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RE: GST refund?
I hope not. I never try to claim any tax I pay in the US.
I drove on your roads and will gladly pay tax.
Same here, except in reverse while I'm in Canada or any other country. I can just imagine the nightmare of trying to sort this out for every country I visit -- both on my part and the taxing authority of the respective countries.
Jim
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jmcarp
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09/03/12 03:23pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Emabarrassed
I just drove the highway #37 to the Alaska Highway junction and that is some miserable piece of real estate. Pretty much from Bell ll onwards is just plain ugly. They are right..it is paved, but but God it's heaved, cracked, shifted, patched, holed, cratered and is some places, narrowed right down with no lane markings. I know I know..the weather..but no, that can't be is..because the Alaska Highway is a dream to drive. Nope..what this is, is disgraceful.
Hmmm...that's interesting. We drove that stretch (in fact the entire Cassiar) about this time last year, and I don't recall the road being that bad -- I think I would have remembered something like you describe. Perhaps the winter was particularly bad this year and the road crews just haven't been up to regrade and repair. There was a lot of construction and maintenance work going on just north of Dease Lake and between the Bells and Meziadin Junction when we passed through, though.
Jim
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jmcarp
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08/23/12 04:50pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Boya Prov Park in BC....oh yeah...
Yep, a beautiful spot for sure. We stayed there last summer on our way southbound. Too bad some jerk spoiled it for you.
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jmcarp
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08/22/12 10:06am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Sure this has been asked before But....here goes
... in Yukon $12 buys a night at a gov't campground and includes all the firewood you wish to burn. Nice picnic table and fire ring too. And the cleanest outhouses in Canada!...
I agree 100% with Sue's comments. I would only add that it's a good idea to to have the correct fee in Cdn dollars because the farther north you get, the less the likelihood of finding an on-site campground attendant. Most of the campgrounds are either unattended or serviced by a roving attendant, so there's seldom anyone around to make change when you fill out the registration and drop it in the pay receptacle.
Jim
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jmcarp
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08/09/12 11:01am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Canadian ham radio.
Hi Gary,
I'm down here in the States, but have you tried Radio Amateurs of Canada http://www.rac.ca/ or the Prince George Amateur Radio Club http://www.pgarc.org/ (I believe you're in that general area). The RAC lists a number of study guides and other publications on their online store page at http://www.rac.ca/store/orderform_e.php
While our national organization (ARRL) doesn't sell study guides for the Canadian license, it does offer many publications covering general amateur radio theory and practice. See http://www.arrl.org/shop/What-s-New/
Hope at least some of this helps.
Jim
WD5BKO
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jmcarp
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07/27/12 03:42pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Need some discussion
We have a small Class C, so like others we are driving the MH daily, which keeps the house battery charged. We have an on-board generator which we use in short spurts (5 minutes or so, maybe 10 minutes max) to run the microwave. We seldom watch TV while on the road except to occasionally catch up on the news, but our TV runs off 12VDC so we don't need the generator for that. We try not to run the A/C unless hooked to shore power because like our campground neighbors, we don't like the noise of a generator running continuously -- especially when it's so close. In those conditions, when it's hot enough to need A/C, we normally use the Fantastic fan, supplemented by one or two battery-operated portable fans.
For extended boondocking we carry a portable solar panel to keep the coach battery charged, and have changed our interior lighting to LEDs, which draw about 1/10th or less than the regular incandescent interior lights.
BTW, if you get a portable generator, be sure to get some means of locking it down, especially if you leave it exposed and unattended. They -- especially Hondas -- grow legs and walk away if you're not careful.
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jmcarp
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07/25/12 11:25am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Excited for first RV trip to Alaska!! help making itinerary
does anyone have a suggestion on where to stay in Talkeetna area? I'm thinking we'll cut up the drive from Denali to Seward with a stay somewhere on the way back.. Thanks in advance!
