I would like to ask if those of you in Alaska could let me know what the weather is like up there? I got the word this week, the truck that I am assigned to is going to Anchorage! I am putting the truck on the ship next friday the 25th. I will probably be flying up on the 26th, that way I have some time to explore before the truck shows up.:woohoo So I really want to know should I pack longjohns? Any info will be appreciated. Ray
Weather ? Hello Ray, The weather can be found on the net, also. Just type in Anchorage. I'm 120 miles North of Anchorage, still wearing the bottoms of long johns. Freezing temps at nite, ZeroF to +20F and daytime hi's of melting low 30's to 40's F . Still got 30" of snow. Anchorage is a little bit warmer, but still a coastal city, I'd recommend packing your bottoms for sure if your outdoors, and a medium weight jacket. Still spring time here and it ain't no fun shivering your ass off if outdoors. Dress warm and have fun.
I do believe we discussed this very trip a while back.:thumbsup You'd better bring some warm clothes if your working outside. I took these 4 days ago. It just keeps hanging on. Good to see you get to make the trip.
Thanks guys, sounds like what i've got will do, I've still got my basic cold weather gear on the truck, Carhartt bibs and sweatshirts, jackets. Northart, I was just checking the map and I see that the Alaskan RR runs right through Talkeetna, maybe you'll be able to see the truck.
Hey 95! I'm down in Seward on a dredging job for the railroad. Were deepening a cruise ship berth. We will be done in a few days though so we'll be gone if you come this way. Heres a pic of the end of the line. Thats as far south as you can go on the tracks. LOL.
Cool pics Lash as in cold. Do the tourists get a train ride after they dock? Bet that's a nice trip.
i wish i could go to alaska, plus you get paid to go, hope you have a good trip, send us some pics when you get back.
It was mid 30s this morning in anchorage; yesterday I think it reached about 50 degrees. It has been warming up quite a bit and alot of the snow in anchorage is melting but I would bring a set of warm clothes just incase it cools down again.
Hey DPete, The tourists can do all sorts of stuff from here. Some ride buses, Some take the train to Anchorage and fly home from there. Some take the train up to Denali and back. Guess its what ever you sign up for.
Well Friday I left the truck with the shipping company to get it on it's way north. I'll be leaving Seattle tonight at 9:00 pm, and landing in Anchorage at 11:30. Tomorrow I get to go to the D.O.T. office and get my overweight permits. The truck will get there Tuesday afternoon around 1 pm. According to the map my boss sent me we'll be testing from Seward up route 1 and route 3 to Fairbanks. This is a pic of the truck sitting on the dock.
We just got home from Seward. Too bad, I would have enjoyed meeting you and checking out your truck. Anchorage just got 2' of new snow yesterday. Its snowing hard here now. If you drive down to Seward your last stop would be a station strip mall at the turn off to Girdwood. Theres a coffee shop behind the station. Get yourself a couple giant snickerdoodles for the trip over turnagain pass. The Breeze inn in Seward has a good breakfast. Rays is a good place to eat dinner. They have about every fish ever caught on the wall. Little spendy though. If you have time go through the Sealife center on the far end of town. Its got some cool things to see. They have a couple Navy Destroyers coming in to tie up for R&R at the dock we dredged the second of May. It would have been cool to check those out too. I hope you have a good time and have time to check things out a little while your in the state.
I got a earlier flight today and I got here just after 6pm. Got a rental and got to the hotel. Checked in and then went out to get something to eat and spotted a loaded dump truck coming down the road so I decided to investigate. So here's some pictures of them loading the trucks.
Hehe, they have a big snow pile. How was the flight?
Northart where are you? Northart, I didn't realize that we would make it here this fast, we just started testing today. Right now it's 9:20 AK time. We are parked over at the Chinook Winds Cabins. If you're interested and can make it over I'll be up for a little longer, but we'll be rolling out at 6 tomorrow morning. I'll be out there around 5:15 or so. Nickel tours available just stop by. Oh yeah, I'm in the Mt. Russell cabin. Ray
Location ? Hello Ray, Amazing this internet. I was shocked to see you up here so soon. Figured you were several days away. Hope you liked the short Talkeetna tour, I give you of the local scenery. I'm still awestruck over that Wireless Laptop . LOL Going to have to get one someday so I can post from anywhere ?? Well have a good railroad ride. Northart
Art, Thanks for the tour, that's quite the collection of equipment you've got there. I just can't wait until you get some of those cats (especially that 22 and 4 in the garage) up and running. But tonight I'm in Healy and the countryside got really beautiful. Here's some pics of the landscape and some animals.
Scenery ? Hello Ray, Did you get any pix of the rock cut by the Parks Hwy bridge before you get to Healy. It was an old tunnel till they blew the roof off here last month, and made it an open rock cut. The ARR worked on it over a year to take the overburden off and make an open cut.
Art, We got off the track south of the cut and drove over it, I'll be getting pictures of it today. We'll be able to make a comparison tonight. They're actually still working on it they're gonna be making a shot today around 9 this morning, but we're gonna be through by then.
Nice update!:thumbsup
Art, I didn't get a picture like yours from the bridge, but here's some of that same stretch taken this morning. I've also got video of that too. I'll post them in a day or two. Ray
Healy ARR Cut Hello 95z1V, Nice pictures from another direction, most people never see. Found a couple more pix, of the tunnel, from last year. Check out the ARR Bridge in Nenana, where the Ice Classic is , the Tripod is downstream from it. People bet on when the Ice breaks up and goes out, $300,000 + prize.
You can keep the temperature but those views are to die for. I spent 3yrs in N africa in the early 80's and wish we had the technology then that we have today. The temperatures were completely opposite BUT! Keep those pics coming, what is mundane and normal to you is awesome to us mortals :notworthy
Nah, just awesome too you. :usa
Rob, This is all new to me too, that's why I'm taking all these pictures so down the road I'll have something to remember this trip by. Ok, we worked up in Fairbanks today then I drove back here to Anchorage. Tomorrow we test from here to Seward. Lash, I'm gonna copy that post about the hot spots and print it tomorrow as a guide. We'll stay down there tomorrow night then leave early and come back here. Monday afternoon the truck goes back on the boat and heads for Seattle. We're gonna hang here for a couple of days then I'm flying down to Seattle to pick up the truck and I'll be taking it to Chicago next week. Art, We took a couple of pictures of the tunnel from the bridge today and now you'll really see the difference. There's ALOT of older equipment up here and a couple that are pretty rare so along with landscape I'm gonna start posting that too.
Scenes Hello 95z1V See you got Usibelli Coal Mine operation in the background, that's in the pix with the Cat D8 . Well, good luck on your railroad riding career . Keep taking pix in your cross country travels. Northart
Jeez, I've been enjoying your trip too. You get to see things from a different view. I've been to Fairbanks but its been a long time. Are you going to do the Whittier spur? Its a pretty cool trip through the tunnel. Whittier is where they bring in the Aqua Train. 420' barges with rail cars on them. They drop the ramp and pull them off and on down the track. Glad your enjoying your trip.
I'll take that as 1 all for my dumper jibe. BUT I think a smiley would have shown you weren't being rude.
Sounds like a great trip that you're having. I'm really enjoying your pictures. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Beautiful country...
Nah, I spent the better part of a year working in Washington and Oregon. Yeah some of the passes there are nice, but once I started getting into really mountainous terrain they don't seem that high. The territories west of Denver have some mountains that are just awesome to drive over. But these up here have a ruggedness that's just indescribable. And you don't get to see Glaciers in Washington either.
Yeah Lash, we did the Whittier spur today That tunnel is something both cars and trains travel through it. I've got some pics of the north entrance. But I've got video of the trip through it in both directions. We tested through it and right to the end of the line. We then just put the truck in reverse and backed right back through it again(tunnel control got their panties in a bunch because we held up vehicle traffic ). Here's some pictures of the tunnel and a couple of surprises for you Lash:bouncegri.
Some Pics for Lash Ok, here are the start because of some snow on the track we had to back up and go around then test into Seward so we got in late. But here's a couple of quick pictures I took. Tomorrow we'll go back and finish the last 20 miles of track then get back to Anchorage to get the truck on the ship back. We're gonna stay for a couple of days and do the tourist thing. The boss is gonna rent a car and we're gonna drive back down here and hit the sights then back to Anchorage and north. I saw a transportation museum that looked pretty good. But I got these for you Lash and I'll hopefully get better ones tues. These are the end of the passenger line in Seward. Seward's crane with clam. In the background are the destroyers that came into the freshly dredged harbor. And the Infamous Ray's Ray
Nice pictures, The tunnel into Whittier is cool. Its a crying shame it goes to Whittier though. Strange place. They even have a book in the store with the title. " The Strangest Town in Alaska". The people that live there call themselves Whittiots. What do you expect when the whole town pretty much lives in one biulding though. Heres a couple pictures from when we built the marina behind the cruise ship dock. The whole place. The Crane pic from Seward is a company we've done a lot of work with. Their building a new boat haulout for the city. I wonder if that Helicopter out at the Airport is the Air National guard looking for the lost boy a few days ago. Heres a couple pics of a job we did a few years ago in Seward. Notice the Passenger cars. Thats "The Train Wreck".This wall is under the Holiday Inn Express that you showed in your picture.
