ALASKA- "Just the facts, Ma'am"

Well now you got my curiosity going.......

Sarge:  Your posts and pics are just sooo awesome that I'm becoming more and more excited about our trip to Alaska next summer! Your recent post mentioned something about attending a seminar about traveling to Alaska?  Who, what, where & when...so new to this rv'ing idea...I'm a PLANNER and organizer (which is why hubby has me navigate!)...so the more info I can gather the happier clam I am.  Keep the posts coming, and yes, a cruise to Alaska is a good way to experience the last frontier, but I'll bet you wouldn't give up all that you are experiencing on this trip for anything (even with your rc/jeep 'problems').  Thanks for keeping us up-to-date!

Thanks Linda! We have attended two different seminars on Alaska travel, both at rallys.  One was at the Winnebago Grand National rally in Forest City, and the other was at a Good Sam rally at the Phoenix speedway.  Each was given by a different person, so I got two different perspectives on the travel issues.

Yep, you are right, I still wouldn't want to miss out on the adventure for any reason!

I think I've also seen such presentations at FMCA rallies, although haven't attended one myself.

ArdraF

Ardra, they are seminars at the FMCA rallys, Tim and I went to one the last time we were at a rally.  Lots of information.

Marsha~

Marty.....Hope your slide arm is a quick fix...drats!!!

We will be in Anchorage tomorrow morning at the "Golden Nugget" campground in order to stock up on supplies.  We are down to nothing but fish in the fridge.  I tried finding a campground that had cable TV because we wanted to watch the opening of the Olympics.  No such luck.  I found one, but it was so poorly rated on RVparkreviews.com that I decided no TV was better.  There doesn't seem to be quality campgrounds in or near Anchorage. 

On Monday we are heading to Talketna for the night so that Tim can have "sourdough" pancakes the next morning.  Then we will be in Denali for several days.

Marsha~

We stopped in at a map dot named Glacier View after leaving Seward, and checked in for the night at the Grand View Cafe and RV park. It was actually a pretty cool little park. It was small and the sites are standard dirt and gravel, but the scenery is pretty nice. You can take a short walk out of the campground on a marked trail and have an overlook of the Matanuska Glacier. So walked the trail and took a few pics. There is also a little resturant in the campground office that offers standard meal fare.  We pulled out the next morning on the way to Valdez and hit a Tesoro gas station in Palmer. I paid $ $4.05 a gallon, which was pretty good considering some of the prices we have seen in the small towns. 

In route to Valdez we passed by the Worthington glacier. It was huge, and we could easily see it from the highway. Diane took a few "dashboard" pics as we went by, but we didn't stop. 

We continued into Valdez and checked in at Bear Paw II campground. You actually have to check in at Bear Paw I around the corner. They call this campground the Adult only campground. It has a location right on the inlet bay to Valdez harbor, and the fishing trawlers cruise by all day.  Most all of the sites back up to the bay, so the view is great. The sites are set up for trailers, but if you want to head in with a motorhome it is no problelm.  You can run your electric and water under the coach, and if you don't want to run sewer underneath there is a dump station on the way out of the campground.  The rate was $40 a night, and they have no problems filling the place up.  Kind of a cool side note, the guy that checked us in said that we could wash our car or anything we wanted in the site, no problem.  Wow, I haven't heard that since I got into Canada.  So one of the first things I did was wash the Jeep and the Motorhome. There was layers of mud on everything.  I was pretty tired afterwards, but it was worth it. 

Well, it seems like I used up all my good luck with the Jeep gas cap in Seward. Because while setting up the rig in Valdez I was on the left side doing the hook ups while Diane was doing the inside set up.  Suddenly I heard a loud bang, like someone dropped a man hole cover or something. My neighbors were outside looking at a problem 5th wheel pin box so I walked around to check if they were alright.  Instead Diane met me at the door and said "I think something is wrong with the slide. It just made a loud noise". 

