Captain Pattie's Fish House

     Ask anyone in Homer about dining out for fresh Alaskan King Crab and unless you are aboard a crab boat in the middle of the Bering Sea the answer is always the same:  "Captain Pattie's Fish House".   It is located on the spit right in the center of everything that is happening.  As you can see from the picture they serve a wide variety of seafood; all local and very fresh.



     Don't fool yourselves, King Crab is as expensive here as it is in the 'Lower 48'.  The difference is here it IS FRESH, but nearly always frozen when shipped out unless you dine in restaurants that I don't often frequent.  Even in the fresh fish markets we visited, as well as the local Safeway store it was $31.99 a pound!  Barb and I are pretty frugal when it comes to traveling, but suffice it to say this is the most I have ever spent on a meal in my life.  But, like Barb and I decided long before we began this adventure, "You only live once and we may never get back this way again.  Get what you want while you can!"
     On advice from a fellow traveler we made our reservations a day in advance and requested a window table from which to view the bay.  It was well worth it.  Any weekend in Homer this time of year is pretty busy and today was no exception.  We were taken right to our table and once the waitress answered a few of my questions, we began with a very nice salad and sourdough bread.  This is where I should have skimped. 

 



     Once the crab arrived, I knew I might be overmatched.  Red King Crab legs are pretty big, the size of a baguette in some cases.  It is easier to get the meat out of the shell than other crab I have eaten and it was good.  I must admit I do like Dungeness Crab better for it's sweetness.  I got a baked potato, broccoli, and butter for the beast.  The trouble began when I realized towards the beginning of my last leg that I was starting to get full.  Barb ordered the same thing and couldn't finish hers either.  I wasn't about to let any go to waste so I forged on, finishing both plates.  I would pay for this later.
     Captain Pattie's is a very good seafood restaurant and offers more than just crab.  They have a nightly special, clams, oysters, prawns, huge scallops, salmon, a Captain's Platter as well as a full line up of steaks and chicken. The food is delicious.  Our hostess was very friendly, but our waitress I would only rate average.  On a tab approaching $16,982 I found it hard to justify her 15%.  I am just kidding about the total, but it wasn't two figures either.  Hey, you only live once. 

The Kenai Peninsula: Cook Inlet Agate Beaches

     Departing Anchorage we headed south along the Seward Highway through Turnagain Arm and joining the Sterling Highway heading west.  Our first stop was to be near the Captain Cook Recreation Area about 25 miles north of the town of Kenai on the east shore of Cook Inlet.  We spent 3 days boondocking here while beachcombing and searching the beaches for Alaskan Agates.  There was the old style hand pump potable water available, but once again the battery bank and solar panels powered us.  This is the best part of the Land of the Midnight Sun this time of year. 
    We beachcombed Salamatof, Nikiski, and Discovery beaches during our stay.  All these beaches contain good amount of tidal rocks instead of the normal beach sand or mud.  I was surprised to discover that the Salamatof Beach is also the home to a Conoco Oil Terminal for tanker loading.  I only thought tankers visited Valdez.  We also saw several off shore drilling platforms.

 

      Mount Redoubt last erupted in 2009, sending not only large plumes of ash into the air, but tons of silicone oxide that became 'nearly instant agates' when it hit the cold water of Cook Inlet.  For years the tides have been pushing these agates onto the beaches of the Kenai Peninsula.

 

     The weather was fair, but intermittent rain mixed with our days.  We were forced to use the Honda generator to top off the battery bank several times as the cloud cover really didn't allow good solar panel operation.  The State Bird of Alaska continually made it's presence known as we sprayed DEET on ourselves several times daily here.  Sometimes the best part of my day was the late afternoon fire with a cold beer while surveying our days cache of stones.

 

     Barb's in house chef prepared Apple Chicken Sausage Pasta, Fried Razor Clams, and Parmesan Crusted Whitefish and Asparagus during our stay.

 

 

 

 

     Next stop for us is Homer, Alaska......Halibut Fishing Capital of the World!  

Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant

     Don't be fooled by Anchorage.  It is just another big city, but home to nearly half the population of the entire state.  When we arrived in Anchorage Barb and I knew we wanted the best of authentic atmosphere, food, service, and prices.  We hit the jackpot at Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant.  They advertise themselves as a 'lodge-like setting with homestyle food'.  It is located in an older section of town SW near the airport, but easy to find.   

 

     The inside décor of the restaurant is very Alaskan, from taxidermy, wall art, to downright Native Alaskan eclectic.  This is their idea of "Lodge Style".

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The menu  ( http://gwenniesrestaurant.com/menu/)  is 'down home' with some very exclusive Alaskan treats included.    They offer selections from breakfast through dinner.  A wide variety of soups, salads, a kids menu, burgers, sandwiches, BBQ, steaks, and of course GREAT ALASKAN SEAFOOD.  Their selection of nightly dinner specials can often be to die for.  Local travel guides (including my IPhone) list this place under "Eating on a budget", but we found that the locals eat here as well, enjoying the generous helpings at reasonable prices.  In fact we were the only non-locals during our visit.

     We visited on our last night in Anchorage.  We both had our sights set as we had previewed the menu before setting out.  Barb decided on the Reindeer Philly Sandwich and I went with the Crab Louie Salad with the intention that we would share. 

     Although the Reindeer Philly was delicious, it would have been nicer with a longer style Philly bun.  It has a generous helping of sliced Reindeer Sausage, Provolone Cheese, Mayo, Bell Peppers, and Caramelized Onion.  Even with both of us nibbling on it, we still ended up with a half sandwich to take home. 

 

     Although I have had Crab Louie before you are never really prepared for what awaits you.  A generous bed of lettuce mounded with fresh crab meat and surrounded by tomatoes, eggs, cucumbers, olives, and topped off with several stalks of fresh asparagus.  I chose the 1000 Island Dressing for this and was not disappointed.  The salad did not have the same luck with longevity as the Philly and was finished off by us in one sitting.   

 



 

     Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant was a find for us.  We enjoyed the generous portions of food, the excellent service, and the authentic atmosphere. We will be coming back this way after our visit to the Kenai Peninsula the next 3 weeks so a return visit might be in order. 

 

 

 

Yukla 27.....the Memorial

      I served 22 years in the U.S. Air Force flying thousands of hours on the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, retiring in October 1993.   Not all sacrifices are a result of combat.  Unfortunately, some are the result of training for the possibility of war.  September 22, 1995 changed my world forever.   That morning an E-3 aircraft tail #70354 prepared for another routine surveillance training mission from Elemendorf AFB, Alaska.  The mission call sign was YUKLA 27.  'Yukla' is the Alaskan native term for the word 'Eagle'.  Upon takeoff the aircraft was engulfed by a flock of Canadian Geese which were ingested and subsequently killed 2 of the 4 aircraft engines.  Despite their valiant efforts the flight crew was not able to turn and perform an emergency landing; crashing with all 24 of the crew perishing.  When I heard the news I was initially stunned beyond belief, not knowing what to feel; perhaps not believing the news at all.  The body knows when to feel what it feels and in the end crushed me for weeks. 



     I knew all of these crewmembers, having served and flown with them at one point or another during my career.  Barb knew many of them as well.  Especially painful for me was losing two very close comrades, SSgt Scott Bresson and TSgt Chuck Sweet.  Both men were great crewmembers and a credit to their country.  Chuck and I flew together many times as well, working for me several years in the Wing's Standardization Evaluation Division.  Scott and I also flew together many times.  I evaluated him on his Instructor Flight Evaluation; later nominating him for a Wing Flight Evaluator position as well.

 

     Our relationships went beyond the professional as we shared a great love for the outdoors.  I sold Chuck his first Brittany Spaniel hunting dog pup;  he and I hunted together searching for quail in the prairies of western Oklahoma.  I taught Scott to archery hunt for whitetails in Oklahoma.  I helped his wife Lisa shop for his first compound bow as a surprise birthday present.  I was so very jealous when they got their orders to Alaska. 
     All 24 crewmembers were great men, sons, fathers, husbands, and warriors.  I have always promised myself that I would one day travel to Alaska to visit the monument erected in their honor.  This memorial is located outside the Wing HQ at JBER-Elmendorf in Anchorage.  I have always taken a moment each and every year on the date of this tragedy to pause and honor these men and the sacrifice they made for all of us. 



     Today I pause and visit with each of my fallen friends one last time.  We are all of one skin, one fabric, and ever will be;  woven throughout which our heritage has been forever preserved.  I salute you all. 

