Born Free, The Best!

[Peter Robinson]

We just returned from from a two month trip into Alaska, which means much time also in the Yukon Territory in transit and have nothing but praise for our 2005 Born Free BFT. Did break the microwave (cause yet undetermined) and the generator ground, bathroom mirror (the second time), and two cabinet hinges but given some of the road conditions and the workout the BFT had, it did very well. Visited Whitehorse, Dawson City, crossed the "Top of the World" Highway and visited, Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage, Kenai, Homer, Seward, Palmer, Valdez, Skagway, Stewart/Hyder and others. Our small BFT allowed us to go where we wanted when we wanted using just that vehicle and we learned much about cultures, history, politics, mining, wildlife, and the Alaskan and Canadian character. We highly recommend this long trip and survived living two months in a BFT.

[bbwolf]

Peter, did you go as part of one of the caravan groups, or was your trip solo?

[robert newby]

Hi Peter -- Glad you had a great trip -- we go to Alaska every other year and 2011 will be our next trip -- 2 months is the minimum length of time for this trip -- it sounds like you had more breakage than I would expect - we have not had any of that in our trips , only 2 small chips in the windshield which was fixed by the Ford dealer in Calgary in 2005 nothing since then -- hope to see you at Lake Tahoe -- Bob Newby

[bbwolf]

Peter, another couple just completed a trip to Alaska and posted their trip on RV.Net.

Since they are traveling through Washington State right now, we have them dropping by the house for a couple days this weekend so we should hear some great stories they collected along the way.

I wonder if you share the same observations, or maybe your experience was different? They traveled it in a truck with a 28 foot trailer.

There are some 32 different reports they posted over their two month journey. Here is a link to their trip log.

http://blog.rv.net/2010/08/our-alaska-trip-epilogue/

[Peter Robinson]

After reading the blogs about traveling to Alaska it all comes back. I agree with what I read: We also saw many types of rigs and with conservative and careful driving they seemed to work fine. We appreciated having a 22' Born Free "Built for Two" and explored the towns we arrived in with it, pulled over for intrepertive signs, took side trips, parked when and where we wanted and didn't have the larger size concerns of the bigger rigs. Our Born Free has big windows and a rear door which along with the windowed cab made it pleasant to be inside it when we chose. We bought some "Skreenz" www.skreenz.com which are double thickness envelope type screen fabric envelopes that slip over the top of the front doors and are cutout around the mirror arm mountings, you can raise and lower the windows inside them and they were a real asset for increased insect free ventilation and as a privacy barrier. ATMs were readily available for the most part and worked out well. We used a credit card for fuel and spent about $3000 on fuel for a 7500 mile round trip from our home in California. I just stopped thinking about the high price of fuel and enjoyed the trip but tried not to fuel more than once a day when on the road to avoid terminal price shock except always filled up when reaching the days destination so as to be ready to go at any time. Be aware that the credit card fraud unit may try to contact you when they see this unusual and moving activity on your card so try to monitor your phone messages when in the Yukon Territory where there is cell reception only about 20% of the time. We notified our credit union (bank) ahead of time but still received a call to check. Good to have a second card and or some back up cash. We used cash for everyting except fuel. We left the caravan group twice. Once to escape smoke in the Fairbanks area and once to go directly through a fire area near Watson Lake rather than wait for the next morning's uncertain access to the highway. As Rick Steves says it's important sometimes to "take a vacation from your vacation" A caravan was the right choice for us this first time to Alaska as it provided the companionship, discipline, avanced planning and events which we could have duplicated alone using the Alaska "Milepost" and published caravan companies sample itineraries but the Caravan reduced the stress. I think Caravans would be an especially good choice for bigger rigs. There are many other things mentioned in the blog above that was suggested reading by bbwolf, a major one is "bring all the gusto you can manage to the trip and take advantage of all the possibilities" you may only come this way once and with all the wonderful possibilities in the lower 48 that is probably true for us!

[harrisgowing]

Peter, we did the trip from Michigan to Alaska 4 years ago in our then new BF to meet our new grandson in Fairbanks. It is the best trip we have ever taken, bar none, especially through the Yukon which is so vast and uninhabited and beautiful. Now when we visit our kids in Fairbanks in the summer, we rent an RV in Anchorage and drive to Fairbanks, with side trips as time allows. An RV is the only way to go to Alaska and the only way to really understand Alaska is to drive forever through Canada to get there. For all of you that haven't made the trip, please do. It is wonderful and the BF is the best way to do it. All we had in the way of damage was a broken windshield on the last day on the Alcan. When our 2004 BF with 85,000 mile has outlasted our use, our plan is to drive it one last time to Fairbanks and leave it in the care of our kids to enjoy camping in Alaska forever. Seems like a fitting end.

[harrisgowing]

One more thing - sorry, we love Alaska and the trip to get there. If you go to Anchorage, go to the Alaskan Native hospital, I don't remember its exact name, but it is just a little outside of the downtown area. It has the best gift shop for authentic native Alaskan art, done on a consignment basis. It is not cheap so we don't go every year! Each floor of the hospital also has an alcove with wonderful museum pieces. Also, visit the local heritage museums on the way in Canada. If we, our dogs and BF could do this trip every year, we would.

[Peter Robinson]

Since returning from our Alaska trip we have completed repairs on the few problems that developed. Two weeks before the end the generator would not crank but the elect fuel pump could be heard and solenoid activation could be heard. The generator ground was found to have gone faulty. . We had called Generac from the road as we were returning from Alaska and identified a service center (in this case a mobile RV mechanic) in Seattle who met us in an Arbys parking lot in Seattle as we passed through and fixed the generator. First a volt meter was used to check for voltage at the starter solenoid and starter motor. There was voltage when grounded to the generator motor but not when grounded to the generator box frame. A test jumper was used to establish a ground of the generator box structure to the motorhome frame and the generator did then crank. The generator was permanently regrounded with a 8"piece of flexible welding cable with swaged terminals from one side of a main mount across the rubber vibration isolater to the frame side of that mount. That fixed it. Problem solved.-- The microwave convection oven had quit five weeks into our trip and after checking for power to the unit (there was) called Panasonic on the way home (aren't cellphones great!) and located an authorized "Appliance Repair Express (yes you can still get small appliances repaired) an hour away from home and dropped the oven off (unscrew all eight trim plate screws around the trim plate, and slide the unit out unplugging it when you can reach the back of the space for it, requires two people (thanks Kim at BF for the help by phone). A faulty diode and blown 15 amp glass tube fuse was found in the unit, possibly a power surge, jolting, or aging). Works great now. --The medicine cabinet mirror had flown open probably at a speed bump with its upward then downward motion and cracked against the shower curtain track. The tether is slightly too long. We took the door off and to a glass place and had a new mirror cut and remounted to the door exactly like the original (this is the second time). We made a new shortened tether so the mirrored door can't open past 90 degrees and hit the shower track and added a child safety strap so it can't accidently open. --The two broken spring loaded hinges on the overhead lift cabinets we fixed in Anchorage are called (English Adjustable Hinges) and were purchased from a supplier in Anchorage and replaced. They had been adjusted too tight and lifted beyond their limits too many times. Now with that and a homecoming detailing of our BFT everythings like new again. Hope these details on our maintenance will help others who may develop similar conditions.

[bbwolf]

Great info Peter. I for one appreciate it.