Whittier Hello Lashlander, Sure has been a long time since I seen Whittier. Lot of changes have took place since. The tunnel upgrade, now I seen more Marina works. I worked on that State Ferry Terminal Dock there. Stayed at the Begich Towers. Old WW2 concrete bldg. modernized ??? Sure had a tough time getting the rock for rip rap from the Tank Farm. Scrounged all we could find. Sure is a haven for violent weather, snow, rain, high winds. Gotta be strange to live there. LOL What is the name of your firm ? Never get to see the logos.
Hey Northart, your correct about the violent weather changes in Whittier. I've been out the chain all the way to Shemya and haven't seen any place as bad. The wind can go from 0 to 70 in 2.1 seconds. One of my guys got blown off the barge when we were on the Marina job. We built that float system along side the ferry terminal you see in the lower left hand cornor of the picture I posted in 01 for Prince William tours. We stayed on the top floor of the tower on the water side. Awesome view on a nice day. I'll see if I can scan some pics. They replaced the ferry terminal in fall of 03 for the Fast Ferries coming out of Cordova and Valdez. Did you work on the one in the early to mid eighties? Were you working for Swalling?
Jobs Hello Lashlander, Yes that was Swalling then. I see them sheet pile half cell's everywhere now. PND's design. Northart
Thanks for the great pictures and info 95zIV and Lashlander. That is some real breath taking scenery :notworthy but I dont fancy working in that part of the world thanks. I was thinking that sea looked not like a mill pond Lashlander, then you mention casually that you had a man BLOWN off one day. I dont doubt you were fully prepared but that must be a real scary few moments for everybody I know all would be fully booted and suited in the right gear, but what sort of max time in the water are you looking at before major problems occur?
I like the design of the sheet pile 1/2 cells. I looks like they would eliminate the need for any sort of tie-backs, as the shape of the wall would supply the laterial support for the wall. I am dealing with the installation of 200 80' deep tie-backs now and they are a pain to say the least. They are getting about 2 a day and I can't excavate in the river untill they are almost done. Hope to be able to get into the river on the opening day of our fish window on 7-1, if not I may be back next year or in a rubber room, not sure which!
AtlasRob, We have two life rings and ladders we can throw over the side to someone in the water. I also always have a skiff, if not in the water, able to launch immediately. You have about 15 minutes at the most to get someone back on board before it becomes a major deal. I've been in a couple times over the years, but it doesn't happen very often. Big Iron, the open cell sheet walls are actually tied back with themselves. At every Y there is a wall that comes back into the ground. I believe the spec is the tail wall comes back twice the height of the face. I will post some pics if your interested. 95zIV, time for an update. Did you get your truck back to the Tote ship? Didn't mean to hijack your thread and get off on a tangent.
Ok, As I type this the pictures are transferring to my comp and I'll start posting some. Yeah, we made it back to tote on time and the truck is on the way. Come to find out I can't get the truck until next Monday:Banghead. I was planning on getting it Friday and hauling posterior to Chicago all weekend. The job is completed and today we drove down to Seward again and did the tourist things. We ate at Ray's, I got some pics of the destroyer that was still there. Then I got pics as it left the berth and headed out to sea :woohoo. I'll be driving my bosses to the airport at midnight and then I'll be on my own. I'll be staying here until at least Saturday as my boss put it "You'll have to wait until Monday to pick up the truck so you might as well stay up here instead of down in Seattle. So I've got a car and tomorrow i'll be heading up to a museum I saw north of Anchorage. Then if it's ok with Art I'll swing by there again. But enough of my ramblings, here's the pics: I'm sorry I lost the pictures, I'll post them just as soon as I find them.
Ok, I found them, here I go finally first the Destroyer:
Now some pictures of Ray's restaurant:
Now some snowfighting equipment: I think someone will spot what's different about that D6D. The guy in the last picture will be on Alaska week about Avalanches.
Avalanche control Hello 95z1V, Check your email. The howitzers were supposed to be running low on ammo a couple years ago. Just wonder how they are doing.
