North to Alaska! | FerrariChat

North to Alaska!

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Texas Forever, Feb 3, 2004.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,386
    Texas!
    Has anyone has been crazy enough to drive a Ferrari to Alaska? Some months back, Keith Martin of SCM fame drove a Vette up the Alaskan highway. So if he can make it in a Chevy, surely I can do it in a Ferrari, right?

    Yeah, I know, I need to quit this stuff and get back to work <sigh>

    Dr "I got dem ole dreaming bout road trips blues again" Tax
     
  2. Napolis

    Napolis Three Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary Owner

    Oct 23, 2002
    32,118
    Full Name:
    Jim Glickenhaus
    I think someone drove a 550 to the Artic Circle. Hey I know someone raced a 250 GTO in the snow. (Monte Carlo Rally)
     
  3. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 7, 2003
    22,179
    Full Name:
    C9H8O4
    The drive up the AlCan isn't all that bad, at least not anymore.

    It is just really long, and fantastically boring.

    I drove my truck up it this spring, and I don't think the truck even got dirty.
     
  4. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,386
    Texas!
    Damn, I wanted to be the the first! Did he drive up or did he ship the car and then drive to the circle? Inquiring minds want to know...

    Now, who would be nutty enough to drive a 250 GTO in the snow, eh? :)

    DrTax
     
  5. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 7, 2003
    22,179
    Full Name:
    C9H8O4
    I almost got creamed one year buy some nutcase in a Car and Driver sponsored vehicle.

    Turns out they were doing a story on driving up the road to Prudhoe Bay.

    Now, THAT's a drive I'd like to see a Ferrari do!
     
  6. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,386
    Texas!
    Would it have been boring in a Maranello? How much traffic is there? I have heard that the RVs get to be a bit much. But, as a in-breed Son of the South, I love driving out West. There's nothing better than coming over a pass and seeing 90+ miles laying out there just waiting for you...

    DrTex
     
  7. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 7, 2003
    22,179
    Full Name:
    C9H8O4
    Not much traffic went I went up, or during any of the other times I drove it. This last year was the first time that I wondered about driving it in a Ferrari, because the road was good enough to do so.

    DrTax, the 575M would be pants-wettingly awesome on this drive. It is a Gran Turismo, right?

    It would eat RV's on these roads, especially on the Alaskan side.

    I have put 425k miles on these roads since I have started driving, and have seen ONE other Ferrari (a 308) on the road and NOTHING ELSE. No Lambos, no Lotuses (well, one OLD-clapped out Epirit from 1981), nothing.

    A 575M would be too much :)

    I think that C&D was a dark blue 550...can't remember, tho. I have to go through all my old e-mails and look for a picture of it.
     
  8. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 25, 2003
    3,750
    Alaska
    Full Name:
    Mule
    DrTax,
    Buy the Milepost Book at Barnes and Noble or online. it will describe every mile in detail along with routes, maps, gas stations, food, etc.

    It is the best planning guide, and should get you off to a good start. Remember though, once you get there, you will not want to leave.

    "'I don't know what it is that keeps pulling me back to this country,' said a man one day...'Maybe you see a white mountain, or a green valley, or a big river, or a blue strait, or a waterfall - and like a flash your heart opens, and shuts in an ache for Alaska that stays!...No, I don't know what it is, but I do know how it is; and so does every other poor devil that ever heard that something calling him that's just Alaska... I tell you what, if ever a country had a spirit, it's Alaska; and when it once gets hold of you and gets to calling you to come, you might just as well get up and start, for it calls you and follows you, and haunts you till you do."
     
  9. Brian C. Stradale

    Brian C. Stradale F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 17, 2002
    3,612
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Actually, the primary thing that keeps calling to me from my visit to Alaska is... the Salmon!! OMG, the Salmon is good!

    Now that other stuff was AWESOME... and the first time back to Colorado, everything felt so much smaller... but that wore off after a while... so, I get an adequate fix of mountains and waterfalls and canyon rivers and such from our *regular* trips to Colorado. But nowhere have I had as good of salmon!!

