RE: Anchorage to Homer in the winter
I don't think it will be as hard to find a hotel room for Iditarod weekend as you are thinking. To accommodate the thousands upon thousands of tourists (most of whom are on cruises), there are plenty of hotel rooms in Anchorage. While we get some out-of-state visitors for Iditarod, it's no where near the volume we get in the summer.
For the ceremonial start of the race, you'll have people packed 3-4 deep for several blocks right at the starting line and the staging areas...otherwise, they spread out quickly. As others have suggested, if you're really into the Iditarod, consider also going up to the actual start the following day, which, depending on snow covers, is usually held at now world-famous Wasilla, Willow, or even Fairbanks if the snow is lousy in southcentral Alaska.
If you're planning on coming up, be sure to consider the Fur Rondy, which is a series of cabin-fever-reducing events in the weeks prior to the start of the Iditarod. One of the highlights, either to watch or participate in, is the running of the reindeer...think of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, but with funnier costumes, more vodka, and far fewer injuries! I did it last year, and survived--all you have to be able to do is jog 2-3 blocks and have a good sense of humor.
As far as visiting Homer at that time of year, you shouldn't have much problem on the roads. Sure, a snowstorm might necessitate some flexibility in your plans, but then again, the same weather will also impact the puddle-jumper planes they fly between Anchorage and Homer. If you do opt to fly down, I'd still consider renting a car while in Homer, as many businesses out on the spit are seasonal and will probably be closed in March.
For that matter, you'd probably want a car in Anchorage, too, particularly in the winter. The good news is that rentals are a lot cheaper than they are during the summer peak season.
Also, that time in winter can be prime aurora viewing season...and your odds of seeing it increase the further north you head.
RE: Dry camping at ATV trail heads between BC and Alaska
Just about every trailhead in southcentral Alaska is RV-accessible. I would encourage you to register at the Alaska ATV Club website--their member section lists details for just about every trail within a few hundred miles of Anchorage.
Let us know when you get up here, and maybe we can ride together somewhere.
RE: Very Sad To Read The Winterization Threads....
If you think the winterization threads are sad, wait until the springtime burst of expletives from those who just found out, via leaking pipes and/or burst water heater, that they didn't winterize properly last fall.
Spoken from personal experiences (yes, plural)...
RE: Gadget - 25% more miles per gallon?
...Of course I am waiting on my order for the pills that turn water into gas.Two pills makes diesel.
Bad news...those "pills" are actually suppositories! Don't make me explain what the resulting "gas" is!
RE: Alaska Travel Caravan/by yourself
...Alaska is a state, just like Florida or Georgia.
Except that our politics make you yearn for the calming logic of a Jerry Springer show!
RE: Bad Walmart Campers II
I'm very concerned, that living up in Alaska, where we are sometimes more than 150 miles from the nearest Walmart, that my children are being deprived of this key American warthogging experience.
Therefore, can anyone please provide me with the Camping World stock numbers for the inflatable Walmart sign, collapsible cart corral, and parking-space-lined awning mat, so we can recreate this charming piece of Americana while along some non-Walmart stream?
Chena Marina RV Park Closing, RV traffic way off
Fairbanks News Miner article.
Tourism drought causes Fairbanks business to dry up
By Rena Delbridge
Originally published Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 12:00 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 2:48 p.m.
FAIRBANKS — On a typical summer evening, Chena Marina RV Park owner Suzanne Spanjer could count on meeting new friends from all over the world on the grassy lawns in her own backyard.
Sometimes she’d fire up a barbecue, other times watch with her traveling guests as float planes bounced onto the glassy lake at the park edge.
Many of her visitors would become repeat clients, and some became more than that. She met fiancé Bill Wileman — now the business’s chief operating officer — through the RV park. Wileman’s daughter connected with a traveler staying at the park and later married him.
Those days are over.
After 16 years in business, Spanjer decided to close the park for good Aug. 9. Costs are at all-time highs and tourism has trickled to nearly nothing — at least, tourism as she and other independent operators know it.
