SA: AK>AZ - Prequel: Down the Alcan
SA: AK>AZ - Prequel: Down the Alcan
Greetings fellow rotorheads-
In 2004 I bought my beloved SA via eBay in San Diego and drove it up to Alaska. 13 yrs later we have bought a place in Arizona, so now I needed to get her back down. Under her own power of course! In July I had my mechanic here drop in a spare LSD/Disc rear, mount a new set of 205s on Goldies (all documented on the Forum elsewhere) and I headed off. Destination: Calgary, Alberta, where I would store the SA for the summer while packing the house and moving down in Sept. 2200miles. To say there was a little apprehension is an understatement! It came UP fine when it was somewhat newer and 64,000mi on the clock. The following 13 yrs of local driving held no surprises but hardly a guarantee of a clean run down one N.America's more challenging roads. Ah, bugger it. I was off....
In 2004 I bought my beloved SA via eBay in San Diego and drove it up to Alaska. 13 yrs later we have bought a place in Arizona, so now I needed to get her back down. Under her own power of course! In July I had my mechanic here drop in a spare LSD/Disc rear, mount a new set of 205s on Goldies (all documented on the Forum elsewhere) and I headed off. Destination: Calgary, Alberta, where I would store the SA for the summer while packing the house and moving down in Sept. 2200miles. To say there was a little apprehension is an understatement! It came UP fine when it was somewhat newer and 64,000mi on the clock. The following 13 yrs of local driving held no surprises but hardly a guarantee of a clean run down one N.America's more challenging roads. Ah, bugger it. I was off....
Without going into the Weeds too much about the actual route, (see Map), I was pretty much committed to taking the famous ALCAN thru Whitehorse, Yukon and into Northern BC to Ft. St. John. Here the ALCAN continues into northern Alberta but kind of "dumbs down" to a rather pedestrian route, so I diverted BACK into BC and drove some far more interesting (tho remote) roads thru BCs Interior to Prince George, then over to the Alberta border thru Jasper National Park and on thru the mountains to Calgary... but I am getting ahead of myself.
I got thru Alaska in a Day. (in fact, all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon: a ball-busting 621 miles) The Highway does not actually live up to its vaunted reputation as a Destroyer-of-Cars much anymore. Thank goodness! It is in fact all paved, tho Mother Nature does her damnedest each winter to buck and heave that as much as possible. In fact the real hazard on my trip is the occasional construction zones, with delays, dirt and gravel. But the rewards are many for the Adventurous (or The Desperate in my case)! Miles of empty roads, scenics to die for. The Trip around Kluane Lake in the Yukon is a great example. It is a huge lake and the highway weaves its way along the shores for much of it (pic).
I was hounded thru the last part of the Yukon (after Whitehorse) with poor weather, so no pics. Also tho, no SA -drama as the old girl racked up mile-after-mile with no complaints. Wide roads and low traffic meant I could, er, stretch her legs shall we say?
I got thru Alaska in a Day. (in fact, all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon: a ball-busting 621 miles) The Highway does not actually live up to its vaunted reputation as a Destroyer-of-Cars much anymore. Thank goodness! It is in fact all paved, tho Mother Nature does her damnedest each winter to buck and heave that as much as possible. In fact the real hazard on my trip is the occasional construction zones, with delays, dirt and gravel. But the rewards are many for the Adventurous (or The Desperate in my case)! Miles of empty roads, scenics to die for. The Trip around Kluane Lake in the Yukon is a great example. It is a huge lake and the highway weaves its way along the shores for much of it (pic).
I was hounded thru the last part of the Yukon (after Whitehorse) with poor weather, so no pics. Also tho, no SA -drama as the old girl racked up mile-after-mile with no complaints. Wide roads and low traffic meant I could, er, stretch her legs shall we say?
As I said, this all happened in Late July, so I have to say, as I rolled thru northern BC highways, I was surprised to find a LOT of quiet roads, almost like they were being reserved for me and my little red car. Thru valleys and up mountain passes the BC roads were impressive (pic), tho not without some, er,
unusual sites/hazards. Turns out wood bison pretty much free-range where ever they damn well please! (pic). More than once I rounded a corner to have 20 or so casually sauntering across the road. damn! Would NOT want to be zipping thru there at night when they were about. Of course, one of the benefits of mid-summer northern roads: they are lit up till 11PM! I did a lot of my driving later in the day into the evening, after all the RVs and most other traffic were retired. I was rewarded with what seemed like entire roadways set aside for me to use as I wished. This pattern was repeated many times on my trip!
unusual sites/hazards. Turns out wood bison pretty much free-range where ever they damn well please! (pic). More than once I rounded a corner to have 20 or so casually sauntering across the road. damn! Would NOT want to be zipping thru there at night when they were about. Of course, one of the benefits of mid-summer northern roads: they are lit up till 11PM! I did a lot of my driving later in the day into the evening, after all the RVs and most other traffic were retired. I was rewarded with what seemed like entire roadways set aside for me to use as I wished. This pattern was repeated many times on my trip!
