My epic roadtrip:

[zluster]

Upstairs bed:

Folded up:

Downstairs bed:

Doggahs:

Minor windshield rust:

New windshield!(which got some nasty rock hits during the AK trip):

Van at goldstone deep space network:

German van at fort irwin looking nervously at American tanks:

New electric fridge installed:

Outlet tied to inverter, 12V outlets:

Swivel seat installed:

 

[zluster]

Random Camping in ouray:

New wheels which hopefully will go on in the next few weeks with some new tires with the proper load rating:

Then we got the van partially painted:

Ok paint job, but we used super cheap single stage paint(base/clear is much better, but much more expensive):

New door for passenger side, the syncro(4WD) in the background is the next conversion candidate:

Halfway painted:

Unpainted side:

Back out at goldstone:

 

[riverfever]

Those last round of pics made me randy.

I really miss my 88 Weekender but it just was not happy up at this altitude. I can't believe you scored that Westy interior for 100. I've never met you but I'm beginning to not like you.

A Subie motor in there would be incredible. Awesome work on the entire conversion man.

 

[riverfever]

Are there any fly rods in there?

Even if there's not....just tell me there is.

 

[riverfever]

Did you just remove the AC entirely for the conversion?

 

[zluster]

Those last round of pics made me randy.

I really miss my 88 Weekender but it just was not happy up at this altitude. I can't believe you scored that Westy interior for 100. I've never met you but I'm beginning to not like you.

A Subie motor in there would be incredible. Awesome work on the entire conversion man.

If it makes you feel any better, I already don't like you.

We used to have an 87 weekender syncro, sold it when the transmission started fighting us.

A subie is planned for the 2wd, I think a TDI is planned for the syncro.

Are there any fly rods in there?

Even if there's not....just tell me there is.

There's fly rods in there.

 

[rokinxj94]

Great pics man! would love to get back up to AK some day!!

 

[zluster]

Did you just remove the AC entirely for the conversion?

No, the AC compressor was seized and the pulley was cocked sideways when we bought the van. Replaced that, the drier, and the expansion valve, and then shoehorned all of that into the non AC upper cabinet.

 

[zluster]

Great pics man! would love to get back up to AK some day!!

Ya I'm already trying to figure out when I can go again.

 

[zluster]

Start of the dalton:

Down the highway:

Stopping to check out the pipeline:

We heard you like trucks, so we put a truck on a truck so you can truck while you truck:

Approaching the yukon river:

Only 60 miles to the arctic circle, and still 360 miles to deadhorse. For reference its 360 miles from denver to moab.

Caribou Hunters:

 

[zluster]

Bathroom break:

Dog checking out the pipeline:

Forest fire:

Visibility got very poor and combined with the weird trees felt very surreal. Felt like it should be a planet on stargate with Jaffa shooting at an SG team.

Arctic Circle at 12:40am(midnight) colorado time, local time 10:40PM.

Just a minute later the sun got low enough to break through the clouds and come out:

Burning/cooking some meat:

Coldfoot:

Small stretch of new pavement between coldfoot and wiseman:

 

[zluster]

It was really pretty right here:

Approaching Atigun Pass:

Looking back to the south:

Repairing the guard rail before winter comes, I saw it on the other side and it looked like a few nascar races had taken their toll on it. I suspect they have to replace it every year.

The top:

 

[zluster]

Down the North side:

He likes to watch where we are going:

Went for a quick swim:

More road:

Further North it cleared up:

Muskox:

North slop is really flat:

 

[zluster]

Tundra is weirdly spongy:

Approaching deadhorse:

Snow equipment:

Moving day:

Arctic Ocean:

I went into the arctic ocean:

Cell reception!

Powerplant and natural gas reinjection site:

GPS readout when we got there:

 

[KRONIK]

92 mph in a VW bus.... i bet that was fun! lol

 

[zluster]

92 mph in a VW bus.... i bet that was fun! lol

That was in Montana......they don't have speed limits right?


Gassing up in deadhorse:

They keep the pumps inside so they don't freeze over/up in the winter.

I wish I had taken more of the industrial complex known as deadhorse:

More muskox on the way back:

 

[zluster]

Really pretty place to stop:

Dogs got to run around:

This is my desktop photo:

 

[zluster]

This is the small town of Wiseman:

This cat was super friendly:

"Trading Company" where you just leave the money if you want something inside:

 

[zluster]

Back in coldfoot:

Back over the yukon river:

Bud:

X-rayed welds in 76:

 

[zluster]

back at the start of the dalton:

We added a Nasa sticker:

Outside of Denali national park:

Used German utility van converted to a camper(quite common in europe actually):

Denali:

Camping a few miles down the road from Denali, photo taken at night:

The next morning we wake up to a view of Denali in the background:

Denali again:

Stopped for some more photos:

Coming into Anchorage, we had a wheel bearing go out and were calling all over to find a new one before we finally tracked down the one VW guy in town who had one in stock, otherwise we were going to have to wait awhile to get one from seattle. Found a Vanagon guy on the VW forum who was willing to help out, we used his driveway and with the sun being up till 10pm were able to get the rear wheel bearing done in only 3 hours. Not bad for doing it the first time ever. Bought a big breaker bar and socket at a tool place in town and got the job done. It really went pretty well.

The little dog(Sandy) will find a paper towel or napkin and rip it to shreds. Caught her in the act this time.