motorhome into the air. As it bounced back down. I looked over at grandpa and says "it seems to be a well built, don't slow down, let's do it again." The road was very narrow. No shoulders. A several hundred miles of gravel road. We made it from San Francisco area to Anchorage in 3 and a half days. My Grandpa didn't care if his motorhome fell apart, "I will just go buy another one if it does." We had no flat tires and no brake downs. We emptied a few gas stations of diesel on the way up.
Another fun video and I love that crocheted sweater! Sooo cute! Found you thru Joesph and Kaylen and I certainly understand why you all are friends. I’m loving living vicariously on this Alcan adventure.
Good luck in what native Alaskan's call, Los Anchorage. We stayed in a campground near some apartments and got robbed . They even cut our tent to get into it the zipper wasn't used. The a-holes took every thing. Be carefull that is a typical city.
Yup a lot of homeless and druggies, if you are x military or retired stay on the campground in Ft Richardson, we did and felt safe, even did a little shopping in the Exchange and Comissary
I think people like to exaggerate quite a bit, I’ve followed others that have gone there, they did blow a tire but just take your time you’re all good. I think the trip will be worth it in the end!
yup. That stretch from the border of YT to Tok is the worst. - To test the resolve of of those driving in to Alaska. Makes you appreciate the Canadian chip-seal of the Alcan. The Pot-Hole patrol will have most of those craters filled by the time we go into freeze-up....Enjoy!
Omg...I wish I could have seen your friends face when the border guy said he had Marijuana in his rig!!! Lol I bet he was freaking out! I checked out their channel. Love that they adopted the dog, Trinity. We went to Alaska on our honeymoon. Loved it!! Can't wait to see where you go. We went north of fairbanks, panned for gold, are lots of salmon, saw totem poles being built, of course Denali Park...so much to see!! Enjoy!
Beautiful country love the video’s from both of you during these last several months. It all makes sense now! They got setup! LOL😅 Getting the Solar on this week. DIY and it’s been hot here in the East. Probably won’t make Alaska this year but will try for next! You all……… have been a great inspiration! Safe Travel!