The Dalton Highway, formerly named the North Slope Haul Road, is easily the most extreme example. (Long-term Alaska residents still tend to use it's former name or simply refer to it as the 'Haul Road.") Wikipedia has a notably understated description. It's a 414 mile long, mostly gravel road. (Only about 140 miles is actually paved, in seven short sections.)
Most of the significant daily traffic is large trucks carrying supplies and equipment to the North Slope oil fields. The trucks (aka 'tractors') and trailers are distinctive, specially designed and built to handle the rigors of that road. (Many have as many as 36 wheels, versus the 18 wheels on most semi-trucks in the lower 48 states.)
The Haul Road is best traveled in the winter, in spite of routine temperature of -50 degrees F or colder. In the summer, many sections are frequently impassible due to unavoidable environmental factors.
For the purposes of our discussion, it's worth noting Haul Road truckers carry enough tools and spare parts to pack the average minivan completely full ... side-to-side, floor-to-ceiling, from the driver's seat to the back doors.
While the Haul Road is an extreme example, there are many places in Alaska where you can find yourself stranded a hundred or more miles from the parts you need to get moving again. This includes the Parks Highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks, which is probably the most heavily traveled road in Alaska outside major population centers. (Even so, it's entirely possible to find the only available parts are 150 or more miles away.)
One facetious individual suggested I could solve the 'spare parts' issue by simply towing a functional 'spare' motorhome behind mine. More reasonably people have suggested limiting myself to traveling in a group of two or more motorhomes. (Dragging a crowd around with you is counterproductive if your goal is to get away from people.)
1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A
Even though it's only one third the length of the Haul Road, it's more dangerous because of a lack of services and traffic. While services are (to put it mildly) sparse along the Haul Road, they are nonexistent on the Denali Highway. The Haul Road also experiences significant daily traffic year-around. On the other hand, most people are able to travel the entire length of the Denali Highway without seeing another vehicle, even when it's open. (People who camp along the Denali Highway report going a week or more without seeing another person.)
Since January, 1980, I have traveled just about every highway in Alaska. I have not tackled the Denali Highway, and probably never will, largely due to the risk involved. (This is surprising to people who know me because activities involving a significant degree of risk were routine for me, especially when I was younger.)
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
BTW - Alaska's other major unpaved road, the Denali Highway, is almost as extreme as the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) but arguably more dangerous. It is not maintained (i.e., plowed) for around nine months of the year, from early fall to late spring. People are strongly advised to avoid it during those periods. (The few who have tried have almost always died.)
Since January, 1980, I have traveled just about every highway in Alaska. I have not tackled the Denali Highway, and probably never will, largely due to the risk involved. (This is surprising to people who know me because activities involving a significant degree of risk were routine for me, especially when I was younger.)
BTW - Alaska's other major unpaved road, the Denali Highway, is almost as extreme as the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) but arguably more dangerous. It is not maintained (i.e., plowed) for around nine months of the year, from early fall to late spring. People are strongly advised to avoid it during those periods. (The few who have tried have almost always died.)
Since January, 1980, I have traveled just about every highway in Alaska. I have not tackled the Denali Highway, and probably never will, largely due to the risk involved. (This is surprising to people who know me because activities involving a significant degree of risk were routine for me, especially when I was younger.)
Interesting that they call it a highway, yet recommend not exceeding 35 mph? Denali Highway
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Ballenxj wrote:
Interesting that they call it a highway, yet recommend not exceeding 35 mph? Denali Highway
Interesting that they call it a highway, yet recommend not exceeding 35 mph? Denali Highway
Welcome to Alaska.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/rolleyes.gif "rolleyes")
There's a frequently used unofficial motto ... "We don't care how they do it Outside!" (In this case, 'Outside' is defined as 'anywhere that's not Alaska.'
I think the state runs a grader over the Denali Highway maybe once a year and possibly as infrequently as every three or four years. Given frost heaves occur every year, 35 mph -- or slower -- is prudent unless you enjoy feeling your vehicle going airborne.
Despite more regular maintenance, there are sections of the Haul Road that are best described as 'unimproved roadway.' (And that may be stretching things a bit.)
The main road between Fairbanks and where we live -- Chena Hot Springs Road (CHSR) -- is sometimes called the Chena Hot Springs Rollercoaster. It's paved so fixing frost heaves and melting permafrost pockets is more difficult and expensive.
All roads expose ground with permafrost pockets to sunlight, causing them to melt and collapse. Pavement collects more heat from the sun, causing the pockets to melt faster and more dramatically.
Common practice is to dig down 8-10 feet and lay down polystyrene insulation before building the roadway back up. When they rebuilt a section of CHSR, they drill holes looking for permafrost. Turns out they didn't drill deep enough. After a three-day weekend, they ran a scraper into the 12 foot deep trench they'd been working on. It promptly sank into melting permafrost and rolled over onto its side. It took several D11 bulldozers to drag it back out of the mess.
The Haul Road isn't too bad. Someone, usually a trucker, will come along within a few hours. You may have to wait several days for repair parts to get to you so it won't be too long before you're back on your way. (Yes, "too long" is a bit of an understatement.)
As indicated, you may have to wait a week or more before someone comes along on the Denali.
So, if you find yourself stranded, and unable to help yourself, yell for help! (You might want to wait an hour or two before doing so, to see if someone comes along.)
