North - to Alaska!

Tabaz

Has anyone had any experience using a ferry to go from Seattle to Alaska (bypassing those pesky Canadians)?  Someone told me yesterday he was on one with several RVs and people tent camping on the boat's deck.

Michigan_Mike

I haven't done that stretch, but you will be missing a lot if you do not go up through the Glacier NP area, Banff and Jasper. That is one beautiful drive and the Canadian Rockies are much more beautiful than the Colorado Rockies.

Allie

It would be so cool to have a T@B caravan going to Alaska.

DougandMia

Michigan_Mike said:

I haven't done that stretch, but you will be missing a lot if you do not go up through the Glacier NP area, Banff and Jasper. That is one beautiful drive and the Canadian Rockies are much more beautiful than the Colorado Rockies.

And we Canadians are pretty darn great, too  Maybe just a little pesky.... Some of us.

RZRBUG

DougandMia said

And we Canadians are pretty darn great, too...

I know at least two that are.

Machak88

Love Canada, especially in July - August 

Machak88

...and dream of traveling with our  t@b all the way to Alaska from GA! 

Tabaz

If Christopher Columbus discovered America, who discovered Canada? It seems like the country just showed up out of nowhere. And how did they draw that perfectly straight line from east to west along the border without a GPS? I'm just saying we should keep an eye on them, that's all.

DougandMia

It was the Vikings in the east. There is evidence of settlements in Newfoundland from about 1000 years ago. As for the straight line... We are a very neat and tidy people.

Tabaz

If the Viking story is true, shouldn't the United States be called South Canada (like South Dakota)?

DougandMia

The Viking story is true. My theory is that everyone either froze to death or moved south and became snowbirds and nothing was mentioned again. We're also very polite.

Nomad

MN breaks that nice straight line though. Could it be the Vikings way of giving the canadians the finger?

Tabaz

That makes perfect sense. I was stunned how courteous and pleasant everyone was during my stay in Canada. A clean and beautiful place. BTW, never engage in a history discussion with someone who went to a vocational high school.

Nomad

My last two (and current) campground neighbors have been Canadian - I've run into so many I think they're invading.

DougandMia

I think you're correct PXLated. Florida is full now, next it will be Arizona, and before you know it "South Canada" it is.

Tabaz

Getting back to the original posting (boring as it is), the cost to ferry you and your RV from Washington state to Homer ALaska is $3,000 by my estimate. With no access to your RV while the ferry is underway. You must rent a cabin. Seems pretty steep to me.

T@Buhura

We had looked into it but just passage for your vehicle and T@B can be quite expensive even if tent camping on the deck (which is free to do vs. getting a cabin). During the summer when fuel was 2x as much as it is now it was much cheaper to drive and camp than taking the ferries. If I recall, car alone up to 14' was going to be about $2k one way. The other thing is you miss out on some spectacular camping through Canada's Provincial Parks (BC) and Government Parks (YT and NT) which in our experience surpassed many US parks. Plus we would have missed out on meeting Michigan_Mike and his posse in Watson Lake during our return trip as they were headed north.

It was an awesome 7000 mile road trip and our T@B was fantastic. We encountered other T@Bers and even a local one to AK in Seward that was a twin to our 2006!

Pardon the dirty T@B... as Mike kindly said, "that's got to be the dirtiest T@B I've ever seen". Ha, good thing he hadn't seen it before the rains we drove through  

Tabaz

The gauntlet has been thrown. I'll be going to Alaska this summer with my T@B (sans ferry) If you're interested in joining the expedition, let me know.  Looking at mid-June, two to three weeks in duration. We only live once.

T@Balong

I wholeheartedly recommend traveling the Alaska Marine Highway.   Though not T@B owners at the time, we did take our teardrop trailer from Michigan to Alaska and back.   Out of that eight-week trip, we spent two weeks on and off the ferry visiting most of the coastal towns in the Inside Passage.   My wife and I agree that was the best part of the trip.   John Holod, a travel film-maker and RV show speaker, suggests traveling with your RV on land from your starting point and seeing what you want to see on land in Alaska first.   After that, take the ferry from the north back south.   We took his advice and it turned out to be right on.   Starting in Haines, we made stops in Juneau, Gustavus, Sitka, Petersburg, and Ketchikan before getting off at Prince Rupert.  In each of these places we camped at least a couple of nights.   It is certainly worthwhile to budget the time to visit several places along the ferry route rather than booking a passage straight through.

T@Buhura

OutbackAZ said:

The gauntlet has been thrown. I'll be going to Alaska this summer with my T@B (sans ferry) If you're interested in joining the expedition, let me know.  Looking at mid-June, two to three weeks in duration. We only live once.

You'll love it! Get the Milepost and plan out your routes. We took the central up and eastern back to get as much in as possible. The western is the ferry route. With T@B in tow you can wing it on where to stop depending on interests, when you feel like taking a break, etc. And the parks up are truly wonderful and of all sizes from small little roadside parks of 16 sites to really big parks that feel like you've landed in the Garden of Eden. The best part is they're super accessible with some being literally right off the highway or you can venture as far as you want off the beaten path to find even more rewarding experiences.

Tabaz

T@Balaska 2016 is the name of the expedition (not to be confused with Baked Alaska 2016).  I envision a join in when you can - leave when you want format. Let's do this!

Tabaz

Thanks T@Bahura! Like the Lewis and Clark expedition, we'll need a Dutch oven and interpreter familiar with languages along the route. Hopefully, one of our members will be fluent in "Canadian."

Nomad

All ya gotta know is - Yaaaa, You Betcha

DougandMia

I think you have met imposters. We also don't say aboot  instead of about. It's all a myth. Many of us, however, have the unfortunate habit of ending sentences with"eh?"

Tabaz

PXLated: looking forward to you joining the expedition as lead interpretor. Your command of the ancient Canadian dialect is impressive and reassuring. Also, bring a Dutch oven. 

Nomad

I'm from MN - It's dang near Canada :-)
Been to Fargo too don't ya know.

Allie

Was born and raised in Niagara Falls, NY, right across the river from Canada.  You Know how Canada got its name?  Three trappers were sitting around the campfire one night.  One trapper said, "Gee, this is a gorgeous country.  Lots of good hunting and trapping up here.  Wonder what they call it?"  Another said, "It doesn't have a name."  The other suggested they name it.  So they put all the letters of the alphabet in a coonskin hat, and each trapper would pull out a letter.  The first one pulled out a letter and said, "C, eh".  The 2nd trapper pulled out a letter and said, "N, eh".  The last trapper pulled out of the hat and said, "N, eh".   Now you know how Canada got its name.

DougandMia

Fargo-- yes, that's the movie where they kept saying: "Yaaa, you betcha". I think that saying stays on your side of the"straight line" (eh?)

Norbert1223

I wish I was retired.  I'd be so up for this trip.

JandJ92010

What a hoot!

Nomad

Funny, don't think I ever heard "fargo talk" till after "Fargo"