Alaska Cruiser Trek 2008

[JACOBYWESTERN]

Here's 7 out of 11 rigs on a little side trip.

Medicbob leads the crew up a river valley. This ridge trail bypassed a narrow canyon full of water, then we dropped back down onto the river bars.

There's Clutchee on top of Todd's Tennessee 40 helping Brad & Jen pull them out of a stalled water crossing. Hey Todd, thanks for bringing wood back to camp. Firewood was a bit scarce because we were at or above treeline so much of the trip.

If a rig stalls mid-stream or can't climb the opposite bank another rig has to be very quick about backing in and attaching a strap before things get worse. We never had any close calls, just a few like this where a rigs couldn't quite get traction climbing up a bank or started missing due to water intrusion into the distributor.

[landcrusher909]

WOW ! What a great adventure. Thanks for sharing, that is one trip I would really enjoy doing someday.

[JACOBYWESTERN]

Here's a trick clutchee showed me on how Tennesse boys bring firewood back to camp. Of course, their logs are bigger but we made do. What a great use of a winch. Why a fire you ask? OK, so you didn't ask but it's a good segway to the next two pictures. It rained and was chilly at our last camp which was near the headwaters of a small river. It was at 3800 ft. elevation so when I heard it stop raining from inside my 80 at about 6am the next morning, even I didn't expect to see this. Hey, I caught 6 cruisers stretched out on the trail this time. There's DSLTOY rockin' his bombproof 40 at the head of the line. At least we recommended he install his soft top before heading our way.

[JACOBYWESTERN]

And just like elementary school, everyone gets their (rig's) picture taken....climbing a long steep hill out of a river valley to ride the ridge lines back to the highway.

[JACOBYWESTERN]

Still climbing the hill...

[JACOBYWESTERN]

Still climbing....

[JACOBYWESTERN]

Ah, finally at the top and headed home.

I didn't take many photos, everyone else please fill in all the holes.

[vuprop]

Link to my pics:

Picasa Web Albums - Andy - ACT 2008 Whee...

These will be added to until I have all the good ones uploaded. Might take a few days, if there are any pics people want in higher res I can upload them easily, just let me know. I also might separate based on themes, so go to the main public gallery to see if there are more
Picasa Web Albums - Andy

[vuprop]

Also gonna see if this works on Mud...embedded slideshow:

edit: didn't work.

[D'Animal]

I think some people are still on this adventure.

Meaning they have not made it hime yet and are still out cruising around the lower 48.

[Mark W]

Roger and Todd just left yesterday for the drive with the three rigs... Brad and Jen are on the road stil for sight seeing... Karol and Kyle left Sunday night after a couple of days of repairs, also mstill with trip ahead to sightsee... MedicBob is still seeing bits of Alaska. Only people actually home are those who flew up and us locals.

Nice easy trek this time. No major carnage, no big delays. One rig that drove to the trailhead came home on the trailer, but mainly because we did not feel like working one it in the rain on the ground... when we had a shop with a lift waiting for it

The unusually wet and cool summer (GLOBAL WARMING... GLOBAL WARMING!!! RUN AWAY!!! RUN AWAY!!!).... sorry... Anyway the unusual heavy rains gave us some high water levels on the Tok, Slana, Chistochina and Gokana rivers. Too high to attempt getting this group through. So we had to move the trek from the Alaska Range to the eastern edge of the Talkeetnas. If we do the trek in 2010, we will keep the rotation flipped and hit the Alaska range then.


Mark...

[matt.mcinnes]

Marking the days off my calender till 2010

[The Dude]

We will post up more pics when we get home in august. Seward and Homer where great but Denali is turning out to be a bust... it hasn't stopped raining. Stealing wifi from one of the locals.

We had a great trip and really enjoyed meeting everyone.

[pismojim]

Originally Posted by The Dude

We will post up more pics when we get home in august. Seward and Homer where great but Denali is turning out to be a bust... it hasn't stopped raining. Stealing wifi from one of the locals.