The authorities may be annoyed if their response does not involve "threat to life and limb." However, they temper their annoyance with knowledge a non-critical response is better than someone dying because they were too afraid -- or embarrassed -- to call for help.
Unfortunately, nowadays too many people rely exclusively on their cell phones. While cell phone coverage has been steadily improving in Alaska, there are still vast areas without coverage. This includes large stretches of all 'highways' in Alaska. (Virtually all of the Denali Highway is a "no signal" area but even the Parks Highway has significant pockets.)
Cell phone coverage in the Lower 48 is nearly universal but I'm fairly sure there's isolated "no signal" pockets. By the nature of their use, it's possible to find your motorhome stranded on one such area.
I'm seriously considering adding a Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) to my equipment, especially considering my tendency towards heart attacks. However, authorities will definitely get annoyed -- and may bill you -- if their response to an EPIRB signal does not involve threat to life and limb.
Most people view the reflective triangle devices as merely warnings. Road flares and wildly waving arms are usually interpreted a "I need help" signal.
So, a marine emergency signalling kit should be the first thing in your "I'm stranded" box, preferably one that includes aerial flares. (Wait until you see, or at least hear, an airplane before setting off a flare.)
Note: Do not set off a red flare to just try one out. Authorities get very annoyed if they respond to a non-emergency flare. (Someone did so locally ... the bill was $5,000, along with six months probation.)
Companies that sell the kits also sell white aerial flares for training. (The white aerial training flares may be difficult to find outside specialty outlets.)
Ballenxj wrote:
Interesting that they call it a highway, yet recommend not exceeding 35 mph? Denali Highway
Interesting that they call it a highway, yet recommend not exceeding 35 mph? Denali Highway
Thank you for the link. (I was relying Wikipedia to verify some of my information before posting.) Obviously, my information is (roughly twenty years) out of date.
I was unaware Princess Cruises is running tours over the Denali Highway. Princess Cruises, along with other tour companies, are a significant economic force in Alaska. So, it's reasonable for state to step up maintenance of the road.
Likewise, I was also unaware of the addition of tire repair services. Even so, repair parts are likely several days away.
Based on this new information, I may give the Denali Highway a try. I've tackled roads definitely more 'challenging' than that described in the link. (I use the word 'road' very loosely ... a few were nothing more than a line on a map.)
Note: The "sense of isolation and quiet" mentioned in the article can be unnerving to some people, occasionally triggering panic attacks. (In that way, "sense of isolation and quiet" is a notable understatement.)
Also, visitors often experience a well documented phenomena called "sensory overload." Until you experience it yourself, it's difficult to grasp -- and impossible to describe -- just how awesome Alaska is. (Alaska will change you ... everywhere I've been Outside is just. so. boring!)
An empty signpost along the highway, sometimes with a small "Next x Miles" sign, should be interpreted as a "Moose Crossing" warning. (We do have actual moose crossing signs but they suffer from 'disappearing sign syndrome' ... especially during tourist season.)
Equally important is understanding, in spite of our best efforts, we have not been able to teach the moose to read and obey the signs.
The height of the driver's seat in your motorhome gives the moose the advantage of staring you in the eye without having to bend down.
Finally, you don't need to run into the moose to damage your motorhome. One motorhome was stopped along the Richardson Highway when a moose decided to ram the side of it at full speed.
Typically, I'm the 'rescuer' rather than 'rescuee.' A coworker once spend months telling everyone I carried "Subaru fanbelts" in the back of my Dodge van. (He finally shut up when I dug out a roll of weatherstripping so he could fix his leaky exterior kitchen door ... and give me a break from listening to his bitching about it while we were carpooling.)
I rarely get stranded due to broken parts. This is because I tend to replace certain parts, like fanbelts and distributor caps and rotors, before they wear out. The old, still-serviceable parts go in the back for spares. (This is where the "Subaru fanbelt" came from ... the old Dodge fanbelt happened to also fit the Subaru belonging to a stranded couple we ran across on the Kenai Penisula.)
My wife used to complain (a little bit) about duplicate tools, one for the shop and one for each of the vehicles. That stopped when we broke down and she found out one of the kids had borrowed -- and not replaced -- the wrench I needed to adjust their bicycle, instead of walking an extra 30 feet to get the duplicate in the garage. (The one missing from the van turned up in the garage toolbox, along with the one that was supposed to be there.)
I have to compare the systems with mine.
Maybe this looks similiar
![[image]](http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0900c152/80/05/2a/0d/large/0900c15280052a0d.gif)
'79 Dodge Sportsman 5.9 LA 360 TEC Campmate
"Throttle positioner" implies drive-by-wire versus mechanical/cable throttle linkage.
It also looks like a TBI/EFI air induction rather than a carburetor.
Given that impression, it's (very) roughly what you're dealing with and a starting point.
IIRC, you should have a plate, roughly 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) thick, between the carburetor and intake manifold. (Looks somewhat like a carburetor riser.) Usually, during your engine's era, the EGR valve is attached to that plate.
(This is based on decades-old memory so don't take that as gospel ... plus I've worked on a lot of different engines and sometimes have trouble recalling details on a particular engine.)
There's been a lot of variations in EGR system configurations over the decades. (Basics are similar but details vary greatly.)
So, you want to look for information specific to the EGR system in a '79 Dodge 360 engine. (Note that the illustration shows a difference between 318 and 360 engine in terms of throttle positioner.)
Will do some digging and research.