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lionhouse75

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Posts posted by lionhouse75

  1. Posted · Report reply

    On 1/19/2018 at 2:43 PM, manholt said:

    Lionhouse. 

    I have one question:  After spending a good amount of money on this trip to Fantasy Tours, they did not or are not able to give you, a peace of mind information?  In other words, a day by day itinerary, a clear understanding of avg. temperatures for day/night, recommendations of what to bring with you, when your on your own, breakfast, lunch & dinner, entertainment, side trips, etc.  :huh:

    Fantasy Tours have been around a long time and make 2 Alaska trips a year, a short one and the long one.  I have played golf with the owners, but never had the time to take one of their tours!  I would not do it for Alaska...been there, done that, but I'm planning to take the maritime provinces, next Summer (2019) with Linda! :wub: 

    Yes Fantasy has given us itinerary and a bit more but it’s early yet. Full info package will be out in April. I’m just impatient! 

  2. Posted · Report reply

    12 hours ago, TBUTLER said:

    Like desertdeals69 we did the trip on our own.  You will get hundreds of stories, some good, others not so...

    We like you had done extensive long trips and been in Canada and all over the US.  We always travel on our own, did a tour with Fantasy RV this past spring, Kentucky Derby.  Wasn't so much a tour as an event.  We were parked the whole time.  Travel was in the immediate area on tour buses.  Your experience will be different.  We traveled at our own pace, sometimes stopping at rest areas overnight, others in parks.  This was 2006 and internet was still sketchy but most parks had service, slow but usable.  We had mail delivered to locations in Alaska (full timers). 

    Most parks along the way and in Alaska had wash facilities available and we used them frequently.  Your coach will get dirty, again and again.  Distances in Alaska are great, bicycles give you limited distance and being on a schedule you won't have the flexibility of slow travel.  You may or may not find them to meet your needs.  Among the trips we took was leaving the coach in Dawson City and driving our toad 500 miles one way (most gravel) to Innuvik, an Inuit village well inside the Arctic Circle in northern Canada.  Wouldn't have wanted to miss this but doubt you will have that time allowance or even that particular stop on your tour.

    Fuel and food are available all along the route though you will want to fill up at most towns along the way as they are widely spaced.  Your tour guide should be able to give you guidance regarding these but it isn't a major concern.  There is a publication that I would recommend to anyone going on their own, The Milepost.  It has tons of information and advice regarding your trip.  Much more than I would ever attempt.  Your tour I believe will give you some independent time to explore on your own and you may find interesting things in this guide as well as more specific answers to your questions about the coming trip.

    We took car excursions into Denali NP to the distance allowed (about 20 miles) and had time to do several hikes and stop for a ranger talk.  Drove car several times into Wrangell St. Elias NP, once to stay several nights at Kennicott the other to do some remote hiking outside Gulkana, both long trips (70 - 80) miles on gravel roads. 

    We had not one flat tire on coach or toad but some people undoubtedly did, no broken windshield, just dirt, dirt, dirt.  And, we occasionally had a closet dumper, hitting the frost heaved road a little too fast will magically lift all your clothes hangers off the clothes rod in the closet.  Happens to all, trailers, motor homes, nothing to do but laugh and try to go a little slower next time.  We saw quite a few vehicles with visible damage, saw a wrecker haul a pickup with 5th wheel attached out of roadside brush/ditch and drive off.  Drive cautiously at all times. 

    Did I mention dirt?  If it is raining it is mud, if it is dry it is dust.  Dust on road repair areas where you are driving on dirt - they control the dust with calcium chloride which will make... mud.  Parking lots at grocery stores may or may not be paved.  Pull into fuel pumps, you will be on gravel or dirt.  Alaska is a US frontier and you get the total experience in every way possible.

    Oh, one other thing you may want to consider.  There are credit cards that do not charge for currency conversion.  We have one that we use for any travel outside the US.  Saves us a bunch not having to pay 3% or more to convert from $$ to some other currency.  You will get a discount in Canada, their currency is something like 75 cents to our dollar.  It wasn't that way in 2006!

    We crossed into Canada on Memorial Day and returned to the lower 48 on Labor Day.  It is the trip of a lifetime.  Enjoy.

    Thanks so much for the info. I did purchase the Milepost Guide but need to actually go through it now. Appreciate your reply.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    We have signed up for this year's Ultimate Alaska tour with FantasyRV. We are excited about the trip but also a bit nervous about the kinds of preparations we need to make. We have taken extensive road trips around the U.S. and Canada before in the 10k-15k miles, 3-4 months range on our own so having others with us for this trip is comforting.

    If you have gone on this or a similar route before (whether alone or with a tour) what preparations should we be prepared for that would perhaps be exceptional or different from any other long road trip? Were supplies (eg. food, drinks, personal items) readily available along the way - in other words, how much of the trip is in really remote areas and how much did you pack/stock up on beforehand?

    Were the overnight camping arrangements boondocking or with hookups, more of one or the other?

    Did you purchase travel insurance?

    We have never towed a vehicle as we rely (successfully so far) on our electric assist bicycles. Do you see not having a toad an issue? What other tips for this trip would you recommend?

    Thanks for any advice you can provide. 

    P.S. we will be driving a 34 foot 2015 Fleetwood Bounder. 

    Peg 

  4. Posted · Report reply

    On 10/4/2017 at 11:38 AM, augerdogger said:

    We have been on 2 Fantasy Tours.  The 1st was excellent,  the 2nd was a bust.  The 2nd tour had a very poor Wagonmaster and Fantasy failed miserably in getting reservations.  I have a 45' bus conversion and was assigned a tent camping spot.  It took us 45 minutes to park and several thousand in paint damage.  Another tour member was also assigned a tent spot ans it took him 30 minutes to get parked.  His wife said she had never seen him so upset and have so many problems getting parked.

    Did you by chance purchase trip insurance in advance? I am trying to determine if we should bear that additional expense given other resources available for much of which insurance covers (e.g. our own medical insurance, Fantasy's own refund policy, etc.)  Do you have any other tips we should consider for the trip? We are going on the Ultimate Alaska tour this summer. Thank you in advance.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    Hi all. We are new to Motorhome life (and love it) but we are still figuring things out which is half the fun (and half the anxiety). We grappled with whether to tow a vehicle or not, and so far have decided against it, so far with no regrets (we are not full timers or snowbirds). However, to provide ourselves with both a means of transportation and exercise as well as outdoor fun, we have just purchased two RadRover Electric Fat Bikes. I never realized how difficult finding a bike rack for these would be. They have 4" tires so need a fat tire tray, and weight 60 lbs. each so that is a requirement for weight that is hard to meet by most racks. We have a 2015 Fleetwood Bounder so we are looking for a hitch mount rack. I narrowed it down to a Thule T2 Pro and two others but etrailer.com is telling me that there are NO bike racks approved for the back of a motorhome for that weight. Their reasoning is that mounting it on the back of the Motorhome puts it too far away from the rear axles resulting in too much torque that will cause too much sway and bounce. I was told the only way to do it would be if we mounted the bike rack on the back of a toad, which we aren't doing. 

    I find it hard to believe that with the Bounder, which has less extension out from the rear axles than other rigs I've seen, that the torque factor will be an issue. And I have seen other rigs with platform type attachments for motorbikes or other small such items as well. 

    Am I taking too much of a risk if I go with a hitch mount bike rack that is rated to handle my bikes (weight, tire size) normally? I don't see any other alternative. Thanks for any advice anyone can offer. 

    Peg Mitchell

    San Diego, CA

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Hello to you all. We are both brand new to motorhome life. We just purchased a 2015 Fleetwood Bounder 33C, our first MH (upgrading from a lightweight travel trailer used only locally). We have taken it out locally a lot to learn it, but our real bucket list item is to drive up to Alaska from the San Diego area summer 2016.

    So my first very basic question as I am just beginning my research is this: is it feasible/possible to drive such a rig all the way up to Alaska? I have read some of the opinions on another thread here about flying there then renting vs. going with a caravan vs. going on your own. However, before even choosing which method, what are the limitations of driving that kind of rig in Alaska? Can one do the Dalton Hwy for instance, in this kind of rig? Regardless of method, would we need to tow a car (we haven't even figured that one out yet at all)?

    I just ordered the 2015 Milepost guide so I have that on the way but interested in knowing feasibility, limitations and advice from those who have gone before us!

    Thanks very much.

    Peg and Reid Mitchell

    San Diego, CA

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