- City
- Allen Park
- State
- MI
Great journey so far! Thanks for all your posts.
Starting on a journey
- Thread starter ducktapeguy
- Start date
- City
- Monroe
- State
- NY
Thanks for sharing this journey! It reminds me that my Jeep was made to overcome obstacles, face challenges, win wars, make new friends, see new places, and enjoy our time together. I'm gonna drive it like I stole it today after seeing what you're doing. Take care and be safe!
- City
- Ducor
- State
- Ca
What an adventure you are having. Thank you so much for sharing.
I love your journey. I lived in Petersburg, Alaska for quite a while. I learned how to fly there, and spent many years working from one end of the state to the other. Also spent time in the Yukon back when it was easier for American helicopter pilots to fly in Canada. I always tell anybody willing to listen that if you haven't been to Alaska, put it on your bucket list. It is the most unbelievable place on the planet. Be safe, both of you.
- City
- SoCal
- State
- CA
- City
- SoCal
- State
- CA
Thanks for all the comments, makes me feel like I'm not talking to myself.
The drive back down the Dempster was relatively uneventful. After topping off for gas in Inuvik, we headed back down seeing all the same sights that we did going up, but this time without rain.
Took a swim in the Ogilvie river and saw a beaver swimming around, but apparently I forgot to press record on my phone so I missed it.
Also, did I mention I broke my second phone holder of the trip? First one on the windshield broke somewhere before Whitehorse, I bought another on at Canadian Tire in Whitehorse and it broke before we reached Tuk. I guess the endless vibrations of the Dempster were too much for it, so you can imagine what my body feels like at this point.
Remember the first sign when coming up the Dempster? This is the sign right before Eagle Plains coming south.
Stopped to grab some lunch on the last restaurant we'll be seeing for a couple days. Since i last filled up in Inuvik, I was a little less than half a tank so I figured time to gas up again and head on out. Except as I get in line it seems to be taking an unusually long time for the truck to fill.
At first i figured that guy must have a really large tank, but why fill it up here? Then as people start getting out of their cars, we find out the card reader doesn't seem to be working right. Now that's a big problem. It's ~240 miles to the next gas at the end of the Dempster. I do some mental calculations trying to figure out whether I can air up my tires to street pressures, go slow, and make it out on less than half a tank of gas. I was running pretty low pressures to try and smooth out the bumps. No matter what the numbers just weren't working out, I was probably gonna run out between 20-80 miles short. The other options was to turn around and drive back to Fort McPherson, the next closest gas about 3-4 hours back the way we came, but by the time we get there the gas station would have been closed. Or stay the night at Eagle Plains and hope it's fixed. I think everyone else there were going through the same scenarios in their head. Luckily, the reader started working again and everyone went on their way. But next time (if there is a next time) I'm following the advice that most people give when travelling the Dempster and fill up at every gas stop along the way. I most likely could have made that last stretch had I topped off in Fort Mcpherson, but I didn't really think about it on the return trip.
After that bit of excitement, the trip continues
On the way back I saw what is probably the rarest sighting ever on the Dempster. A Tesla model Y. It was a guy from Quebec doing the dempster with his dad. The dad drove a Silverado EV which was able to provide charge for the Tesla during the long stretches between charging stations. I guess there are enough chargers on the Dempster that the only difficult section is the one south of Eagle plains.
Stopped by Engineer Creek campground to utilize the screened in cooking facilities and met a great group of grad students and volunteers doing permafrost research. They had just arrived and were planning to spend about a month hiking the area and setting up monitoring stations in the area. Also ran into the Tesla again but they were heading all the way to Dawson City that day.
Judging by the number of cars we saw parked off the side of the road, I was pretty sure Tombstone campground was full. So I pulled off just north of the park
Also, not to be repetitive, but I love my flip up rear window. The integrated screen was a lifesaver when the mosquitoes were out
The drive back down the Dempster was relatively uneventful. After topping off for gas in Inuvik, we headed back down seeing all the same sights that we did going up, but this time without rain.
Took a swim in the Ogilvie river and saw a beaver swimming around, but apparently I forgot to press record on my phone so I missed it.
Also, did I mention I broke my second phone holder of the trip? First one on the windshield broke somewhere before Whitehorse, I bought another on at Canadian Tire in Whitehorse and it broke before we reached Tuk. I guess the endless vibrations of the Dempster were too much for it, so you can imagine what my body feels like at this point.
Remember the first sign when coming up the Dempster? This is the sign right before Eagle Plains coming south.
Stopped to grab some lunch on the last restaurant we'll be seeing for a couple days. Since i last filled up in Inuvik, I was a little less than half a tank so I figured time to gas up again and head on out. Except as I get in line it seems to be taking an unusually long time for the truck to fill.