You bet post a few more, thanks
95zIV, thanks for the pictures. I would have liked to check out those Destroyers. Looks funny, the little Coast Guard cutter Mustang escorting it out to sea to protect it. That sure is a nice looking piling in that second picture! I drove it in 01 when we replaced the harbor. Is that the D6D with notches cut in the grousers so it will ride the rails? I got blew off our dredging job one day so I ran to Anchorage after some parts. Just past Girdwood at a roadside rest they had 3 or 4 of those Howitzers pointed up at the mountain. I almost turned around to see if they'd let me watch but was pressed for time. You haven't been hanging at the Bush Company have you? Big Iron, I'll post some. I'll have to hunt them up and scan em.
Yeah Lash, that's that D6D: There's the notches in the tracks, the windows a bullet proof glass, and of course there's the cages over the windows. That's all to protect the operator in case a avalanche hits while the machine is in the danger zone. Never having worked in conditions like that the precautions that they took where a surprise to me. But I was some glad to have them there.
They moved the highway over now, but a few years ago there was an avalanche that happened a mile or so south of Girdwood. The DOT had a guy on a dozer clearing the highway. Another avalanche came down and buried the man and the dozer and killed him. They changed the way they did things after that. They were filming it at the time. I saw the video and its amazing the power and speed involved.
Snow in Alaska How deep does the snow get up in Alaska there? I thought it was too cold for even big accumulations of snow that far north. True?
I think Valdez has an annual average of 36'. The ski resort at Girdwood had right at 28' on top about the 20th of April. When we went to Seward the last week of March there was 18' on turnagain pass. When we built the Marina in Whittier in November and December it snowed over 12' on us. The only place I've been that it snows like that was at Strawberry Pass in Utah in 1982. We were drilling a well and they couldn't keep a 15 mile road open with a D9. They finally gave up and gave us snow cats to get back and forth to the highway. I don't know how much they get on the North Slope but they don' get that much.
I took these pictures on Monday the 5th just over 17 rail miles north of Moose Pass. I'm trying to upload a couple of the videos I took of that area and I'll get a link up just as soon as I do. The guy standing against the bank is my truck supervisor and he's probably 6'1" or so without the hard hat. He was standing pretty much at ground level so that should give you some idea of what you're looking at. The other two the shorter one is my division boss and the tall one is the railroads avalanche expert. I'm working on getting the videos uploaded i've got two of him explaining how they check the banks for stability.
Well the videos will have to wait until I get somewhere with better wireless:Banghead I just can't seem to get them to go tonight.
While I was digging for the sheet wall pics I ran across these. A few more of Whittier. These were taken from the top floor of the Begich Tower where we stayed. Its a good view of Passage Canal. I'm not sure why they call this Bay a Canal though. I put this picture together but had to make it this small to get under the 100kb limit. Not perfect but shows the area. One more from the beach. This is beside the Ferry Terminal that North Art worked on years before. Small world! 95zIV, time for another update!
These are just some photos of some of the railroad equipment that I managed to get pictures of.
Thought I'd bump this one back to the top again because today I got the confirmation I'm going back. Tomorrow I'll be booking my flight to Anchorage for Memorial Day. Then i'll be up there for about 2 weeks.
Have a safe one 95zIV. Thank you and Lashlander for introducing me to incredible pictures and information about a part of the world I knew nothing about,.... except how to spell it
Have a ball and dont forget the pictures or they might say it didn't happen Stock
Just for kicks I thought I'd bump this one back up again. I got a message from my boss last week, it was sent to my old supervisor and me, "We've got the contract to test Alaska again".:woohoo "Unfortunately neither one of your trucks will be going up this year".:crying "So I need the two of you to rack your brains and send me all the info you can about the job. So I did up the e-mail to my boss, and added a P.S. "I'd be happy go up and play tour guide if you want" I don't think he's gonna take me up on it but it's worth the try, I love the 2 week VACA when I go up there. Part of me really wants to call my contacts up there and go "Ya know it would go a whole lot smoother if you requested me to come up there" I won't but don't think I haven't thought about it. Maybe next year again, doesn't look good because now that I've got my own truck to worry about I think the plan is to try to keep me and the truck over here on the east coast.
Cant think of a better excuse for bumping an incredible thread Sorry to hear you wont be going this time, but if the ones that go, mess it up you might get a replay next year. :drinkup
That thought crossed my mind too, I don't think we have a "fingers crossed" smiliey on here, so I'll just hafta do my own.