I want to drive/ride to Hyder, AK next year...

[Greg]

The miles are definitely going to be above and beyond any distance I've ever driven in a single trip before. I hope three weeks will be enough.

I have similar feelings about this route on a bike. Too many miles, not enough time and lots of rain killed that idea for me. I guess plenty of people have rode it on a 640 Adventure, but I think I'd prefer a Goldwing and heated gear haha.

Fly and ride would be awesome. I hope to do the big Alaskan trip in a pickup with slide in camper, take a leave of absence from work and spend the summer up there. That's a few years out though. I'd like to wait until the kids are old enough to actually enjoy it.

So.. um.. about that, I sorta hijacked your thread and stole your idea of driving a TDI

From what I've been reading/hearing there should be no reason not to take the VW. I hope to have the underbelly skid by then. I'm always nervous of bashing the low hanging alum oil pan.

3 weeks should be plenty, IMO! I think the idea of driving the TDI Jetta is smart, that car will be perfect! No worries about hijacking my thread/idea, I feel like we accomplished a lot with our trip to Canada in the Jetta and feel like it's a perfect car for a drive like that. I'd still love to drive our TDI Jetta to Hyder (or ride a bike). I think you're right on the HD skid plate, I've been eyeballing one for a long time. One thing I wished I had was better lighting on our car when we were up there. We did a lot of night driving in very wild & remote places with (supposedly) animals everywhere. I was wishing I had 3 HID lights across the bumper, rally-car style for tons of lighting! Both our cars have decent lighting, but if you're doing to drive at night aux lights couldn't hurt.

You had me 100% till I read that last word.

Says the guy living in Magna!!

 

[KWight]

We did a lot of night driving in very wild & remote places with (supposedly) animals everywhere. I was wishing I had 3 HID lights across the bumper, rally-car style for tons of lighting! Both our cars have decent lighting, but if you're doing to drive at night aux lights couldn't hurt.

Do they make a skid plate and HID light bar for a Honda Odyssey? Or perhaps I should take my F250, decisions, decisions.

 

[Greg]

Do they make a skid plate and HID light bar for a Honda Odyssey? Or perhaps I should take my F250, decisions, decisions.

No idea about the Honda. Rot Box and I both have TDI Jettas and they have a very vulnerable aluminum oil pan, if you hit something with the oil pan they usually shatter. The stock 'skidplate' is nothing more than a piece of formed plastic, not much protection.

 

[mesha]

I just got email confirmation and campground reservations for Seward and Homer Alaska. We are driving there starting middle of june and will be gone till the end of july probably. I am pretty excited. American Fork UT-Rubicon trail-Redwood national park-Coos bay Oregon-British Columbia CN-Yukon territories CN-Seward AK-Homer AK-Denali AK-Fairbanks AK-Alberta CN-Lake Louise CN-Glacier NP MT-American fork UT. Over 8000 miles. wowzers I bet we will be sick of the truck by the end

 

[Bart]

We may see you on the Rubicon.

 

[Greg]

I just got email confirmation and campground reservations for Seward and Homer Alaska. We are driving there starting middle of june and will be gone till the end of july probably. I am pretty excited. American Fork UT-Rubicon trail-Redwood national park-Coos bay Oregon-British Columbia CN-Yukon territories CN-Seward AK-Homer AK-Denali AK-Fairbanks AK-Alberta CN-Lake Louise CN-Glacier NP MT-American fork UT. Over 8000 miles. wowzers I bet we will be sick of the truck by the end

Damn, Davy!! That's a massive trip, hopefully we'll see some pics!

 

[KWight]

Damn, Davy!! That's a massive trip, hopefully we'll see some pics!

Ouch, 4000 miles for a trip to Hyder, vs. 7000 miles for a trip to Homer. Add 4-5 children into that equation for long periods of driving and that sounds like a recipe for insanity. I may have to think of some different options.

 

[mesha]

Damn, Davy!! That's a massive trip, hopefully we'll see some pics!

I hope to take pics. Unfortunately, I am really bad at taking pics

Ouch, 4000 miles for a trip to Hyder, vs. 7000 miles for a trip to Homer. Add 4-5 children into that equation for long periods of driving and that sounds like a recipe for insanity. I may have to think of some different options.

We only have 2 kids and it will be hard. I can't imagine 4-5. Maybe get one of those limo dividers installed. We will probably be gone a month and a half.

 

[Greg]

I hope to take pics. Unfortunately, I am really bad at taking pics

We should have an RME Training Day about taking great pics and writing quality trip reports.

 

[UNSTUCK]

We should have an RME Training Day about taking great pics and writing quality trip reports.

Or we should just send all our pictures to you and let you write the report.

 

[mesha]

We should have an RME Training Day about taking great pics and writing quality trip reports.

I need a training on how to have the desire to do these things....

 

[Cody]

I need a training on how to have the desire to do these things....

That's how I am. I keep telling myself that I'm going to take the time to do one, then 6 months later I still haven't. I've got like 6 1/4-1/2 written reports on my computer.

 

[Greg]

Or we should just send all our pictures to you and let you write the report.

Nah...

I need a training on how to have the desire to do these things....

You know, my biggest motivation is a selfish one... I want to write up a good report with nice pics so I can go back and remember how great the trip was!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

That's how I am. I keep telling myself that I'm going to take the time to do one, then 6 months later I still haven't. I've got like 6 1/4-1/2 written reports on my computer.

This. It's tough too because it's fun to share but I've also really enjoyed being able to reference my trip reports when planning a new trip and/or pass along to someone inquiring about a trip.

 

[MR4WD]

Nah...




You know, my biggest motivation is a selfish one... I want to write up a good report with nice pics so I can go back and remember how great the trip was!