At first i figured that guy must have a really large tank, but why fill it up here? Then as people start getting out of their cars, we find out the card reader doesn't seem to be working right. Now that's a big problem. It's ~240 miles to the next gas at the end of the Dempster. I do some mental calculations trying to figure out whether I can air up my tires to street pressures, go slow, and make it out on less than half a tank of gas. I was running pretty low pressures to try and smooth out the bumps. No matter what the numbers just weren't working out, I was probably gonna run out between 20-80 miles short. The other options was to turn around and drive back to Fort McPherson, the next closest gas about 3-4 hours back the way we came, but by the time we get there the gas station would have been closed. Or stay the night at Eagle Plains and hope it's fixed. I think everyone else there were going through the same scenarios in their head. Luckily, the reader started working again and everyone went on their way. But next time (if there is a next time) I'm following the advice that most people give when travelling the Dempster and fill up at every gas stop along the way. I most likely could have made that last stretch had I topped off in Fort Mcpherson, but I didn't really think about it on the return trip.
After that bit of excitement, the trip continues
On the way back I saw what is probably the rarest sighting ever on the Dempster. A Tesla model Y. It was a guy from Quebec doing the dempster with his dad. The dad drove a Silverado EV which was able to provide charge for the Tesla during the long stretches between charging stations. I guess there are enough chargers on the Dempster that the only difficult section is the one south of Eagle plains.
Stopped by Engineer Creek campground to utilize the screened in cooking facilities and met a great group of grad students and volunteers doing permafrost research. They had just arrived and were planning to spend about a month hiking the area and setting up monitoring stations in the area. Also ran into the Tesla again but they were heading all the way to Dawson City that day.
Judging by the number of cars we saw parked off the side of the road, I was pretty sure Tombstone campground was full. So I pulled off just north of the park
Also, not to be repetitive, but I love my flip up rear window. The integrated screen was a lifesaver when the mosquitoes were out
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- City
- SoCal
- State
- CA
I had been pushing pretty far for the past two days so we could spend a day in Tombstone doing some hiking.
The most popular hike is the Grizzly Lake Trail to the Mt Monolith lookout. This the the final really steep push up to the peak overlooking the valley. Somewhere in this picture is my son and a few other people walking up the trail
The view from the lookout. During the last 20 minutes of the hike, you could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance and smell the oncoming storm. By the time we reached the view point, the rain started coming down and we turned around and tried to get back to the Jeep as quick as possible. However, my back was still giving me issues so I had to take it pretty slow because one slip up there and I'd probably be spending the night up there.
I found out later that Mt Monolith one of the peaks in the background on the right and not the one I was taking a picture of, but either way the view was pretty good.
We were planning on spending the entire day hiking, but due to the rain and my injuries we called it a day and headed back to Dawson City. After 6 days on the Dempster I just wanted to hit some pavement and take a decent shower.
The most popular hike is the Grizzly Lake Trail to the Mt Monolith lookout. This the the final really steep push up to the peak overlooking the valley. Somewhere in this picture is my son and a few other people walking up the trail
The view from the lookout. During the last 20 minutes of the hike, you could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance and smell the oncoming storm. By the time we reached the view point, the rain started coming down and we turned around and tried to get back to the Jeep as quick as possible. However, my back was still giving me issues so I had to take it pretty slow because one slip up there and I'd probably be spending the night up there.
I found out later that Mt Monolith one of the peaks in the background on the right and not the one I was taking a picture of, but either way the view was pretty good.
We were planning on spending the entire day hiking, but due to the rain and my injuries we called it a day and headed back to Dawson City. After 6 days on the Dempster I just wanted to hit some pavement and take a decent shower.
- City
- SoCal
- State
- CA
Gonna fast forward a bit on the next couple days.
Left Dawson, hopped on the ferry across Yukon river, and got about 10 minutes into the drive when I realized I forgot to fill up with gas. By then I had done the 370km from Eagle Plains, so I probably could have made it all the way to Chicken on my remaining gas, but didn't want to push my luck. So backtracked, crossed the ferry, filled up, crossed for the third time in about half hour, and on to Tok
Took the Top of the World highway, crossed the border and took the obligatory pic near the Alaska sign
Stopped in Chicken, AK for lunch and explored the town (which takes about 20 minutes). The story is the town was supposed to be named Ptarmigan, but nobody knew how to spell it so they called it Chicken.
Then off to Tok for the night. I'm assuming Tok is named that because these people didn't know how to spell Chicken. I just realized I didn't take any pictures in Tok. We basically got in a little late, ate dinner, slept, and left the next morning because I was in a rush to get somewhere special
Left Dawson, hopped on the ferry across Yukon river, and got about 10 minutes into the drive when I realized I forgot to fill up with gas. By then I had done the 370km from Eagle Plains, so I probably could have made it all the way to Chicken on my remaining gas, but didn't want to push my luck. So backtracked, crossed the ferry, filled up, crossed for the third time in about half hour, and on to Tok
Took the Top of the World highway, crossed the border and took the obligatory pic near the Alaska sign
Stopped in Chicken, AK for lunch and explored the town (which takes about 20 minutes). The story is the town was supposed to be named Ptarmigan, but nobody knew how to spell it so they called it Chicken.
