Here's the interview the CBC Yukon did with Hugo Vidal on August 1st in Whitehorse, Yukon, which was also the night of his 84th birthday. It recounts his trip through Whitehorse in 1955.
I was sitting with Hugo when he did the interview. Unfortunately, during parts of the interview, Around the 4:42 mark he asks "have I told you the little poem" well that was him turning to me (away from the microphone). I was thinking at the time, NO ... keep talking to the interviewer!!
As I mentioned yesterday, Sigrid Arne (1894-1973) enjoyed a second big jeep adventure. This time it was a trip to Alaska, then a trip down part of the Alaska Highway while it was still under construction. As you'll see below, there were a variety of photos that were included in newspapers related to her story about the highway.
Below the Alaska Highway articles are more information about Sigrid and other articles by her. Unfortunately, I can still not locate an obituary nor a biography related to her. So, I'm attaching these articles to this thread so that later I can draft a good wikipedia biography about her.
THE ALASKA HIGHWAY ARTICLE AND PHOTOS:
This first photo was published in the June 15, 1942, issue of the Decatur Journal. It shows Sigrid interviewing Pvt. Levi Schrock and and Prv. Albert Tomaino.
A day earlier, in June 14, 1942, the Knoxville Journal published Sigrid's experience watching the military build a road through thickly wooded and boggy areas.
The June 15, 1942, issue of the Spokesman Review featured this series of photos on its back page. It's hard to believe that Melba Bergeron Mince was working with the military in that outfit (how did the mosquitos not attack all the exposed skin?
OTHER SIGRID ARNE STORIES:
A month prior to the above articles, Sigrid wrote about a woman who lived by herself in Alaska and remained unafraid of the Japanese Military:
Besides riding in jeeps, Sigrid reported on a ride in a tank on December 12, 1939 (Birmingham News). It sounds like the ride was a rough one:
Later in the summer of 1942, the Associate Press, Sigrid's employer, highlighted her as one of five Associated Press reporters (out of about of 1400 other reports) who were traveling the world and reporting on their experiences:
In 1943 she became more well-known following an article syndicated to numerous newspapers about Sigrid and her adventurous life:
During the latter part of WWII, Sigrid turned to reporting on how the world was approaching life and politics once the war ended. As part of her research, she wrote her only book: United National Primer: The Key to the Conferences.
The Associate Press had a traditional of retiring reporters once they hit the age of 55, which Sigrid did in 1949. The next year, she was president of the American News Womens Club (1950-1951). Following that, she continued to file stories from her Michigan home.
At this time, I don't have much more information on her later years, but at least one site reports that she died in February of 1973 at the age of 79.
Brazilian married couple Linho Bergamin and Vanessa Zandona Sartori are touring the world in their modified wagon. They plan to travel across five continents over several years. They began their journey in Brazil and have already gone a long ways.
After traveling to Prudoe Bay last month, they made their way south on the Alaskan highway, drove through Canada, and are currently in Toledo, Ohio. From there, they will head to Niagara Falls. According to Vanessa's Facebook page, they will be in the United States until December, then they will ship the jeep to Africa and continue their trip.
UPDATE: This ad published in the Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1962, by the Alaskan Camper Factory, welcomed Dorothy and Louise back into the United States after their trip around the world in an FC-170 (with an Alaskan camper, of course).
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Originally Published October 06, 2012: Highways Across the Horizon was written by Dorothy Rogers, who previous wrote Jeopardy in the Jeep. I received a copy of it in the mail last week. I knew the book was about traveling through Asia, but there were two things I didn't know. The first think I learned was that she and her travel partner Louise, traveled all the way around the world, starting and ending in New York. The second surprise was their vehicle of choice: a FC-170 with a camper. Craig confirmed today that Dorothy and Louise piloted only the third known FC to make it around the world. I can't wait to read about their adventure.
"This is one of the extended cab Forward Control Dually wreckers built for Alaska Highway use. GVW is 9000 lbs. It has three doors. It has front and rear winches. Front winch has PTO splined shaft for accessory drive. Outer duals were removed to get it on my trailer- they are included. Engine is the Willys 221 flathead six gasoline. I have the Alaska title signed by the owner. $500 via Pay-Pal within 24 hours of ending. Balance within 7 days by cash, or Personal or Business check with time to clear Pickup within 30 days. I can push it onto your trailer with Bobcat if needed."
A few folks (Tom, left, and Jim and Ron, right) from the Alaska Or Rust crew spotted this passed out guy near our Whitehorse hotel. Now he's kind of famous. This photo is one of my favorites from the trip.
Yesterday we travelled from beautiful Whitehorse to the tiny gas-motel-stop of Beavercreek, just at the edge of the Alaska border.
Yesterday morning the Vidals and FCA's cinematographer split off from the group and, thanks to Stephen Reynolds, enjoyed a plane ride over the mountains. Also, many thanks to Stephen and his employer The Department of Tourism & Culture who paid for the Convoy Team's meal Tuesday night! So a big hearty thank you for making Hugo's party even more special! On top of that, Stephen is an awesome guy!
