Each summer, thousands make the trek to Alaska. Its many wonders draw them like nectar draws bees. But the wonders of Alaska are only part of the story. It's a distant land and each traveler is faced with the challenge of determining what is the best way to get there. Given the limits of time and financial resources, a few, like myself, may opt to pull a travel trailer several thousand miles round trip.

I'd dreamed of making this trip for years. Something always kept me from it. But this year a friend agreed to make the trip with me and split expenses; an offer I could not refuse.

I had a ‘75 model, twenty-two foot travel trailer. Parts were hard to come by. I didn't want any problems on the ALCAN Highway so I had brand new axles, springs and brakes installed. Then I installed a rack to carry two spare tires and two batteries. Pulled behind my ¾ ton GMC Yukon, the total package seemed in great shape and ready to roll.

My traveling companion and I worked out the itinerary, making reservations at over seventy destinations along a fourteen thousand mile route. It took a lot of work just to plan this trip.

May 1^st 2005, we pulled out of my driveway. We planned to travel the most direct route from Florida to San Diego with numerous stops along the way.

There was plenty of exciting things to see, like the hailstorm we encountered in Carlsbad, NM. Golf-ball size hail dimpled the hood of my Yukon and broke both skylights in the camper. Heavy rain poured in through the broken skylights but we caught most in pots and pans. Luckily, I brought along packing tape and made temporary repairs the next morning. Permanent repair would have to wait until we returned home. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

We pushed westward eventually arriving in San Diego, CA. From there we began the trek north with plenty to see along the California coastline.

Peering down from Hwy 1 to the Pacific Ocean crashing against the cliffs took my breath away almost as much as the plugged sewer system in our camper. We learned the hard way you don't flush Pampers wipes down an RV toilet. But a broom handle attack and a whole lot of flushing finally got traffic moving again. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing one more problem had been beaten. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable.

In the back of my mind, I wondered what minor problem would show its ugly face next. I didn't have to wait long for the answer.

We planned to spend the night at a campground in Redding, California. About fifty miles south, we stopped for gas. I wanted to have a full tank when we started out the next morning. After getting settled in the campground, I noticed the smell of gasoline. Looking around, I spotted a puddle under my vehicle; gas dripped from my fuel tank. Have you any idea what thoughts went through my mind over the next several minutes and hours? I put a small plastic bucket under my vehicle to catch the fuel and started making calls.

It was Saturday night. All auto repair shops were closed. They would not open until Monday. Redding didn't even have a GMC dealership. My only option, catch the leaking fuel and hope nothing ignited it. All night long I sweated the thought of a fire or worse, an explosion.

By morning the leak had stopped. Only two quarts of gasoline were in the bucket. Still worried about an explosion, I started the engine anyway. We decided to continue our journey until we reached Crescent City, CA. I could take my Yukon to their GMC dealership for repair first thing Monday morning. Every time we stopped I checked the leak and noticed the tank did not leak fuel unless I filled it over three quarters full.

The GMC dealership inspected my fuel tank and discovered damage in the sealing surface where the fuel pump is installed. With no warranty and four thousand miles separating us from home, we had two options; continue the trip without ever filling the tank over three quarters or stick around ten days while they ordered a new tank. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We decided to continue our journey.

We arrived in Seattle, Washington, only to discover our refrigerator had stopped working. Ouch! We needed a refrigerator. Still, we could make do with ice chests and ice. Sam's Club put us back in business. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

Seven hundred miles into Canada our air conditioner started tripping the breaker and our lights were dim. Hmmm.

I went to work trouble-shooting the problem. Half an hour later, I narrowed the problem down to a bad RV power plug. Not a good thing. We were many miles from any major city and hardware stores do not carry electrical plugs for campers. We would just have to stay on the lookout for businesses along our route that might have one. If we could just find the part, I had the tools and know how.

We got lucky. I suspect the RV place knew they had us over a barrel; thirty-five dollars for a part that should have cost about ten bucks. That night, after a bit of work, problem solved. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

To my surprise the refrigerator began to work again. How nice.

Things seemed to be looking up; until we discovered everything under the kitchen sink wet. Both drains on the kitchen sink were leaking.

When we arrived in Prince Rupert, BC, I found a plumbing supply store. I spent the better part of a day tearing plumbing apart and putting it back together again. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable.

June 7^th, we got on the Alaska Marine Highway in Price Rupert. I highly recommend travelers use this ferry system. The accommodations were first class, the sights were awesome and there are several Alaskan cities that cannot be accessed any other way.

In Petersburg, AK, we encountered the first rain since our hailstorm experience in Carlsbad. Apparently, more had been damaged than just skylights. Water, once again, poured in. That night, I had to sleep under a constant drip. A stack of towels made sleep possible. The next morning, I used my Yukon as a ladder to gain access to the camper's roof. There, plain as day, I found a hole the size of a golf-ball. Luckily, Petersburg had a hardware store. I wadded up tin foil, stuffed the hole and spread roof patching cement over it. Another problem solved and it only took me half a day to do it. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

When we arrived in Sitka, AK, we stayed in Starrigavan campground. With batteries for lights, plenty of water and a holding tank for sewage, I didn't need hookups. Good thing, since they didn't offer any. Unfortunately, the sewage tank had a leak in the top of it. When we left the campground a few days later, the sewage naturally began to slosh around and, you guessed it, all the way to the dump station in town we spewed a continuous trail of sewage down the highway. The locals who informed me of this fact were not smiling. Fortunately, they accepted assurances I would do something about it. We dumped our sewage and got out of town. I didn't let the holding tank get anywhere near full after that. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

Fortunately, we found a campground in Juneau with full hookups. Just as I was about to relax, I discovered the refrigerator stopped working again. This time, I traced the problem to a faulty thermostat. I had no choice but rewire it to stay on all the time. This tended to freeze everything in it. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

We arrived in Valdez on June 23^rd and were lucky enough to spend several days in a campground with full hookups. Things were going quite well and I thought perhaps all the bad things were behind us. Wrong. It rained again. Guess what? More leaks. But I still had roof-patching cement. The next morning, I climbed back on the roof to patch more holes. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

Tolsona Wilderness Campground certainly looked inviting. The zillions of Alaskan mosquitoes were no problem: if you don't go outside. If you do go outside, it might not be a problem; if you run real fast, flailing your arms as you go. We opted to stay inside.

