ALASKA WEEK PART 3: Barb Landis's Alaska Plan Pays Off |
| Angela White | Thursday, 23 July, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||
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For our third and final installment of Alaska Week, Barb Landis shows us how truck camping the Last Frontier will exceed your expectations. Plan on it.  Barb and Rich Landis took their Lance 915 to Alaska and back in six weeks. Throughout their 9,552 mile trip, they averaged 13.36 miles per gallon with their camper and one-ton diesel truck. Barb calculated that their average cost per day was $210 including diesel, food, ferry rides, and excursions. According to Barb, they loved every minute of their Alaskan adventure and would go again in a heartbeat.
TCM: Tell us how you planned your trip to Alaska. Barb: I planned everything. When you are going that far, you don’t want to miss anything. I had our itinerary on a calendar and then each day I planned where we should be. We didn’t travel more than 350 miles per day and I made sure that each day wasn’t too packed so we could enjoy it. TCM: That sounds like a lot of planning. Barb: The planning was hard, but well worth it. I printed information about each place from the internet including Glacier National Park, Denali National Park, Butchart Gardens, and many other sightseeing excursions. I then kept that information in a folder in the order of our trip and took it out when we got there. All of that information really paid off. I tend to be very detail oriented. TCM: Wow. That is organized. Barb: I also found a really nice map in The Milepost. That’s a book you can order off Amazon.com that is extremely helpful. I took a highlighter to the map and highlighted the roads we were going to go on. Plus, we bought a GPS for our Alaska trip. It didn’t always work in the wilderness, but it was helpful. TCM: Tell us about the Alaskan Marine Ferry. Barb: There is a whole transportation system up there on the Inside Passage. When you take the Alaskan ferry, you need to make reservations in advance. You have to be in a certain spot on a certain day. And you’re charged by the length of your rig. TCM: That gives truck campers an automatic discount over most towables and motorhomes. What was it like to be on the Alaskan Marine ferry? Barb: We liked it, even though they pack you in like sardines. The whole bottom part of the ship is full of RVs. They put you in according to when you get off. My husband was concerned because they pack you in so tightly, but we did not have any problems with the rig at all. They really know what they are doing. We used the Alaskan Marine Ferry twice. It was about five and a half hours when we crossed from Whitter to Valdez. But from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington was a three and a half day excursion. TCM: That’s a long ferry ride. Were did you sleep? Barb: They have cabins onboard the Alaskan Marine Ferry. I recommend them. You have your own bathroom and bunk beds. They are stark, but clean, and a whole lot better than staying in the waiting areas. If you don’t rent a cabin, you sleep anywhere you can. TCM: People are sleeping all over the place? Barb: A lot of people in Alaska use the ferries as regular transportation. There are decks where you can sit and people were sprawled out in sleeping bags. While you are on the ferry you can buy your food from the restaurant. We actually took our coffee maker from camper and used it in our cabin. TCM: Did you have access to your camper during the trip? Barb: They only allow you to go to camper at certain times of the day, which is announced. A lot of people with pets have to go to their campers to get their pets out of the camper long enough to go to the bathroom. No animals are allowed up where the passengers are. Of course there are also stops along the way where people can get off the ferry and walk their pets. Sometimes you have time to get off to go look at a town and sometimes you don’t. In Sitka and Wrangle, we got off the ferry to look around. The ferry had naturalists on board that gave talks. They were nice. It was an experience. I prefer driving, but it did cut a lot of driving time off. TCM: How did you know when you could board the ferry? Barb: The Alaskan Ferry has a whole schedule. I talked to them several times on the phone and they were very helpful. You need to plan ahead because they only have one ferry a week southbound from Haines, Alaska to Washington. In the mail, they sent us a CD with information about the ferry. Overall, it was $2,657 for both of our ferry rides. Again, The Milepost book is so helpful. You’ve got to have that book to go around Alaska. We used that all the time. TCM: That’s quite an expense. Since you’re an expert planner, what books other then The Milepost do you recommend for going to Alaska? Barb: The most recent edition of The Milepost is a must have. Also, the Traveler's Guide To Alaskan Camping by Mike and Terri Church. It’s really nice to have because it has phone numbers for the campgrounds in Alaska so you can call ahead. Also when traveling, go to the visitor information sites at the city where you visiting. There you can get a lot of helpful information about what to do, campgrounds, dump stations, and more. With the Alaska Marine Highway, if you plan to take a ferry, their website is www.ferryalaska.com or call 1-800-642-0066. This information is also included in The Milepost. We also got a coupon book at one of the larger grocery stores. It had two-for-one prices for us to go on excursions. That was worth it. I didn’t know about the coupon book until another camper told us about it. While you are traveling, talk to other campers. They are so helpful and provide you with good ideas and sights that you should visit. TCM: What were the highlights of your trip that you believe people should include in their planning? Barb: On the way to Alaska, Glacier National Park in Montana was beautiful! Actually the campground was within walking distance of the park so we took the public shuttle through the park. Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies is so awesome! Near Seward, Alaska, we spent half a day at Exit Glacier walking around. It was huge! It was so nice not to be rushed for time. Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island is a must see, as well as Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park. TCM: What did you enjoy the most about your Alaskan adventure? Barb: All throughout Alaska, saw a lot of moose, black bear, and bald eagles. We also saw salmon spawning. That was cool! And the scenery was just beautiful during our entire trip. I remember that I kept emailing home and saying, “It’s the most beautiful place we’ve been so far.” I couldn’t really pick favorite places because it was all so beautiful! TCM: Is there anything that we didn’t ask you that you’d like included in your interview? Barb: Our advice would be, don’t be hesitant, don’t be afraid, just go and enjoy. Planning is key. TCM: I agree. Go as soon as you can. We can’t wait to go truck camping in Alaska. Thanks for the interview Barb. Barb: You’re welcome.
For more information about the truck camper manufacturers and gear companies, please visit our Buyers Guide. If you liked this article, check out: ALASKA WEEK PART 1: Dave Casal's First Trip to the Last Frontier Dave Casal's lifelong dream of going to Alaska almost became a nightmare. Meet Dave and realize why we're rooting for him to go back. Go Dave! ALASKA WEEK PART 2: Art Davidson's Photographic Journey Art Davidson has been truck camping for twenty-five years. He’s traveled coast-to-coast and up to Alaska. Here's his photographic journey. |
