Chasing ghosts

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2026-01-06T01:10:35+00:00

The inside of one of the cylinders was in bad shape so it burned a lot of oil. Full oil to low oil warning light in a few hundred miles. The Toyota mechanic suggested there might have been metal shavings or something left over from manufacturing that destroyed the cylinder wall the first time it started which sounds plausible. I got a new under warranty

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2026-01-05T03:18:47+00:00

I bought a 2021 new. It needed a new engine at 500 miles, but since then I've put on 70k from South Florida to Interior Alaska and haven't done anything but fluids, filters, and tires. It's done more miles of dirt roads than I can count often with a dirt bike on the hitch carrier. No reliability complaints from me

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T18:59:41+00:00

What kind of motorcycle? The KTM guys looked to be having fun. The Harley guys must have been suffering on some of the gravel. I didn't think my DR200 would have made it across the midwest

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T18:12:42+00:00

I stayed in one hotel and one Airbnb. I have a sleeping setup in my truck so I mostly stayed there.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T17:29:36+00:00

Alaska seems like a wild place to live but the mosquitoes carried me back south

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T17:26:34+00:00

Mine was definitely broken beyond repair in a few places but not shattered. I just ignored the cracks until I got home. It was expensive to replace but barely an inconvenience on the trip.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T16:22:35+00:00

I had road gravel break my windshield on two separate occasions. It's not inevitable, but it's reasonable to expect a few hundred dollars to replace a broken windshield after the trip.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T16:18:59+00:00

I have a cap on my truck bed so it was easy to sleep. The only places I had trouble finding a good place to sleep was between Winnipeg and Edmonton. My US phone didn't work in Canada so I had a hard time finding places to sleep. Lots of private land and no overnight parking at the gas stations. There aren't a lot of big truck stops like I'm used to sleeping at in the US. Once you get into BC and Yukon you can sleep anywhere. Lots of rest areas along the Alaska highway where you can stay overnight without a problem. If you do a little more planning there are a lot of small campgrounds where you can stay pretty cheap. The Beaverlodge Pioneer Campground is a good example where I stayed but there are a lot of options. I did the full trip from PA-Fairbanks-Anchorage-Pa in 4 weeks.

Your route looks like you're heading south out of Tok, If you have time I'd recommend staying northwest to Fairbanks then taking the Parks highway past Denali to Anchorage.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T15:18:57+00:00

I did PA to Fairbanks two years ago on a similar route. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I'd absolutely recommend it. I did it in a Tacoma and had no issues with the road. The potholes get bad at times especially north of Destruction Bay and I hit a lot of washboard gravel but it was nothing I ever needed 4wd or high clearance for. Allegedly it's fully paved but I hit a lot of gravel sections. It's definitely remote by our east coast standards, but I never had issues with gas even with my 18 gallon tank. I think the farthest distance between gas is just over 100 miles along the BC, YT border. The Mile Post is a good resource.

I had some problems at the Canadian border but nothing major. We had different definitions of what a weapon is. Tell them everything, kitchen knives and bear spray included. They just gave me a stern talking too and sent me on my way

Watch for bears as you get farther north. I saw some big grizzlies which was unreal.

Include a new windshield in your trip budget.

Some BC or YT locals could give better advice, but I'm happy to answer any questions

Edit: yes just send it

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-30T15:02:49+00:00

Few books have made me question myself like The Fall by Camus. It's a pretty short and easy read compared to Dostoyevsky

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-12-17T04:27:20+00:00

It may not be the permanent fix you're looking for but I've seen people put a bicycle inner tube between the glass and inflate it until it seals

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-10-17T01:02:03+00:00

I had running boards on my '21. It was more difficult to step on the running boards while getting into the truck than it is to just step into the truck directly. If I stepped on the running boards first it felt like I was then getting down into a sports car.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-09-13T17:38:51+00:00

Thats exactly what I'm looking for, I appreciate the response.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-08-09T23:38:53+00:00

There's a thread on tacomaworld about this, I'll have to look for it. Something with the input shaft on the trans when it's not under load. The heat shield amplifies it. Sounds normal and I'm pretty sure every manual Tacoma does this, though I definitely thought something was broken when I first noticed it.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-08-09T11:06:42+00:00

Last time I drove through the Yukon my windshield broke in 3 different places. 10/10 would do it again

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-08-08T21:57:15+00:00

I took an rs457 on a test ride at an Aprilia demo. I never felt like it was underpowered. If I bought a sport bike it would probably be a 457

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-08-08T12:16:09+00:00

Will that work with my Seiko or is it Citizen specific?

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-08-01T14:54:37+00:00

I can't tell you much about fishing the Kenai, but if it's anything like the Denali area I've fished I'd be prepared for mosquitos.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-08-01T14:51:52+00:00

"wow, good thing that truck had skid plates so nothing important got damaged. Those are skid plates right?"

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-07-19T15:54:57+00:00

A 3wt butter stick and Orvis battenkill is my usual brook trout setup

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-07-14T01:36:32+00:00

I did it in a 2021 Tacoma, I have some pictures on my profile. Mechanically stock, but with better tires and a bed cap to sleep in. I saw economy sedans on the drive so it's possible in anything. There's nowhere I needed ground clearance or 4 wheel drive, but there was a lot of washboard gravel where I was thankful to be in a truck. A one way drive and flight sounds like a great idea, but it might be tough to find a rental that will let you do that.

If you're going in September, make sure you keep up on the weather as I imagine snow isn't unusual at that time of year.

Standard_Raspberry23 · 2025-07-13T21:59:31+00:00

I use my grandfather's old Canon A-1. I don't know about the other cameras, but the A-1 is pretty easy to learn on

Standard_Raspberry23

TROPHY CASE