Tag Archives: ice road truckers

Sign Post Forest & Fans

One of the best places to stop along The Alaska Highway (aka “The Alcan”) is The Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada.  Even back in the 70s it was a sight to behold but now it’s almost too much to take in:  thousands upon thousands of license plates, signposts and pieces of metal or wood with the names of hometowns showing how far people have traveled to get there.

There was also some old heavy machinery that was used to build the Alcan.

That’s one big wrench!

And these are some fans we happened upon.

People are still adding to the Sign Post Forest.  Hope you can make your way there someday and leave your own signpost.  🙂

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Wild – and Not So Wild – Animals

This wolf was the first serious wildlife Jack and I saw, soon after entering Yukon Territory, Canada.  Quite a thrill for both of us.  Maybe a little more for me since Jack drives the Dalton and sees this stuff all the time…

Driving near the border of Yukon Territory and British Columbia we saw some bison relaxing in the late afternoon sun.

And then big horn sheep in Jasper National Park.

And here’s our not-so-wild dog Sport jumping over a log, acting like he is 4-years-old again.

Last but not least… us enjoying the late afternoon sun on a mountain in the Black Hills.

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Elk – Yukon Territory, Canada

Hope you guys like wildlife photos!

This male elk was protecting his harem, watching as we pulled up and snapped photos.

A female was about 15 feet away; she walked up to the edge as if checking in with him to see if it was okay to stay there and graze:

The rest of the harem grazed nearby and stayed pretty calm while we eavesdropped.    The light was poor so these photos needed touching up but we definitely checked “ELK” off our list! 🙂

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On the Hook!

No, not us!!  This truck here:

A strange way to drive down the highway, with an 18-wheeler facing you.

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This is the last bit of great scenery we saw in Alaska, before crossing into Canada.

The Tanana River.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

More to come!

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Congrats to Jack for winning the load count!

Well the season is over and Jack won the load count!

Jack says it was a hectic season.  We are now on a month long road trip, heading down to the states.  I plan on posting about our adventures when we get a chance.  For now, I want to brag about the AWESOME custom bed cover Jack made to keep our belongings safe while we are traveling.  It had to be custom because of his fuel tank (he hauls heating oil for our house) and toolbox that is already in the back. Here are a couple of photos of him building it and getting ready for our trip:

The end result:

It looks great and even makes the truck more aerodynamic!

We are all having a great time.

More to come!

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The Shed Saga

Jack is happy to report that he has finished at least one project so far this summer (actually it’s autumn now in Fairbanks).

He fixed the roof on the shed and shingled it.  (I’m telling you, Jack can do anything!)

Here is a photo of him in the middle of the project:

This shed has a bit of a story.

When we first moved into our house, we had to move it since we wanted to build a garage and it was in the way.  Jack tackled the job himself.

This is him putting the shed on the trailer, getting it ready to be moved:

We realize this is probably the equivalent of drinking while using power tools.  Kids, take note, do NOT drink alcohol while moving a shed!  🙂

The next day, with the shed on the trailer, Jack just barely gives it a little gas to see how sturdy it is.  It was just fine.

This is where it ended up.

(If you want to see a few seconds of this heavy haul project in progress, click here.)

The 4-wheeler is holding it in place.

He had to prop it up on blocks until he could give it a more stable foundation…!!!

Here is the “more stable” foundation when the project was mostly done.

This is not where the shed finally ended up, though he didn’t do the moving this time.  It’s present and permanent spot you can see on the first photo.  We will finish siding it at the same time we side the garage that has yet to be built.

Hope everyone is doing well!  Thanks for reading.  🙂

Dirty Truck!

Hello again, sorry it’s been so long since we’ve posted.  Life has been hectic.  You would think that it would slow down a bit if you aren’t working, but that just means more things need to get done…!

Since Jack is taking some time off (he still works for Carlile) he had to clean out 2019 so it can be used by other drivers while he’s gone.

While I was helping him remove his stuff, I noticed that there was a lot of dirt on this truck and I felt the need to document this. 🙂

I hope you enjoy this gallery of dirty truck photos:

Thanks for looking and have a great Labor Day!

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Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum Fundraiser – July 2010

In July of 2010 Jack helped raise money for the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum along with Lisa Kelly and Carey Hall.

It was a fun day, but this little guy was the cherry on top!

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For a few more photos of old airplanes at the aviation museum click here.

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Seize the Day

I’m happy to report that Jack has decided to take a little time off!  Always being on the road, he feels like life has been passing him by in the endless search for the next “load”.  Alaska has too many awesome things to offer to always be seeing it out the truck window instead of experiencing it himself.  Maybe a couple of road trips are in our future!

Jack says howdy to all his fans!  Thanks for staying tuned.  And don’t worry, Jack isn’t planning on quitting trucking or Carlile either.  He just needs to have a little fun again!

May 2007, Chena Hot Springs Road

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Why are the Wheelbases of Alaskan Trucks so long?

Someone asked a question on Facebook about why the wheelbases of big rigs in Alaska are so long.  Jack says they are so long in order to fit extra long loads.

Here is a photo of the long wheelbase being utilized:

Down in the states, the wheelbase would be much shorter on most trucks.  In other words, the wheels would be much closer to the body of the truck and this sized pipe would result in more rear overhang, thus needing more permits and a more complicated set up.  So to avoid that, the wheelbase has been lengthened, since these kinds of loads are commonplace in Alaska.

Since Jack has a long wheel base he can haul another trailer behind this one, as seen here:

This is the second trailer – it has a load of sheet pile (sheets of metal that are driven into the ground and used for road construction or for bridge construction).

(In the first photo you can see part of the second trailer but it’s hard to make out because there is another trailer of pipe behind it.  In the second photo I erased the pipe behind so you can see the load on the second trailer better.)

Here are a few more photos of the Salcha-Valdez pipe haul.

The last piece of pipe being loaded!

Jack is so happy to be on his LAST VALDEZ RUN so he can get back on the Dalton!!

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