Wrangell St Elias to Valdez to Glacier Country

     When departing Tok we headed south to Wrangell St Elias National Park, at 13.2 million acres the largest in the United States.  This park contains half the country's highest mountains and is also noted for it's glaciers.  In fact these glaciers encompass 25% of the park, about 5,000 square miles.  The road south of Tok to the park was once again loaded with obstacles and we slowed for at least a dozen gravel stretches that were under construction.  This 65 mile trek took us two hours.  Taking a break at Mentasta Lake Lodge we discovered the lake across the road was loaded with Trumpeter Swans.  There are plenty of these to see in Alaska, but apparently this area is home to a large nesting ground. 



     We boondocked 6 miles up the Nabesna Road on the north end of the park.  It was a very nice pull off tucked in the trees just off the road and next to a stream.  There are several of these spots throughout the 42 miles length of the road and the NPS charges nothing to camp here.  This one even had a picnic table and a fire pit.  We powered ourselves utilizing our battery bank recharged by solar panels during the 19 hour Alaska day.  We also pumped water out of Rufus Creek via our double filtration point of pumping system for shower water.  Amazingly we still had cell service and as such our Verizon HotSpot worked very well for WiFi.  We were always on the lookout as there are plenty of black and grizzly bears throughout the park.  Nearly all camping areas, even pull offs and rest areas, provide 'bear proof' trash cans.  They have a low center of gravity to prevent tipping or general destruction and you must also put your finger inside the small top entry to release the entry catch. 



     The weather has been very nice, averaging the mid to high 60s for the past week, but cooled off significantly when we woke our 2nd morning in the park.  In fact to our south, west, and in the higher elevations (above 2200 feet) snow was forecast.  We awoke the next morning to gusty winds and very dusty conditions.  We traveled another 65 miles into the park on a very good paved/gravel road checking out other boondocking sites as well as two other campgrounds we did not know about.  However, this far into the park there is no longer cell service.  We did have to ford several small rivers, but were once again treated to incredible scenery. 

    

     We did not see any moose or bears although there were plenty of signs informing us they were there.  We did, however, spot several bands of Dall Sheep on the high slopes.  We got as close as we could without actually climbing and got several decent shots with the 300mm lens.  If you look closely in the upper center of the picture you can see a small band of 5 sheep grazing.

 

     Returning to camp the wind had not subsided and we were forced to keep the RV shut up lest we wanted to have to clean quite a bit of dust and pollen.  We treated ourselves to Venison Steak and Eggs for dinner and afterwards Barb performed her usual annihilation of my Backgammon game.   

      Departing the park we headed south to the port city of Valdez.  Once again for the first 30 miles we ran into the array of gravel construction areas that were at times pretty rough.  Nearing the town of Valdez you wind up into the Chugach Mountains, but it never seems that steep.  The other side of Thompson Pass coming down is another story.  Only near the top of the pass do you break out of the low clouds and drizzle enough to see much.  We were able to see the Worthington Glacier near the top of the pass.



 

There are hundreds of glaciers within the mountains surrounding Valdez, six of which are immediately accessible from town.  Three require either a boat or air tour, but were able to see the Worthington, 27 Mile, and Valdez Glaciers on our own.  





     At the head of Prince William Sound, Valdez is the terminus of the Alaskan Pipeline.  We camped outside of town at the Valdez Glacier Campground, part of the Armed Forces Park system open to retirees as well.  Full services at incredibly modest prices.  The town of Valdez sits literally on the edge of Prince William Sound at the bottom of the Chugach Mountains very much like a Norwegian Fjord.  With the low cloud cover the surrounding lower hillsides are a lush green that would remind you more of a south seas island than Alaska. 

 

 

But, once the clouds lifted a bit you were able to see the grandeur of the harbor and the village.

 

 

Looking west from a hill overlooking Prince William Sound

 

 





    The village consists of assorted small shops, including a fully stocked Safeway store.  This was our first grocery shopping expedition in Alaska and we were not prepared for the increase in food prices.  For example a loaf of Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread cost $5.49 and an standard size bag of Ruffles Potato Chips cost $6.49!  At these prices I decided I would pass on a restaurant review here.  Keep in mind these were the prices in Valdez.  The village also has a large harbor to host the armada of fishing, crabbing, and touring boats that dock here.  The entire fjord and village area is outlined by a 8 mile long, paved recreational trail for both riders, joggers, and walkers alike. 

 





     The biggest attraction here cannot even be visited.  The Valdez Marine Terminal is the terminus of the Alyeska Pipeline.  Beginning in Prudhoe Bay the pipeline stretches 800 miles.  This 1000 acre storage facility is located across the bay and is only accessible by facility personnel.  It used to be open for tours, but once again the events of 9-11-2001 changed all that.  The facility has 18 storage tanks holding over 7 billion barrels of oil and is able to support two full size tankers at it's berths.  We were here during low tide and wondered just how deep the water actually was that would allow ships of that size to utilize this harbor.  We were informed by the harbor master that the fjord is 3 miles wide and within 1/2 mile of shore the depth ranges from 750-1200 feet!  Additionally, even though Valdez has it's own refinery, diesel is $4.59/gallon.

     Leaving Valdez we headed back via the Richardson and Glenn Highways toward Anchorage.  This drive is over 300 miles so we stayed the night just over halfway, boondocking near Sheep Mountain. On the way we passed the enormous Tazlina Glacier as it winds its way through the Chugach Mountains.   

 

     The next morning we stopped at the Matanuska Glacier which is very easily accessible by vehicle or on foot.  27 miles long, at its terminus Matanuska Glacier is 4 miles wide.  We stopped long enough to shoot a few pictures and then continued our journey. 



Next stop.....Anchorage.  The truck needs an oil change and we have a bit of 'big city' shopping to do. 





Arrival, Fast Eddy's, & Statistics

     Amassing 4704 miles since our departure from Kalkaska, MI we have arrived in Alaska!  12 days and 2200 miles after leaving mom’s house we arrived in the village of Tok, AK, about 93 miles inside the border.  The journey from Whitehorse to the border took 2 shorter days instead of 1 long one since we decided to bivouac enroute. 

     The scenery was once again magnificent.  I realize I have used the word ‘spectacular’ on more than one occasion, but magnificent works just as well.  I don’t take this lightly.  As someone who has lived among or visited some of the greatest mountain ranges in the world, I am impressed.  These mountains are probably no more beautiful than any of the others.  It’s just that there are MORE and MORE of them over every rise, on every turn.  We spent the majority of this leg of our journey meandering around the St. Elias Range from Whitehorse to Haines Junction to Burwash Landing and finally to Alaska. 

     We decided to follow my cousin’s itinerary (she made this trip last year) and stop near the Donjek River and boondock on an elevated rock area around the corner from the highway and right on the banks of the river.  We had the area to ourselves and spent the evening just sitting in chairs, talking, and watching the scenery.  The sun had not set when we went to bed at 10 p.m. but it is that time of year.  It is light enough to see easily about 3:30 a.m. as well.  Easy to take advantage of the battery bank & solar panels with this type of light.  We dined on the last of the “Oven Baked Fried Chicken” with some carrots and Garlic Baguette.  Dharma the Repuplican and Bodhi the Democat slept soundly. 

     The second day of the journey clarifies even more why we decided to do this in two days.  Shortly after Burwash Landing the road bed sits on unstable land consisting mostly of tundra or remnants of where glaciers used to lie.  There are frost heaves that decay the road into cracks, small crevices, sink holes, and some pretty serious ‘hoopty dos’ along the way.  The situation is serious enough that my average speed was only 35 mph for about 80 miles as I navigated my way through this stuff.  Occasionally I would miss one or misjudge it and our rig went through several seconds of “roller coaster push pull”.  I watched as a "Minnie Winnie" passed me at normal highway speeds and he threw some pretty nasty sparks when he bottomed out his rig.  Apparently this happens every year in the Beaver Creek Maintenance Area and there were crews throughout this entire area rebuilding entire sections of road bed. 

 

     Shortly after leaving the town of Beaver Creek you pass by the Canadian Customs Checkpoint.  However, the U.S. Checkpoint into Alaska is still 18 km further up the road…..on gravel road that is being rebuilt.  About 2 miles from the border they had just brined the road to keep the dust down so I arrived in Alaska with a completely muddied truck and RV.  Notice the hard working Yukon Road Crews at the border.

 

     We are currently camped in the village of Tok, AK.  We arrived here to await a scheduled ‘mail forwarding package’ from home.  Amazingly, it arrived when we did so we have a day off and then on the road again.  I must admit it is nice to be back in the land of U.S. $, standard measurement, and cell phone service.  I gassed up at the border; $4.57/gal never looked so good!  I worked up some Chef Salads for dinner last evening to be followed in the next couple of days with Ham & Bean Soup, Whitefish Bruschetta, Fish Tacos, and Pork Stir Fry.    