    But then, I guess, the two things that draw me to a place is:
    1) Great food
    2) Great roads (for driving twisties and viewing scenery)

    So, Italy calls to me more than anywhere... I did NOT want to leave Italy... and I oh-so-wanna go back. But I can't drive my Stradale to Italy... ;) ... and this year's going to be about everywhere I can drive my Stradale... gotta be the first to put 20K miles on it, and I'm so far behind already! ;)
     
  10. jmiles360

    jmiles360 Karting

    Nov 2, 2003
    122
    Washington DC
    Full Name:
    J. Miles
    There was a fantastic article in CAR magazine a while back about taking a Ferrari 550 to the end of the world (the southern tip of Argentina). CAR magazine also took a 512M to the Sahara desert. They are both worth finding, perhaps on ebay.

    As for Alaska, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. However, I went on a small cruise boat, and did not travel much by road. I got the impression that you missed a lot of scenery by traveling by car. You cant even reach the state capital Juneau, by car. Worth trying anyway.
     
  11. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 7, 2003
    22,179
    Full Name:
    C9H8O4
    If you aren't seeing the state by small plane or by foot, you are missing everything!
     
  12. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 6, 2003
    24,957
    Las Vegas, NV
    Full Name:
    Ryan Alexander
    I'm sure you could take a ferry. It would be weird otherwise- I'm sure people get around somehow.

    Dottore: you should pick up an old 456GT and give it the modification treatment that that investor dude did in that yellow SLK 4WD, and then drive around the world on a "charity mission" - which means write a bestselling book to entice NY yup-sters to travel to Nepal, find themselves and start trade with less-developed nations.

    I have a friend from Peru who says in South America used American pickup trucks are worth more than in the States. He had friends who bought wrecks and 10yr old trucks for $500-4000, fixed what was broken and drove them to Peru/Ecuador/Chile/Argentina and sold them for twice that. My good friend and I set up a plan to buy a cheap truck (his dad owned a repo biz), spend two months driving all of South America and then sell the truck and use the money for tickets home and maybe recoup some costs. That summer I got married instead, and then Argentina went bust, so that'll have to wait.

    Brian Stradale: I agree 100%: nothing gets the blood and the appetite flowing like zooming around Italian backroads and coasts, even in a tiny Puegeot. We hit Monaco a few days after the '03 GP (yeah, bad timing), but all the signs and markings were still up on the streets as we drove around town. Just driving in those tight Riviera towns (and not hitting any mopeds) is an experience. Some property on/near the Riviera and a sportscar there is definitely on the life goal list.
     
  13. redhead

    redhead F1 Rookie

    Dec 26, 2001
    4,869
    Full Name:
    ~Red~
    Napolis,

    Might you be in reference to when they took a 1999 550 to Tierra del Fuego?

    They had a DVD for the world club memebers back in the day that had that trip on it. Some pretty cool shots of a 550 in snow and the sort.
     
  14. Brian C. Stradale

    Brian C. Stradale F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 17, 2002
    3,612
    Dallas, TX, USA
    LOL! Were you like me? I just wanted to reach out and swat them like gnats! Pesky darn mopeds. After a while I got to where I could largely ignore them... just assumed they would stay the hell out of my way, because there was no way I was going to keep track of all them! ;) Although, I have wondered what the legal consequence is for hitting one of them, given in all likelihood that I would have considered THEM at fault for making a stupid move.

    Yeah... when the kids are all gone... spending months at a time in Italy is definitely on the life agenda. In the meantime, I'll keep trying to get a week here and there.
     
  15. bobafett

    bobafett F1 Veteran

    Sep 28, 2002
    9,193
    Dale: have you ever read the article in CAR magazine a few years back where they took a 550 to Tierra del Fuego, massive snow and all? Worth a read. From '97 I think, I'll check when I get home. If I have a scanner lying around, I'll send you the images.

    --Dan
     
  16. 4rebob

    4rebob Karting

    Nov 3, 2003
    175
    Eagle River, Alaska
    Full Name:
    Robert Taylor
    Korr,
    Let me know next time you're out driving. I'll see if I can get a few of the uFCA members out. Then you can add a few more to the "cars seen on the road in Alaska" list. uFCA = unofficial Ferrari Club of Alaska (we'd be official, but it'd cost us money). Where in Alaska are you? We need more unofficial members for the club.
     
  17. jordan747_400

    jordan747_400 F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa

    Dec 9, 2002
    6,928
    Houston, TX
    Full Name:
    Jordan
    Dr.Tax, take me with you!!!

    Ill pay gas!
     
  18. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,386
    Texas!
    Tierra del Fuego is the other direction, right? So this means that being the frist to drive a Ferrari to Alaska is still on the check off list? GREAT GWAD ALMIGHTY! Someone ping Marshmellow Dave and tell him that I need to get the phone number of the guy that did the monster truck conversion on his Marynello cause I'm gonna need some big a$$ed tires.

    Now, let me get this straight, Alaska is north, huh? So I drive till I hit big water and hang a right and keep on keeping on. Yeah Baby! Do they have any Stop 'n Rob stores along the way so I can get me some Big Glups and hot doggies?

    Dr "Snow King" Tax

    And yes, Dan, I'd love to see that article. Those C&D boys never were too good about directions from what I recall. Sounds like they went left instead of right when they hit big water.
     
  19. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 25, 2003
    3,750
    Alaska
    Full Name:
    Mule
    It's all in the Milepost, and yes, the "rob" is there when you see the gas prices along the way. You can't pump your own gas in Canada. Cost me $1500 in gas for 4400 miles.
     
  20. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    (OT) Brian C...

    You're right the salmon is incredible. I was there last spring (May), and pulled some gigantic beasts out near Ketchikan. Personally, I enjoy the fishing in Utah slightly more than Alaska (it was just so DARN COLD!), but I'd certainly go back in a heartbeat.

    Perhaps with a hot exhaust manifold and some tin-foil, we could cook the salmon AND drive a Ferrari through Alaska at the same time. Any takers?
     
  21. vincent355

    vincent355 F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 8, 2003
    6,321
    Wine Country
    Full Name:
    Vincent
    I think we should all caravan and try to represent as many models as possible!

    Jordan,

    If he can't take you, you can ride with me.

    Vincent.
     
  22. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 6, 2003
    24,957
    Las Vegas, NV
    Full Name:
    Ryan Alexander
    Brian: my Swiss friend I was travelling with said the mopeds have to follow driving rules, and if they pass in the middle (or create two new lanes on the yellow line), or at lights, or on your left, or anything else on the list which is technically illegal for a car (which is everything those buggers do), and you collide the moped will be at fault. So you try not to hit them cause you don't want the guilt, but I understood I wouldn't be at fault. So like you I ignored them and let them sweat and drive around ME.

    Of course, if it were the Middle East, as a foreigner you'd be instantly at fault and they'd probably cut your shifting hand off.
     
  23. Inter911

    Inter911 Rookie

    Dec 1, 2003
    15
    I live along the MacKenzie Highway in northern Canada. (East of Alaska)

    I've seen many automakers bring their cars north for testing...Porsche (the Cayene was here 2-3 years before it sold), MB, BMW, etc but never Ferrari. Maybe Ferrari's aren't meant to be driven in the cold? ;)

    At any rate, expect long stretches of practically vacant roads (no vehicles and no services), wildlife as big as trucks on the road, bugs as big as wildlife on yoru windscreen, etc. I once read an article where a couple guys took the 356's up to the Inuvik on the Beaufort Sea. The dust, dirt, bugs, rocks, etc took their toll. New paint job and windshield guaranteed.

    Brian
     
  24. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,386
    Texas!
    Hmmm... Anybody here know Brock Yates? Wonder if he has it in him for one last Cannonball... To Alaska! Wonder if I could get Dan Gurney to drive my Maranello.

    Dr "Onward and Upward Thru The Fog" Tax
     
  25. bostonmini

    bostonmini Formula 3

    Nov 8, 2003
    1,890
    I believe back a long time ago (maybe 1999) they ran an article in Forza about that silver maranello that had gone just about everywhere, it probably went to Alaska too;)
     

Share This Page