Arctic Travel - California to Arctic and Back in Winter

Apparently Toyota had the same idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyNshwyrtGY

 

@vijay. It's ashamed they could not have used you and your truck for commercial! You were much better prepared for the trip! I understand both trucks were TRD pro models, but I have to say your truck was the real winner for me! You prepared and completed the challenge on your terms, no corporate protection needed. It was just you and your truck. Love your thread and challenge article. Thank you for this article you created!

 

An old credit card or something similar works well as an inside frost scraper even on the outside if it' not ice. From my experience with air cooled VW beetles.

 

saw that video right when it was released and instantly thought.. "Uh, this has already been done...."

 

Curious what the support vehicle was for that video.

 

I know there were two of these TRD pros(Fairbanks dealer told me). The trucks were shipped to Fairbanks and then driven from there on up and down.

 

Did you do the trip before the corporate '17's, at the same time, after, or was it just circumstance?

 

psshhh...shipped to fairbanks....at least you did the whole thing the right way

 

The dealer said, "Ho, you are going up to Prudhoe Bay? Toyota corporate very recently did some test(s) on newer truck here as well . The trucks were hidden and not many got to see it"
Now that I think of it, they probably trailered to start of Dalton?? I did not even know the truck(s) were 2017s.

 

^^^

Fuckin' A !!

 

How high up did the chips reach? I'm thinking about wrapping the lower portion of my truck with a thick vinyl when I take this trip sometime in July. Would you recommend Prudhoe Bay? Read from others that it's just an oil field.

 

It's not the destination, but the journey to Deadhorse. The place itself is an industrial dump filled with stored drill rigs and large machinery. If you do go, stop by the Brooks Range Supply and take a picture with the sign, seems to be the thing to do. They also have all the souvenirs.

 

An old credit card is good for scraping ice off the inside of windows.

 

This looks like such a fun trip. I was stationed at Eielson AFB 2009-2012. I lived in North Pole. When I PCS'd to Texas I drove from there through Canada and down to Texas in the summer. It's a beautiful drive. I would love to do it in the winter and go up into the Arctic just to say I did. Great pictures OP!

 

AGREED!

 

Vinyl would not have saved the damage I got. The little vinyl at the bottom of fender flare(s) from factory are torn apart at multiple places. I recommend a steel running board...
Regarding destination: It depends on what do you want to experience. There is not much to see or do at Prudhoe Bay( other than to say, I did it).

 

Your door looks the same as mine after I drove the dalton, tons of little chips from rocks

 

I wish I knew that would happen, I would have installed a rock guard.

 

Three weeks ago I drove from Coldfoot to Anchorage in 14 hours. I would have done it sub 12 if I didn't get hung up in Fairbanks for 2 hours. I'll be heading back up to Galbraith Lake on Tuesday for a week of work. This time I get to travel South from Deadhorse.

 

Was that straight driving time? Like no sleep or anything? lol