I totally get where you're coming from Mark. I never owned a snow machine or ATV either....until now. And I have to say, up here, on an ATV, you REALLY get to go somewhere. A couple weeks back on my new Yamaha Grizzly, I actually came up on just that.....a grizzly (well brown bear anyway) just a couple miles from my house. Not to mention the big bull we saw before that too....(after moose season...lol) There are places up here where you CAN go on an expedition. It damn near feels like that almost every time I leave the house, because if I wanted to I can go for miles, and miles, and miles, into some incredible country, and see some incredible things. I know guys that go for hundreds of miles back into the Alaskan bush on these things. I have been totally amazed how these things can go places I can only dream of if I was in my jeep. I'm sure it's a totally different ballgame up here on an ATV than down in the lower 48. All I know is that now that I finally have one, I really am lovin' this thing for sure...!!!

 

wow that was cool..... i wish i had enough money just to buy some new tires... the swiss room box thing will be put on the wish list

 

Hmm, not sure exactly what you're asking about. If you mean for the tire and bumper, it's a Shrockworks bumper, swing gate and trail/jerry can racks. They are ramping up production, but in the past there have been months-long waits for their products. They have a reputation for unreliable delivery estimates--plenty of threads on the forum discuss this. Worth it, IMHO, but do be aware. I've compared this bumper to pretty much everything else out there--Poison Spider, LOD, and forget the Chinese stuff--and when you look closely at the details, this really is the best. I'm not knocking the others if their style suits your needs better (well, maybe the Chinese stuff), but there is a perceptible difference with the Shrockworks. They are, BTW, a forum sponsor, so I'm allowed to share a hot link:

http://www.shrockworks.com

 

I expect that you're right. Most places here restrict you to the trails because they are unlicensed, which means you can't travel very far away because a highway is always getting in the way. Note that I didn't include motorcycles in my list: My hat is off to those hardy folks who overland on bikes--they are true minimalists (and I always loved owning a bike during my younger days in SoCal, Thailand and Mississippi).

BTW: Keep in mind some of those Jeep trails for next year. I'm headed up that way--no specific date set, but I will let you know. Do you have a recommended time of year after April?

 

Overland Journal includes coverage of motorcycling. Great magazine, though expensive ($50/year quarterly). Very high quality mag, though--the kind of thing you might place on your coffee table. Anyone who enjoys overland/expedition travel should subscribe.

 

If you meant his roof rack, it's an MBRP one (they're a sponsor, too).

 

Hey AK4Dave, hope all is well! Thinking about heading up your way this summer on a photo shoot. Maybe if you're available and willing, I'll pay you for your guide services. Need to get back to Brooks in Katmai National Park . Big bears sell well in the lower 48. One thing I've learned while in Katmai, never asked the park rangers about the grizzly man Treadwell. The guy was 3 fries short of a full Happy Meal Question! Your thoughts on the Light Force 240 or the 170? When ever I'm up in your neck of the woods photographing, all you see is Light Force lights on the front of vehicles.

 

You mean these....??? I love my 240s, and there are a lot of others on here that feel the same.

When I guided I did so for an outfitter. I stopped guiding back in 2000.

Oh yeah.....Treadwell was a nut job. He was asking for it. I just wished he hadn't of killed his girlfriend too.

 

It's my understanding that she didn't really want to be there with him in the first place. Have you heard any more on Charlie Vandergaw? He was doing the same thing as Treadwell was. Vandergaw had a cabin some where outside of Anchorage. Last I heard the state had closed him down. I really like your 240's. I guess that will be my next purchase.

 

It's funny you would say that as we were talking about that awhile back. Is there any place in the lower 48 where you can go and not hit a road or fence within....what 50-75 miles? Or are there some places left that you can go over 100? Just curious.

April is a good starting time as the bugs still aren't that bad, and you can start feeling some actual heat from the sun.....lol. If you want to fish though, June/July is peak season. If I was you I would also really think about spending some quality time on the AlCan as well. I mentioned here awhile back that on one of my trips up the AlCan, I ran into a couple guys that were each driving modified volkswagons.....kind of a somewhat tamed down baja buggies. The told me they were taking the whole summer and driving the AlCan super slow, so they could find every side trail and take off on it. They said some would only go a couple hundred yards, but other would go for miles. With the isolation of the AlCan some trails are barely recognizable from overgrowth, so you had to go slow to even see them. They found some amazing places that weren't on any maps or mileposts. They looked to be having a blast.