Then off to Tok for the night. I'm assuming Tok is named that because these people didn't know how to spell Chicken. I just realized I didn't take any pictures in Tok. We basically got in a little late, ate dinner, slept, and left the next morning because I was in a rush to get somewhere special
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- City
- SoCal
- State
- CA
Next morning woke up early (not exactly, but a little earlier than normal) and rushed out the door because I had a long way to drive and needed to get there in time.
So after grabbing a quick breakfast to eat in the car, we took off and drove almost non-stop torwards Anchorage.
The reason I was rushing so much is because this place closes at 5, and I had a 6 hour drive to get there in a slow vehicle. For those who know anything about Alaskan Postals, you know what this place is.
We got there about 15 minutes before closing, and while pulling up to the parking lot we ran across one of the museum employees (I think the only one there) Fortunately, she was amazing and let us jump the fence to see the main attraction, and the one of the reasons I wanted to drive up to Alaska in the first place.
Finally reunited with a long lost sibling. I wish I had washed my jeep before getting there, but after all the driving I just didn't have the time or motivation, but mostly I just didn't have enough loonies for the car wash. This may be the first time in 30 years that 2 Alaskan Postal have been this close to each other. They look like 2 twins separated at birth, with my jeep being the one that grew up in the wrong neighborhood.
The lady was extremely nice, letting me open the doors, the hood, and stayed late to let me take all the pictures I wanted. She was even going to open the gate and let me drive my jeep in next to the one on display but didn't have the key to the gate. I was probably there over an hour past closing looking at all the stuff in the jeep. I was so excited I completely forgot to do a walk around video. The MATI jeep is in amazing condition, I was surprised there was almost no rust despite sitting outside in the weather for I don't know how many years.
So after grabbing a quick breakfast to eat in the car, we took off and drove almost non-stop torwards Anchorage.
The reason I was rushing so much is because this place closes at 5, and I had a 6 hour drive to get there in a slow vehicle. For those who know anything about Alaskan Postals, you know what this place is.
We got there about 15 minutes before closing, and while pulling up to the parking lot we ran across one of the museum employees (I think the only one there) Fortunately, she was amazing and let us jump the fence to see the main attraction, and the one of the reasons I wanted to drive up to Alaska in the first place.
Finally reunited with a long lost sibling. I wish I had washed my jeep before getting there, but after all the driving I just didn't have the time or motivation, but mostly I just didn't have enough loonies for the car wash. This may be the first time in 30 years that 2 Alaskan Postal have been this close to each other. They look like 2 twins separated at birth, with my jeep being the one that grew up in the wrong neighborhood.
The lady was extremely nice, letting me open the doors, the hood, and stayed late to let me take all the pictures I wanted. She was even going to open the gate and let me drive my jeep in next to the one on display but didn't have the key to the gate. I was probably there over an hour past closing looking at all the stuff in the jeep. I was so excited I completely forgot to do a walk around video. The MATI jeep is in amazing condition, I was surprised there was almost no rust despite sitting outside in the weather for I don't know how many years.
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- City
- Surf City
- State
- NC
I'm also surprised it sits outside but happy to see the condition of it.
I'm torn that I sold my Postal while on the downhill side of my build. I would have liked to have driven it some for the experience of RHD as well as the looks you get in it. But my plan was to always sell it at some point - just happened sooner than I imagined.
Great write up. Keep it coming.
I'm torn that I sold my Postal while on the downhill side of my build. I would have liked to have driven it some for the experience of RHD as well as the looks you get in it. But my plan was to always sell it at some point - just happened sooner than I imagined.
Great write up. Keep it coming.
- City
- El Dorado Hills
- State
- CA
This thread is best of the year on the forum in my book! It's exhausting just reading your story let alone actually doing it. I love my Jeep but driving it that many hours in a day let alone for weeks at a time would be a challenge. Thank you for taking the time to write these entries and kudos for the fortitude to do something this challenging. Wish you safe travel and look forward to more entries.
- City
- Dexter
- State
- MI
When I saw the MATI postal it was under one of the pole barns and a friend that visited there (not on here) sent me a pic that showed it in yet another spot from where you saw it. I think they move things around outside and store them in the winter indoors.
(When mine is running) we have two postals at Sandblast every year here in MI, mine and @revho and when I picked up mine in Anchorage it was sitting next to another Postal that had the top and doors tossed. The guy had put a CJ-10a half cab on it.
Sorry to jump in so late on this, I need to get back to read through everything! Awesome trip!
(When mine is running) we have two postals at Sandblast every year here in MI, mine and @revho and when I picked up mine in Anchorage it was sitting next to another Postal that had the top and doors tossed. The guy had put a CJ-10a half cab on it.
Sorry to jump in so late on this, I need to get back to read through everything! Awesome trip!
- City
- Dexter
- State
- MI
That was an AMAZING stop after a long driving day. Also, the most mosquitos I've ever seen on the mesh on our tent when we camped there that night.