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RE: 2013 one of coldest Aprils in Alaska in past 74 years!
The anticipated "6 inches" of accumulation on the Anchorage Hillside must have good somewhere else...good stout dusting at my house, but not 6"
Sorry about sending the weather to The Yukon.
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PA12DRVR
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05/18/13 09:01am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Help with gun selection
I would doubt that hogs are going to attack, but gators might. The thing to keep in mind is that to have any degree of accuracy with a pistol when shooting pistol cartridges (i.e. not shotshells) is that it takes about 4 times as much practice with a pistol as it does with a long gun to achieve the same level of accuracy.
If it were me, I'd suggest a 12 ga shotgun with sling with the first shot birdshot and the next two something along the lines fo BB shot followed by birdshot. (approximately twice as many BB pellets fit in a given shotshell than the legendary "00" buckshot)
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PA12DRVR
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05/17/13 03:37pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Reese SC Weight Distribution w Sway Control
I had a Reese DualCam HP that I used to tow a 30' circa 8500# TT. It was fantastic; would estimate a couple of trips experienced 25+ mph crosswinds w/o a problem. Being passed by semi's, busses, Big A** Motorhomes created no problems either.
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PA12DRVR
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05/16/13 11:28am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Off brand ATV's
#1 Son bought an off brand mini-bike that is quite a bit small for him, but just a little bit large for our 8 year old granddaughter. Pull start, not kick, Yangtze (or something) engine, Sun Yin Lee metalworks frame......but that thing starts everytime and has worked well enough as a putt-putt around the cabin for both son and granddaughter.
If it's cheap enough, why not try it. The one that my son bought was about $350 in 2010 and has survived 3 seasons at the cabin, numerous falls, and the stress of a 185# adult or of a ham-fisted 8 year old.
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PA12DRVR
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05/15/13 03:17pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Now that's driving skill...
I was just on that cruise a month ago!
Maybe not that boat, but went on the same cruise (and into that same spot) during a stop in Amsterdam ( :) ) on the way to Angola ( :( )
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PA12DRVR
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05/15/13 10:58am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Sleeping in Daylight
Joe....darn if you didn't nail it exactly. Did something similar some years back when I left Los Anchorage in the dark at 1:30 and was just passing over Gulkana when the sun rose over the Wrangells a couple hours later. Spectacular and, with due apologies, can't be duplicated, no-how, no-way, in Ewe-stun Texas.
To the OP, I'd offer the same advice as joe b......stay up until you're tired enough that the light doesn't bother you. Make the odd hours part of the adventure. Pick some evening (i.e. midnight or later in the summer) when you're not tired and wander away from the RV...just enjoy the stillness and the quiet, watch the pale pinks and oranges of sunrise and sunset, both between 2 - 4 a.m. and so forth.
Granted, it's not RV'ng, but one of the real joys I find in the summer (even in the southern banana belt of Los Anchorage area) is to fiddle around at the cabin all night long, then hit the sack about 5 a.m.....some of the best sleep of my life follows.
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PA12DRVR
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05/14/13 05:58am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Kayaking to glaciers
Don't know the names (they're on the net though)..but there are 5 -6 outfits in Valdez that offer ferry service to/from glacier kayaking areas.
Realize you didn't say "Valdez" but if you're into kayaking, you might consider a trip there: there are many packages offered that include not just a ferry but a ferry/camp/kayak/ferry return package where there is access to either a cabin or outfitter tent camp.
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PA12DRVR
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05/13/13 07:50pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Golf???
I had to explain to her that what she had done, hitting a hole in one on her first round of golf ever, is probably something that has only been done a handful of times if ever in the entire history of golf.
She is right. That is the point of the game. Hit the ball into the hole. She should have quit playing forever. She had perfected the game. It would go all downhill from there.
Can still remember the day quite well...early August 1995...not my first time but I could count on one hand the times that I had played. Sunk a hole in one on a little Par 3 course on the banks of the Little Susitna near Wasilla. Never picked up a club again except for putt-putt with the grandkids.
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PA12DRVR
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05/08/13 08:32pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Roll Call Alaska 2013
Can't comment on the flys/lures (or can't add anything to what joe b said), but have an opinion (who doesn't) on the hip boots vs. chest waders:
1) Hip boots are better for walking if you will be covering any distance between your rig and the fishing location;
2) If you'll be doing anything besides fishing (i.e. hunting, hiking through the dew-covered brush, etc) hip boots are preferable by an order of magnitude
3) (Personal opinion): I know lots of people use them and safely, but in my view, the possibility of getting killed with chest waders is simply too high and outweighs the benefits of using them, particularly in running waters (i.e. deep rivers). If your chest waders get water in them, your life preserver won't be enough to keep you floating.
Lots of views on this topic, but that's my thought.
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PA12DRVR
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05/06/13 04:53pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: 2013 one of coldest Aprils in Alaska in past 74 years!