There's a couple of RV parks in town, but if you don't mind boondocking there's a nice wide open flat area on the east side of the road as you're coming into Talkeetna, a quarter mile or so before you get to the overlook where the highway drops down into town. Good view of Denali/McKinley from the overlook if the sky is clear, BTW. Don't miss the ranger station, which has an excellent movie about climbing McKinley. It's at the far end of town, near the river, and a block west of the main street.
Jim
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jmcarp
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07/13/12 09:48pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Excited for first RV trip to Alaska!! help making itinerary
... Staying at Ship Creek RV park...
Take ear plugs. Ship Creek RV park is right next to a railroad track in a sort of industrial area and you'll be hearing lots of rumbling and whistles during the night.
Try to avoid driving to/from Homer on a weekend -- lots of traffic.
Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood allows boondocking in their parking lot for $10/night -- an option for travelers going to/from the Kenai who wish to avoid staying in Anchorage.
It was reported in a thread here a while back that the highway down to Seward was undergoing major reconstruction this year and lengthy delays are possible, so you may want to check the status of that before venturing down there if you're on a tight schedule.
Jim
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jmcarp
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07/11/12 11:21am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: What have I left behind?
... My wife claims some of my "forgetting" is not an accident but allows my justifying buying new tools. LOL
Dang, Joe, you let the cat out of the bag. Us guys have been using that one for a long time -- now I gotta come up with another good excuse for buying stuff. ;)
Jim
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jmcarp
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07/05/12 09:59am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Tenous at best...
Uh, Gary, you gonna get down as far as Denver? That salmon looks pretty darn good.
Jim
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jmcarp
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07/04/12 11:55am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Milepost for IPAD
I guess I'm old-fashioned enough that I still prefer the hard copy version of just about any book. As others have said, your copy of the MP will be dog-eared, scribbled on, and highlighted throughout by the time you get through your trip. Take a supply of stick-on page markers or small post-it notes to mark pages as you go. When you buy the hard copy, you get a password to download a free electronic copy to your laptop or computer. I used the electronic copy to print out the maps, then bound them into their own map book using plastic comb binders. That book of maps stayed in easy arm's reach for the entire journey.
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/23/12 08:28pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Taking Alaska Ferry System from Bellingham to Whittier
There are probably other places on the ship to sleep inside. Like maybe the front "salon". Or maybe in the bar--I slept there once after it closed. No, didn't have anything to drink there.
This is probably a good idea, if in fact it's still allowed. It's been several years since I took the ferry, and that was the Inside Passage ferry from Prince Rupert to Haines. That was only a one-nighter, and we slept on the chaise lounges on the deck. But it's first come first served to get space inside, especially on the settees, so stake out a spot early and hang onto it. I'm guessing the Bellingham to Whittier ferry will be spending a good deal of time outside the protected waters of the Inside Passage, so the ride may be rougher and wetter. If you're outside, the suggestion of setting up a tent may be a smart thing. However, I notice from your signature that you're retired, so you're probably (ahem) "mature." I meet that description, and for me, the idea of sleeping on a thin foam rubber pad on a steel deck, a long way from the facilities, is not so appealing.
If you do sleep on a chaise lounge, you might consider getting a bivy sack to put over your sleeping bag. That will give you at least some protection from rain and other moisture if you're not far enough back under cover.
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/13/12 07:25pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: UPDATE: Alaska Hwy RE-OPENED Monday June 11 evening
The Canyon Creek bridge southeast of Haines Junction is not the same location.
BTW, that often photographed bridge isn't all that historical. The log bridge over that Canyon Creek is a replica and not the original bridge. Many believe it is the original log bridge, but it isn't so.
As I said, I know it's not the same location that's in the news. I was just curious to see if anyone knew how it fared, given the flooding in other areas to the east of it at Rancheria and to the west out around Burwash Landing. When we passed by last summer, the water was fairly high and lapping almost to the bridge deck, so I was just wondering if it had been affected by this year's flooding.
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/11/12 02:32pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: UPDATE: Alaska Hwy RE-OPENED Monday June 11 evening
While it's several miles farther west, but does anyone know the fate of the historic wooden bridge at MM965/KM1547? It's also on creek called Canyon Creek, which is obviously not the same Canyon Creek as the one on Sue's map since the one I refer to is between Whitehorse and Haines Junction.
