Made it to Alaska

[Rance]

Weird. I've had nothing but good experiences with the Canadians. May have been my older vehicles that helped. Once drove up from Arkansas in a 57 chev pickup and broke down north of Moose Jaw. Had great help from a hitchhiker and a muffler shop. 2 years ago I trailered up a model T and had old timers talking childhood memories at every gas station I pulled into.

[wyomgal]

Originally Posted by scribe4dka

Well, I arrived in Ketchikan on July 5, 2008 after 10 days of driving from Kentucky. The worst time was the 2.5 days my family and I were in Canada. Since arriving, we were able to locate excellent housing at a reasonable rate, get moved in and are doing pretty good. WE LOVE IT HERE!!! Lots of great pics to share later. Still trying to adjust to time change--4 hours. Thanks to all the post from everyone I read before beginning our journey. Your input and suggestions were wonderful help. As time allows, (we are still tyring to dig out from all the BOXES stacked to the ceilings) I will post more.

I'm thinking about making the trip from Oklahoma to Talkeetna area. What valuable info can you give me? Did you use a trailer or truck? What happened in Canada? Any info would be great since you've done it!

[scribe4dka]

Well, the trip through Canada was horrible. We were on the road betweeb Jasper, Alberta and Prince George and was forced off the road by a mud slide and was 24 hours getting back on the road. We then missed our scheduled ferry and had to rebook the ferry trip. Oh, yeah, the getting into Canada was a three hour ordeal with the immigration people. We didn't have any legal charges or anything of that nature. Immigrations was leary of a whole, extended family moving to Alaska. And also, since my son-in-law is an air traffic controller and involved with air planes it was like we were going to plan to take over Canada.

Wyomagal, we used a U-haul truck. U-haul is the only trucking company that goes into both US and Canada. Ryder does Canada as well, but you can only use Ryder trucks in the country you rent them in. Be prepared to pay outrageous prices for everything in Canada--Gas specifically!!! Get rid of as much stuff as you possibly can part with. We used to live in a 6 bd,2 bath house with lots of stuff. We only brought a 14ft u-haul and not another piece could go in it. But all the things you have in the lower 48 is pretty much available here. There are always yard sales, garage sales, ads in paper of people getting rid of things to go back to the lower 48.

[Rance]

Cheer up scribe. I know a handfull of guys that were denied access into Canada and had to turn around and fly back to Alaska. Leaving a new vehicle behind and having to make arangements and or paying someone to drive it up for them. Could you imagine that kind of torment?

[warptman]

All of my 13 trips through Canada had no problem whatsoever. I've never met one single person that came off as rude.

[elgusano]

I encountered a French Canadian who was very rude when I was crossing east of Bellingham, going into Abbotsford.

However, most have been very polite, even though I have a hard time due to legal problems that occurred long enough ago that I can still get in. Even with guns, they were very polite and wanted to look at them and talk about them in an admiring kind of way.

That's for 7 trips total.

[Ticky909]

theres rude people in the world, I don't know why it's such an outrage that the gas station attendant somewhere in the yukon territory came off as rude in a brief encounter. If somebody cut you off on a highway in new york would that be blasphemy as well?