Side RoadsAlcan 5000 Destinationsby Jim Elder Destinations. That's the focus of Jeep Journal, and the Alcan 5000 includes so many worthy destinations along the route that anyone would be tempted to re-run the rally to visit some, or all, of the interesting places hurried by. Barkerville Gold Camp Northeast of 150 Mile House, just before you get to Williams Lake, British Columbia, is Horsefly. If you proceed north you reach Likely. This is the jump-off to the old trail to Barkerville. Barkerville is a fascinating restored gold camp, now a provincial park. It can be reached on a smooth paved highway from Quesnel. But it might -- weather, washouts and luck permitting -- be reached via the trail over Yank's Peak. Figure a full day for the 25 miles, allowing time to move fallen trees, pile rocks in washouts, explore abandoned mines and negotiate the narrow trail. Nothing dangerous here -- just exciting -- but it's best to inquire at 150 Mile House concerning trail conditions. Bella Coola Or you could turn left at Williams Lake and drive 282 miles to Bella Coola. The first 200 miles are through rolling forest and mountain meadows, ranch country, with campsites on secluded lakes or along clear streams. Then the road crosses the southern tip of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park and starts down. Down for six miles of 18 percent grade, mostly single-lane, with tight switchbacks, no guard rails and spectacular views. Again, it is not dangerous, but is also not for acrophobics. Bella Coola is a sleepy village at the head of a sea-level fjord, populated by Native Americans. It is popular with sportfishermen (most of them fly in) and very few tourists. British Columbia Fishing Destinations There are only a few thousand good river and lake fishing temptations between the southern and northern British Columbia borders. The rally route passed a few hundred of them south of Prince George, and then headed west to Kitwanga, past Vanderhoof, Fort Fraser and Burns Lake, all famous for fishing, canoeing and summer camping. The Bulklley, Telqwa and Skeena rivers draw fishermen -- especially steelhead fishermen -- from all over the world. At Hazelton, British Columbia, is the 'Ksan Historical Village, a replica of a Gitksan Indian village. First Nation arts and crafts are demonstrated, including the building of dugout canoes and totem poles. Tribal songs and dances are performed during the summer season. There are RV camps there and in nearby communities. West of Hazelton is Kitwanga, the beginning of the Cassiar Road to the Yukon, to Alaska, and to more fascinating destinations than we could include in a book, and certainly not on this month's Jeep Journal. Yukon alone could fill volumes, and Alaska an entire library. This month we'll sign off with Stewart, British Columbia, and Hyder, Alaska. Stewart and Hyder Ninety-two miles up the Cassiar is the turnoff to Stewart and Hyder. The next 40 miles of scenic highway includes Bear Glacier, which terminates at the highway, a fish hatchery with visitor tours, and a small Norwegian agricultural settlement. Stewart and Hyder lie at the head of a fjord, and the mouths of Bear and Salmon rivers. Mining and timber were the economic bases, but now tourists are important to the local livelihood. Bear watching four miles north of Hyder brings many visitors. Spawning salmon bring the bears each autumn. An abandoned mine complex up the Salmon River is an eerie attraction. The Salmon Glacier on the same gravel road is one of the largest in British Columbia and famous for the terminal lake which empties itself each year, then plugs and refills. As for Hyder, this was Stewart's "sin city" in the mining and logging boom times. Stewart is in Canada, where Mounties kept close watch over worldly entertainment. Hyder grew up just over the border, in Alaska, where the closest U.S. marshal was weeks away by boat. The bars never closed in Hyder. Things are mostly quiet in Hyder now, but it is a worthy destination for exploring, bear watching and fishing. Sources More later, but for now, you can continue your travel
dreaming or planning on several comprehensive Web sites. A
search for British Columbia will bring up many links. A good
starting point is http://city.net/countries/ Other good links are www.alaska.com and www.state.ak.us. And don't head north without visiting www.themilepost.com and buying a current copy of The Milepost. This guidebook is the standard reference for western Canada and Alaska. Copyright (c) 1998 Jim Elder. All rights reserved. |
Destination Klondike:
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The Jeep Cherokee driven by Ker Boyce and Donna Dolan. |
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Live to eat or eat to live? Drive to get there or go there to drive? For those who enjoy driving, and are always curious about what's around the bend or over the mountain, tour rallying might be an ideal sport.
Not the "Pro Rally" competition, which is really a race, and a high-speed, high-budget race at that. Nor would we suggest the marathon events, such as coast-to-coast or one-lap projects. Weekend rallies, popular in the Northeast and Northwest, combine pleasant motoring, time-distance-speed competitions and scenic backroads. The destinations are usually country inns or quiet resorts.
