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Thread: Alaska

  1. #1
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Alaska

    I don’t know exactly when I first started thinking about it, but I can remember looking at this globe I had, one time --- not a big one, maybe 12-14 inches or so across --- looking for/finding the part of the world where I lived in, Southern California, then looking around, at the US, finding the places where I’d been, mostly in the West . . . small area.

    I like to travel, go places, see stuff --- but I don’t think in terms of flying or sailing.

    I drive.

    'At’s how I grew up, in a car, my Grampa’s station wagon, going places.

    And so, when I looked at that globe, seeing the handful of places where I’d been . . . made me think about all the other places where I hadn't, but where I still could, might . . . . . . in a car.

    Mexico, Central America, then all the way South? . . . Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. At over 9000 miles (one-way), the longest drive I can make on this side of the planet. But. Uncertain roadage. And me no habla so bueno. Bucket-list item.

    Florida and the Eastern Seaboard? OK, OK --- but kinda busy . . . and settled, not exactly Lewis-and-Clark kinda stuff. And, when you get right down to it --- just not that far away.

    Up the coast --- Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia? Now we’re talking. Wild, stormy, remote. Don’t know any body who’s gone there . . . but now keep going . . .

    Hudson’s Bay, then Nunavut . . . The Northwest Territories . . . The Yukon . . . .

    Wow. Lotta geography, there. No towns --- or roads . . . just place-names. Keep going.

    And then, way over yonder . . . . up to the North --- where America almost touches Asia . . . the highest mountains, biggest forests, 2nd largest watershed in North America . . . . open country, and barely a city or highway in between . . . .

    No political instability, English-speaking, and only one international border.



    Alaska.

    Oh yeah . . . and one highway to get there.

    ‘OK. I’m goin’ . . . ‘





    Rick
    Last edited by LongRanger; 12-06-2011 at 09:49 AM.

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  2. #2
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Alaska

    Alaska.0

    Started getting seriously ready in the summer of ’98. Seemed like a good time. House+finances were settled, kids’ squared-away, ditto everybody’s work . . . and I was up to three weeks of vacation.

    Biggest Issue was The Vehicle. Destination wasn’t just Alaska --- if I was gonna make that kind of a trip, then I wanted to go all the way --- to the Arctic Ocean . . . where the tundra slides up under a grey Arctic sea. Not a tourist stop. No Hotels or ‘vacation experiences’ there, then --- or now. And no 6-lane Interstate. Getting there meant taking the Dalton Highway. (Aka the Pipeline Road --- 660 km/410 miles of un-paved whatever --- one re-fuel point, patrolled twice a month.) (Bring extra tires/wheels. ) (Maybe a windshield.) I owned two vehicles --- an e30 M3 (my Every Day) and a 356B Roadster --- neither exactly off-road ready/worthy. Adding another vehicle wasn’t gonna be possible, and the Porsche was staying, so . . . . adios BMW.

    Money in my pocket, space in the garage . . . and a Rent-a-Wreck Chrysler K-car to tide me over . . . I started searching. I’ve only ever had one ‘regular’ car in my life, so, keeping my destination in mind, I wasn’t looking for a vehicle so much as A Tool for A Purpose.

    List of requirements was short:
    1) 4-wheel drive (period)
    2) Class 4 towing-ability --- w/ receivers at both ends
    3) 6000-lb capacity winch --- able to slot in either above
    4) Radio --- CB, at least
    5) Open vehicle with a stowable all-weather top

    Thought about building something --- pop-top 4Runner came to mind --- but the time, expense, learning-curve, and inevitable depreciation/wear-and-tear/battle-damage of said vehicle . . . . kinda narrowed my choices.

    To One.

    Land Rover.

    Defender 90.

    I’d just about flipped the first time I saw one. Disco’s and Range Rovers were pretty common --- and swish . . . down in SoCal. Couldn’t imagine taking either one someplace dirty, then beating on ‘em. Ever. But still --- Landies have a reputation for being super-capable.

    So, when I first saw a Defender . . . in all its spot-welded, wavy-alu-paneled, Tonka truck, kick-my-a$$ glory? . . . . Yeah --- this’ll do.

    Not exactly cheap --- $30-40k? . . . . but I wasn’t gonna worry about having to beef it up, hurting it, putting miles on it . . . or depreciating it. Even back then, good D90s were pretty sought-after. As I would soon find out.