Fast Eddy's 

     I have yet to do a restaurant review on this trip and today was as good an opportunity as any.  There are only 3 restaurants in Tok, AK so I went with the unanimous recommendation of everyone I talked to when taking Barb out to lunch:  Fast Eddy’s!  It is located on the east end of town right on the Alaska Highway and draws a lot of attention. 

     Although they are famous for their pizza a look at the menu told me I had my choice between pizza, burgers, sandwiches, the soup and salad bar, or a myriad of appetizers. I am always a bit shy about ordering a $12 hamburger even though it came with pickles and your choice of fries, or onion rings.  Barb decided on the 'Incredible Burger' with Curly Fries while I went with the 'California Burger' and Onion Rings. 

     I was fairly impressed when the food arrived.  The California Burger is 93% tasty, lean beef served on a sourdough hoagie roll topped with homemade Blue Cheese dressing, a huge slice of avocado, tomato, and a pile of sprouts.  There were only 5 onion rings, but they were the huge, beer battered type.  This sandwich comes with a steak knife so you can cut it in into halves. 



     The burger was delicious, but I could only finish off about 3 onion rings.  Barb enjoyed hers as well, but opted for the complimentary ‘to go’ box for later (which is code for “Dharma, look what mommy brought you!”)  Alaska does have a higher cost of living and as such lunch was just under $30, but after a hard morning of shopping and sightseeing, I figure Barb was worth it.    

  

NORTHBOUND STATISTICS

      Since our departure from Seattle we have used 204 gallons of diesel with a low price of $3.89 (Sumas, WA) and a high price of $7.20 (Muncho Lake, B.C.)  We spent a total of $ 1155.83 on fuel, averaging 11.58 mpg.  This is still a 29% improvement over the 9 mpg I averaged with our previous gas truck.  The truck is running beautifully and there have been no maintenance issues during this leg of the trip. 

     Next up for us:  Boondocking in the St. Elias Range and Valdez, AK as we do some glacier photography and tour the village and the end of the Alaskan Pipeline. 

 

The Alaska Highway.....Bears, Gas Prices, and Water Weight

     Dawson Creek, B.C. marks mile 0, the beginning of the Alaska Highway.  From there it winds North and West to the top of the province into the Yukon Territory and finally up into Alaska.  It is 1229 miles from Dawson Creek to the Alaskan border.  My first impression of this leg of our journey has been "Is British Columbia big or what?"  We are currently in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories which is 918 miles up the Alaska Highway, about 1870 miles north of mom's house in Washington state and somewhere around 4270 miles since our departure from Michigan!  Thank goodness Captain Daddy and Lt. Commander-Navigator Dharma were on the job to keep lookout! 



     The days have been long during this leg of our adventure, mostly due to the many mountain passes and numerous wildlife one negotiates.  What we have seen of the scenery has been spectacular, but sometimes hidden by the low clouds and intermittent rainy days. 
     To date we have seen about (16) black bears, (12) caribou, 2 moose, and several dozen bison.  Barb and I have spent many an hour going through our photos each night, archiving the ones we want to save.  So far I have gotten no decent shots of moose.  We stopped our first night in Fort Nelson as we needed to pick up a few groceries and some gas; deciding to just call it day at the Triple G RV Park.  It was a very nice campground with full services, café, and WiFi for $40.  Dinner by the Mad Chef was an interesting Smoked ham, asparagus, cheese, tomato, and chive frittata. 
     Our next day was MUCH shorter as we planned to only travel about 60 miles to the Tetsa River area.  It was here I made an error in logistical judgment.  I only carry about 1/3 tank of water in the RV when traveling so we can have flush water when we're pulled over if needed.  Since we were only traveling a short distance and knew we would boondock I decided to fill up the water tank prior to departure.   Steamboat Pass came next and the truck did not in the least appreciate the extra towing weight.  I did not notice that the engine temp had risen, but the gauges began to act very twitchy as we overheated.  I pulled over near the top and immediately discovered the problem.  Once I returned the nearly 30 gallons to Mother Nature and let the engine cool down we were once again on our way without incident;  lesson learned.  We boondocked at Tetsa River near the river.  We hoped to be able to get in some serious wildlife photography and it paid off.  We got some very good shots of black bears that frolicked near the river and I was able to hang in the brush long enough to get a very good close up of one. 



