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Oliver Survived the Alcan.


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Today we arrived in Tok, AK after a 3,400 mile journey from San Diego. The last 400 miles on the Alcan were challenging. The only damage was from the microwave popping open and the glass tray shattering in the trailer. 
 

The frost heaves create quite a challenge. You can see 95% of them, but the other 5% take a toll. The Dexter axles handled it all well. 
 

Now we start 2 months touring AK. 
 

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2016 Oliver Legacy Elite II.  2021 Ford F250 Diesel

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Have a great time.

The 50 miles of the Richardson highway, up to Valdez, is our very favorite highway.

Try to catch the tide change at tirnagain arm. Its amazing.

 Which way are you going? And, where?

 

 

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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Btw, the northern energy gas station in tok has a free carwash. 

Most likely needed. 

3 Bears food store, not far from the visitor center, is pretty good, for Alaska.

There's a nice state campground just before the bridge, going south. We've stayed there a few times. Tok river.

 Further south, moon lake is lovely,  but you need to have everything with you. Nothing available.  

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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10 hours ago, Southbird401 said:

The only damage was from the microwave popping open and the glass tray shattering in the trailer. 

Too late now - but-always take that glass tray out of the microwave BEFORE leaving camp.

It can be stored in various places - I store mine in the cubbie right above the microwave.  

Bill

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2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

Too late now - but-always take that glass tray out of the microwave BEFORE leaving camp.

Ours goes upside down on top of that fragile turntable spider thing, resting on an old towel that is folded up around the corners.  A plastic Camco dish drainer and a box of Kleenex lie on that to keep it steady, though if the door ever opened of course it all would come out. Check your tire pressures, unless you just forgot to latch  the door, something else is probably wrong!

42 to 45 psi for an LE2, NOT 50 60 or 80 especially for nasty pavement or gravel. For ugly low speed and really rough roads drop it by 10 pounds. (You definitely do need a TPMS when running lower AKA correct pressures. Last trip we had around 50 miles of straight flat (small) washboard gravel ranch roads, cruising speed when possible was 35 to 40 mph and nothing shook loose inside the Ollie. But you have to pack your gear so it can’t move around, especially in the overhead cabinets and in drawers, which should be strapped closed.

When you get a chance, please try reposting pictures, the first one is lost in space.  Enjoy your trip, get to Kennecott copper mine if you are into old ghost towns and equipment. White Horse is worth a couple of days. How are the fuel prices in BC and AK? (Woah, stupid Autocorrect changed fuel to girl!)

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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23 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Enjoy your trip, get to Kennecott copper mine if you are into old ghost towns and equipment

We toured Kennecott several years ago, and it really was a fascinating day. The gravel road out to Mccarthy from Chitina can be pretty rough (it's the old railroad bed), with most places wide enough for two vehicles. The state has spent a lot of money improving it, it's still gravel, but it's a very pretty drive.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend taking an Oliver out there. Allow two hours for the 60 mile drive from Chitina to McCarthy.

We took a shuttle from Chitina, and had a fun and scenic ride in a 15 passenger van to Mccarthy. (You can leave your trailer at the Wrangell View tiny rv park,  and drive the tow vehicle out, as an alternative. No gas in Mccarthy,  so make sure you have enough when you leave Chitina.) There's a big gravel parking lot by the footbridge in Mccarthy. No cars beyond the footbridge.

We walked the 5 miles out to kennicott from tiny  McCarthy, and took the $5 shuttle back from kennicott. Walking around town was interesting,  and the mill tour was a real adventure.  Going up and down ladders and walking around the old building  with a small backpack was possible, but I'd take an even smaller one, if there's ever a next time.

There are lodges in both Mccarthy and Kennicott, if you want to do the glacier walk or some other activities, and spend a couple days there.  Kennicott lodge is definitely more swank, and even more expensive...

We were there late May or early June, just after most facilities opened, 7 or 8 years ago. I'd definitely go again.

One note: there's not a lot available in Chitina, Mccarthy, or Kennicott.  Mostly gift shops, food trucks, and the lodges. So, make sure you have what you need when you go. 