    Truck was first imported here in the states, in ’94 --- and came in two versions --- Hard-top or Soft --- the latter as a two- or four-seater, with either automatic or 5-speed. Not exactly a hot-seller, at first, but when people found out that LR had quit importing ‘em in ‘95, everybody raised such a stink that they brought ‘em in for one more year, ’97, automatic only. Loaded. Priced accordingly. Dealers were still reaming people with a handful of hi-spec left-overs when I went shopping.

    Knew exactly what I wanted. ’95 (NOT ’94), Soft-top (Coniston --- NOT Tickford), 5-speed, under 40k miles, service history (yeah, right!), minimal mods, basically . . . only the kind of stuff that could survive a Dealer-PPI. ~$35k. Also . . .

    . . . had to be AA yellow.

    Which happened to be the most sought-after spec.

    So, started looking in the usual places --- favorite was AutoTrader --- and there were plenty of candidates (everything from low mile/high-option garage art to ex-rock-crawlers fluffed-and-buffed for ‘market conditions’ --- all priced accordingly . . . but nothing to meet my specs, and, most critically, price-point. Yellow was invisible. Arles blue was my 2nd choice . . . but that was a ’94 color, even more invisible.

    After a month in my K-car, was getting a bit discouraged, so, held my nose . . . dove into the Dealer Pool . . . started calling every dealer in the Western half of the US. Had dealers, addresses, names and phone numbers for everybody selling Landies West of St Louis. And systematically called every one of those contacts, once a week, for about a month.

    The truck I found was out in Las Vegas, a ’95 AA Softie, 5-speed, 32k mi, yadda-yadda-yadda. (Just think/say BINGO!) It had been offered to the Local Dealer as a trade but, for the asking price, too rich, so . . . it got passed-off to me. Owner was some kind of cell-phone minutes broker who was having money problems . . . you know --- a ‘knowledgeable enthusiast.’ My favorite.

    Asking $40k but, as far as I was concerned, there was nothing to talk about ‘till the thing cleared a Dealer PPI. Called him up, got zip code, found Dealer, set things up over the phone . . . ‘call me when it gets there.’

    Next day, get a call.

    Truck won’t move.’

    Won’t start?’

    No, no --- it starts fine . . . . but it won’t go into gear.’

    Hmm. ‘Look . . . Dealer’s good to go. The inspection is all on me. You just find a way to get it there . . .

    Another day goes by. Knowledgeable Enthusiast’s had the truck flat-bedded to the Dealer, PPI’s under way . . . ‘call me when they’re finished,’ etc.

    So I get a call, mid-afternoon, Knowledgeable Enthusiast. ‘Transfer case is destroyed.’

    Hmm. Suitably uncomfortable pause. ‘How much to fix it?,’ I ask.

    $4k for a rebuilt . . . $5k for new.’

    Well . . . I still want the truck.’

    What ‘r’you offering?’

    No pause. ‘$5k less than we talked about.’

    Flew out that week-end, headed for the Dealer’s, met the Knowledgeable Enthusiast, the Service Manager, and the Mechanic, whom I not-so-discretely pulled aside and asked . . . . ‘What the f*ck?’

    Five owners in just over three years, a stack of receipts and service history going all the way back to Santa Barbara, where the thing had first been sold. This truck has had a LOT of service. But . . . only when it needed it, like when something broke --- never really had any of the regularly scheduled maintenance. Like the last one --- missed. And one of the items in that service? Check, adjust and torque the transfer case linkages. Turns out a 25-cent nut had backed itself out, somewhere up top, by the lever, then dropped down into the case, grenading everything. Other than that? Thing looked like it had never even been off-road.’

    Stupid.

    I clipped that Knowledgeable Enthusiast for 5-grand. And a new transfer case. Coulda done more . . .

    Turned in my Rent-a-Wreck K-car, took a bath, burned my clothes . . . then used the Defender as my Every Day. Good little truck. Had some pings pulled-out of the alu door skins --- not easy --- then washed/rubbed/polished/waxed every lovely inch of that rig ‘till the thing glowed. Took off all the oxidized rubber from the wheel well gators, treated them --- tires, too. Had the soft-top off most of the time --- swear, that canvas monster weighed, like, 70 lbs --- strapped a factory bikini top over the cage, modified a factory two-seater tonneau to fit my four-seater bed+roll bar (Pete Engle/Westminister Auto Upholstery), fitted a water-proof Tuffy Box in as a center console, cut-up some ¾” plywood, laid that down over the wheel houses, then stapled some remnant carpet down on that to make a nice grippy platform for the Nasty Dog, ARMY duffles strapped into the corners, new inch-thick solid rubber factory floor mats . . . . stuck on a Land Rover 50th Anniversary badge on her side . . . same year as Porsche’s.

