|
|
| RVing in Canada and Alaska Related Tips |
|
|
|
lanerd
Ridgecrest, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 03/03/2003
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
 Offline
|
Murray... I understand your point. However, a little common courtesy for the tourists that provide a huge hunk of the providence's and state's income might be in order here. The road is not a freeway, nor is it even close to being a highway (in spite of the name). In fact, most places it isn't even much more than a dirt road. As I mentioned above, the Canadian side is much, much better than the US side and I commend Canada's effort here.
I'm sure the bus you drove for 17 years was not your own, nor I bet, did you have to pay for repairs/maintenance, tires, fuel, etc to it either. Replacing a one-piece windshield is not cheap, and in most cases is very time consuming waiting for the replacement windshield to be shipped (or trucked) from the lower 48. 22.5 inch tires are also very expensive and difficult to find.
I will admit however, that I was forewarned and accepted the risk when I ventured out on that "highway". I think only because I did "take it easy" was I spared any damage to our MH and arrived in Chicken in one piece. There are a lot of stories (of which I have no idea how many are true - if any) of rv's going off the edge of the narrow parts due to large "local" vehicles going in the opposite direction at speeds that should not be allowed on such a dangerous "highway".
My point.... even if you do have a "job" that requires traveling this "highway", the driver should STILL be courteous enough to take into consideration (read: respect) that his actions may be detrimental to others and slow down (waaayyy down) while approaching and passing other vehicles. I understand schedules.... but if you really need to be someplace at a certain time and have to drive dangerously to meet that schedule....... start earlier and slow down! Life is short enough without others trying to speed it up.
By the way... we loved Whitehorse and will stop there again. Had the best fish and chips EVER at the Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ? and the only rv park that was full and turning away customers (Hi Country) on our entire 9000 mile trip.
See ya next year..
Ron
Ron & Sandie
'08 Safari Simba SBD35
Toad: Restored 86 Toy 4x4 P/U
Tow Bar: Sterling
Brakes: Unified
TPMS: Pressure Pro
RETIRED!! How sweet it is....
|
explorenorth
Whitehorse, Yukon
Senior Member
Joined: 02/21/2004
View Profile
|
Ron, the fact that we know how to drive roads like the ToW and the vast majority of visitors don't does not make our driving dangerous. The only accidents I can ever remember involved people from "Outside" - including the Princess bus driver a few years ago. Regardless of how you describe it, it's an important transportation route (ie "highway") to us - as you saw by the number of commercial vehicles including fuel tankers that use it. I've had MANY RVs try to prevent me from passing rather than be courteous and get out of my way. Places to pass are few and mostly short, but courtesy begets courtesy. And knowing how wide your vehicle is will prevent you from going over the side - maybe we should require an obstacle-course proficiency test to get a permit to drive the ToW?
|
2hams2alaska
Illinois
Full Member
Joined: 07/04/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
We just returned home from our adventure to Canada and Alaska. We did drive the TOTW Highway in mid June (18th) and I have to agree that the drive was absolutely terrible. It took us 8.5 hours to go from the ferry landing on the west side of the Yukon to Chicken. Ten miles an hour was typical speed and sometimes we felt that this was pushing it. Terrible washboard, ruts and holes.
I never felt at risk due to the lack of shoulders but at times wasn't sure we would be able to get the motor home through in tact. It seemed the shaking was going to loosen every bolt and nut in it. Thank god I had just put new Michelin XPS steel core tires on last year. I wouldn't have had any confidence that we wouldn't have tire problems with anything else. We will never do that 'highway' again despite the wonderful views we enjoyed.
|
byhamr
Colorado
Full Member
Joined: 03/13/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Dont know much about those rod conditions as I acvoided it last week coming up the AlCan. Had a nice ride except the last day in Canada had slower going because of frost heaves... had to take my time...
As for the smoike I am back in Anchorage today from 3 days on Kenai Penninsula... smoke was visible and no doubt made my already poor photography skills look even worse. Still it was a great time... spent a day on a commercial salmon bot that a friend arranged... amazing!
|
lanerd
Ridgecrest, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 03/03/2003
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
Murray, always good to have a local perspective on subjects such as this one.
I think it's prudent to keep in mind that not everyone on the ToW is a local, in fact, probably the opposite holds true, especially in the summer months. Yes, you will have those RV drivers who are not always the most courteous, just as I have experienced some of the locals were. There will always be a discourteous driver everywhere you go...you just have to put up with them the best you can.
However, you will always have rv tourists on that road and you, as the more knowledgeable and proficient driver due to your vast experience of traveling that famous byway, should provide those first time ToW drivers with a leniency towards understanding their state of mind. From personal experience (and I am a very experienced RV driver), I was already in the 100 bpm heart rate just by being on that road and with trucks going by me at least 20 - 30 mph faster and with dust/pebbles flying everywhere in their wake, only made my pulse rise even further. I was very uncomfortable and concerned.
