Driving around Canada and Alaska for four months, we got a chance to see a LOT of different vehicles. Some were driving past, some were parked. I got in the habit of snap-shooting anything on tires that looked unusual. These are not typical at all of what we normally saw on the road, but they are typical, in a way, of the wild-west attitudes of explorers and travelers. In general, they all have some <useful> function.

Some were clearly recreational; some were RV-related live-in expedition-style vehicles; others just as clearly vocational work vehicles. Many of them came from far across the planet and I have only a hazy idea of their manufacturer or model name. So don’t look for data sheets or Edmunds-style reviews — I’m presenting them strictly for entertainment.

Many, many different styles of land-roving explorer. Judging from the stickers, this guy roamed a lot of lands.

Local truck in stealth mode from muddy road-running.

Mining-support truck, taking men and equipment across 80 miles of REALLY bad track.

Earth-carrier. LOTS of earth.

We were continually amazed at the people who tackled thousands of miles of the North with just their quads and glutes.

But most of us prefer a bit more power and comfort.

I think those are moose-certified bull bars on these trucks.

This is one vehicle type for which we were personally very grateful. Potholes and washboard become super-highway after these guys get done.

A plain Ford F-350 made very special by rolling it off the edge of the Dempster. No-one hurt, amazing.

A typical touring bike might weigh in at 90 pounds or more. When I asked this guy what it weighed, he just grinned and said he didn’t want to know. He was riding the Dempster as part of a 6,000 mile loop.

German class-C. Sort of.

Karin stares balefully through her mosquito net at Ralph after a long wet Dempster run.

Is this a four-wheel-drive pickup or a four-track-drive pickup?

Two of the most heavily-loaded motorcycles we had seen, on the Dempster highway.

Howie’s back-side, after 1,000 miles of dirty Dempster road.

Actually, some rains late in the trip rinsed off a lot of the crud before this picture was taken.

Neither Howie nor Ralph had visible tail-lights. Just a vague dirty red glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trikes are pretty odd beasts. Can’t lean ‘em into turns, but can’t easily tip them over either. Stability of a car but discomfort of a motorcycle. I don’t quite get it, but many do.

I always wanted to paint Ralph camo. Now more than ever. Maybe a little more creative pattern though.

XV from Switzerland.

This gigantic skip-loader is King Kong’s favorite Tonka toy.

 

This Rokon is an all-wheel-drive motorcycle. Top speed 35 mph, maybe up a tree.

Very useful and economical little utility vehicle. I’m talking about the Honda. Gas was over $5/gallon in Dawson.

Nicely restored old retro motorhome RV.

German “camper-car”, as motorhomes are known in Europe.

Innovative way to deploy a pickup-camper.

Home-made camper with an after-thought cargo box.

For some folks, the basic camper just isn’t enough entertainment.

Since this is a 6×6, you can’t call it a “quad” anymore. It must be a “hex”, right?

OK, these aren’t really running, but they’re weird enough I just had to include them.

I was thinking, “teenager’s car”, but that doesn’t explain the rear-view mirrors and exhaust through the roof.

This snow-screw machine actually worked at one time. Barely.

Water for the fire-fighters.

Chihuahua-LandCruiser standoff near the Steese highway.

Moose bars and massive loads, typical sight on the Dalton highway in Alaska.

Very rare 4WD motorhome. The owner said it was implemented so poorly that he never used it. What a shame.

We could always find weary motorcyclists bedded down at the end of long days.

We saw a huge number of Jeep Cherokees in Alaska and Canada – odd for a vehicle that was last produced in 2001. They just keep on going, and going well in rough conditions. Here’s a nicely tricked-out two-door, 36-inch tires.

Mitsubishi Fuzo with a pop-up camper shell. These things can fit in a shipping cargo case and go to any  continent on Earth.

MAN makes some of the truly gnarly chassis selections for XV use.

– – but still a bit big and heavy for some places. How about a bail-out motorcycle with a crane to deploy it?

Oddly, we never saw cyclists camped – – just riding, riding, riding. Maybe that’s all they had time to do?

If you’re going to ride, you’re going to ride wet some times.

Not all of the “vehicles” necessarily had tires – – –

Some were serious working machines – – –

And some were definitely for play.

This guy – – – well, I’m not sure if it ever really went anywhere under its own power. But it’s sure fun to look at.