    Really loved that thing. My little Tustin Traveler. Cally’s Taxi. Number 2545. Prolly the most uncompromised mechanical device I’ve ever owned. Pure novacaine on any paved surface . . . but a tactile mountain goat off. And so yellow, you could spot it from space. Kids loved it. Ex hated it. Couldn’t wait to take it up The Dalton.

    And then? . . . our Company made a business decision --- opted out of the contract with our customer, closed our Division, cut us all loose. Took a few months to wind everything down, and I was one of the last to go, but . . . . so much for Alaska.

    Took maybe a week to un-load the Defender. Sold it for every dime I had in it, too --- ‘cept maybe the gas. (18 MPG) To an Orthodontist from Tarzana.

    WTF


    Rick
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    Last edited by LongRanger; 12-08-2011 at 04:58 PM.

  3. #3
    Tacos Gordo Chapulines Reza's Avatar
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    i think Rick is driving most of the way by 911, then ferry to juneau

    Help ma they're gunna wash my car

  4. #4
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by varunan123 View Post
    . . . You need a defender 110 with a td5 . . . good to go . . .
    Even back then, a 110 was WAY outta my price-range, easily double what a 90 was going for. Also, the 110 was a bit too SEAL-Team-6 for what I had in mind. I wanted something small, light+tidy, handy, easy to use --- the 90 only weighs 3600 lbs (lot easier on the landscape --- 'tread lightly') and could still do ~20 MPG with a light foot, over long-distance. And super-useful off-road --- I mean, I put that truck in places you could barely walk to, let alone drive. A 110? Total bus. And besides, if I was taking a larger closed vehicle up? . . . Toyota Land Cruiser, FZJ80, the twin-cam one. We'd already had one --- comfortable, reliable, capable, indestructable. And cheap.

    And besides. I specifically wanted an open vehicle. (Copley's 110 Beach Runner wasn't around then.) Nothing like seeing our planet up close --- no glass, no walls, no roof . . . no escape. And an open D90? --- perfect Tool for the Job. We'd come back some week-ends, from running around out in the hills/desert . . . me, the Boy, the Nasty Dog, the truck --- trashed . . . point the truck up the drive, open the doors, pull out the seats and floor mats --- then hose the insides out. (Neighbors would freak-out --- 'Whattya DOIN'? . . . . Just washing-out my Defender. Citizen.) Even navigating the 'wilds' of South Orange County, 2545 only had her top on when it rained. Always kept whole duffle-bags-full of wind-breakers, coats, ponchos, scarves, gloves, etc. stowed aboard . . . just in case. And my kids?, the Nasty Dog? . . . . absolutely loved getting dusty/frozen/wind-blown. Me, too.

    (Not exactly horse-back but close . . . and no road apples.)

    As for the Td5 . . . I would've LOVED a diesel --- but those never came here. Don't know why LR didn't bring 'em in --- not enough cars to warrant the cost-of-certification?


    Quote Originally Posted by varunan123 View Post
    . . . Besides can't do long distance on soft top the noise would make you deaf permanently . . .
    Hmm. My Roadster I had for 13 years . . . top was up only when it was garaged --- stowed, it would 'forget' its shape. Otherwise, I tonneau'd up --- even in parking-lots. The Defender was basically weather-/water-proof so I just had a bikini top over the cab, keep the sun off me. And kept sunscreen around, Banana Boat (SPF 50?) --- in both. And hats. LOVE open cars. Did some Long Drives like that, up and down the CA coast . . .

    . . . and I think I hear fine. Listening . . . . . 'at's a different deal.

    Put the Defender's top up three times, I think . . . third time was to sell. And if you've ever spent an hour (or so) busting your knuckles/a$$/self-control putting a Coniston top up, after stashing it in the garage all year? . . . . being wet (or deaf) doesn't seem so bad!

    Rick
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    Last edited by LongRanger; 12-06-2011 at 04:49 PM.

