Dallas to Alaska - 4000 Miles One Way!!
Some of you know that I am not fond of drag racing. The truth is, that very few of you really know much about me at all outside of my internet personality. While I am very similar in real life as I am online, there are deeper things about me that I just don’t have time to share. This is one of my ultimate fantasies, and one that might be coming true very soon.
I would like to drive from Dallas to Anchorage Alaska. 4085 miles. 8200 round trip. $1000 in gas.
I wont be setting any records or accomplishing anything that has not yet been done. And to think that I might subject my beloved camaro to this abuse startles me, I might have to do it in some other car. Which is sad, because a part of me wants to do it in the camaro to say that I chose one of the least reliable and risky vehicles to do this in. Which looking deeper, could be quite stupid.
You see, it really does not matter what car you take. The way there covers portions of Canada where people don’t live. Where there are no gas stations. The final leg of the journey will subject me to a portion of road that has no gas stations for more than 800 miles. No V8 car sold today can get 800 miles on a tank. Only truckers and rigs can make this journey. Who else would want to?
Whatever car I took, would have to be fitted with an additional 30 gallon fuel cell, perhaps 40. We would need tools, a CB, flares, a Tire, parts, a tent, food, and more. The trip would take 3 days of non-stop driving, but about 7 days with stops.
It would just be insane.
The thing is, no-one does this. No-one anywhere I have ever met sits down and says, “I want to drive to Alaska”. You just don’t. I know, because I have done up to 1100 mile trips like this on my own many times before (something else you didn’t know about me) that the TRIP ITSELF is the adventure. The destination is just the reward.
So far, I have driven from Dallas to , Tampa, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and Monterrey and back. All in the Camaro. All directions of the country. In my camaro I have seen the country, met hundreds of people, and experienced what America is all about. But I think I want to make the ultimate journey.
The more I think, the more I think that I would rather take a modified Subaru or Evo on the trip. Something AWD and comfortable. But anyways, I would like to do it.
Also, could do the trip in reverse. Dallas to Costa Rica. Not as far, but twice as dangerous.
Anyone even remotely interested in discussing the possibilities, risks and challenges of such an adventure? Chime in.
No problem for a New Beetle
I have a friend who lives just outside of Denali NP who has driven her 2000 New Beetle down to the continental US three times. One of the only cars that probably has less clearance (without being lowered) than a Camaro is a New Beetle. She had no problems. She did put a bra on because of rocks and didn't want paint damage. (Bra on her car; probably on her, too. LOL) The first time she did this trip, she brought her 3 and 7 year old boys. I know she wouldn't have done that if the trip wasn't considered safe enough for them. That was in 2000.
As Mark said, gas is no problem. This is actually a very popular drive and you will rarely have longer than an hour without amenities (fuel, food, lodging) along the way.
As long as you have the time and the money, go for it. But don't overstate the dangers. Of course, one should always have a kit with the proper things for potential problems. Check out the Gear-Up Section for ideas on that.
If you go in the summer months, you just might be surprised at the number of vehicles on the road with you. And wave if you see a lime-green New Beetle. It might be my friend who is planning another trip down to the continental states this summer.
So, if the Camaro is mechanically OK for this trip, take it. Have your car serviced by a reliable mechanic and your tires checked before you leave. If you don't trust your Camaro, then, yeah, you might be better off in another car.