After the Vidals left, I went down to check on our jeeps and found a pylon in the back of Patterson. I found that amusing. What I didn't find amusing was that the case of flavored waters I had in the back of Patterson was still there. Why the heck won't someone steal those flavored waters? They were bought accidentally by my lovely wife and neither of us found them palatable. I've left them in the back of Patterson for days, but I've had no takers ... literally, no one will take them from us!!
Maybe there's a hint here ... that Patterson is a hazard to be avoided???
With Hugo and Fernando on their own, the rest of the group hit the road at 8am, making it as far as the onramp to the Alaska Highway, before pulling off to do some patching. Andreas needed his exhaust patched again, Joe needed a part rewelded to his trailer, but most of all Bill had some cracks in his trailer arms at the elbows. Had they broke, he could have lost the trailer!
Always-Prepared-Marty and Miracle-Don pulled out the battery-powered portable welder and some flat steel. Then, with the help of several others, set out to create metal patches to reinforce both sides.
As they worked away, we encountered our second rude Canadian of the trip. The guy was upset that we had pulled off the highway and were sitting on a side road. He was all in a kerfluffle over the fact that we had parked on the government's property (which made no sense since I would imagine most public roads are owned by the Canadian government??). We explained we were broken down and needed a little time to get going again, but that didn't soothe him at all. Oh well, can't please everyone.
Repairs were rapidly made and the Convoy Crew hit the road again, but soon found ourselves ground to a halt once more, this time by road construction. It seemed like it took a full moon cycle to leave the mud and gravel, but eventually the rough terrain vanished and we found smoothe roads and fast speeds.
The sign read 50KPH, but we were going 0KPH
Once again Bill, in his CJ-5 and teardrop trailer, led the pack. We put him there because his jeep was enjoying the Alaska Highway so much that it lingered on the uphills, slowly savoring each climb.
At one point, the women assembled to take a photo as the guys went to the bathroom.
Traveling north, we soon spotted the hills near Haines Junction rising before us. Arriving at Haines for gas, a couple folks went inside to pay. The radio was playing. Who did they hear on the radio? The voice of one Hugo Vidal!! It was an interview from Tuesday night's birthday bash in Whitehorse. Hugo just seems to be everywhere!
While others got gas, I secured another signature, this time from a family from Juneau. Patterson is a great excuse for meeting people.
Back on the highway, we wound through beautiful, dramatically valleys that were as amazing as advertised. These equalled anything we saw in Banff or Jasper, but with the added benefit of almost no tourists.
We drove until we reached the Thachäl Dhäl Visitor Centre at the south end of Destruction Bay. There, we stopped for lunch. The setting was georgeous. Marty and Don took full advantage of the view. The bugs weren't even all that bad. The first pic shows what the drive looked like just before entering the visitor center:
Perhaps an hour passed before the Convoy Crew loaded up and left. The road along the lake yielded one stunning view after another. Soon, the Vidals caught up to us, making our convoy whole again.
We'd been warned that after Destruction Bay the Alaska Highway's quality degrades (see this Scientific American note on the road damaged caused to the Alaska Highway by melting permafrost). As promised, the bumps and dips became more frequent. We encountered more sections of construction. Calling those areas the Alaska Mudway seemd more accurate. Patterson is now filthly and looks more like a regular jeep than the "refined" convertible it was advertised to be back in the 1950s.
After a short time of driving, Ann and I were surprised by an unusual sculpture garden (perhaps memorial is more accurate). Everyone else kept on driving, but we braked to stop and took some photos. It was a pleasant, welcoming place with seats and sculptures.
We made one last stop at a cute little rest stop.
There, Rob asked Hugo to join him in his jeep. He didn't have to ask twice. As Hugo put it, now I get to ride in a real jeep! Both Hugo and Rob had perms-grins the entire drive, despite the permafrost-damaged roads.
Our arrival in Beavercreek likely doubled the population of that border town gas stop. The place has a large RV and motel, but not much more other than Bettie's Buckshot restaurant (at least that I saw).
We leave early this morning to cross the border into Alaska. We have one stop planned in Delta Junction.
On Friday at noon we are planning to have a convoy meetup at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks from noon-2pm. If you are in the Fairbanks area, you are welcome to join us! There *might* also be a meetup on Friday evening in Fairbanks, but that has not been finalized. Please check this website or the Alaska or Rust Facebook page for more information this evening as we finalize it.
On Thursday August 3rd we crossed into Canada, bound for Fairbanks.
Some of the team decided to go camp, while others stayed at the Beavercreek Motel and RV Park. It's rustic. It was the FCA videographer's last day with us, so he got some last minute coverage, including a long sequence that had us driving away into the distance while a drone followed us.
I was also interviewed to give my thoughts on the trip and Hugo.
