Time to get back to work in AK so I'm hoping to head North this weekend. There is a slight bit of external pressure to get moving (I know, I know) because my lease ends this weekend. Planing the ALCAN route, very thankful for 7 hours of fuel...

Nominal Plan:
Travel Day 1:
Boulder CO to Cut Bank MT (6 hours)

Travel Day 2:
Customs at Whetsone, Fuel at Edson (CYET), overnight at Dieter's (Cub180 on here) strip near Fort St John. (6 hours)

Travel Day 3:
FSJ to Watson Lake for fuel, overnight at Whitehorse. Maybe: continue to Beaver Creek if wx looks good. (6-8 hours)

Travel Day 4:
Whitehorse (or BC) to Northway for customs, on to Anchorage or maybe Cordova. (5 hours)

These are only travel days, I may stay places longer, but this would be a very efficient plan. Overnighting at Toad River or Watson Lake would not bother me one bit. Planning to skip Nelson and Dawson.

Ideal date for me to leave would be 13th but the current forecast looks like 14th would be better. . It looks like a bunch of rain is coming through the Grande Praire and Fort St John areas this weekend, meaning I may need to overnight in the Edson area. Is there anyone on here that has info/connections around there? Other than that stretch, fingers crossed the forecasts hold with the decent weather.

Will update this thread as the trip progresses.

Thanks,
-Asa

You are welcome to overnight at our place in Carcross, 2200ft. Dry camping, good parking. Or, I have a 900’ dirt strip with reasonable approaches at the home place 9 miles north of Carcross, 2 miles directly north of Emerald Lake. Cabin and a cold one available here. I can run down to Carcross and pick you up as well. Set of wheels if you need.

PM me for contact info.

Rod
UpNorth

Asa-
Have a good trip North! Looking forward to reading your TR. I'll be following behind you in the 180 about a week and half later.

Is customs open for people passing through?

Well I'd like to say the weather man will be wrong, but hes been quite accurate lately. We've just finished getting about 1.5" of rain, really don't need another 1.5" next weekend. Grass will hardly dry up enough for a cut, so you'll need the 31s to land here! Haha. E-free mogas here at my place if anyone needs. Hope to meet you.

delete

Unless you can fly non stop on the west coast you better check border restrictions. Both sides are closed until at least June 21st. Canada is also being more restrictive than the US right now.

Thanks everyone, especially Dieter, David, and Rod for the hospitality! Looks like it'll be Carcross instead of Whitehorse.

Alec, let me know if you have time to kill when you're up there. I'll be based at Port Alsworth again.

As for customs, I am an essential worker commuting to work so customs on both sides seem to agree that I'm okay to transit through, but said not to spend more time than necessary in Canada. I got a letter from my employer that I will carry which hopefully seals the deal. Per AK's new rules, I will be arriving with a COVID test result. The clinic in Cordova said they can administer them for visitors as well, with results same day.

-Asa

Have a good, safe trip Asa. As you travel, if there are items you find that would be helpful for me to add to https://fly2ak.com please email me updates. The Bistro at Carcross is excellent. Say "Hello" to Ed & Dorothy there for me please.

Thank you!

Ted ( [email protected] )

3 years ago we were on our trip. My FB memories have been both floods of great memories and torture. We can’t wait to make the trip again. Safe travels and enjoy it for those of us wishing we were doing it too.


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Bhawk wrote:Unless you can fly non stop on the west coast you better check border restrictions. Both sides are closed until at least June 21st. Canada is also being more restrictive than the US right now.

A friend of mine just flew his new 180 from AK down to WA a week or so ago.
Made at least one stop in Canada.
Didn't mention having any issues.

I still have Yukon written on my calendar this month, but can't play the essential card without some backup like your employer letter. The northerners got pretty paranoid the last few months, I think Port Alsworth is still closed to tourists.

So we'll live vicariously, pls post pictures. Are there still gopher holes (don't know if they are gophers, look the size of marmots) at the east end of Carcross? Wonder if Buckshot Betty's is still open at Beaver Creek? 7hrs of fuel in the wings is handy, leaves room in the baggage instead of jugs. No night flying this time of year.

asa wrote:Thanks everyone, especially Dieter, David, and Rod for the hospitality! Looks like it'll be Carcross instead of Whitehorse.

Alec, let me know if you have time to kill when you're up there. I'll be based at Port Alsworth again.

-Asa

Will do. This trip I'll be down in Southeast for most of the duration (Flight Validation work). It's possible I may have to head up towards ANC, so I'll give you a shout if so.

The strip at Carcross is in great shape. They put some dust suppressant on it last year and it has held up real well. Fixed up the ramp on the west end, temporary fencing up trying to deter the pedestrian and atv traffic. Permanent fence supposedly on the agenda. Still gophers causing problems. There is a group that is steadily working to control that. Skydivers set up for at least a month every summer. Will see what this year brings. Pretty quiet around here with no boat traffic to Skagway and the borders restricted.

Carmen is still open and serving up great food at Buckshots. Only place to stay in Beaver Creek.

Any of the BCP crowd traveling through, look us up. Will help out where we can.

UpNorth

Current plan is to depart Colorado on Sunday AM putting me in Cut Bank Sunday night, Fort St John Monday night. Looks like I'll be on the tail end of not great wx through Canada so likely will spend an extra night somewhere to put myself into the high pressure system.

Hope to see you Monday

If you are unlucky enough to get stuck in Lethbridge, I should be able to help out. Call or text 587- two-two-zero-forty-one-twenty-three. Hope you have a safe uneventful trip.
Joe

Beaver550 wrote:If you are unlucky enough to get stuck in Lethbridge, I should be able to help out. Call or text 587- two-two-zero-forty-one-twenty-three. Hope you have a safe uneventful trip.
Joe

Thank you very much. I hope I don't need to contact you but that is an area of the trip I have zero local connections... until now. Thanks!

Was all loaded and ready to go, took off, and at 1000AGL glances at ammeter and my alternator was not running. Reset master, it came back on for about a minute then cut out again. It did this 5 mins repeatedly. I took this as a sign and turned around. On the way back I tried different RPMs and kept doing it.

This is similar to what it did a couple months ago before I replaced the brushes, so I measured resistance over brushes while turning prop by hand, it was varying like before. I think the alternator is bad, so will dig into that.

So I guess I’m delayed.


-Asa

As problems go, that's more easily solved than most. Swap it out and restart. Have a good trip.