There’s a new tourist zeroing in on Alaska.
The state will probably remain on many travelers’ top-10 lists, Spanjer said. But families and retirees are having a harder time affording the drive from the Lower 48, and foreigners are arriving by plane and ship.
“People are still coming, but they’re not driving up the road,” Spanjer said. “Nobody is out on the roads. They’re gone.”
Jeff Sherouse is Port of Entry Director at the Alaska Highway border crossing, where most over-the-road vacationers enter Alaska. Crossings from Canada are down nearly 20 percent when compared with the same year-to-date period in 2007, and he’s seeing changes in the type of traffic, too.
As of Friday, 7,050 vehicles with 16,000 people had crossed into Alaska in 2008, compared to 8,747 vehicles with 19,668 passengers for the same time period last year.
“In previous years, you always saw a lot of motor homes,” Sherouse said. “What we’re seeing this year is more of people moving up.”
His perception is that quite a few of those making the transition are involved with the military.
Also absent are long queues of idling vehicles headed back into Canada, he said.
“Trends have changed a little,” he said. “The biggest cause is the fuel prices — that’s the biggest thing we hear when people come in.”
Motor home traffic seems to be changing in character as well, he said. Instead of vacationers from the Lower 48, he’s seeing increases in European and other travelers who fly into Whitehorse, Yukon, rent RVs, and tour the roads of Yukon and Alaska before boarding a flight home from Anchorage or Fairbanks.
Mike Busby, owner of Chicken Gold Camp in Chicken, said business at the end of the road is down about 10 percent from an exceptional 2007. But business is going pretty well thanks in part to recent adaptations like recreational gold mining that make Chicken a destination, rather than a stop along the way.
“We’re a little more diversified,” he explained. “We’re getting a lot of Alaskan travelers.”
Some establishments along the more well-traveled road trails aren’t quite able to draw business as a destination. Sherouse said he’s hearing plenty of tourists talk about restaurants, lodges and gas stations along the Alaska Highway that have closed for the season.
“A lot of them didn’t even open this year,” Sherouse pointed out. “That was a big problem; you could go 100 miles without seeing a place. The biggest gripes we’ve heard are fuel prices and there’s nowhere to stay.”
At milepost 1083 of the Alaska Highway, about halfway between Tok and Whitehorse, Loren Maluorno owns and operates Destruction Bay RV Lodge on the shores of Kluane Lake. Despite the scenery, vacationers are passing the place by, Maluorno said. His business is down at least 30 percent this year, and he hears plenty of talk from other operators who are closing down early.
He planned on some decrease — at least 10 percent — because of the politically heated election year.
That’s right — in his 15 years of lodge ownership, he’s learned that Lower 48 business drops like clockwork with election cycles. Add to that the high costs of fuel plus an entire season of record rainy, cold weather, and visitor totals are grim.
“It’s been hard on the customers,” Maluorno said. “They’re not staying as long in places. They’re not spending the money, and they’re driving right by.”
He hired two fewer employees this year, tightened restaurant hours, will close for the season two weeks early and made fewer property improvements.
“You just buckle up and weather the storm,” Maluorno said.
The storm isn’t raging quite as bad closer to Fairbanks, where Teffonie Wyman is part of the Santaland RV Park ownership team. She estimated traffic at the North Pole business is down around 10 percent, with a higher percentage than normal of visitors from places within the state, such as Palmer and Anchorage.
At Chena Marina, Spanjer won’t be leaving town.
But she’s tired of reacting to conditions instead of planning for the future — and the worst offender, high fuel costs, is well beyond her control.
“We did all the right things, and it did us absolutely no good,” Spanjer said. “It hasn’t been paying for itself.”
Instead, she’s adapting the business to accommodate the new types of tourists, and will continue renting a pool of three travel trailers and eight motorhomes. Next year, look for caravan packages offered through Adventures in Alaska RV Rentals. A few park sites at Chena Marina RV Park will be made available for long-term summer rent, although the guest facilities — bathrooms and showers, laundry and a social room — are closed for good.