Then there is the Alcan 5000 Rally.
It began in 1984 with a week-long summer run from Seattle to Alaska. In 1988 rallymaster Jerry Hines added a winter run, which became known as "the world's longest, coldest rally." As sport-utility vehicles grew in popularity, so did SUV participation in the summer and especially the winter Alcan 5000 Rally events.
Jeep vehicles are regular participants in these adventures. Summer events include a sampling TSD (time-speed-distance) legs where drivers must follow precise speed and mileage instructions through hidden checkpoints. Winter events add ice racing -- running against the clock on courses plowed out on frozen lakes. These are great no-fault fun. The worst that can happen is a spinout into a snowbank, which is a frequent entertainment. After the prerequisite wisecracks, fellow rallyers push or tow the snowstuck vehicle out to try again. But the primary agenda is travel.
Destinations and
overnight stops read like a fantasy geographer's wish list.
Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Skagway, Fairbanks,
Anchorage, Chicken, Denali, Talkeetna and Tok, Alaska.
Dawson City, Dawson Creek, Whitehorse and Watson Lake in the
Yukon. Fraser Canyon, Quesnei and 100 Mile House in British
Columbia. The infamous "haul road" to the Arctic Circle in
Alaska, and the 500 miles of gravel up the Dempster to
Inuvik in Northwest Territories.
Next winter, the Alcan 5000 will attempt the run to Prudhoe Bay, the most northerly point reachable by vehicle in North America.
This year's Alcan 5000 was run from August 29 to September 6. It started near Seattle, included a ferry trip on the Inside Passage, probed into the Klondike gold rush country, and even included a push north of the Arctic Circle. Rally participants finally reached the finish line in Jasper, Alberta.
Car Number 4 in the 1998 Alcan 5000 was entered by Ker Boyce and Donna Dolan. His 1995 Jeep Cherokee Country, with the famous 4.0 six-cylinder engine, was basically stock, having a minor lift, auxiliary lights and 30-inch tires added during its 40,000 miles of daily driving. Ker and Donna are career Navy people who have traveled the world's oceans but decided to explore some land destinations with their Cherokee.
Their 1998 summer Alcan 5000 entry was actually a test, and a warm-up for Ker's real goal: to run the 2000 Winter Rally to Prudhoe Bay. But neither Ker nor Donna had any rally experience -- they were driving "seat-of-the-pants" with no rally computers or special equipment. They took shore leave time to scout out Alaska, get some rally experience and exercise the Cherokee.
At the pre-race meeting in Seattle, Donna made it clear that their team was not "he drive, she navigate." We drive, she made it known. After the first day, neither Donna nor Ker were claiming driving credits -- they were stumbling along in fifth place, navigating with the stock speedometer and odometer and a wrist watch. On Day 2, they brought the Cherokee into a solid forth, driving through twisty British Columbia backroads.
Day 3, and 1,344 miles into the rally, Ker and Donna were still holding down fourth place and ready for the two-night/one-day break on the MV Matanuska, the Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert, BC, to Skagway, Alaska. After an early disembarking in Skagway, the group headed for Dawson City via Whitehorse, an easy 449-mile run with only one TSD competition.
Day 6 at Dawson Creek was an optional activity day, so Ker and Donna took the day off -- they ran a 500-mile round trip to the Arctic Circle, up the Dempster road towards Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.
Things got crazy the next day. After an early TSD up to Midnight Dome above Dawson, they decided to get a few more photographs there, then catch up before the next TSD near Whitehorse. A botched refueling stop plus heavy traffic made them late for the first half of the TSD. But they hit all the marks and somehow moved into precarious third place.
Day 8 included a demanding run on twisty gravel, at dusk. Donna drove this section (they had been alternating the driving and navigating) and scored high enough to strengthen their position. This TSD was trouble for some and disaster for one -- an all-wheel drive sedan was blinded by dust and missed a turn on loose gravel. No one was hurt, but that vehicle had to drop out of the race.
The final run into scenic Jasper, Alberta, included a TSD on which the other competitors made a last futile try to steal third place from the Cherokee. Every other vehicle had exotic rally computer equipment. Every other team had rally experience. But after 4,000 miles, the rookies and their Cherokee had first in class and third overall, a remarkable run for two sailors turned Jeep rally runners.
At the victory dinner in Jasper, Ker and Donna were the first to sign up for the 2000 Alcan Winter Rally. When asked what they intended to run, they responded "our Jeep." Any special equipment or modifications? "An auxiliary fuel tank and a good stop watch."
Copyright © 1998 Jim Elder. All rights reserved.
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