Category: Alaska

My vehicle and T@b trailer

For a few years, I have been dreaming of traveling after retirement.  In April 2016, my home sold.   I was planning to buy a camping trailer and would need a new vehicle suitable for towing one.  So within a matter of 2 weeks, I found a 2012 Toyota RAV4 V6 to buy.   Then I bought a 2016 T@b Max S.

Here it is:

I had a while ago decided that a motorhome would not be good for what I wanted to do, since I would not want to have to tow a car also.   I wanted something small enough that I could handle.   I wanted an inside bathroom.  I couldn’t imagine tromping to a campground bathhouse in the middle of the night!!  So  I looked online at Scamps, Casitas, A-liners, lilsnoozy  and others.   The year before, I had stopped to look at T@b teardrop trailers at a dealer and was really impressed with the quality.

So I was real happy to find my T@b  at a discounted price no less.   I quickly found that because of it’s small size, it was light enough to move around by the handles on the front edges.   I learned to hitch up and unhitch and to hook up the electricity, water and sewer.  Backing up into sites took a bit longer, and once I got on the road, I found some spots were more challenging.   At first I would request pull-through sites where no backing up was necessary.   But some more remote places had no pull-throughs, and some spots were wierd shapes or didn’t have much maneuvering space on the road to even back up good.   So I quickly had to learn to do what was needed.

September 7th – First freeze

Weather channel alert for tonight:  Frost expected tonight.   Lows in the 30s.  Frost possible the next two nights also, but day time highs should be in the 50s.

Some pictures of the Chena River:

Tomorrow should be a more interesting blog as I am going on a riverboat cruise up the Chena River to the Tanana River.   Will see a dog sled training place, a native Alaskan replica village, etc.

 

September 17th – Visit Denali Dog Sled Kennels

Denali National Park has a huge kennel of dogs.   They specifically raise and train them to WORK.  In the winter time when no vehicles can travel the roads, there are still people out in the “boonies” studying the wildlife and terrain, artists-in-residence, hikers snowshoeing, etc.  They have to have some way to deliver supplies and do maintenance.   So they use dogs pulling sleds.

Want more information about the dogs at Denali https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm

or to watch the puppy cam? https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams-pups.htm

In May, they had a new bunch of sled puppies born, so now 4 months later, they were still rolly polly little balls of energy.  The rangers gave a demonstration of the adults pulling a sled and the training they give them.

 

 

 

 

Preparing for the epic journey

Here are just a few suggestions on preparing for any long journey with your trailer/camper/rv.  These are by no means exhaustive or conclusive.  You might even have a better idea.

  •   Prepare financially.  Get an idea of possible costs and make a budget.   There will  always be emergencies also, so have extra money available if you need it.  Decide how you will handle credit/debit cards and cash.  Notify your credit card companies of your approximate itinerary to avoid getting your card declined.
  • Prepare an itinerary.   It can be as detailed or as flexible as you want depending on your lifestyle.   Will you want reservations ahead of time or will you just meander along, finding a place to stay as you go or boondocking?   Give family or a friend a copy of your itinerary and emergency numbers.
  • Research.  Other people have made similar trips.  Many have blogs such as mine.  Read them.   You will get ideas and pointers.   BUY A MILEPOST.  Every March they publish a new one for the year.   It has detailed routes going to Alaska and within Alaska also, mile by mile.  Learn how to read the routes backwards or forwards, depending on which direction you are going.  From the Milepost, you will be able to tell where gas stations and points of interest are located.
  • Read some books about Alaska.   Here are some recommendations:   “Anchorage, Denali & the Kenai Peninsula: by Don Pitcher  2.   “Looking for Alaska” by Peter Jenkins and 3. “The Alaska Highway” by Murray Lundberg.
  • Think about trailer security.   Hitch locks, wheel locks, re-key the door locks from the original factory ones which are generic, etc.  Have duplicates made of each and store them somewhere where you can get to them if needed.   If you lose one in the middle of the Yukon or lock yourself out of your trailer, there will be no locksmith to help you!
  • Think about your personal security.  Handguns are not allowed in Canada.  Bear spray is allowed.  Wasp spray is a good substitute also.  If you plan to hike, bear bells will let the bears know you are around.   You don’t want to come up on one and startle them.  Personal security is not necessarily equipment, but just be aware and not naive.   If you are single, be careful just like you would ordinarily.  Don’t be paranoid or scared, but just think ahead.
  • Choose and buy comfort items:  Visors, tents, outside chairs, patio rugs, outside lanterns etc. will make your travels easier.  Don’t get carried away though, or you will have to much weight and stuff!  I had both a battery lantern and a propane lantern, which were invaluable in the remote campgrounds which had no lightpoles anywhere.  You will want a light of some sort at your picnic table.  A couple of flashlights are recommended for walking to and from the bathhouse or just looking around in the middle of the night.
  • If you are new to rv/trailering, practice your routines ahead of time, such as hitching up and unhitching, and that pesky backing up!   Some places may have pull-thrus available, but those are not guaranteed.  People around are usually helpful and will help you if needed, but who wants to feel helpless and unprepared?   Go to a parking lot, set up some cones or something similar and practice manuevering.
  • Understand power and battery management so that you don’t drain your battery.   Have extra fuses available in case something blows.   You don’t want to be shivering in the middle of nowhere with no heat!  Buy a solar source or generator if necessary.
  • Buy groceries – staples and fresh food, snacks and drinks.  Have a cooler and ice if necessary.
  • Fill your fresh water tank.
  • Check tire pressures.