RE: Bore tide at Turnagain Arm
Pretty much anywhere between Beluga Point and Girdwood are good places to see the tide. There are numerous pulloffs and wide shoulders. Larger parking areas are found at Beluga Point, and particularly at Bird Point.
The Seward Highway through there is curvy and very heavily traveled--if you're going to gawk at the tide, be sure to pull all the way off the road!
The bore tide looks like a miniature 1-2 foot tidal wave coming in. Occasionally more adventurous (some would say foolish) people even surf it all the way in!
Denali Bus Drivers Authorize Strike
Anchorage Daily News Article
Denali bus drivers authorize strike
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com
Published: July 21st, 2008 06:37 PM
Last Modified: July 21st, 2008 06:51 PM
Embroiled in a long-running dispute over pay rates and unpaid wages, the bus drivers who ferry visitors into Denali National Park and Preserve have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike that could cripple the park's transportation system.
The final vote tally Monday came to 110 in favor of the strike and 2 opposed, said Ken Wilbert, president of the Denali National Park Professional Drivers Association, which is a part of Teamsters Local 959.
The vote authorizes a strike in the event that ongoing negotiations between the union and Doyon/Aramark - the joint venture that runs lodges, bus tours and other services in the park - reach an impasse.
"We're really trying our best to work out our differences with the company," Wilbert said. "Negotiations are ongoing and we don't have any immediate plans to strike at this moment."
The strike vote comes at the height of the tourist season - the time when the drivers can muster the most leverage, said Rick Boyles, president of Teamsters Local 959.
Each summer, thousands of visitors flock to the park's Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak. Motor vehicle access is restricted at Mile 15 on the single road into the park, with the buses being many visitors' only means of access. So once the season ends Sept. 14, a strike won't bring the same amount of urgency to the table, Boyles said.
Park spokeswoman Kris Fister said the park has been following the developments but is not involved in the dispute. Having a contingency plan in the event of a strike is the responsibility of the contractor, she said.
Such plans are in place, said Kristine Grow, a Philadelphia-based spokeswoman for Aramark. She would not elaborate on what they might entail, nor would she discuss the details of the negotiations.
"We're still focused on coming to a new agreement that works for everyone, and we're still hopeful that we will be able to do that," Grow said. "We have been cooperating with an arbitrator regarding a wage increase and back-pay issues, and we have agreed to both of those. The issue appears to be more an interpretation of the arbitrator's decision."
The arbitrator decided May 2 that the drivers had not been paid at the rate required under federal law and were due back pay to make up the difference. None has seen that money yet, Boyles said. In addition, the most recent agreement between the drivers and Doyon/Aramark expired on Feb. 1, and efforts to renegotiate the wage contract have so far been unsuccessful, he said.
Union negotiators are scheduled to meet with Doyon/Aramark officials this morning, Boyles said. He said he was expecting communication to continue through the week.
Should officials reach an impasse, union negotiators will call a strike, he said.
"We certainly don't want to impact the tourists at the park, but at some point in time, you have to say, hey, we have to get this resolved, and that's what we're trying to do right now," Boyles said.
"This has been a very patient group. They're very fond of the park, and certainly they don't want to strike, but they certainly gave a clear message today with a vote count of 110 to two that if that's what it takes to get the final issues resolved, then that's what we'll do."
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.
RE: Buying Alcohol in Alaska
I can't think of anywhere on the road system were it's not legal. The dry villages you hear about are typically very remote, and not accessible by road.
RE: On The Road To Alaska
For those of you heading up the highway, what kind of RV traffic and crowds at the campgrounds are you seeing? Up here in Anchorage, is seems like we're seeing fewer out-of-state RVs and I haven't personally seen a single caravan yet.
RE: Airless Valve Stem Extensions
I'm glad to hear everything turned out OK in your case. The bottom line is that putting extenders on rubber valve stems is just asking for trouble--you need to use the metal (such as brass or steel) truck-style valve stems. If you get the right length metal stems, you may not even need extenders anymore. Either way, only the metal ones are strong enough to support extenders.