If if you haven't been to Stewart bc or hyder Alaska (or kitimat bc)..... Go. The standing joke up there is "does a bear shit in the woods" and the answer is "no it shits on the road". I've seen 14 Grizzlies in one day in that country. The spruce are 8-12' in diameter and 250+ plus tall. The mountains are vertical. And it rains..... Like you've never seen. We had a 3yd bucket off a hoe fill to the top with water in 3 days.

A lot lot of the drive is quite boring. A lot of it is phenomal. I'm sort of central BC as far as driving goes so you can make my place a checkpoint buddy! Ship your bike here and I'll show you the path to take after you get here, use my 990 ADV, or just get your batteries recharged after the 2 day drive from CO.... There's a good chance I'll b working all summer again anyways so I'll live vicariously through your report haha.

 

[UNSTUCK]

I just got email confirmation and campground reservations for Seward and Homer Alaska. We are driving there starting middle of june and will be gone till the end of july probably. I am pretty excited. American Fork UT-Rubicon trail-Redwood national park-Coos bay Oregon-British Columbia CN-Yukon territories CN-Seward AK-Homer AK-Denali AK-Fairbanks AK-Alberta CN-Lake Louise CN-Glacier NP MT-American fork UT. Over 8000 miles. wowzers I bet we will be sick of the truck by the end

Any chance you're staying in Seward over July 4th? They have the crazy "mount marathon" race that day. A million people run up the side of the mountain and back down. I'd say it's one of Alaskas biggest summer attractions. It gets packed with people. One time when I went to watch we couldn't find a place to put up a tent anywhere in town. We ended up camping literally on the side of the highway coming into town, a few miles outside of town. It's a fun one to watch.
There's killer fishing there as well. It's legal to snag Salmon right there on the banks of resurrection bay. It's a must see/do. Silvers would be starting about then. There's great fishing charters out of there as well for either salmon or halibut. Or you can do a glacier or whale watching charter out of there. Last time we were there we got lucky and saw beluga whales in Turn Again arm right off the highway, 10-15 feet from shore. That was pretty cool.

You're making me homesick.

 

[mesha]

Any chance you're staying in Seward over July 4th? They have the crazy "mount marathon" race that day. A million people run up the side of the mountain and back down. I'd say it's one of Alaskas biggest summer attractions. It gets packed with people. One time when I went to watch we couldn't find a place to put up a tent anywhere in town. We ended up camping literally on the side of the highway coming into town, a few miles outside of town. It's a fun one to watch.
There's killer fishing there as well. It's legal to snag Salmon right there on the banks of resurrection bay. It's a must see/do. Silvers would be starting about then. There's great fishing charters out of there as well for either salmon or halibut. Or you can do a glacier or whale watching charter out of there. Last time we were there we got lucky and saw beluga whales in Turn Again arm right off the highway, 10-15 feet from shore. That was pretty cool.

You're making me homesick.

We will be in Seward over the 4th of July! I am excited to see a different part of alaska. I have only been in the Juneau/Gustavus area. we used to go there every summer to put on a basketball camp. We did that 10 years in a row. I love fishing in Alaska and it is time my son experiences it.

There is something special about Alaska.

 

[Rot Box]

The standing joke up there is "does a bear shit in the woods" and the answer is "no it shits on the road". I've seen 14 Grizzlies in one day in that country.

LOL

I guess now is a good time to mention my irrational fear of bears. They didn't bother me much until the two times I camped near Soda Butte Montana. Both times- a couple years apart- nearby campers were mauled by a grizzly in the middle of the night less than a mile from where I was camped. That sucked.

Haven't figured out camping and such quite yet for this trip but I'm kinda leaning towards established campgrounds vs. primitive camping even if it costs more. Either way I'll have to get over my fears considering it is probably the bear capitol of the world haha.

 

[UNSTUCK]

Bear stories... I have a few. The scariest was walking down a very narrow trail heading back to our car after a day of river fishing. Out of nowhere a brown bear cub comes running full speed right at us. We didn't have time to move as it passed us. It was half on and half off the trail and brushed up against each of us as it went by. We jump off the trail and stood behind trees as we waited for mamma to come running after her cub. She never came. After waiting for a while we hurried to the car.

 

[Greg]

If if you haven't been to Stewart bc or hyder Alaska (or kitimat bc)..... Go. The standing joke up there is "does a bear shit in the woods" and the answer is "no it shits on the road". I've seen 14 Grizzlies in one day in that country. The spruce are 8-12' in diameter and 250+ plus tall. The mountains are vertical. And it rains..... Like you've never seen. We had a 3yd bucket off a hoe fill to the top with water in 3 days.

A lot lot of the drive is quite boring. A lot of it is phenomal. I'm sort of central BC as far as driving goes so you can make my place a checkpoint buddy! Ship your bike here and I'll show you the path to take after you get here, use my 990 ADV, or just get your batteries recharged after the 2 day drive from CO.... There's a good chance I'll b working all summer again anyways so I'll live vicariously through your report haha.

Awesome that you ride a 990 Adventure as well!! :bow: I would take you on the offer of riding your bike, but I don't like to ride other peoples bikes! I know how I ride...

Awesome about the Grizzly bears and rain! We hardly saw any animals in Oct outside of Banff, we were up early, out late... on backroads, etc, etc... saw a few Elk, but they're all over out here.

I would love to explore BC on the way to Hyder & back someday, but sadly I don't think it will be this year. Our Canada trip last year was a good taste of Canada, but the parts we visited were way too touristy for me... Banff & all the Provincial Parks were neat, but even in late October there were too many people for me. Back country BC sounds ideal!