Pretty nasty in Los Anchorage and environs on Friday and Saturday....rain mixed with snow then mostly snow. Sunday has turned very nice and I suspect we'll see some warmth today.
Went to the cabin on Friday...the trail conditions were mixed snow and mud like one would typically expect in March, not May. 6" of mud on the ol runway.
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PA12DRVR
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05/05/13 12:13pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Roll Call Alaska 2013
My personal guess (and it's no more than that) is the Alaska and Northern Canada are going to have a late spring that looks like:
- Usual temperatures to be expected by late May/early June; BUT
- Since those temps are late in arriving, much wetter and "earlier" in the greening season; leading to
- Muddier roads where there are dirt roads;
- More snowpack at higher elevations (depending on the snowpack that accumulated)
- Higher creeks and bigger swamps than usual well into July
- More bugs than the past several years at least during tourist season
Again...just a guess, but FWIW, my first ATV trip to the cabin is always on or before May 10....typically on wheels but this year, it will have to be on tracks since we still have substantial snowpack in the North-facing parts of the cabin trail.
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PA12DRVR
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04/30/13 11:53am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Roll Call Alaska 2013
Squarebanks set record lows of 5 degrees for either yesterday or the day before. Somewhere else in the general area set a record low of -8 for April 28.
Throughout the interior of AK, the daily highs are also at or near record lows (i.e. highs in the 20's).
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PA12DRVR
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04/30/13 07:09am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: plastic leveling blocks - What Do You Think?
I used both 2x6's and the Orange Lynx Levelers. Different situations called for different uses. I did break one of the orange blocks when it was on a very rough gravel lot and under one of the front stabs for a 16K 5th wheel, but other than that, very dependable.
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PA12DRVR
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04/29/13 11:15am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: My last two weekends were not TT related..
Good looking deck.
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PA12DRVR
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04/29/13 11:05am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: sway
Had the same "sort" of arrangement once....GMC Yukon and 25' TT....I found the extra $$ to be well worth it. Just one setup was all it took.
IMNSHO, this isn't the area to go cheap.
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PA12DRVR
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04/28/13 01:14pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Portable Gray Water Tote
We usually stay at places without sewer so we use it all the time. I would suggest getting one close to the size of your grey tank and one that has 4 wheels. Ours attaches to the hitch and I drive it to the dump.
x2
We had a 25(?) 27(?) gallon one that, in a fit of inebriated excitement, I put Home Depot rubber wheels on.
It still fit in the storage compartment and it towed very easily behind the truck to the dumpstation.
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PA12DRVR
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04/25/13 07:06pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: AARRGGHH!!! Double Rant! Long even!-Update
DW and I are both employed in exceptionally well paying jobs.....but then we dedicate our lives to work when we have to.
We take great pains to avoid publicizing our compensation (and the pains are greater than one might think since we're highly compensated insiders) for the simple reason that our relationship with siblings would further worsen if they knew our compensation....
...we typically pay to bring siblings/in-laws with us on vacations simply because we enjoy teh company, but there have been several hints of "Since you make so much, you can pay for my school debt, or you can pay for my new backyard, or you can get me caught up on my 90 days in arrears mortgage or...."
Good on you Crowe for having the tough conversation. Your feelings of guilt should be taken as a sign that you're a good person, not that you need to help your sister.
My favorite trite saying, but inescapably and inalterably true, is that family is nothing more than an accident of birth. How far beyond that you choose to go is simply that, a choice and not an obligation.
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PA12DRVR
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04/25/13 09:14am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Looking at 5th wheels. Need advise
Had good luck with a KZ Escalade 39something or other. Solidly built and nicelooking but not just cosmetics.
Ground clearance was less than some others, so it might not work for the field.
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PA12DRVR
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04/24/13 11:40am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Ready to pop for a 5th wheel, advice please
Carriage is/was a good brand. We looked at the 2005 same model. Very stout, very heavy, and at the time, too expensive for us.
Only you can determine if the price is good. If you're willing to pay $37K work up to that and pay it. If there's a lower price, offer that and be prepared to walk away.
I would factor in replacing the fridge. We picked a different brand 5'ver in 2005 and had to replace the Norcold 4-door fridge twice within a year. Yes it was covered by Norcold but it won't be on a 2004 model.
The four-doors are VERY nice to have on the fridge.
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PA12DRVR
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04/24/13 11:35am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: alaska tour
I've never taken a caravan to or through Alaska, shoot, I haven't RV'd more than a few long weekends....
...but I'd echo Sue's comments about flexibility. Had friend come up a few years back with grand visions of seeing all of Alaska or at least all of the road system. He fell in love with Copper Center and spent 11 of his 21 days just hanging out (like Sue) fishing, camping, hiking, photographing, etc.
I don't believe you need to caravan for trip planning and the rigid schedule would probably be a downside.
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PA12DRVR
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04/24/13 11:26am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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