Oh crap. Fearing the worst I pulled out a tape measure and checked the distances from the motorhome wall to the edge of the slide out on each side.  Yep, the rear side was out 1/4" farther than the front edge.  I have checked them in the past and knew that they used to be exactly the same.  I got out a flashlight and had Diane slowly retract the living room slide a few inches at a time.  Yep, there it was.  A gear wheel that rides on a toothed track on the bottom of the slide arm had 2 chipped teeth. (pic below).  OK, so now I am spinning trying to figure out what to do about this. 

By the time I figured out what was wrong, it was about 4:30 PM Alaska time.  A quick call to Power Gear was futile (Power Gear does not answer retail phone calls).  So I have had decent luck with their e-mail in the past, so I filled out the form, explained the problem and attached a photo of the broken gear.  Oh yeah, and I checked my warranty date. I was 29 days out of warranty on the Power Gear system. Figures.  Winnebago was closed, and I checked the local listing for a RV repair shop in Valdez. The closest I could find was an auto mechanic. I figured that the most likely place was going to be Anchorage. 

I got an e-mail the next morning from Power Gear. They said that they would "good will" the part and I would pay for labor. They would also ship to where ever it needed to go. I called Winnebago customer service line and asked about a Winnebago authorized repair shop in Alaska. They did recommend one in Anchorage called "Great Alaskan Holidays".  It is actually a rental  dealership that specializes in Winnebago motorhomes, both Class A and C, and therefore do all types of sales and service repairs as well. I called and talked to the service advisor who said that I could get an appointment this coming Monday.  The timing would work out about right with the part being shipped so it looks like we are making an unscheduled trip back to Anchorage. 

I also called my extended service contract provider "Corner Stone" and started a claim for the rest of the labor charge. Funny, I never buy extended service contracts on anything usually, but when buying the motorhome a few years ago the dealer made a pretty good deal on it so I went for it, never expecting to need it.  We will see how this turns out. 

On a recommendation from Marsha, we went to scout out the local Salmon Fish hatchery here in Valdez.  It was really pretty remarkable. We talked to a guy before we found the hatchery that was there to do some fishing of his own. He said that the hatchery was now closed and had harvested all of the salmon eggs that they could use. So the weir was now closed (a stainless steel ramp about 30' across that lets the salmon upstream) so all of the fish just jam up next to it until they are either caught, eaten by a bear or a sea lion, or just die. In one of the pics below you can see the hundreds of fish jammed into one small area trying to get upstream. 

Kind of a fact of life for a salmon I guess, once they return to spawn, they will only live about 2 weeks, weather they make it or not.  The sight of the whole thing kinda put Diane off on salmon. She says she will stick to cod or halibut from now on. 

The weather everywhere we have been lately has been kind of cold, rainy and gloomy.  Then today dawned, and it was a picture perfect day in Valdez (see pics).  The mountains were breathtaking, the air was crisp, and the sun was just warm enough to feel good without getting you hot. We also caught a few pics of a neat waterfall on the way to the fish hatchery.  This really is a neat area, but we are getting the boot tomorrow. Two caravans are getting here tomorrow and are taking up every available space here, and part of the other campground.  So we head off for Anchorage in the morning. 

The Verizon air card worker well here, and the satellite would have.  There was a huge tree in back of the site that prevented us from getting signal on the roof top dish. With all the other stuff going on, I just never got around to using the portable. 

Marsha, we too will be at the Golden Nugget, but not til the afternoon.  See you there!  I think I can get satellite there, so if so come on over and watch the Olympics!

So you headed back to Anchortown or what?

Yep, got an appointment for Monday at 0730 to get the new gears put in.  I went by the "Great Alaskan Holidays" business to check them out.  A pretty good sized operation. They not only rent various sizes of RV's, they also have a large service department and even have some new ones on site to sell.  I confirmed the service appointment and chatted with a service rep.  At first glance they seem pretty squared away.  Hopefully on Monday afternoon I will have the same opinion!

Marsha and Tim are here in the park with us, across the road. They are out doing a float plane trip for some sightseeing. I am sure Marsha will fill us in when she gets back.

Marty, I'm really finding your opinions/insights into the various campgrounds helpful, and I love the pictures of your coach in the campsites. Hope the slide-gear repair goes smoothly.

Kev

Good luck with "gear" repair.....
Keep your reports coming........
Thank you

Thanks Kev, today worked out OK. 

After hanging out in Anchorage for another four days, we made it to the repair appointment this morning. I have to give Kudos to Power Gear for getting the part to Anchorage on time for our appointment. In order to make it in time, they shipped the part from Indiana to Alaska via UPS 2 day air. That couldn't have been cheap!  We did bump into Marsha and Tim again here at the "Lead Nugget" RV park.  OK, it's real name is Golden Nugget, but that's over stating the facts.  We went out to dinner on Saturday with them to a nice place named the "Snow Goose restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewery". Good food and local brewed beers.  Good stuff!

We arrived on time at 0730 and checked in the RV. At that time we had not sent any paperwork to my extended warranty provider, Corner Stone. I figured that Corner Stone would want documentation before authorizing anything. So while waiting for the Tech to show up (they started at 0800) we went to breakfast. We came back and the coach was in the shop and was trying to figure out how to get to the gear. The service manager had called Corner Stone and had them on the phone.  They wanted some proof that Power Gear was supplying the new parts and that we were not putting in used parts.  I had the e-mail from Power Gear on my smart phone, so I forwarded the e-mail string to the rep at Corner Stone, and after a few minutes they called back with the approval.  The dealership was impressed with Corner Stone because after getting the preliminary information, Corner Stone faxed them a work order with what was to be done, the labor allowed, and the total that they were going to pay for it. 

By about 1300 (1 PM) the coach was finished and they were pulling it out. They had installed the new gear, and checked the alignment of the slide which checked out good. Inspection of the opposite gear on the other slide rail showed that it was in good condition.  When they called Corner Stone to tell them that the job was complete, Corner Stone faxed them a credit card number to run and the dealership was paid in full.  I completed my part by paying the $100 deductible. The balance of labor costs, $506.00 was picked up by Corner Stone.  The dealership was surprised that they got paid so quickly. He said that they usually wait for weeks for a check.

It had been raining in Anchorage since Sunday night, and had been raining all day. We hooked up the Jeep and just wanted to put some miles between us and Anchorage. We wound up driving to the little map dot of Gakona, Ak, and stayed at the Gakona RV park.  It is right on the Copper river.  It it a typical Alaska looking RV park, but the sites are a river view.  We have 30 amp full hook ups and paid $28. The credit card machine was down, so we paid cash.  On the way we stopped in Palmer AK, to get fuel. I paid $3.99 for diesel. I think fuel prices have dropped a few cents here recently. 

On the up side, I stood next to the living room slide as Diane hit the button. The slide moved smoothly and quietly and dropped into position. Hooray! It seems to be quieter than it was before the gear teeth broke. Maybe it was out of adjustment, and now is back in line.  I will keep a good thought. 

I was able to get Direct TV here, EL 11 degrees, and AZ of 108.  Not a lot of signal, but enough to lock on. The Verizon air card is working, but barely. I think the signal here is 1xRTT and is pretty weak.  I think we are the only ones in the park watching TV, at the neighbor is getting 1 fuzzy channel on his over the air antenna. 

Tomorrow we head to Tok, or the border, I'm not sure which.  We will see how the spirit moves us when we get up. I checked my passenger side storage bay upon arrival here today. I am still getting water inside. I think that it is still breaching the rubber door seal. The rest of the bays I have been able to resolve the water issues, but that one is being stubborn. In spite of the additional strip of rubber molding that I added to the door itself, the water is still being pushed inside. That bay is right in front of the tire, and the spray pounds that seal.  I'm not sure what to try next. 

Awesome that Cornerstone stepped up to the plate so quickly. I love the anecdote about having the email on your phone. Ain't technology great! Interesting - your observation about the slide mechanism seeming quieter now. Kinda does seem like the problem was alignment-related.

Starting to make a little headway with Cyndi on an Alaska trip of our own. Heck, as I see it, if you own an RV an Alaska trip should be mandatory. I only show her the pictures you've taken with sunny days and cute little animals in them. You don't have many of those so I substituted some pictures of Hawaii and the new Panda bear that was just born at the San Diego zoo - said they were all taken in Valdez, but I don't know if she fell for it.