Here's a partial video from the morning:
Following the filming, we left for the border and to hunt down the campers. The early morning sunrise was very pretty, making for a good photo. The roads were the roughest we'd seen. Melting permafrost portions of the road pretty rough. Various sections were under construction.
A welcome sign gave us our first glimpse of the US. First the campers went past the sign, then the remainder did.
Once that was done, we had to cross the border. There wasn't much of a line.
Once we were all over the border, we drove to Tok. There, the entire team regrouped.
When we reached Delta Junction, we were officially at the end of the Alaska Highway.
It was near 5pm when we arrived in Fairbanks. There was a mixup with the reservations, but we got that all sorted out.
We still had one more day of events scheduled on Friday the 4th. But some of those plans got thrown out due to a decision by some members to drive to the Arctic Circle. More on that coming up soon.
On Saturday, Ann and I, the Vidals, and their friends, began our trek south. Our objective was Anchorage.
Our drive from Fairbanks to Wasilla, Alaska.
Saying goodbye to the Alaska Or Rust adventure, Ann and I, along with Fernando, Hugo, LuisCarlos and Giselda, began our trek home. Our first stop was to obtain some smoked salmon from a local seafood processor Fernando found: Interior Alaska Fish Processors. They had a wide selection of smoked salmon separated by salmon type and spices. Best of all, they had lots of free samples!
It was hard not to buy a variety, but we used some control and only walked out with two different kinds of smoked salmon.
Our next stop was for gas just south of Fairbanks. I suspect the moose and bear have been featured in lots of photos.
Right after we left, we were just hitting highway speeds when I glanced in my rear view mirror to see a cow and calf moose running across the road in front of the Vidal's jeep. Fernando slammed on the brake and avoided them.
For the next two hours, as we drove the Parks Highway, the mountains in the distance grew larger until Mt. Denali became visible.
Even when Denali wasn't visible, the drive was beautiful!
We also spotted this strange structure. I'd guess it was a hotel at some point?
Eventually we arrived at Mt. Denali National Park where we had a park sign photo taken.
I was so tired by this point, that I went into the visitors center for a second, before returning to the jeep for a quick nap. Not long after I awoke, I talked with some folks and got some signatures:
As we drove further south, Denali disappeared. At one point we pulled over to the side of the road and found some bicyclists. I got to talking with them and discovered they were from Palmer, Alaska. Their objective was to bike to Patagonia. Good luck boys! Of course, I had to have them sign the jeep.
The remainder of the trip was pretty uneventful. About the most exciting thing was our hunt for a cheap, but clean motel room in Anchorage. That turned out to be difficult to find. Eventually, we decided to spend the night in Wasilla at the Select Inn. It turned out to be a nice place.
That evening, Luiz Carlos and Gizelda had us over for dinner outside their motorhome (which the motel let them park on the grounds). It was a delicious meal of chicken and pasta. We also had some good whiskey. It was very relaxing night, but not conducive to writing eWillys posts.
On Sunday we plan to visit the most famous man in Alaska, Alaska Paul. At least, he's famous on eWillys.
Most everyone arrive on Friday afternoon, but a few hearty souls rolled in after midnight. On Saturday it was awesome to wake up and see all the jeeps around the motel. There wasn't one of us who wasn't giddy at the sight of the jeeps. We spent much of Saturday swapping stories. Much of the action was out front of the motel. That in turn caused locals to drop by, say hello and share their own jeeps stories.
Four of those that stopped by were a nice group of local police. They were very enthusiastic about the trip, so much so, that we had them sign jeeps and pose for photos.
We had Hugo pose with the officers.
They also shared some patches, cut off of their outfits.
After the police left, we gathered for a meeting to discuss how we expected the trip to unfold and address any questions. I led the meeting.
After we adjourned, most of us spent the afternoon fixing jeeps and running errands. At 3:30pm, we all gathered again and drove to Alaska Highway sign for group pics. Once we lined up the jeeps, a small crowd started to form. We asked them to come over and sign Patterson's or Rob's hood.
Once they were done, we took some pics:
Emily and JoeBrittany & Merlin feeling victorious that they completed the journey to Dawson Creek. After all, Merlin had to cross the border 9 times to get there. It's a long, complicated story!Patterson looks so small compared the two next to it.
From the sign, we ate some dinner, then went back to the motel. I finally got a to test drive Patterson, but the alignment was too squirrelly. Busy with group things, several guys stepped in and fixed the alignment for me. It took nearly the whole group.
Mortimer also need some TLC, as the engine kept overheating:
Both jeeps got the attention they needed. Hopefully, both Merlin and I will get to drive some good miles with our jeeps. I guess we'll see this morning. We leave at 8am.
Here are some more pics:
Charlene, Russ Lawton's JeepsterLining up to go to the Alaska sign and take pics.
More Patterson signees:
Saturday's night's dinner:
One of the last things to be down was to apply the stickers from our sponsors:
