"Highway Thru Hell" TV Show

TerryV6

Well, with winter set in with us and our camper safely stored away... sigh... we have done other things.  Late at night, when we settle back to read a good book or "attempt" to knit ( she is just learning but doing great,) we turn on the tube and watch what we call trash television.  One title my wife likes is the "Highway thru Hell" show, involving a heavy truck firm that works in BC and is based mostly on the Coquihalla Highway.. They remove wrecks, there are a lot of accidents in the winter for sure.. This is some beautiful country.  Has anyone traveled this section of the continent?  

Tommy

I have not traveled up that way but I do love that show  

pthomas745

I drove the Alaska Highway last June from Southern California. From Hope, I took CA 1 and Hwy 97 north to Dawson Creek to pick up the Highway.  That route is just west of the "Highway Thru Hell."  (I didn't own my T@B yet...).  I was surprised to find that, even in the Canadian Rockies, the highest pass to cross is only about 4000 feet.  I've never seen the show, but the incredible remoteness must challenge all their skill, on top of snow, etc.  The further north you go from BC through the Yukon the country becomes more spectacular than I ever imagined.  And even more remote!  I've seen most of the western US, but I've never seen wide open spaces such as I saw on this drive.

Homebodyatheart

I took the train across Canada from Montreal to Vancouver once, and it is an amazing country! Other than camping in BC as a kid and a Vancouver trip before we got married way back when, no travel recently.

ChanW

Boy, that looks like a 'fun' drive...

We drove "The Tail of the Dragon", in NC with our Tab this fall, and that was a treat. Although, as driver, I didn't get a chance to look at the scenery!

This looks like a 'must see'. On my list...

rfuss928

pthomas745 said:

  I was surprised to find that, even in the Canadian Rockies, the highest pass to cross is only about 4000 feet. 

There are many passes on major highways in the Canadian Rockies well over 6000 feet.  I have bicycle toured in the area extensively  and recall the passes quite well.  We also T@B toured there for 3 weeks in 2013.  I would estimate about 50% of the Icefields Parkway is above 4000 feet.  Then there are the Continental Divide crossings on the east-west routes!

pthomas745

Should have been more specific:  the highest point I crossed going north from Hope to Anchorage was Pine Pass.....I'm sure the east to west routes were much higher!  The T@B must be a great support vehicle!  I'll use mine for the Lighthouse Century next year.

Cyclonic

ChanW said:

Boy, that looks like a 'fun' drive...

We drove "The Tail of the Dragon", in NC with our Tab this fall, and that was a treat. Although, as driver, I didn't get a chance to look at the scenery!

This looks like a 'must see'. On my list...

I was chosing between "Tail of the Dragon" and the Cherohala Skyway and chose the later this past November.  I was not disappointed (click on the full screen button to really see this one well).

rfuss928

pthomas745  All of our bicycle touring was fully self contained and unsupported.  Many of our T@B trips have been revisiting areas where we have traveled with our tandem bicycle in the past.  I'm pretty sure our bicycle touring background is why we find it so easy to fit everything we need for very comfortable travel in our T@B with room to spare.
We still ride quite regularly but have not have not yet figured out how to include a tandem bicycle in our T@B travels. 

TabberJohn

rfuss928 said:

We still ride quite regularly but have not have not yet figured out how to include a tandem bicycle in our T@B travels. 

This might do it: http://sandsmachine.com

ChanW

Wow, nice photo Cyclonic!

Like I said, I was too busy driving (and dodging dumb bikers - actually only one dumb one), to even get a picture. And my DW was too busy gritting her teeth and cussing (although there was really no need to be nervous, I told her again and again...   it might have been that she was the one sitting next to the giant cliff...)

Sharon_is_SAM

ChanW, I can relate to your wife's experience.  A few years ago we visited Switzerland.  Our rental car turned out to be a little Mercedes, which my husband loved driving - fast -  through the Alps hair pin switchbacks without guard rails.  And I was not happy either!

Cyclonic

ChanW said:

Wow, nice photo Cyclonic!

Like I said, I was too busy driving (and dodging dumb bikers - actually only one dumb one), to even get a picture. And my DW was too busy gritting her teeth and cussing (although there was really no need to be nervous, I told her again and again...   it might have been that she was the one sitting next to the giant cliff...)

Oh yes, would have been a lot of fun to do.

Part of my decision was due to the bikes, I figured I would let them have their fun there as I would probably be the annoying one.

There was almost no one on the Cherohala, aside from the forest fire vehicles working the fire that was then in the Joyce Kilmore Wilderness Area.  Only as I was coming to the end did I even run into anyone in any of the overlooks.  A great drive, and very comparable to the Blue Ridge Parkway, which I had just finished driving the day before.

wizard1880

I have driven that exact route many times in my travels to Edmonton, and once in mid-december even.  It just happens to be a road where the weather can turn very ugly fast in the wintertime, but otherwise it's your typical Rocky mountains pass.  Scenery is gorgeous of course, just like most of BC.

SnapDog

Ah, "the Coke" , yes we've driven that road often in all types of weather and usually do so every year in either December or January to visit family for the holidays. But have never towed anything over it. I have been wondering how our little 4 cyl Tacoma will manage.