No more drizzly, cloudy day pics OK Pal. Ya gotta help me out here. And no pictures of Grizzly bears either. I love 'em but she thinks they're gonna bust through the door while we're sleeping and eat us (city girl). Maybe you could get Diane to pose next to a glacier wearing a swimming suit and sun glasses. Then I could say, "See how nice it is there honey!" And if Diane could be holding a Nordstrom shopping bag, that would cinch the deal. Alaska here we come!

Lovin' the updates Marty!

Kev

Kevin,
Having been RVing in Alaska 5 times, I can assure you that the weather isn't always rainy, misty, or overcast.
On our first trip in '94 the temperature in Fairbanks was 93 degrees for three days. The "locals" were about to roast. Only one of the stores had air conditioning  (Woolworths), and the rest had their front and rear doors propped open with fans running. The weather varies from year to year, this year seems to be one of the years with rain. My wife said that Alaska is wonderful, rain or shine.
Good Luck,
Indiana Journey

Oh I believe you, and heck, a little rain never hurt ya anyway. I just have to convince my wife - the prosecuting attorney - the woman who's paid to argue. I'm sure she'll go... just gonna take some convincing.

Kev

Kevin, you cracked me up.

When Diane, Marty, Tim (my hubby) and I were in Anchorage, somewhere in one of our discussions was the fact that Alaska is not as rugged as articles and seminar presenters have portayed.  They left you with the feeling that fuel is scarce, roads will destroy your coach and animals are everywhere.  Well, that's not true.  Gas stations are plentiful, the roads in Alaska are actually pretty good and you have to really look for the animals.  There has not been any campground where our Verizon or ATT aircards have not worked here in Alaska.  Now Canada is another issue.  Marty has that solved, whereas Tim and I are using campground WiFi when it's available.

Alaska is very accomodating to RVers.  Right now were are parked north of Denali NP about 120 +/- miles south of Fairbanks with full hook-ups, excellent air card service for internet and cable TV.  Pretty nice!!!

No offense to Canadians, but in the Yukon and upper BC, fuel stations are further apart, roads are not so good and sometimes the wifi isn't as strong.  So the issues are really getting to Alaska not being in it.

The thing that amazes me is that in the middle of summer it's 60 or so degrees.  In less than 6 months, this will all be covered with 60-80+ inches of snow and all the rivers will be frozen over.  That's something!

I know I'm far away from home, but don't feel far from home.  Does that make sense?

Marsha~

When we RV'd to Alaska, Marlene was very disappointed. Our first trip was a cruise and she felt that Alaska was all ice, glaciers and white. When we were in our RV, it was green. We went to the Arctic Circle and she expected ice floes, polar bears and igloos. I walked around the grass in shirt sleeves. One never knows, do one ;D ??? ??

One of the treasures of RVing, based on our nearly 20 year experience, is the absolute shattering of preconceived notions!  So many areas of our great country turned out to be different, and much more beautiful or interesting, than we ever dreamed possible.

Margi

Tom and Margi said:

  So many areas of our great country turned out to be different, and much more beautiful or interesting, than we ever dreamed possible.

Click to expand...

Margi,
I don't think I have ever been disappointed in any of our RV adventures.  Much is attitude.  Can't control weather, so we live with it.  Some of my photos are better than others and some destinations beg us to come back on a sunny  day.  All of it is better than working! 

OK Kev, I'll do my best to keep the pics sunny, but Alaska has to help out a little!  Marsha was right about the Yukon and BC. We are in Destruction Bay right now. No cell, poor WiFi, 15 amp generator electric, and take your trash with you when you leave. It feels kind of like the 1960's.

The view are nice and I'll get a few pics, but probably can't post until I get to Skagway. Lots of crappy roads and road construction in N. Yukon though.  The mud has totally covered the Jeep and MH. I got a good story for the blog, but I am typing on my cell, and it's a little tough on my eyes. 

More to follow!