We camped at a pullout beside one of the bridges coming into Chitina for two nights, and it was actually quite pleasant, and pretty quiet. And, free. 

Edit to add a link to mill tour info:

https://www.steliasguides.com/trips/kennecott-mill-town-tour/

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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On 6/4/2022 at 9:33 PM, Southbird401 said:

The only damage was from the microwave popping open and the glass tray shattering in the trailer. 

To secure tray, I used to wedge a throw pillow inside the microwave but then I found a plastic tub that fits perfectly & it holds our bread/buns & popcorn popper, giving it the weight needed to keep tray from rattling.

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Chris & Duke Chadwell
🐾Maddie & Baxter🐾
Elite II Hull 292
2022 F-250 Lariat 7.3 Godzilla 4x4 Lakeland,FL
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Thank you all for the suggestions. We did get to Kennecott and it was beautiful. Hiked out to the glacier and got some great shots of the glacier. I agree that taking the Oliver out to McCarthy wouldn’t be a great idea. We left it at Wrangell View RV Park and went out for the day. 
Today we came over to Palmer and the drive was up to its Scenic Highway designation. 
The tip I have so far is to have reservations on the weekends. The locals from Anchorage, Palmer and Wasilla are RVing on weekends. Mid week no problems. 
we are off to Denali for 5 days before heading down to the Kenai. 
Plus, you can still use the microwave without the dish!  Just do shorter bursts. 
 

thanks again. 

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alcan (2).jpeg

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added flipped pic
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2016 Oliver Legacy Elite II.  2021 Ford F250 Diesel

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Glad you enjoyed it! Let's ask @topgun2 to rotate your photo. 

Did you drive the Denali across?  How was it? That's an amazing (but slow) stretch. Lots of great scenic pullouts for free dry camping. We often take two days to drive the Denali highway.

Or which highway did you drive? Probably the Glenn highway? It's beautiful too, and most direct, probably,  from kennicott.  

if you're staying in palmer long, there's a really good carwash with an rv bay if you need it, after Denali highway. And better prices on groceries than the smaller towns,, though not as good as Fred  meyers in Anchorage.  Not much for provisioning between Palmer and Denali. There's a newer three bears grocery in Healy, though, with decent prices, and variety, by Alaska standards.

The laundromat at the cantwell  rv park at cantwell is nicer than the one in most towns, fairly reasonable,  and you can take a shower while your clothes wash if you're longing for a long hot shower, as I usually am, by that point. No timers, just a note to please be considerate of other campers. Showers are just in the hallway by the laundry.

(Also a couple of good thrift shops in Palmer where you might find a replacement tray for your microwave, if you're lucky.)

Free dry camping at pullouts was our weekend solution. 

 

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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15 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

I kind of liked those trees growing upside down 😇.

Bill

I couldn't fix it from my Samsung. Thanks.

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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We took the Main Highway across, beautiful. Lots of smoke in Denali NP. We had clear days but the smoke obscured the mountain. There are approximately 400 fires burning already this early in the summer. We head down to the Kenai peninsula in a few days for a month down there. 

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2016 Oliver Legacy Elite II.  2021 Ford F250 Diesel

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2 hours ago, Southbird401 said:

Bluebird day for our flight from Talkeetna into the Alaskan range. Talkeetna Air Taxi was great to deal with. Pushed the flight twice and got in the day it cleared. 

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That's so very beautiful! Glad you waited. 

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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Recently, one of the people i follow on youtube posted this.. almost 4000 miles from Michigan to her other home in Alaska. 

Imo, worth the watch.

It's necessary to be prepared. And, its a beautiful trip.

https://youtu.be/Vr9VNutHGiE

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hull #628 is now in Fairbanks after a 4500 mile trip from Atlanta. Other than getting filthy dirty, the trailer was flawless on the Alcan. We hope it continues for the next 6 weeks. 

I think Geronimo John (Hull #342) is here as well. We ran in to them in Whitehorse. 
 

Nice to check off one more bucket list item. 

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