     I topped off our evening with a campfire and some Blackberry Glazed Venison Steaks with Spaetzle and Green Beans.  It is worth noting that the following morning we stopped 20 miles down the road at the Tetsa River Services RV Park and Diner and had the most amazing hot buttered cinnamon buns for breakfast (referred to as the Cinnamon Bun Center of the Galactic Cluster) with free hot coffee which made my travel mug very happy upon departure. 

 

 



     Our third day was a long drive to Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory.  When the clouds cooperated there was spectacular scenery, especially around Summit Pass and Muncho Lake before leveling off into many miles of forested wilderness arriving once again in civilization.  The lakes at this elevation are still very frozen.  The area is famous for a healthy population of Stone Sheep, but none were to be seen this trip....maybe on the way home?  It was here, however, that we paid a whopping $7.65 for diesel as we were in a remote area.  I should have gassed up either before or after; lesson learned.  Travel through this area is very much up and down, round and round.  Not much opportunity for cruise control here. 



     Watson Lake is the first town encountered in The Yukon Territory.  Relatively small, but we did get some dinner, gas up, and stay at the Downtown RV Park.  They really pack 'em in here, but you get full services, including cable TV and gas discount tickets for $40.  It is also the home of the Famous Sign Post Forest.  This odyssey is a Yukon Historic Monument and has over 75,000 signs from around the world.  Unfortunately, I was unable to procure a Kalkaska Village sign before our departure.  We treated ourselves this evening, dining out at one of the 3 small diners in the village. 

 

        Our fourth day and 280 more miles put us enroute to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory.  Today's drive was much nicer with cool, yet clear weather.  We crossed the Canadian Rockies Continental Divide spending the day surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges.  This was by far our favorite day of the trip as each turn or rise in the road yielded another beautiful vista!

 

       



     My chair in the new truck does have a lumbar control, but no matter because I end up using what I like to call an off-road chiropractor.  10 minutes on a picnic table and I'm a new man ready to take on another couple of hundred miles!

 





     The population of Whitehorse, YT is approximately 22,000 which is significant because it encompasses about 70% of the population of the entire province.  We boondocked the first night at the WalMart which is very much a popular destination for travelers.  There were 24 RVs in the lot the night we stayed there, but with our extra day's plans desired a shower and a dump station so we sprung the $ our 2nd night at Pioneer RV Park south of town.  Very nice separate, wooded sights on the upper level with full hookups, cable TV, WiFi, laundry that takes quarters or loonies, car/truck/RV/pet wash bays, and even a maintenance shop where you can get minor repairs done, change your own oil or have it done for you. Price for one night...$30.....reasonable.  They also gave us 4 cents off a liter for diesel at 142.9. Considering where it is located, Whitehorse, YT is a fairly cosmopolitan city.  The area is centered around the Yukon River and is loaded with parks, bike & running trails, skate parks, and a dog park. 

    

     The highlight is the old paddlewheeler "Klondike" on display at the river park.  The downtown area has many eclectic small shops, diners, and cafes as well as larger scale fine dining.  Of course there is always McDonalds, A & W, KFC, and other fast food places.  We were there on a Sunday and not able to visit the Farmers Market or several of the local Inuit and Tlingit Museums and Art Galleries.  We did collect enough groceries to help me reload my kitchen.  Tonight I made Oven Baked "Fried Chicken" with some fresh steamed carrots and sweet taters.

This was posted thanks to McDonalds WiFi  & Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse, YT

 

TRIP NOTES:  It is very important to keep your gas tank topped off at all times.  It usually is a long ways between civilization, let alone gas stations. Sometimes you pay the price. (Reference my Muncho Lake fillup above) I found later I was not the only one who made this mistake. I tried to never get below a half tank.  Also to our surprise we discovered that well over half of the other travelers we have met are NOT on their first trip to Alaska.  Most everyone traveling this highway utilizes The Milepost Travel Guide, published yearly by the Alaskan Highway.  It should be noted that each advertisement within this publication is purchased a full year in advance and it is NOT UNCOMMON to find some of these businesses have closed when we traveled through. 



     Planning ahead, paying attention to road signs, and having an alternate plan is crucial.  The roads thus far have ranged from decent to very good, but I hear of stretches coming up from Whitehorse to the border that will challenge the definition. I had my truck oil changed before we left Michigan, but noticed today that my display now reads 29% oil life left.  Going to look into that about Anchorage.  304 miles to the border!