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Old 01-03-2019, 10:35 AM   #16
siberian
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: 65 North 147 West
Posts: 27
Having moved from Hawaii to Alaska over 11 years ago, I find the some of the same misconceptions about grass skirts and hula girls as replies dealing with the Last Frontier. So from 20 miles NW of Fairbanks here are my thoughts for what it’s worth.

Canada: Here are some don’ts. You can’t bring in any firearms whether for sport self defense etc. That means no guns period. Declaring them means you’ll pick them up on your way out. If they catch you, let’s just leave it at that. You can’t bring in any pepper spray of any flavor :-). You are not allowed to overnight in pullouts. Have we done it? Yes. Have we been caught? Yes. Moving on. Gas is in liters as the rest of the world is metric. Keep that in mind when filling up but mostly in the cost of a gallon in US dollars equivalent. Please know that if you have been convicted of any crime you will not be allowed into Canada. A friend had a marijuana offense in the 70s and to this day he can’t traverse Canada to get to Alaska from WA.

Alaska: Tires. I can’t emphasize enough the need to bring along as many spare tires as you can. Most of our blow outs were from shredded tires so though a flat repair kit should be part of your essential toolkit, in our cases it would have been worthless. Bring a good toolkit and some obvious spares (fan belt…). Gas. Distances are huge as is the distance between gas stations. Calculate and never pass a chance to fill up. Carry at least ten gallons of spare gas. When camping in pullouts or off the grid do NOT, for example, throw your used pasta water out the door. It attracts wildlife. Look out before exiting. Do NOT let Fido go out unattended to relieve itself (pictures in Valdez of a tiny dog being carried off by an eagle made headlines a few years back). Mind the road. Edges are treacherous and fall off at the slightest weight. Keep an eye out for wildlife. A lot of casualties in Alaska are due to hitting moose. When you hit one, you chop the legs off and the antlers come through the windshield (a male bull can weigh over 1000 pounds. Thus f=m*a…). If you’re going hunting or fishing get a permit. Remember some areas are private (tribal), others are for residents only (Chitina dip netting for example). Read and obey the rules concerning what/where etc. Penalties are extreme and are enforced so that we can enjoy the bounties of this great land as well as enable our children and grandchildren to enjoy them.

But above all use common sense. I hope you’ll have a great trip. Happy New Year from all of us at Kolohe Siberians
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Koyuk & Chitina

The best long distance runners eat raw meat, run naked and sleep in the snow
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