Thanks for the reminder DP. The only live critters I've seen on this trip so far was a coyote back in Alberta. Far cry from what I saw back in April. Guess everything is still up in the mountains.


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Barnstormer wrote:
Tonight finds me staying at Toad River. Roughly half way between Fort St John and Whitehorse. They’ve got everything here; a turf strip, car gas, a restaurant, convenience/tourist store, camp sites, rv sites and cabins. I was very surprised to see how nice the accommodations were when I open the cabin (shack) door. Defiantly recommend stopping here by car or by plane.

Hi Phil... can you tell us more about the airstrip at Toad River. I'm not seeing it on the chart. Is it long enough for my underpowered, stock engined 170 to take off? 1500 ft or more? Is the car gas conveniently located in relation to the strip? I've flown over and thought there was someplace there to land but wasn't sure. Never driven it....

On a side note.. I arrived in Kenai yesterday. Judging from your fast pace and my slow pace.. I might still be here when you get home. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee or something. I expect I'll be between Kenai and Denali Park through the weekend and back in Kenai Monday and / or Tuesday. First break in the weather after then I'll launch with the 170 heading to Tennessee.

Keith

Ok... I finally found Toad River airstrip on Foreflight. Turns out I had to zoom in further for it to appear.... says it is 3000 ft long... cool.

Keith,

The Toad River strip's identifier is CBK7. It is 3,000' long. I have landed there many times in my 185 and once in a stock 172....no issues for your 170.

Gas is right across the road......I have never looked to see if you can pull up a plane right to the pumps.


Kevin

denalipilot wrote:

Yukoner wrote:Keith,

The Toad River strip's identifier is CBK7. It is 3,000' long. I have landed there many times in my 185 and once in a stock 172....no issues for your 170.

Gas is right across the road......I have never looked to see if you can pull up a plane right to the pumps.


Kevin

Sweet! I'll keep that option open as a stopping place. Heck, I might just stop there wether I need to or not.

Barnstormer wrote:Ok I'm kind of a little embarrassed here. You see all I'm trying to do is get out of the crazy high i8 payments I'm making and get a SUV for Alaska and to be honest I really didn't pay any attention to the specs of the X5 - which isn't like me at all. I mean I'm a Motörhead. Well this X5 is actually an X5 M. So some higher trim level I'm thinking. Well yes, but also 567 HP, 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, top speed 160 mph. Holy smokes how did I miss that. That's crotch rocket speed. It's going to be like driving the i8 but in a SUV! All of sudden this road trip is starting to get interesting!

MmmmHmmm... totally missed this teeeeeensy detail... RIIIIIIIIIIGHT!

Keith, I’ll be home Saturday for sure and perhaps even late tomorrow night. Definitely drop in on Monday or Tuesday!

CapnMike, no really I kid you not. All spur of the moment, just two days, mostly trying to find a friend to bring the car up.

DP, yep saw some Stone Sheep, interestingly in the exact same spot in the road that I saw them in April. That got me smiling.


British Columbia never fails to not disappoint (how many negatives is that?).


Further up the highway I saw what I first assumed was a mountain lion walking across the road based on the size of the cat. But then I spotted the ears and bobbed tail, a lynx, and in no hurry to get across the road.

A while later I came upon a hundred or more Bison eating on the side of the road. A lot further up the highway then the ones I saw in April. After leaving them I’d see an individual Bison every now and again for the next hour.


Finally I rolled in to Watson Lake.


Fueled up the Beemer and went in to pay. The price you Canadians charge for fuel is outrageous. I mean it’s just a Beemer, okay the only Beemer in the Yukon but give me a break. Lucky for me the transaction was disapproved - used the wrong credit card.


Next fuel stop was Teslin. Reminded me of King City California, except it’s in the mountains, and it’s colder, and it’s prettier. Okay the only thing that reminded me of King City was the cop car.


While stopped I decided to call and book my hotel room for tonight in Whitehorse.


After about 30 minutes of calling, no joy, a teachers conference in town and all 45 hotels were booked. I sat there trying to figure out my next move. Behind my right shoulder was a dive motel, a possibility but I really didn’t want to stop so early. Checked Yelp for hotels in Haines Junction and I was in luck.

So as busy as Toad River and Whitehorse were Haines Junction isn’t. I lucked out and booked in the nicest motel. The rest are really skaggy looking. Cozy Corner Motel it’s called.