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/11/12 11:01am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Alberta provincial parks
Thanks so much for all the good sites. I need to be in Anchorage by a certain date so was taking the more direct route. Would love to come back through the Icefields Parkway and Lake Louise on the way back. Will not feel rushed and will be able to take our time. Plus most of the summer rush should be out of the way, Thanks for all the provincial park sites I can check out. What a group here !!!
FYI, check the other thread in this forum regarding closures along the Alaska Highway north of Watson Lake. Hopefully they'll get the road reopened in a few days and not affect your schedule.
You can by-pass Edmonton by taking Hwy 39 west at Leduc or Hwy 19 west a few miles farther north past the airport. Then take Hwy 60 north through Devon to Hwy 16.
Saving the Icefields Parkway for the return journey is not a bad idea to offset the shock of getting back to civilization after so many miles of open road on the Alaska Highway. I'd also suggest returning via the Cassiar Highway for some different scenery.
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/10/12 02:59pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: travel in december
...always use caution when driving on road in the late fall, winter and spring because of black ice.
Black ice is water or melted snow that freezes and then is either transparent on the pavement or looks just like a wet road...
...just because you have a 4X4 it doesn't mean you will stop any faster than if you havs a 2 wheel drive...
Soup
Words of wisdom. I grew up in Texas and moved to Colorado in the 1980's, and learning to drive in winter conditions was a real experience for me -- especially the part about 4wd not helping you to stop. The most feared words in the winter in Colorado are "I'm from Texas and I have 4-wheel drive." :B
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/03/12 08:55am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Credit Cards in Canada
...Wondering about which credit card is most widely accepted in Canada or will cash be the most acceptable?...
In addition to notifying your CC company that you're traveling out of the country, ask them what their exchange fee is when used outside the US. Most charge a small percentage on top of whatever the currency exchange rate is. We always use our Capital One Visa card outside the US because it does not charge an added fee.
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/03/12 08:46am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Top of the World Highway
...In the end the decision to go or not has to be subjective for each person but the feedback certainly helps! For me, I'm good to go! I'm not sure my wife shares my point of view but we'll work it out by the time we get to Whitehorse!
Since I drive a small Class C, I don't feel qualified to make a recommendation regarding a large 5th wheel such as yours, but to me, after driving the TOW, the most important consideration is rain. I don't think I'd drive it in a large rig if the road (particularly the Alaskan side) is muddy. Therefore, you might consider saving the TOW for the return trip, since if you end up having to backtrack, you're only looking at Chicken to Tetlin Junction (~95 miles) as opposed to Dawson to Whitehorse (~325 miles).
Jim
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jmcarp
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06/02/12 12:44pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Does CB radio make sense for remote areas of BC?
...You know, I've had some very heated debates about the different radio systems (CB, FRS/GMRS, Amateur, Commercial, etc) with my friends about each systems' usefulness in different circumstances. My belief is that every system has a use, and you should pick your system based on what you wish to accomplish.
Well said, Mike. The only thing I would add is the understanding of how propagation affects each of the different radio systems or services, which is something a lot of folks overlook when choosing a system. Your incident with the guy in the Mohave Desert is a good example of how propagation can negatively affect the CB radio service.
Jim
WD5BKO
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jmcarp
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05/31/12 09:47am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: travel in december
Let's not be too hasty to discourage our Australian friend from visiting Yellowstone in December. There are ways to experience the park in winter -- snowmobile tours, snowcats, etc -- but RVing is probably not one of them due to the aforementioned problem of finding open campgrounds and RV parks. Perhaps he can leave the RV behind and drive to Yellowstone in a rented car and stay in one of the surrounding towns where the tours originate. I know the main lodge is open, but advance reservations are required. Google "Yellowstone in winter", and particularly http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/winteract.htm for info.
Jim
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jmcarp
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05/31/12 09:23am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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