I've been through this myself, shredding out a new tire thanks to the slick new valve extenders I mounted on my stock rubber stems several years ago. Unfortunately, there are plenty of similar stories on these forums.
RE: Scangauge/OBD-II port problem
OBD port shares fuse with cigarette lighter in the E-series
...we have a winner! That solved the problem--I spent far longer tracking down my owners manual to figure out which fuse it was than I did in the actual repair.
Bryan, I owe you a cold beer when you come up this far north.
RE: Anyone know of anyone that tried this stuff?
There is an airplane on a run way. The run way is like a conveyor belt, and can detect the speed of the wheels of the airplane. When the run way senses the wheels moving, the run way will move match the speed of the airplane's wheels but in the opposite direction.
Can this airplane take off?
What if the propeller is attached to a hydrogen generator?
(Just trying to lighten the mood.)
It depends...who's at the controls--the rabbi, the priest, or the duck?
RE: Scangauge/OBD-II port problem
Is there a fuse for the OBDII port? I know the scangauge gets it's power from the vehicle...
I was wondering the same thing, or at least how to probe the OBDII port for signs of life...
RE: RV park with hookups near the Sheraton Anchorage?
Why worry about a campground, when you can urban boondock it? Stay at a Fred Meyer parking lot (the closest one is in midtown, less than 2 miles from the Sheraton). You can dump holding tanks and get fresh water periodically at many local gas stations (particularly the Holiday chain), and possibly even catch your dinner in Ship Creek (barely a mile from the Sheraton). Don't be a mere conventioneer, be a pirate! There is adequate street and lot parking for a rig your size near the Sheraton (which is on the edge of downtown).
Or, since we get ridiculously little darkness at that time of year, you could drive around and sightsee all night, and sleep during the conference!
Lots of visiting RVers stay in Fred Meyer lots (as we're pretty much turned all our campgrounds into shopping malls), all the locals use the dumps at the gas stations. You won't need shore power, since it's not warm enough to require an air conditioner (or dark enough to need many lights). As you've probably discovered, hotel rooms are ridiculously expensive during tourist season. And, yes, salmon do run up Ship Creek, which runs right next to downtown Anchorage.
Just bring some warm clothes, so that you can see the colors change in September, since you won't want to return home!
Scangauge/OBD-II port problem
This past weekend my Scangauge II quit working on my E-450 motorhome, but continues to work fine in other vehicles (I tested it on two Dodges). On the motorhome, it acts like it isn't even connected (nothing comes on, etc.). Any idea what the problem might be?
RE: Atwood water heater - no hot at taps
Do you have a bypass system for winterizing it? Look at the water lines running to and from the water heater--are there valves on them, and another line with a valve connecting them, running in parallel with the water heater? If so, make sure that the valves to and from the water heater are open (which usually means that the valve is in line with the water line), and that the valve on the cross-connect (the water heater bypass) is closed (the handle, if straight, would be perpendicular to the bypass line.
RE: Motel it to and thru Alaska
I would consider renting an RV in Anchorage and paying the $30 or so a night for a camp ground site. Also, there is a two for one book that gives you two nights for the price of one. The book is at www.toursaver.com.
A small Class C is going to cost a minimum of $150 per day, plus a mileage charge unless you pay extra for unlimited mileage. Then there's the fact that it will get less than half the mpg's of a pickup. Doesn't sound like all that good of an idea to me!!
The big difference is that the renter can save weeks of travel time, as well as the expense of the drive up here and back.
Let's say that the round trip between CA and AK is 6500 miles
At 13 mpg (a fair estimate of pickup truck mileage), the fuel to transit alone would be 6500/13 = around 500 gallons.
Gas is presently around $4.10 in Anchorage, and as usual, higher in remote areas of Canada. Figure $4.50/gal average on the trip--those 500 gallons would cost around $2250--just to get up here and back. Then there's the separate issue of wear and tear on the truck.
Now, compare that $2250 to around $1000 per person for airfare.
