A welcomed sight in the center of town at Dawson Creek, this marker represents mile 0 for thousands of highway miles throughout the Alaskan Frontier. With the ribbons of North America flying in the wind, Dawson Creek is a town all-Americans should visit once.

Alaska 2002- 8,212-miles, 33-days, 1052-gallons of gasoline and lots of great memories just about wraps up this Alaskan adventure for Darren and his father, Bill Ballein. The traveling duo arrived back to San Diego with more than a few adventures to report, but nothing severely outrageous. As Darren and his 2000 Dodge V-10 4WD 2500 pulled into Grants Pass, Oregon, he blew a rear pinion seal, and upon stepping out of the Alaskan bound Dodge RAM truck, he smelled the invigorating smell of gear oil.

A quick peak under the rear bumper and he saw what was a minor explosion from the pinion seal. With oil dripping from the entire underside of the truck bed and the rear differential empty, Darren had his first chink in the armor of the Dodge Ram V-10 2500 4WD beast. After a quick discussion with Bill, they moved down the road into town to "Lithia Dodge," a local dealer. Hoping to find some luck and get some help on the blown seal, they ended up in the right hands at Lithia Dodge.

Along side of the Alaskan-Canadian Highway, the majestic hills of the Northwest Territories loom in the background. Darren and Bill put in some long driving hours but were rewarded with majestic views, some of the best in North America. The basic road base of a Northern Territory road. Be prepared like Darren and roll with BF Goodrich.

After a quick stock check, the dealer determined they did not have the seal in stock, but no worries, by the time they got it on the rack and torn apart, the seal arrived and it was short work finishing the install. Once they were filled up with gear oil, they were off on the highway again. The entire time delay was only two hours from start to finish. Sounds like a typical kick-ass BF Goodrich Support Team gear change pit stop in some of the famous desert race SCORE series off-road racing.

Driving from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., they covered highway miles in bunches, but it's still a damn long way. Darren reported the highway in good condition with minimal poor areas overall. Amazing to most and certainly to Darren, was the amount of game upon or very close to the highway throughout Canada and Alaska. Herds of Caribou, Buffalo, and wild animals put the final touch on a trip of a lifetime.

One of the most dangerous things about driving in the great North are the animals upon the highway. Try colliding with a 1000 pound moose at 60 miles per hour. The use of animal whistles attached to your vehicle are one deterrent, the other is paying strict attention to the road, something most of us tend not to do, and you'll be safe.

After living out of a cooler for over a month, Darren had nothing but accolades for the FridgeFreeze refrigerator/cooler that accompanied him on his adventure. The 12-volt cooler, which leads all competitors in technology and freezing ability, completed the over 8000-mile trip in excellent shape. Fending off daily rain, mud, and swollen rivers through the wild frontier, not having to buy ice was a nice convenience for the Ballein men. Darren said, "not only did we not have to buy ice, but the contents of the FridgeFreeze, remain cold and dry and not soak by melting ice."

He also explained, "in a regular cooler your ice takes up 25 to 35 percent of your ice chest, but in the FridgeFreeze, all the space is available for food and drinks." Darren wired the FridgeFreeze to a standard 12-Volt deep cycle battery and it ran 5 full complete days before needing an additional charge. Cranking up the thermostat, he was able to ice the contents down in a heartbeat. Darren's recommendation of the FridgeFreeze was timid, he said, "The FridgeFreeze is the only way to go."

After many logged hours of driving from San Diego, California, Darren and Bill arrive to the state line bordering Alaska and Canada. With the snowmelt gone and the days warm from the long rays of the sun, the grass has only weeks to grow before an October snow will cover the rocks and grass. Soon, the highway will be covered in ice and snow.

The FridgeFreeze rode along in the Dodge 4WD beast, including the "river-rafting" adventure the Ballein Boyz were involved in. The local Eskimos gave the Ballein Boyz the okay to head into their backcountry to hunt Alaskan black bear. They also gave them directions for "the spot." Darren headed the truck down the remote single vehicle trail without any room for turn around and while bumping along with the famous Alaskan brush, rubbing the sides of the Dodge truck, they immediately encountered a three-foot drop into the swollen river.

