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[GMCnet] Trip Report from Alaska, or Why I Like My GMC [message #128771]

Sun, 05 June 2011 15:30

Richard Denney

Messages: 920
Registered: April 2010

Karma: 9

Senior Member

Just got back from Alaska two days ago. First real vacation in several
years, and this time it was a motorhome caravan from Anchorage to Valdez to
Fairbanks and back to Anchorage. Three motorhomes and seven people, all in
their 70's and 80's except for the Redhead and myself. Also, I have been so
busy that I have not checked GMCnet for long enough to really miss my
friends. But that probably won't improve--I'm in Albany later this week, New
Mexico next week, Connecticut the week after that, and St. Louis the week
after that. And I have attracted a new assignment (on top of my old
assignments) filling in for one of our HQ guys who has rotated out to a
field office. Busy, busy, busy.

As in 2007 when we made the reverse loop, we rented new Winnebagos from
Great Alaskan Holidays. The one we rented for three of us (including my
father-in-law--aka the GMC PO) was a 32-foot Class C on a Ford E450 chassis.
We got about 10.5 mpg cruising at about 50-55 over the whole route. These
motorhomes did not feel comfortable at 60 mph or over, which is not
surprising. Ours had a 16-foot wheelbase with a 32-foot length, and a huge
14-foot rear overhang. It was like driving a school bus, except heavier. The
ride of these was dreadful on the frost heave and rough pavement joints of
Alaska highways, particularly the minimally maintained Richardson Highway
between the Tok Cutoff and Delta Junction.

These motorhomes NEED macerators. Neither my parents (in their own
motorhome) nor the Redhead's aunt and uncle are not RVers, it fell to me to
maintain all the motorhomes. That meant a lot of dumping. They scoffed at my
"no poop on the bus" rule. The dumping arrangements on these motorhomes were
not good. I do not understand why even high-end motorhomes don't offer
macerators.

And I hate slide-outs. I lost an expensive photography light meter when it
vibrated behind the face flange of a room slide and got squished when the
Redhead tried to engage the slide. The bathroom door on our motorhome would
not open fully without the slide being out. Two of the motorhomes had steps
in them. A step going into the back half of a motorhome whose floor is
already four steps off the ground. Huh?

Good thing it had cockpit doors--nobody could get into the cockpit from the
house except me, and it was none too easy even for me. The cockpits were
uncomfortable with no leg room--nutty in a vehicle that big. With the rear
overhang, the outsides of turns was even more restricted than the insides.

We saw one GMC during this trip, at Denali NP visitor center last Monday. It
was a Buskirk conversion from some years ago. I have the TZE and will post a
picture of it eventually, compared with the shoe boxes we'd rented.

RV camprgrounds in Alaska are expensive and tend to the KOA Hell concept. We
stayed at one in Valdez, where after pulling into the (too small) slot we'd
rented, the guy next door (also in a rented motorhome) announced (just for
my information) that he was planning to build a large bonfire 1 foot from
the side of our motorhome. He'd piled enough wood in that fire ring to burn
for two days. His wife suggested they move their fire and he said "We ain't
moving that fire." I suggested that we talk to the campground folks--they
moved us instead of the fire. That sort of obnoxiousness is more rare in
places where people own their motorhomes rather than renting them. He left
one day to drive around and left his sewer hose unconnected, laying on the
ground, and inserted into the dump opening. The campground people game and
took it away--that breaks theirs (and anyone else's) rules. He thought we'd
stolen it, and we caught him poking around our motorhomes the next morning
looking for a sewer hose. Wasn't sorry to see him go.

We met a fellow in an Alfa diesel pusher both in Fairbanks and again at
Denali. He was from Santa Fe, Texas, and he embodied what is good about
RVers. I was glad the folks in our group didn't have to form an opinion of
RVers based on the one bad example.

Most places have state parks with partial hookups or primitive sites that
are big enough for an RV. Had we been in a more experienced group, we'd have
used those exclusively.

One thing about Alaska in the summertime--you never have to drive in the
dark. Sunset was around 11 PM, and sunrise--well--I never stayed up late
enough to know. We didn't bring flashlights and even at 1AM didn't need
them.

Things to see in Alaska that provide reasonable motorhome parking and
access:
-The Valley Inn in Palmer. Breakfast here will hold you for a good couple of
days.
-Prince William Sound tour boat excursions. We took the shorter one to
Columbia Glacier--spectacular. It's across the street from Bear Paw RV Park.

-The Discovery Riverboat on the Chena River in Fairbanks. This was
surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable.
-The Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which now
has RV parking.
-The Trans-Alaska Pipeline display just north of Fairbanks, which is an
ample pullout off the highway. The gold-mine stuff in the area was a
disappointment, however. They were tailored to tour-bus operations and did
not reasonably accommodate walk-ins.
-Denali National Park Visitor Center, and the drive into the park. You can
drive in about 15 miles, and it's worth it. You have to take a bus to go in
further, and that may not be worth it. The RV parks around Denali are pure
KOA Hell, however. Expect little and you won't be disappointed.
-Denali State Park overlooks. Stop at both. Clouds on Mount McKinley are
common, but we had clear and and the views from these two overlooks will
stay with you.
-Mary Carey's diner, just south of Denali State Park. Food was edible, but
the story of the place makes it worth the stop. And really the only other
food along that stretch is what you bring with you.

Wasilla has become buried in suburban development. Just Drive Through.

The best RV park on our trip was (again) Homestead RV Park about 3/4 mile
east of where the Glenn Highway intersects the Parks Highway, between
Wasilla and Palmer. It has the cleanest bath house of any RV park I've ever
stayed in, and it's the perfect spot to camp just after escaping Anchorage
and just before returning there.

A week in even a cheapie Winnebago charges me up, though. Time to
de-winterize the GMC and think of a place to drive it--but with just me and
the Redhead this time.

Rick "wishing that driving to Alaska didn't eat at least five or six weeks
out of the calendar" Denney

--
'73 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
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