Crankwalk explores Alaska in general

Looks like you're having a great time up in Talkeetna! Feel free to drop a line if you ever explore down towards Juneau. Southeast is surprisingly road accessible, provided you include ferries in your definition of road.

Whitehorse and Atlin are worth a summer trip too

monknomo wrote: Looks like you're having a great time up in Talkeetna! Feel free to drop a line if you ever explore down towards Juneau. Southeast is surprisingly road accessible, provided you include ferries in your definition of road. Whitehorse and Atlin are worth a summer trip too

Hey there,

I travel to SE for work occasionally and I'll hit you up when I'm in town. I've done Whitehorse in the spring and I just remember mud everywhere and everything was expensive. Friggin' Canada.

In reply to crankwalk:

But you have a good exchange rate when changing to Canadian dollars!

sethmeister4 wrote: In reply to crankwalk: But you have a good exchange rate when changing to Canadian dollars!

Exchange rate means nothing when they have taxed the E36 M3 out of everything! Most expensive gas I've ever bought in my life.

The pancakes were alright though. They are good at breakfast.

I just checked on line. Looks like gas is just under 5.00 per gallon. Ouch.

cwh wrote: I just checked on line. Looks like gas is just under 5.00 per gallon. Ouch.

In Canada? Sounds about right. $2.41 or so here, so yeah double.

Out of order winter update:

November in the trails outside Anchorage.- Bear Valley

Annnnnnd winter is in full swing.

A decent real winter again for AK and I've been taking the Cruiser around for some fun back country trips. Just routine maintenance so far over the winter months. Changed the oil at -20F. FASTEST OIL CHANGE I'VE EVER DONE. Thinking about a front axle rebuild and upgraded birfields this spring. Until then, keeping it locked in 4H and slogging around in the powder.

So much snow lately it looks like I have a camper top. I just cleaned it off last night. In Anchorage 1/21/17

Up to Chena Hot Springs over Christmas:

And what's Christmas without visiting the big guy himself?

Snowmachining at Crow Creek Gold Mine with some buddies who came up from Atlanta.

Dinner at Jack Sprat in Girdwood (Looks like a gingerbread house right now)

Eagle River 1/19/17. -27F

Today was the first day it felt like Spring (High in the low 40s) and the roads were clear.

Last week we we're enjoying our igloo fire pit....

And today we went out to Chugach National Park outside Anchorage.

Pioneer Peak from the Glenn highway:

Powerline Pass:

Gorgeous!!

Nice!

Last one for a while. My neighbor who is also of Alaska Outdoor Photography fame, captured this picture of our house a few weeks ago right as the aurora blew up. Just saw the final version tonight and I thought I'd share it. He does amazing work. alaskaoutdoorphotography.com to check out his work and order some something if you like.

Oh man I need to get to Alaska someday...

Early April:

Bald eagle in Anchorage:

Ski out to Portage Glacier:

Last bit of winter left in mid April and temps are hitting around 50 degrees here now. It was a legit winter and we still have lots of ice on the lakes thought its thinning fast. I went ice fishing in March in Wasilla on Finger Lake and the ice was 4.5 feet thick. More than anybody could remember the last 10 years or so. Definitely a strong winter here this year.

Some updates to the truck include a new radiator and speedo output gear seal. The seal was leaking , running up the cable and dripping gear oil behind the dash and on to the floor. NASTY.

Glad to have that fixed BUT the next leak was the oil seal in the front axle in to the knuckle. I have 27 spline Longfield axles and birfields on order along with Marlin seals. Should be about twice as strong as stock. It was time anyway. Since the front axle work is pretty detailed and messy, I'm taking the truck to a Cruiser specialist in Wasilla to do it while I'm on vacation to minimize downtime.

I'm still digging my Appliance Turbo-Vectors and I sold my black and red Outlaw wheels a couple days after getting these on. I washed off the last of Winter and I'm ready for some summer wheeling.:

The Birfields really are not hard to do, just lots of seals and wipers and grease. IMO I would do it, its dirty but that's it, and you get to know how your front end is put together if you ever need to do field limp home repairs. I did mine when I first got my old truck, the cone washers are the worst of it (if they are crusty)

java230 wrote: The Birfields really are not hard to do, just lots of seals and wipers and grease. IMO I would do it, its dirty but that's it, and you get to know how your front end is put together if you ever need to do field limp home repairs. I did mine when I first got my old truck, the cone washers are the worst of it (if they are crusty)

I have no doubt I could do it but it would take me FOREVER.I'm usually pretty slow with detailed repairs since I am overly paranoid of messing anything up that is a big job. Also my only space to do the work is my soggy carport with mosquitoes the size of birds hanging out. I like taking the truck in to Cruisers Only once a year or so just to have the owner look over anything I've missed. He has lots of spares and parts ready to go in case something comes up and a lift to do it on. If I mangle something, it's a long tow from Talkeetna to Wasilla.