Now, the Ballein Boyz were white water river rafting in their Dodge V-10. As a long-time off-road desert racer, Darren knew better then to stop at any time in hopes of not burying his truck in the swollen river. What a photo opportunity this would have been!!! But, after cruising up river and then back down river in the heavy gravel river-bottom, Darren knew it was time to get the hell out of this problem. He headed back towards the trail and hit the yard-long drop off with the front end of the Dodge V-10 at a decent pace.

This is a typical campground along the Alaskan-Canadian Highway, also referred to as the Al-Can Higway. The small towns and villages depend upon the tourism in the summer time, however, you better bring lotsa bug juice. In Alaska, they breed no-see-ums and mosquitos the size of baseballs.

After a jarring jolt, the huge front BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO tires dug in deep, and with those front tires turning, launched into the brush. With his trailer jack-knifed, he banged up the right rear lower quarter panel of his Dodge. Darren continued and blazed his own trail through the brush and back onto the one-way, single-track dirt trail leading back to a safe spot. Once out of the trouble, the Ballein Boyz jumped out and examined the damage. Nothing like a little Alaskan bruising to make your trip a good one. A little body damage will never hurt anyone, right? Well, one thing that survived the river-rafting trip was the FridgeFreeze unscathed. Built rugged and for adventure, the FridgeFreeze and Dodge RAM truck go hand-in-hand.

After 20-days of sporadic rain and the spotting of a few small bears, not big enough for the taking, the Ballein Boyz packed up and started the trip home. The fishing was slow due to the swollen rivers and their leisurely trip southbound rounded up a great trip. Camping in Alaska and Canada is a leisurely relaxed fun time, when you're not fighting the wasp size mosquitos that breed on the river banks. One good thing about all the rain was the lack of mosquitos during rain storms. But look out because once it stops spitting down from the sky, they come out in droves.

Staying clean and dry in Alaska is tough in this wet muddy environment, but the Ballein's made their operation simple and effective, utilizing good preparation and minimal equipment. They had everything that they needed for a comfortable camp and emergency gear. Darren reported the average cost of gasoline in the North was about $1.90 a gallon and he used 1052 gallons, so you do the math!!! That's a few quarters from your bank account, but worth it all the way. Averaging about 8 miles per gallon, gasoline was the biggest expense on this trip. But, that didn't stop them from doing some great sightseeing and enjoying what the last frontier has to offer. To take advantage of the slower pace heading home, these guys hit a couple hotels on the way home to get back to a sense of the good life. Nothing like a bed and a hot shower after a few days in the backcountry. The performance of the Dodge V-10 Ram truck was as expected, outstanding. Congratulations to the Ballein Boyz on the successful return of an adventure of a lifetime.

Remember that clean and mean Dodge 4WD 2500 V-10? Yep, it's the same truck. Only halfway through the trip and the daily rain and dirt roads have done a number on Darren's beast of a truck. Nothing a good high spray wash can't fix. Check out the tread on the beefy BF Goodrich tires.

All that work Darren put in customizing the back of his truck for the trip North paid off. His equipment was easily accessible but didn't bounce around while going down the road. During the pounding rainstorms, Darren and Bill took refuge inside beneath the camper shell and got some shut eye.

Many sights like this old mining sleuth can be found on a variety of rivers and streams in Alaska. Haunted by large amounts of rust, I bet the fishing can be outstanding in the late fall. Soon enough, the snow will coat the entire area and only the top half of this historic building will be visible.

Backed into another camp site along the way, the green alders provide shade and privacy from passers by. Ummm, maybe like Yogi and Boo-Boo, but other then that, it was pretty empty. Darren's Dodge traveled over 8,000 miles from San Diego to Fairbanks, Alaska and back without a single problem. Dodge Rocks!

Simply and clean is the best way to camp in Alaska. With the amount of bears and other animals foraging around for a free hand out, this is the way to go. As you see here, the FridgeFreeze was on hand to provide long lasting refrigeration for supplies and those drinks that must be kept chilled.

Loaded and ready to head south towards dry weather and his girl-Diana, Darren and Bill had a great trip, one that will last a lifetime of memories between father and son. As an accomplished desert racer, off-roader, and long time friend of the off-roading community, congratulations on a successful trip to Alaska and back.