For sale if you are looking for an investment property. Although I’m pretty sure it’s sliding off the hill. But no cracks in the wall so I think I’m good for the night. At least I know which way I’ll fall out of bed.

Was going the wash and wax the Beemer before going to bed but the notice posted in the bathroom changed my mind.


Well since I’m in Haines Junction tonight that does put me within striking distance of home tomorrow with a real long drive. Be interesting to see if I make if home or stop somewhere along the way.

Oh, I’ve only seen one animal in the Yukon so far, a really big Porkypine.

Thanks for the trip report. I enjoyed looking and reading. Cheers...Rob

Interesting take away for me from this thread is that there's as much interest in following along on a drive to AK as following along on a flight! Justifiably so. There's more than one way to experience the North.

Hoping to be at my cabin near Watson Lake for a couple weeks in September. A sudden surgery may preempt my trip. Not sure how long I need to park my license after laparoscopic surgery. Seeing this thread sure make me want to go though.

I've stayed at Cozy Corner. I have a hard time with the cigarettes. I got everyone up at 4am and we rolled out.

gbflyer wrote:I've stayed at Cozy Corner. I have a hard time with the cigarettes. I got everyone up at 4am and we rolled out.

interesting you should say that because I thought I could detect that stink but it was faint so I couldn't pin down the source. I was tired enough I was out like light anyway.


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So, I left Haines Junction at 5:30am and made it to my house around dinner time. Just about took out three owls so might be a better idea to travel as soon as it’s light.

Thought I’d share some random thoughts about the trip.

There is plenty of gas all along the route as long as you are traveling between April and September. I averaged 20 mpg and never got below a quarter tank on any leg.

Once you are in British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska there are plenty of long stretches where cell phone coverage is non-existent so carry an alternative means of communication just like you do in your plane, inReach, PLB, or in my case I brought my Sat phone along.

This was a completely a spur of the moment trip for me, no prior planning, no weather checks, no route planning, no booking accommodations days or weeks ahead of time, no nothing. I didn’t intentionally plan to do it this way but it is the way I like to do things, just figure it out along the way.

British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska had a lot of highway repair going on where they dumped gravel. Driving all day under these conditions in a car was like flying all day in turbulence. It can be done but man did my nerves get frazzled. In a pickup truck it’s easy and WAY less stressful.

Choosing to go the Santa Fe, Durango, Utah, Idaho route is definitely prettier and more enjoyable then up the east side of the Rocky’s, and only maybe an hour longer.

Utah drivers remind me of Southern California drivers, no matter how I drove or how fast I drove I was always in their way. And not just in or around the cities. Sorry my Utah friends, nothing personal, love you. They get first, second and third place for the worst drivers on the trip. But the beauty of Utah makes up for it, and as a people Utahns are as friendly and accommodating as they come.

I paid for absolutely everything by credit card, I didn’t carry any Canadian money, but I did carry a couple of thousand in green backs “just in case”. I always travel this way. Makes life way simpler.

Speaking of Canada once again Canadian Customs shines. What pleasant and polite people. U.S. Customs was also much better then I’ve experienced before. It was great meeting A1skinner, always fun to meet BCP’rs on any trip.

The only gripe I have about Canada is the speed limits are way too low. Being my second trip I challenged those speed limits the entire way. The only LEO I saw was the one in Teslin and he didn’t appear too interested in me.

As before, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska were spiritual for me. They really put life into perspective.



As an engineer linear thinking is how I look at things. That’s probably one of the many things I love about Alaska, there is no linear thinking here. I’m driving along the Alaska Highway, perhaps somewhere after Glennallen, and I see a Super Cub sitting in front of someones house. Nothing odd about that, I’ve got one parked next to my house. But what was odd was he didn’t have a runway. Then it dawned on me, I was driving on his runway. So if you are looking for a place on a strip in Alaska, broaden your search to a place next to a road that you can take off and land on.

Well thanks for letting me share a little of this trip, gets kinda boring driving for eight days by ones self. Hopefully I don’t do this for a third time this year.

It’s great to be home.

Glad you made it Phil. I'm not going to make it back to Kenai though. I have a little time crunch to get the 170 back south and your weather forecast doesn't look so great mid week. I'm going to leave from Denali Park early Monday morning and head for Whitehorse. I'll try to catch up with you next time. Keith

Glad you made it too. Fun to follow along!


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I enjoyed your trip, too. The last time I drove the Highway, it was still gravel, so I drove well under the speed limit--saved tires and windshields that way. I suspect that it's a lot easier to drive it, now.

Cary