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  5. #5
    Senior Member Jim Garfield's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reza View Post
    i think Rick is driving most of the way by 911, then ferry to juneau
    The plot thickens.....
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  6. #6
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by varunan123 View Post
    . . . BTW you probably got alot of looks with a bikini top may want to give bimini top a try. . . .
    LOL!

    Maybe --- when I get a boat! . . .

    . . . . A Bimini top is an open-front canvas top for the cockpit of a boat, usually supported by a metal frame. Most Bimini's can be collapsed when not in use, and raised again if shade or shelter from rain is desired. Bimini tops differ from dodgers in that dodgers include protection in front and on the sides, while a Bimini does not. The Bimini is used mostly as protection from the sun; it offers no protection from wind, rain, or spray when moving forward at any speed. Rain protection is only given if the boat is stationary and there is not any wind.

    The Bimini top was invented in Warren, Rhode Island by Paul Johnson and his company, Johnson's Marine Cushion and Canvas . . .


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimini_top

    Rick
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  7. #7
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Alaska.1

    Five years, four jobs, and three addresses later . . . .



    Moved back to SoCal, after some adventures with dot-coms . . .

    Finances stable but uncertain.

    Rental (in the ‘right’ school district) . . .

    X has a job she likes . . . at least, that week.

    I’m looking, but . . . un-employed, time on my hands.

    Roadster’s gone . . . but another Real M3’s turned up.

    ‘If you wait for everything to be perfect, then you’ll always be waiting’ . . . . isn’t that the saying? So, talk it over with the (now X) Wife, check the calendar ---- late July/early August looks to be clear, bills+home-life+etc under control, nothing major coming up . . . . going to Fairbanks!

    No big plans. No Dalton this time --- no NatGeo expedition, no dedicated vehicle ---- just a Big Road Trip, really. In My Every Day --- a ’90 Real M3. (oh . . . The Irony) Kept my vehicle preparations to a minimum . . . consisting mostly of having the BMW checked-over --- full service incl fluids+filters, plus (preemptively) replacing the water pump, balance+rotation, then . . . topping-off the tank.

    Late August/early July departure meant that the weather was about as good as it was gonna get. (The only times NOT to go were Spring --- the thaw turns the roads to slush/mush --- and Fall --- icy. Winter’s actually the best ‘cause, well . . . everything freezes solid.) Plus during High Summer, sun is out WAY longer --- 24 hours above The Arctic Circle. So, super-long driving time. Yummy.

    I was also gonna be visiting/bunking/free-loading with some relatives along the way ---- in SF and Abbotsford, BC. Always nice to have family to bunk with, plus this kinda Road Trip would be a really great excuse to visit people who otherwise aren’t exactly anywhere ‘along-the-way,’ anyway.

    So, made some phone calls, got everybody’s addresses+contact numbers, set a short schedule, got maps, took my phone+car charger, three or four changes of clothes, kissed+hugged the family, then . . . . . set sail.


    The 1st day/leg was up to my sister’s, in San Francisco . . . . don’t even remember. Made that trip so many times, it feels more like commuting than traveling, usually taking well under 8 hours. 415 mi/670 km. Had dinner with her and her Boyfriend, spent the night. The Drive really began after there.

    When I left The City, 2nd day, I remember that it was warm, especially for up there. Rolling North on The Five, warmer still, could smell all the grass and trees, fields toasting, only cooling (a little) around Shasta, more as I went further.

    Took The Five all the way to The Border. This was after 911, but I don’t remember taking anything more than a Driver’s license + proof-of-insurance to cross . . . . easy --- nothing like now. Traffic there was light, weather cooling. I remember how unimpressive the border facilities looked . . . low, glass, brick, saw the flag flying from a way’s out, coupla chicanes up to a windowed side-of-a-building, cameras posted around the check-point, all surrounded by trees, green, flat, farmland, homes nearby . . . .

    After crossing, I stayed on/took the same highway (now called the 99) up to Vancouver. Mistake. I had a rough idea about where I was heading but the freeways/transitions/signage coupled with what looked like some pretty serious public-works-in-progress made any progress not-so fun. Traffic almost as bad as Seattle. Only less-familiar for never having been. I avoid Vancouver, now.

    Anyway, after getting all-kindsa lost running through what felt like most of That Town --- the highway morphed into city streets, then back again, signage random ---- I managed to find Another Highway One, this time Canadian, and my route East to Abbottsford, some 50 miles/hour-and-a-half away . . . and with its very own border crossing. (Nice map-reading --- eh?)

    Good driving, rolling hills + farmland mostly, green-green-green, on a wide triangular plain that narrowed as I went. Got into town later, around 10PM, called, got + looked-up address/directions, coupla wrong turns, found the house . . . . dogs, horse, kids, Aunties --- heard I was coming? --- Sis, ‘hi --- how’re you’s,’ unconsciousness. 941 mi/1514 km, 16:20. Stayed the next day, talked/visited, toured some --- saw an air-show! --- laundered, then . . . . off.

    I’d basically given the trip two weeks, so, at this point, 3 days out . . . figured I’m ahead. Weather’s fine, warm actually, and strange, dusky from some forest fires burning to the Northeast, big ones.

    4th Day, leaving 09:45 --- not-too-too-early (kisses good-bye), back on Another One, heading East still, mountains closing in, from both sides now, everything funneled into a narrowing gap, the Fraser Rivercourse, ending at Hope, another 50-some miles along, where the Highway skirts the East bank, then cuts West, crossing, cuts again, this time ---- finally . . . . North.

    1) The Tool for a Purpose (dot One)

    2) The Office

    3) Teddy Roosevelt Impersonator . . . dressed/leaving for Fairbanks

    4) Outside of Abbotsford, BC . . . . and those skid marks are not mine. Really. They were already there when I got there. I swear.

    5) Heading North, just outside of Hope
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  8. #8
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    More Alaska.1 . . .

    Don’t know what those mountains ’re called, how tall they are, but up they came, closed in, pushed right up, overtook the road, picked it up, then shouldered it, climbing, along mountain-sides, until setting everything down around, all the way to Spences Bridge, an hour-and-a-half on.

    From mountains to valley plain, warm, dry --- rain-shadow, maybe? --- hills golden, fields tended, breeze light, lonely, highway meanders. Trees, only far away . . . not what I was expecting. Daylight just went on --- felt like mid-morning/early afternoon, all day.

    Kept a pretty steady pace, taking care of the car, nothing strenuous. Mid-70s?, MPG = ~25-27?, cruising. This M had had an un-cared-for life before I found it. X’d been out jogging one morning, seen it for sale, parked in a driveway, a few blocks from our home. (Covered in Cockatoo sh!t --- ‘stored in-doors’) Spent the better part of two years + no small amount of money, going over/sorting through/repairing everything. Beefed-up the suspension + sub-frames/chassis, brakes, even gotten some rally-duty wheels . . . just because. Car wasn’t exactly ‘pretty’ . . . but was set-up for service, everything worked, and I’d personally added 30k miles, finding out for myself. Good Little Runner, but still . . . . I was operating a long way from home . . . . so stayed careful.

    BC’s beautiful --- really beautiful. And spotlessly/unnervingly clean --- as soon as I was over the border, I could tell this was someplace else. Not many tall buildings, more compact + less-adorned, everything spread-out, tranquil . . . . and perfect roads. (Vancouver excepted.)

    Also light traffic . . . . pretty much everywhere, especially outside of the few towns. No rushing --- never more than three cars in front of me, at any traffic light, then only a few cars around, out on any highway. No bill-boards, only occasional (and looked-forward-to) signage.

    Cops? Didn’t think there were any. Never saw one. Or a Cop Car . . . at least, not one that I recognized. Turns out, I actually saw Cops on the roadsides. On foot. First time? --- I thought he was some kind of Highway Guy, you know? --- had this vest on (plastic, maybe --- orange or yellow? --- checker-band on the hat), standing around by a tri-pod-looking thing --- what I took to maybe be a transit/theodolite? --- a Surveyor’s tool. OK, so he’s wearing dark slacks + NOT boots. Nice guys, too, friendly . . . why just look how he’s waving at that Guy in Front of Me . . . waving at him . . . . to . . . pull . . . OVER? At’s a Cop! And that thing he’s standing by? . . . . at’s RADAR! (No detectors --- I go commando) So, after seeing a few of these Guys-in-Vests, and having no idea who they were (at first), then watching ‘em hook that one guy up --- I slowed down, whenever I saw anybody/anything standing/sitting on a median + road-side. And around any towns.

    Only saw regular passenger-type cars in the towns, or close-by. Everywhere else? Trucks, pick-ups, diesel. Became more and more noticeable further North. Got a bit self-conscious about having a car. Got funny looks when I parked-up, or tanked. Nobody pointed or laughed or anything . . . . just looked.

    The Plain turned into rolling hills, small towns every half-an-hour, or so. Enjoyed myself, looking out the window, seeing the sights, stopping for fuel or a meal or a photo. Felt like I was making decent progress. I was using a 15-year-old AAA map book, with maps of all the states + provinces. The thing was that, no matter what the state/province ---- each one fit on the same page size. Which was fine, as long as I was familiar with the state. Like CA. But a bit more problematic when I got to BC. Or anywhere outside of CA, really. ‘Cause the scale on a Delaware Map was a bit different from the one for BC. Or The Yukon. Or Alaska. Couple inches on that BC map could be a thousand miles, a good day’s driving if the road was flat + straight . . . . never mind the topography.

    After goofing-around that 4th day, feeling good . . . . but found myself running out of daylight. And into some weather. Up around Williams Lake . . . . had some rain to contend with.

    I’d seen the clouds coming up from a way’s out, but, hey, not to worry --- this is High Summer, right? Came up a hill, some big fluffy cumuli, filling up the sky --- seen that, relax! --- clouds got thicker, darker, darker still, black, then? . . . . . like an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Everywhere --- a thick, boiling wall of water, pounding, roaring, tearing at the car. Wipers couldn’t keep up. Tires couldn’t keep up. Highway couldn’t keep up, turned into a river, three inches of water flowing --- too much coming down, too much already down, too much grade to stand. Felt like a frickin’ salmon, swam my way up to some little town, pulled off, found this little German Deli (!), ordered a sandwich.

    'How’s the weather been?'

    'Snowed last week.'

    High Summer, huh? What’s it like the rest of the year?

    After eating, weather’d settled down, getting dark. Heading out, rain-soaked land steaming, along with the highway, big banks + patches of fog, occasional showers . . . . nightmare.

    This M3, with its wide wheels + big a$$ tires, stiff springs, stiff shocks? . . . . Nasty Little Car made me work, knuckle-balling all over that frickin’-nightmare-of-a-road. Forget a relaxing drive --- get a grip on the wheel, watch the cambers + dips + puddles . . . . .

    . . . . And the Locals.

    Came up on a Big Crew-cab Dually Pachyderm of a truck hauling a boat big enough to hunt sperm whales. Saw this amazing halo-cloud of mist/fog/steam that he kicked-up as he steam-rolled his way down the highway. From a hundred yards behind him ---- couldn’t see sh!t. Pulled back, waited for what looked like a longer straight, signaled, pulled left, make to pass.

    Pachyderm . . . . speeds up. Juuuuust enough.

    Now, I’m flying in his 7 o’clock --- can’t see past my windshield . . . . dead blind. And this is a contest, now?

    Fine.

    Drift back, re-load . . . next opportunity . . . .

    Drop to 4th --- bring up the revs, 4500 . . . . . pounce.

    Oh --- I still signaled, pulled over neatly, 50 yards back . . . . but just a few more calories this time.

    He’s ready for me. Or thought he was.

    I pulled-up, in the halo-cloud, water hissing, diesel booming + clattering + puffing, cleared the trailer, cleared the cloud, then ---- cleared Pachyderm . . . . . and now I can see.

    Still accelerating . . . . I’m touching 100 MPH. So’s Pachyderm.

    Fine.

    So. When I’m, maybe, oh . . . . 10 feet clear? . . . . . I signal . . . . . then ---- gently --- change --- right.

    NOT a Happy Pachyderm.




    Long night. Climbing up this grade, at one point, I noticed an odd green glow, inside the car. (??!!) Radio's off, and all the instruments are orange, so . . . . thought (briefly) that there might be an electrical fire, maybe something shorting ---- somewhere. So, with the car running, I kill the lights --- all of them. Black. But nothing inside the car. (Whew)

    . . . . Outside

    So I pull the car over, then off the shoulder, onto a clearing by the roadside. No traffic, engine + lights off, out, stretch, close-up, stand. Funny sound, almost electrical, breathier, a hiss --- almost. And all around, drips + gurgles + tingles as all the day's rain soaks in, land invisible, utterly beyond-black . . . . . . . but not the sky.

    Above, a darkest purple-blue . . . . with stars . . . . . . everywhere, a universe full, bright and small, shining, flickering, floating . . . . and in between?

    . . . . A shimmering, wavering, softly-billowing/flowing curtain . . . . of greens . . . . sighing, breathing --- not wind, not really sound . . . . less than a hush . . . . . .

    . . . The Northern Lights . . .





    . . . . magic
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    Last edited by LongRanger; 03-11-2012 at 09:15 PM.

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  9. #9
    Senior Member t6dpilot's Avatar
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    Great story and pics Rick. Keep it coming.
    Scott H.
    1969 Coupe LtWt
    1973.5 911T

  10. #10
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Aug 2008
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    Dawson Creek, BC to Watson Lake, YT

    The Other One that had taken me out of Abbotsford aka the Trans-Canada, became the Cariboo (that’s right) Highway, then finally the 97 aka John Hart Hwy --- before t-boning the Alaska-Canada Highway at Dawson Creek. Spent the night there, about 15 miles West of the BC + Alberta border --- arriving 00:15, 11:30, mi = 707 mi/1138 km.

    Next day, rolled North at 06:45 . . . . cool, clear, dry. From the mile-markers, I was already a few miles along, so . . . I mosied back South, to the Village of Pouce Coupe . . . . low hills + trees, a few homes . . . and Mile Zero --- the very beginning of the Al-Can. Just because.

    Didn’t feel like August . . . more like Spring. And --- A Perfect day . . .

    This was when I really appreciated the vehicle. I love e30s . . . owned 5, all 4-cyls --- including two M3s. Not exactly the most powerful or stylish car --- kind of a truck, actually . . . which is probably why I love ‘em. Dead conventional construction, thoroughly serviceable mechanicals, connect-the-dots simple systems, with everything carefully + thoughtfully + tightly packaged inside a compact-airy-glassy fuselage/box. Seats for 4 (room for 5), 4 x 6 x 1.5 trunk, radio, OBC, AC, radio, cruise, elec windows + SR, 2700 lbs.

    Turn the key? --- it starts. Take it on The Road? --- it runs. Change out fluids + filters, do the services (I & II), rotate tires, don’t hit anything? --- then add one million miles . . . . . My Plan, anyway. Any/every e30 has a roach-like purchase on any road surface, so . . . take the most-capable version --- the M3 --- with it’s celebrated S-14 (motor/weapon), then upgrade the tires + brakes + suspension, and . . . presto ---- intercontinentally ballistic ///Motoring. And did I mention the fuel economy? (27 MpG overall, this trip.) Whatever an M3 can’t out-run, or out-corner . . . it’ll just plain out-range. Easily/comfortably . . . . . . . as in radio playing, AC running, week’s-worth of junk in the trunk.

    . . . Which is why I chose/drove this vehicle. I do not race, do track days, enter concours, or spend a lot of time on/under/hovering over/worrying about my cars . . . .

    I do drive them. Get 'em dirty. Scratch 'em. Put some really stupid miles on 'em.

    Yeah-yeah-yeah --- I get pretty wrapped-up in car stuff. But I also like to take The Big Drive --- enjoy myself, get comfortable, look out the windows . . . see the sights. I’m a total tourist. Cars just happen to be the way I like to get there.

    (Really. If there wasn’t some place to go? . . . . I’m not sure I’d have a car. No destination = no point.)

    Anyway, e30s make great touring cars. Comfy. Recaro builds the seats, so it and all the arm-rests + consoles + touch-points fit/hit me just right. Nice tall cabin, too --- don’t have to slouch to fit. Instruments are all where I can see ‘em, steering wheel right at my chest. Has air, but I barely use it . . . for ‘re-sale,’ mostly. Radio, same.

    Best part? Lots and lots ---- of glass . . . all around. Just look at the photos --- car’s practically ‘see-through.’ I’ve been in these cars for almost 20 years and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being able to see all four corners of the vehicle from inside. Next best thing to a convertible.

    So now? . . . 5 days out, rolling North . . . I’ve got Big Screens playing --- on all four sides of me. All the way to Fairbanks.

    Show time.

    Day started sunny + clear, but . . . . weather was constantly changing. 20 miles down the road --- fog. Then overcast for a while, then clear again. I had a weather-band on the car radio, but I never used it. If I wanted to know what the weather was . . . I looked out the window. (I mean . . . what am I gonna do? Go back? No. Full speed ahead.) Weather was as much a part of the scenery as all the mountains and trees and rivers and bridges, and everything else. Good thing the car was tight and dry. And, like all German cars --- a killer heater.

    High summer --- remember.

    Rick
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    Last edited by LongRanger; 01-09-2012 at 08:20 PM.

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