Added opinions
A few things to add:
Three weeks seems awfully rushed. Bad things tend to happen when rushed as Murphy is invited.
If you want to enjoy Alaska you can ship your van from Tacoma and fly up and meet it. You can also ship it home.
The ferry is a good experience one way. I highly suggest a stateroom. Deck sleeping sucks.
Mercedes support is virtually nonexistent on the Alcan and Alaska. Trailercraft has a small shop in Anchorage and Fairbanks. They have limited techs and inventory. Your wait may be long.
I highly recommend Ripcord travel and extraction service. They will get you wherever you are and take you to the trauma center as needed. This isn’t a political statement, it is fact: It can be life changing or ending to not get fast and best medical care. Ripord required two way communication. Call them as every trip and charges differ. A sat phone rental can be a life and time saver. A helo ride can cost over $30,000. We’ve had relatives seriously injured and killed in Canada. The trauma response there is very sparse. I’ve never heard a doctor criticize another doctor’s work like when our grandmother’s surgeon had to rework the work done in Canada. Maybe he was just having a bad day? Grandpa didn’t make it. It took two transfers, he didn’t make it. So, we’re entitled to that opinion paid so dear a price for so please refrain from debate. If you called Ripcord, they will organize your extraction and care. Done. Something to think about.
We are losing the aforementioned long daylight hours quickly. Traveling at early morning and late at night is a really bad idea. This the rush hour for big vehicle destroying critters. Trivia: A bull moose can weigh 1500lbs and most of that muscle, bone and antler is windshield height. Quite frequently, when hit, the entire moose goes into the passenger compartment. Also, we’ve seen many head on collisions due to the low sun on the horizon. Polarized sun glasses and a clean windshield help.
Another thing about traveling outside normal hours: Most people are turned down. Services are closed. Stores are closed. Gas stations may be closed.
Other things to consider for this trip: You can call almost any gravel pit or pullout home for the night.
Lastly, the beginning of September is beautiful. Some colors are popping. It can be cyan blue skies and crispy days. You’ll also spot a lot more animals.
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