We had a great trip and really enjoyed meeting everyone.

Deja vu

Never saw Denali in 2001 . (last year it was an unexpected and surreal surprise)

July 2001 was wettest July on record.......by the 22nd.... and it kept raining through the rest of the month. Alaska is all about the Blue Tarp. But don't ask Alaskans about rain or mosquitoes. Can you do the mossie dance?

Ageed, Homer, Seward and many other places ROCK! If Denali busts head up to Circle Hot Springs for a good soak.

More pics and stories please, living vicariously through your trip - I love a road trip!

Mark. Darrelll, Kevin, Lydia, et al, good to see you in the highlands, I miss you guys.

So is is Clutchy a trip or what?

How about a reunion? Surf N Turf?
I know it's blatantly selfish but hey, whatever dude.

P.S. I have 37x14.5 Toyos on Knuckles, it ain't Bald Boggers, but it could be fun. did somebody say 2010?

[pismojim]

P.S. Posted this on the Interweb in 2001 using gruelingly slow land line motel modems:

Last Frontier vacation pics...

On the Road to the Last Frontier


Road Trip!!!

[JACOBYWESTERN]

Sorry Denali was a bust Brad & Jen. At least you tried.

The talk around Anchorage this morning is an article in the local paper citing the coolest Anchorage temps on record was the year 1970 with only 16 days out of 365 above 65 degrees F.

This year so far, only 7 days above 65 degrees.....

[Bodean]

Must be the global warming!

[desertgirl66]

Looks like a great ACT !!! Lots of mud, rigs deep in it, river crossings, rain and snow

ACT '06 still remains one of the best journeys I have ever had, Mark & the Crew were totally awesome.

Nice to see a few pics of Mark, Darrell, Kevin & Lydia and all those big ol' muddy FJ 40's. fun stuff~

Looking forward to more pictures!!

Desertgirl

[Mark W]

Originally Posted by JACOBYWESTERN

Sorry Denali was a bust Brad & Jen. At least you tried.

The talk around Anchorage this morning is an article in the local paper citing the coolest Anchorage temps on record was the year 1970 with only 16 days out of 365 above 65 degrees F.

This year so far, only 7 days above 65 degrees.....

Oh no... you let it out... by the logic that Algore and his minions use... Gobal Warming must be over now... time to stat worrying about the coming ice age again!!


what... me? a cynic?


Mark...

[Cruiserdrew]

Originally Posted by pismojim

P.S. I have 37x14.5 Toyos on Knuckles, it ain't Bald Boggers, but it could be fun. did somebody say 2010?

I love Ak, and get there every year. the one thing your can be assured of, is changeable and unpredictable weather. I love it there.

My FJ60 should be done with the spring over and build by 2009.

That's a long way of saying:

I'm in for 2010.

[chattfj40]

Well we're a little south of Chicago and should home by morning. Uneventful, but extremely BUMPY! More later

[TRchieD]

I was pinching myself before I left and I'm still pinching myself. With only a week and a half to get my truck to Tennessee for the load out making three 40's on Roger's trailer...that's pretty short notice...I cannot find words to properly express the grandeur of this trip. Everyone was awesome, everything was beyond my most enthusiastic expectation, and God bless Mark Whatley and the Alaska Cruiser Crew for heading up this incredible trek. I will let my amateur photos say the rest:











I will post up more later.

[desertgirl66]

Such great photos! Grayling---yumm~~~

What a great adventure--totally in the present----

Keep those photos coming~

[TRchieD]

Here's a little show I made up for the friends and family at home:
A click on the adobe screen should open it then click on the full size button...enjoy!

[Kroll]

Great Pictures so far!
Kyle and I just rolled into Whitehorse, en route to Prince George following the stuart cassier highway.
One more repair job after visiting Whittier, my new starter decided to call it quits after one too many river crossings.

Keep the picture posting happening. I will need a few more days after I arrive home to sort through the pics.
Thanks to all who participated and made this trek so amazing.
Caoi
karol