Alaska- Arizona

North America (Winter 2004)
by st2020

In 1998 I took my Toyota Land Cruiser to Canada and drove 12,000km from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts, ever since I'd wanted to return.

I planned to return in 2001 for the 50th anniversary of the Land Cruiser marque, joining ‘Cruise Moab' for a weekend of trails and Cruiser fans. But there was not enough money in the pot so the years slipped by. Finally in 2003 we were ready to roll, enough money in the bank, the Cruiser fully prepared for winter in northern Canada and a rough idea of a route: Alaska - Arizona. But 2003 was not to be either, the cost of shipping to Anchorage, Alaska was prohibitive, and three consecutive sailings into Seattle were cancelled pushing the date too far into December and total darkness up north. So finally I scheduled for February 04, the daylight would be returning and I could drive all the way north, missing all but peninsula Alaska but making it to the Beaufort Sea on Canada's north coast via the ‘ice roads'.

So with a few additional modifications to help cope with temperatures down to -40C and a late sponsorship agreement with P&O Nedlloyd the Land Cruiser was on its way to Vancouver safely lashed into a container, which was far preferable than the Ro-Ro option that was the only affordable way without PONL.

After delays and problems I was finally underway on Feb 10th, heading North out of Vancouver towards Yukon and Northwest Territories and straight into winter. The time of year had been chosen to provide me with a contrast of scenery as I headed across this vast continent but it did also mean I was forced to use highways much more than I would have liked. The trails either being under several feet of snow or, further south, too wet to drive. Despite this I had several rendezvous points planned with Land Cruiser clubs and Fans that I had managed to make contact with, (what ever did we do before the internet?)

I seemed to have hit a warm week and the temperatures proved exceptionally mild, even when I reached Whitehorse, Yukon it was only around -7C, it should have been 40 below!
I spent a couple of days in Whitehorse, my contacts telling me that the Dempster Highway, my northern destination, was closed due to high winds. While I waited I met up with Marco who fitted me up with a pan heater and battery blanket to help ensure I had no problems further north.

Departing Whitehorse I headed up the Klondike highway towards Dawson City and the Dempster Highway, the only road in North America to cross the Arctic Circle. The highways are well ploughed but pretty much sheet ice all the way. Thus I had little need for snow chains but the choice of BF Goodrich Mud Terrains as the best all round tyre meant I had to drive with care, they are not the best snow or ice tyre.

The Dempster highway was chosen on recommendation, it had not been part of the original Alaska plans, but it turned out to be the best decision I made. Around 700km of highway, built up off the permafrost it winds its way through the most beautiful wilderness to the northern town of Inuvik. Deep snow all the way and average temperatures of -25C it may sound bleak but it was absolutely stunning. From Inuvik it is a further 200km to Tuktoyatuk on the Beaufort Sea along the frozen Mackenzie River Delta ‘ice road'. Then of course you have to drive all the way back... but this was even better as the weather improved. I left Inuvik at -38C in freezing fog but drove through the Richardson Mountain Pass in blazing sunshine and blue sky. It may have been -30C but it was fabulous. Further south the wind had picked up and snow drifted across the road , deep in a few places it could easily catch you out driving too fast but with care it proved no problem. As I continued the ploughs were clearing the remains of a recent avalanche from the road but my progress remained unhindered.

From the bottom of the Dempster I returned to Whitehorse where the Alaskan Highway would take me south and east, picking up the top of the Rockies on the Alaskan Highway and following to their end in New Mexico.

I passed down through British Columbia and into Alberta, following the eastern side of the Rockies, stopping at Fort Nelson to meet with Land Cruiser Fans Dean and Jen Trydal before heading down to Calgary to meet up with the Rocky Mountain Land Cruisers. About a day short of Calgary I met my first problem, one of my wheels started to split open at the weld, the spare had already started to leak in a similar fashion... I made it into Calgary where Prairie Dog Parts workshop owners and club members Bruce and Marc were to prove my saviours; re-welding all five wheels overnight we were able to also get them powder coated in 24 hours so as not to delay me too long. Meanwhile I stayed with club members Don and Viv, getting to experience their 55 series Cruiser, something not seen in the UK. Once my Cruiser was back on her wheels I was able to join Bruce and Charla for a jaunt out onto the trails in the Rockies' foothills. Picking our way along the frozen river and back through the trails before climbing through the forest to a point where the ‘cut' stretched to the horizon in both directions, about two days of off-road each way if you cared to follow it. I could have stayed for much longer... but needed to move on to complete the drive.

Crossing the US border into Montana and then Wyoming I continued to hug the Rockies, climbing back and forth through the passes to as high as 11,500 ft. I met a mixture of weather including blizzards and whiteouts and suffered a smashed windscreen as a passing truck threw up a rock which punched a hole straight through the laminate but I continued to maintain good progress. I headed for my next r.v. in Colorado with Brendan Lally and family, where a warm (Irish) welcome and good hospitality awaited. Brendan and colleague Mike with their 80 series Cruisers took me out on more excursions into the mountains. Even here there was a stark contrast of seasons; climbing one side of the mountain the trail led to an old mine shaft through deep powder snow, On the other side the trail was almost completely free of snow as we picked our way through the rocks to an overlook giving a clear view across the plains towards Denver and beyond.

The Colorado border had marked a change in temperature, the mountains still snow covered but the warmth was evident even in the snow. As I headed out towards Utah it was time to pack away the winter clothes and move to summer.

I wound my way towards Moab, using the trails that were open but again having to miss a few that I had planned. Moab has to be the centre of off-road playgrounds in the US, totally geared up for leisure I spent three days on trails around the area, in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and surrounding areas. The trails were a mixture of deep soft sand and rock beds or old river creeks. Unfortunately I have set my Cruiser up as an all-rounder, not a specialist on any surface but able to cope with most things and, fully laden on narrow tyres at high pressure it is not suited to Rock Crawling, I also need to lower the gearing... so I had to take car,. avoiding the toughest trails for fear of breaking something. Despite this I still drove some great trails and had a good look at some of the real extreme rock crawls along the way.

Heading south once more the land became flatter and desert stretched in all directions, though in the horizon the snow covered Rockies were always in sight. The Arizona state line marked the end of the official journey but I still had a couple of thousand miles to go, needing to get to Houston, Texas to ship home.
Across one continent I covered around 15,000km in one month, travelled from sea level to 11,500ft and had temperatures from -40C (-52C if you care to add the windchill) to +25C. I have driven Tundra and desert, stayed in luxury hotels and wild camped. Everyone thought I was mad to go in the middle of an Arctic winter but this contrast says why.

Now that it is all over the lasting memories are of the friends I made along the way and the contrast and vastness of America. England is a small and crowded place where you are not welcome, nothing could be further from the case in Canada, as they say, ‘Come as a stranger, leave as a friend' I may have been driving alone but I could not have done the trip without the support and help of all the sponsors and people I met along the way.