I know that in my locality, I can pretty much drive the roads much faster and more efficiently than those visitors who have never been on them before just as you can yours. Knowing what's just around the next corner or just over the next rise, or where the next pothole is, or where the road narrows, or where the drop offs are, or.... makes a big difference in how one operates a large vehicle on them. However, if on my local roads, if I knowingly drove much faster, closer, or quicker than the first time visitor (which most rv's are regardless of location), I would, in fact, be driving dangerously and be subjecting them to conditions that they may not be able to cope with.
Here, we have the 14,000+ ft Sierra Nevadas with roads that have 10 percent grades, narrow shoulders, and drop offs (sometimes on both sides). Picture yourself driving a 40' motorhome coming down one of these grades for the absolute first time, with a 1000 ft drop off on your right side (with no guard rail of any kind) and a granite wall on the other with the road just barely wide enough to accommodate you and maybe a smaller vehicle beside you. Approaching a fairly tight left hand turn (remember that drop off on the right side?) and you look up and here comes a tractor trailer tanker barreling down on you doing 20 - 30 mph faster than you. OMG! He can't stop, you can't pull over, and lo and behold he doesn't even slow down as passes by you with inches to spare trailing a large dust cloud (including pebbles and small rocks). It engulfs you so that you are momentarily blinded (remember that drop off on the right side?)!!! Can you imagine that? Would your sphincter muscles slam shut? I bet they would.
Again, my point is that the more knowledgeable and proficient driver due to their vast experience of traveling any specific roadway, should initiate leniency, understanding, and of course courtesy to those who do not have this experience. The local drivers of the ToW should be on the lookout for rv's and do whatever they can to provide them with a safe and enjoyable passage. If this means slowing down so that there is no cloud of dust/rocks following them, or pulling over to the side and allowing to pass (opposite direction), or being patient enough to follow until the rv'er finds what he feels is a safe place to pull over to allow you to pass... then, yes by all means, do it. Why create a difficult situation for everyone?
Schedules, I understand. But if the schedules require you to put others at risk, then the schedules should be amended to take into account the type of traffic and weather that can be present at any given time.
Good luck to all who decide to tackle this road and hats off to those who have to drive it often.
Ron
|
|
|
explorenorth
Whitehorse, Yukon
Senior Member
Joined: 02/21/2004
View Profile
|
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, Ron. During the month I spent in an RV on New Zealand's wild roads with even wilder local drivers last year, I quickly learned to just get out of their way at every possible opportunity (I'd go back there and do it again tomorrow if I could).
|
sue.t
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 08/05/2004
View Profile
|
lanerd wrote:Picture yourself driving a 40' motorhome coming down one of these grades for the absolute first time, with a 1000 ft drop off on your right side (with no guard rail of any kind) and a granite wall on the other with the road just barely wide enough to accommodate you and maybe a smaller vehicle beside you.
You mean something like this?
note the front edge of the fifth wheel on the right side of the picture
The South Canol Road ... one of the best drives ever!
sue t.
Pictures from our many RV Adventures to Yukon & Alaska
|
FMVan
SE Mass.
New Member
Joined: 09/20/2008
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
Drove it this morning and didn't think it was that bad - took 5 hours from Chicken to Dawson City - including lunch and stopping for photos.
Fred
www.fmvan.com
|
timandsusan
San Antonio, Texas
Full Member
Joined: 11/15/2006
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
In 2007,we opted to drop the 5th wheel in Tok and drive over the TOW with the truck only. Best move of our trip! Stayed in B&B in Dawson City and had a blast. I recommend that method -- even though we drove over and back to Tok--the views were worth it. The 5th got to rest at a parking spot at Sourdough Camp Ground.
|
lanerd
Ridgecrest, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 03/03/2003
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
explorenorth wrote:I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, Ron.
Murray, I originally stated my thoughts about the disrespect that locals had for the rv'ers on the ToW highway causing rocks and a huge cloud of dust in their wake. You wrote back and said that because some of the locals have schedules to meet. This implies that this type of driving is justified.
I then wrote back and said that type of driving was dangerous and the locals should take this into consideration when sharing the road with the first time drivers of the ToW. You replied that knowing that road also makes that type of driving justified and that it was the slow moving, first time on highway rv'ers who are not being courteous by not pulling over and allowing you to pass.
So, not to put words in your mouth, am I to understand that you will not show leniency or be courteous to the rv tourist on the ToW? And that you don't care if your rocks/pebbles following your vehicle busts their windshield, or the dust cloud/closeness of passing runs them off the road just as long as your schedule is met?
Of course you wouldn't!! Just from our chats here, I surely don't believe that you are this type of irresponsible and arrogant person. I can tell that you would most certainly be courteous to your fellow rv'er to the extent of your own discomfort and help them in any way you could.
So, exactly what are you disagreeing with me on? I'm confused.
Ron
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