Unfortunately, during the night the humming got louder and we started donating blood. I thought a few had somehow gotten in before we closed the door. Turning on the lights, we discovered hundreds of them buzzing around us; reminded me of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds." I bloodied the walls and ceiling with them. Not a very good night.

The next morning, I killed another couple hundred mosquitoes and surmised they got in through the camper's vents. In Palmer, we bought screen and duct taped it over every vent on the camper. Problem solved. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. We continued our journey.

Our visits to Seward, Soldotna, Homer, Anchorage and Denali went off without a hitch. We had overcome all obstacles to see the best Alaska had to offer. Unfortunately, despite all the problems I'd overcome, one remained. My traveling companion was the one problem I just couldn't seem to fix. I finally hit on the solution.

I put her on the next plane out of Anchorage.

Without a traveling companion, my thoughts turned homeward. I decided to make the five thousand mile return drive alone stopping only when necessary to rest and get fuel.

Early on July 17^th, I began the long drive. Road conditions throughout this trip had been acceptable. The moment I turned onto the Tok Cut-Off, I realized those days were over. The next fourteen hundred miles would be on the worst road I've ever traveled. At times I could do no more than five miles an hour. Granted, some stretches I could do fifteen miles an hour. And yes, there were many stretches that I could actually travel fifty-five. But I had to stay constantly alert for potholes, hazards, dips and bumps. Late that night, I pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot in Whitehorse, YT. Exhausted, I made a quick inspection of the camper and noticed a broken plumbing connection. No problem, I had duct tape. It seemed minor compared to everything I'd already been through. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. I continued my journey.

The next day proved to be another grueling day on the ALCAN. Late that night, I parked in a roadside pull off. The next morning, I inspected the camper before resuming my journey. To my horror, I discovered that somewhere along the ALCAN, the camper's entire sewer system had been lost. (Stop laughing, damn it!)

What could I do but shrug it off? Inconvenient? Yes; but I was on my way home and the trip still doable. I continued my journey.

Another hundred miles and I needed a potty break. Seeing a rest stop ahead, I pulled in. A car pulled up beside me. "Did you know you are dragging a bicycle down the highway behind your camper?" someone asked.

"Oh ****," I replied.

The bike and rack were still attached to the camper's steel bumper. The rough ALCAN had shaken the assembly relentlessly, fatiguing the metal to the point of tearing. Now, bike, rack and bumper were dragging the ground, barely still attached to the camper by a mere thread of steel. "Stop laughing, damn it!"

I placed the remains of the bike and rack inside the camper and tied the bumper up off the ground with rope. I hoped it would stay there until I could get home. Inconvenient? Yes. I thought about abandoning the camper on the side of the road. Maybe I should have, but I was on my way home and the trip still doable. I continued my journey.

I spent another night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Saskatoon, SK. The bike rack and bike made getting in and out of the camper difficult. The heat made sleeping uncomfortable. I managed.

July 20^th I resumed my journey. When I stopped for fuel I discovered my credit card had been cancelled. "****!" I had very little cash. I called to find out why. Hackers had compromised the credit card company's database. How nice. Good thing I still had one of my traveling companion's credit cards. It still worked. Maybe I could get home before she cancelled it. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable. I continued my journey.

That evening, one very happy traveler crossed the border into the USA.

Despite the rough interstate and a driving rain, I began to believe my problems were over. I could even drive sixty-five.

But then, I noticed the camper's windows flapping in the wind. Soon they would take flight. The thought of a camper without windows horrified me. I remembered... the duct tape. Pulling into the next rest stop, I taped the windows closed. Inconvenient? Yes; but the trip still doable.

Then I encountered driving rain. You know what that's like. I stopped at the next rest stop to wait it out. Before leaving, I performed another camper inspection.

Apparently, the aluminum skin of the camper was now leaking water like a sieve The interior walls were wet, the wood rippled. I didn't care. I just wanted to get home.

My tires looked ratty but I only had about sixteen hundred miles to go. I took a chance and pushed on. I know you think I must be crazy but I still had the camper still in tow.

On the evening of July 23^rd, home sure was a welcome sight.

Next time, I'll fly.

Keyword: Alaska travel RV camper camping journey trek

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Comments (3)

Posted by D.A. Ross 2008-06-24 20:41:22 Alaska !! COLD Sounds like a perfect example for Murphy’s Law. Well written, could have used more emotional responses from your character. Is this a true story? If not it would have very easy to turn this into a great comedy + Report this comment
Posted by Dr Lucifer 2008-06-26 16:31:44 North To Alaska Every detail of it is true. + Report this comment
Posted by chaabuk 2008-08-12 21:03:06 .... You must have written a diary account, that has been accounted for here so truly. The description is well defined. Even the trekking details are portrayed vividly. Engrossing. + Report this comment

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