20,727 and counting

[HummerJim]

We made it back to Missouri after our WONDERFUL travels through Canada. We had to drive straight through due to a realtive's death, but it was a trip that we both shall remember forever. We almost thought about leaving the H3 in Calgary and flying down and back, but decided to drive straight through. My biggest regret is not meeting all the Hummer people in Calgary. The most wonderful part of the trip was the outgoing and nice people we met in the Yukon and Alberta. The scenery in the Yukon was spectacular, but the people were even more so. To say we had fun would be an understatement. We went through rain, dust storms, mud up to the axles and up to 7 inches of snow with no problems (didn't have to be towed once) and with the high confidence you get from the H3. For those of you with outdated notions of the Alkan Highway - it's all paved except for a few small construction areas, and you could even do it in a Vette if you didn't want to explore offroad. Keep an eye on the gas guage though, because once you are north of Haines Junction, you should fill up at every opportunity. 20,727 miles as it sits in the garage now, the only scar a broken headlight cover from a rock and a slightly creased front skid plate from some fun offroading. Averaged 17.48 mpg for the 7,374 miles we covered - average highway speed around 72 mph. Highest gas price was in the US Monday, almost home in Missouri at 3.59 a gallon, lowest in Dawson City, Yukon 2.31. The H3 has yet to burn any oil, the engine runs like a top, no gas pedal vibration, and the rear end sounds fine. Except for my Wrangler AT/S tires which performed wonderfully, and the extra Dynamat I added in July (it makes it so quiet you only hear windnoise from the windscreen)but otherwise stock non adv package H3. No tickets, no incidences, but three close calls with deer, one with a sheep, and one really close call at dawn with a moose. Not even any rattles or buzzes - GREAT JOB H3 Builder and all! If you're going on road trips, the Monsoon and XM are a must - I had my country and western CDs, the wife had Brahms, and XM keeps you in touch with the world much better than AM or FM. I consider the Monsoon a must for any H3. Will post some pics as soon as we both unwind a bit.

[HummerJim]

We made it back to Missouri after our WONDERFUL travels through Canada. We had to drive straight through due to a realtive's death, but it was a trip that we both shall remember forever. We almost thought about leaving the H3 in Calgary and flying down and back, but decided to drive straight through. My biggest regret is not meeting all the Hummer people in Calgary. The most wonderful part of the trip was the outgoing and nice people we met in the Yukon and Alberta. The scenery in the Yukon was spectacular, but the people were even more so. To say we had fun would be an understatement. We went through rain, dust storms, mud up to the axles and up to 7 inches of snow with no problems (didn't have to be towed once) and with the high confidence you get from the H3. For those of you with outdated notions of the Alkan Highway - it's all paved except for a few small construction areas, and you could even do it in a Vette if you didn't want to explore offroad. Keep an eye on the gas guage though, because once you are north of Haines Junction, you should fill up at every opportunity. 20,727 miles as it sits in the garage now, the only scar a broken headlight cover from a rock and a slightly creased front skid plate from some fun offroading. Averaged 17.48 mpg for the 7,374 miles we covered - average highway speed around 72 mph. Highest gas price was in the US Monday, almost home in Missouri at 3.59 a gallon, lowest in Dawson City, Yukon 2.31. The H3 has yet to burn any oil, the engine runs like a top, no gas pedal vibration, and the rear end sounds fine. Except for my Wrangler AT/S tires which performed wonderfully, and the extra Dynamat I added in July (it makes it so quiet you only hear windnoise from the windscreen)but otherwise stock non adv package H3. No tickets, no incidences, but three close calls with deer, one with a sheep, and one really close call at dawn with a moose. Not even any rattles or buzzes - GREAT JOB H3 Builder and all! If you're going on road trips, the Monsoon and XM are a must - I had my country and western CDs, the wife had Brahms, and XM keeps you in touch with the world much better than AM or FM. I consider the Monsoon a must for any H3. Will post some pics as soon as we both unwind a bit.

[HummerNewbie]

Great to have you back Jim. Sorry to hear about your relative. More stories and pics when you get a chance.

[DWPC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> the extra Dynamat I added in July (it makes it so quiet you only hear windnoise from the windscreen) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Please post some details on the Dynamat; where you put it, cost, DIY difficulty.

[bjc]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a great trip!

[walc]

20,727!
You are the King of H3'rs.
http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[canucksnaphook]

Welcome back Jim !!

Glad to hear you enjoyed Canada. We are a friendly bunch, sorry about the high gas prices but the common folk sure as hell dont dictate them. Love to see some pics when you get a chance

C.

[TimJ]

I am also sorry to hear about your relative. My condolences.

It would have been great to have met up with you in Calgary. I am sure there will be another opportunity down the road. After all you are probably addicted to all the fun you had in Canada and have to come back...

[HummerJim]

The hardest part of installing the Dynamat is taking off the door panels. I put it in all doors, the tailgate, over the rear wheel wells, and under the rear carpet. Give yourself about 6 hours to do the job well and you'll need about 60 sq. ft of Dynamat. As far as mileage I made a dramtic discovery on this trip. In the middle of the Yukon on clear, non rainy days, it's common to see a car go by you at 95 mph plus, but be careful because these roads have rocking slabs and gaps between slabs,and you can go airborne at high speeds. We had one leg where I kept the H3 at a steady 82 mph and the gas mileage fell dramatically to 15.0 for those 220 miles, I even got it up to the limiter one time going downhill. I feel that realistic mileage on all cars is at least 25% below posted. My son has a 2003 Toyota Prius Hybrid that gets 29 mpg in real world driving. We went one day, north of Kluane and saw a total of 11 cars all day long, so in many areas you can put the hammer down for long distances. I consider our biggest feet coming back with the windshield unscathed!

[HummerJim]

Kaskawulsch Glacier in Kluane National Park on one of our non rainy days in the Park. The glacier has receded 5 miles in ten years, maybe there is something to this global warming. You can actually drive right up to the edge of it if you have 4 X 4.

[HummerJim]

Did you know Watson Lake is the roadside sign capital of the world? ......... thousands of them literally.

[f5fstop]

Glad to see you had a great trip.