So previously I replacing some power steering components at 0*F, wrenches freezing to the ground while I'm working on it... radiator replacement in February... Having a pro do it while I'm on vacation so I don't have to spend my time off doing that sounds like a treat to me.

Good Lord, I've finally updated everything from photobucket to imgur. That was a chore.

Some updates to the Cruiser and some more travels around with it.

First off, 27 spline Longfield birfields and a full front axle rebuild with all bearing and seals completed.

Up to Chicken, AK

Down to Seward, AK

and back to Valdez again last weekend.

Lastly, I scooped up a set of of factory fj40 wheels (with the factory hub cap tabs still intact) and put a set of studded tires on it. 235/75/15s are going to be tiny on this thing as i've never driven it with less than 35s but I'm not doing another 6 month winter on Mud Terrains.

Beautiful up there!

Some late Summer roadtrip updates:

Took the Cruiser down to.....the train station in Anchorage. 4 hour train ride out to Spencer glacier, then a 5.5 mile hike straight up.

But having this place for the weekend was worth it.

One of the hardest to get public use cabins. Only $60 a night or something (divided by 8) BUT a year waiting list. Kerosene oil drip stove got fired up to dry us out since the trail was miles of straight up switchbacks in overgrown soaking wet vegetation. It was like hiking through a car wash with brushes scrubbing you on the sides.

The following weekend was a quick plane ride out to Lake Clark National Park across the Cook Inlet from us. A friend of Mrs. Crankwalk works for the park service and arranged this whole thing. Apparently, a lodge is going to be expanded and they were doing some surveying work. Nice little tag along for some impromptu bear viewing.

WHEW. That was a busy summer and I'm ready to hibernate a little bit. We also got a place in Anchorage is downtown right behind Mrs. Crankwalk's office.

But the best part is there is an honest to God enclosed HEATED garage. For the first time since we moved here 2.5 years ago, I have a warm place 6 months out of the year to work on stuff.

Part of the reason I needed a nice warm spot is the winter's project will be this spare 4.2 2F I have. Buried somewhere.....

Oh there it is. Once I removed the rat's nest you can see the actual motor. Plan involves a complete rebuild with big cam and head upgrades.

Awesome! I'm always jealous of the heated garages with floor drains.... My family in Anchorage has that....

java230 wrote: Awesome! I'm always jealous of the heated garages with floor drains.... My family in Anchorage has that....

Yeah garages without the drains tend to be a flooded mess.

Still, beats the alternative of stuff freezing underneath a vehicle around Halloween and it doesn't melt until Easter.

In reply to crankwalk:

Yeah, that also assumes I could get a car in my garage

But seriously heated is sooo nice, I understand the need for it, but it sure seems luxurious. I have an old pellet stove in my garage, it's better than nothing but doesn't get that warm.

java230 wrote: In reply to crankwalk: Yeah, that also assumes I could get a car in my garage But seriously heated is sooo nice, I understand the need for it, but it sure seems luxurious. I have an old pellet stove in my garage, it's better than nothing but doesn't get that warm.

If the pellet stove can bring ambient to 32F+ that would be an improvement for what I was used to. I'm hoping these gas heaters make it 65 and I'm in tshirts in January building this motor.

Hopefully they do! Reznor style?

My family has heated floors.... That's getting spoiled though when you get under the truck and it's warm to lay down lol

2 BIG Modine natural gas heaters. Kind of overkill for the space but it takes a bit to overcome our temps. If I am planning on being out there for any length of time, I am going to run them cost be damned.

Heated floors are actually pretty popular especially in nicer homes and since heat rises it's pretty efficient in making the whole house warmer. We have 2 oversized Toyo stoves (heating oil) at our house and they work nicely. We can heat our 2000 sq ft house in the dead of winter for $120 a month.

Late fall run up Arctic Valley and hike up Mount Gordon Lyon.

Peak fall colors at sea level in Talkeetna.

Climbing altitude and fall is done in the alpine. Snow level is dropping and we expect a mix on snow at sea level next week.

Chester Copperpot at the top on Mount Gordon Lyon: