Car Camping the North Pole | No Heat. Living in a 4Runner via Alaska’s Denali Hwy
how's it going everybody I'm Nikki delventhal and these are my dogs Rodney and camper delventhal for over 3 years we lived in a Toyota Prius but now we're in a 4x4 Sprinter and we're here to take you along on the wild ride so fasten up your seat belts and let's have some fun don't forget if you like what you see like subscribe comment share with your friends and turn on notifications we would be so thankful it gets so cold when you're this far north at night have to wait till the absolute last second to get out of bed is the Sun up enough though let's see might still be too cold out got it got it we're going to acclimate to the temperature from bed and enjoy the view [Music] jacket more layers Keys Crocs oh can't forget bear spray there's Grizzlies out here all right got to go down backwards Keep Us Safe good morning so we are bear spray on the Denali highway right now in Alaska right now we're going east but then we're going north again but I'm telling you Alaska and its off season is magical we're going to start getting ready for the day in the car yeah oh man it's cold wonder if we should actually maybe heat ourselves up a little bit oh nice it warmed up pretty quickly it says it's 37 out so right now it's still fall going into winter kind of so you still have the beautiful Reds yellows and oranges on the trees but it's also that time of year that at any point uh it could literally start dumping snow on us so it's also kind of exciting that's how she does it just cuz you're living in a car doesn't mean you can't have a morning routine or skin care so one thing that I'm trying to do each night that I'm camping here in Alaska is strategically Park facing north because the Northern Lights have been going off lately with solar storms and things like that I did sleep very hard last night so I missed them but uh we have two weeks to catch them and it has been magical before we start breaking down the vehicle we're just admiring The View and this is why we're here right I've been really purposely trying to slow down a lot lately and just live it's so nice all right now for the hard part breaking down the tent this is actually my first time breaking this tent down because I just moved into it yesterday rented it from Alaska Overlander so hopefully it goes smoothly all right so with these you want to put everything in the back corner apparently so let's hope we can get it to break down here hold all the blankets up nice can't forget these zip this up up and I think this is when we close it down and hope for the best okay feel like this is when it gets challenging when it's hard to be solo is like rooftop tents like this sometimes can get a little tough oh God I'm not tall enough you got it you got it get to the Tipping Point come on so close come on oh sh I forgot to move the air mattress to the other side I guess this is the reality of camping you know sometimes you just mess up and have to redo everything eventually she did it ladies and gentlemen oh yeah in case you're new here I've been living in vehicles full-time for over 5 years so am I a little embarrassed that took that long not really it's kind of just part of the learning curve with a new one but uh this vehicle is badass what my Michael Jackson but actually uh wow I forgot to have coffee this morning I'm feeling okay let's do that real fast before we hit the road you guys can't tell I had some fun in this vehicle oh I got to clean this out I should do it I usually drink half decaf in the morning so this should be interesting would you like some coffee with your milk the next 48 hours are going to be pretty pretty wild uh today I think we're going to be driving about 5 hours uh North as we get to North pole and uh yeah whatever we can find along the way but uh after we get there we're also going to be taking a flight onto a glacier so yeah it's going to be a wild 24 hours I'm ready let's H the road here we go I'll see you shoot you guys I'm so excited I'm pretty sure I just got my time wrong 48 hours 48 hours of excitement and adventure and I'm so scared but I'm so excited the adventure begins [Music] now this has got to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world and with fall colors I am freaking out right now [Music] woo we got a party on the Denali Highway baby so right now as you drive along the highway you just see a ton of people camping out but there's a lot of like fifth wheels and RVs and ATVs and people with their tents and uh I'm pretty sure especially this time of year they're coming out here to hunt I think it's moose hunting season I'm not sure the rules and regulations but I know there are a lot of them in place um I personally am not someone who would be able to hunt but I do know that it's um it's really big this time of year C confirm its hunting season that guy was in full camo with a shotgun across his back [Music] [Music] there's moose there's moose I F I caught him we spotted our first moose while in Alaska it's a little baby wow and it's in an Aspen Grove like could it get any cooler fun fact that Aspen Grove is One Singular organism and those are two bad AR mouses oh my God they're so cute okay we could be here all day we're going to keep going oh yeah you do not pass up the opportunity for gas when it is so rare around here I'm not left-handed there you go no way check that out pure rais and garden fed I'm freaking out a gas station has Farm fressh EGS yes oh garbage all right back on the road got another couple hundred miles stretch to go I think you know maybe there's something good to eat in Delta Junction this looks pretty promising if it's open no one's here so I am a little nervous we're a little low on luck here although the gas station had farm fresh eggs this place has no eggs uh so I just ordered a couple things because we really want to move quick today cuz we have a lot on this schedule and I don't really feel like stopping and waiting for for food thank you you go all right move up a little bit here and try this thing out for size well it's food in the middle of nowhere can't really complain too much I had really high hopes for them you know what let's try this thing too ton of burrito but there's egg in there and we need protein and all the stuff I'll do it all right you guys 3 hours to go so my goal for finding a camp spot right now is somewhere where there's actually not as many trees and mountains because I want as much Open Sky to possibly see the Northern Lights tonight so we're just going to keep looking at dirt roads that kind of go to the right and the left here and one to sleep up this looks fun what do we have going on here so online I read that you're allowed to Boondock here but I don't see anyone else doing it so I'm a little nervous but not wildly nervous I feel like I'm going insane cuz nobody's here but I feel like we should just do it this is awesome let's check the water out woo woo big drop nice oh my gosh that's freezing in my brain this is too good to be true so I feel like I'm going to wait to set up camp just to make sure that we could actually stay here I don't know just make me feel better but in the meantime let's set up Starling while on this adventure I wanted to make sure that I had both internet and power so I made sure to bring the starlink mini I just bought and my jackary 100 along with the 80 watt solar panel uh the reasons being because these are airplane safe so now I can use this solar panel to charge in the Sun and make sure that we always have power just in case we don't feel like driving more um things like that but really for me this is consistent across the board on my car living Journey I've been using the jackary portable power station now for over 4 years and it's been my main power source in most of my vehicles not only that it's great for a home as if you have a power outage or something you can be back up and running in seconds if you would like one for yourself please use a link in my description as it really helps me out but also I have a discount code down there that could save you hundreds but again it's that link that helps me out all right let's get this running that's it we're rocking and rolling baby we got internet this is great and according to this we're going to have somewhere between like five maybe 5 hours of Internet just because I did have this weird feeling that this place is so empty it's probably cuz it's off season I did do a search on the safety and the crime rate in the area and uh yeah looks like we're in the clear this is safer than the national average so I'm going to give this one a go and let's start getting the tent set up I think the only thing we're really going to have to worry about here is Bears so we're just going keep this on us especially being by a river cuz you know they come after a fish constantly all right what do we got here let's open this baby up oh actually just kidding I just got bit by something oh there's mosquitoes out I should wear thicker pants so they can't bite me through the pants oh wow yikes but in the meantime Let's uh let's get into pajamas and thicker pants for sure we're going to change in the front seat oh and I know why I'm so dirty it's because off-roading in the mud and I keep rubbing on the car maybe we'll find a car wash tomorrow so that's not me or the pants it's the mud from off-roading also I think I know why people haven't camped here these guys keep going back and forth and it's really loud holy crap that was a bald eagle that just took a fish out of the water that was the coolest thing I've ever seen I've seen that a few times but it's like literally mind-blowing every single time oh my God come back bald eagle is my favorite bird if you can't tell yes we are camping right next to a bald eagle's nest I'm got to watch this guy flying all day but we also have to set up the tent before the sun goes down he's still going they're still going who needs TV when you got bald eagles in the freaking River all righty let's do this wow it's still really wet that's what she said come on baby let's go oh this gets easier and easier every time you do it like first time is a learning curve but now it's like a piece of cake to think that I thought this was tough woo that's done that was so fast that log has my name on it doesn't get much better than that ladies and gentlemen so yeah the plan is to sit here and look at cool rocks until the sun goes down all right best part of the sunset's over [Music] bedtime oh wow I can see why it would be smart to have kept that mattress here because now it's [Music] freezing this should move much faster than yesterday now that we know what to do I ah ah ah ah staying alive staying alive name that show that's such a nice Ambiance we got light we got Crocs we got the Riverside night everybody good morning look at that view though I also slept with this fleece wrapped around my head and my neck it actually kept me really warm great job [Music] I feel like normally see my breath I feel like normally we would hang out here for like weeks this is one of those spots but we have so much on our agenda so I think we pack up and grab coffee on the road watch this yesterday was a learning curve today 30second breakdown watch this two more steps 10 seconds oh we got one more up here all right we're still at 10 seconds got to hold on to this this goes up to the Tipping Point yes this is still under 30 seconds just got to get the air out all right maybe two three minute breakdown all right we're going to brush our teeth get changed up and hit the road because we have a big day ahead today is the day we make it to our destination plus some all right let's roll let's get off this beach but we definitely have to come back look at that people did stay here last night another rainy Alaska day Blitzen Drive mistletoe Drive polar espresso thank you this can only mean we've made it to the North Pole well kind of this is a place where it is Christmas year round though the actual North Pole with its dangerous Expedition took hundreds of years to find successfully this North Pole is about 125 M south of the Arctic Circle and was incorporated in 1953 don't worry later in this adventure we end up in the Arctic and come face to face with a polar bear but that's a story for a couple weeks from now in the past 10 years to 2022 Santa Claus actually sat on the city council uh seriously there was a guy I think his named Thomas o Conor who legally changed his name to Santa Claus in 2005 one of the locals told me that they originally did want to build toys here in North Pole when it was first established but now other than tourism uh one of the major industries is oil as they have two refineries maybe they just needed Santa Claus a little bit sooner and things would have been different but now off to the major attraction in this town actually hang on what happened there used to be a log cabin right here no way yeah for the next 20 minutes I learned about the town and really was just making friends as you would expect in the North Pole everyone is so friendly and happy and kind and plot twist we got invited to eat lunch at The Rotary Club a members only joint where we're going to get to meet some of the locals so I am so [Music] excited you guys this is my favorite part of traveling you never know who you're going to meet and there's nothing like getting immersed with the actual locals uh I'm not sure how much they're going to want to be on film and stuff but I can at least go in show you what I can and explain to you what it was like I love this okay first step find an appropriate parking spot not on the side of the road that's actually how I met Jerry he's like how did you end up at this North Pole sign instead of the other ones and I told him I had spoke to one of the locals and he was like this is the original sign this is where all the history is so really really exciting that now we even get to be here like a glove out of paranoia I'm taking all my valuables although I would be deeply concerned if I did get robbed in the north coal but you know never be too careful o turn your car off now we're good youy guys I changed out of my Crocs for the special occasion all right here goes nothing appears to make him friends love that Jerry hey come told you I'd make it yeah other than a great lunch we learned about some things that needed changes globally and locally and really we just had an allaround blast Tony lunch was fabulous I appreciate it I love it thanks so much wow my biggest takeaway from today is learn to treat your problems as opportunities and always say yes to having lunch with new friends all right so there's a lot for us to do apparently the largest flag pole in Alaska is here um and yeah we got Santa Claus house we got reindeer Academy what do you say we hit the road we're also going to be charging stuff in the back while we go let's hop on over to the Santa Claus house welcome to the Santa Claus house in 1952 con and Nelly Miller built a trading Post in the newly dubbed North Pole Khan was well known for his holiday spirit and red Santa suit each Christmas so one day when an Alaskan boy recognized him he said hello Santa are you building a new house and that inspired the name Santa Claus house back then it was filled more with Necessities than Christmas Treasures since it's situated between two military installations but it quickly became the impromptu Gathering Place for residents and now what it is today Christmas cheer all freaking year Santa also hangs out here all year and we got to meet him hey everyone you're seeing this on YouTube with my really good friend Nikki here and I'm going to tell you I've been impressed by a lot of YouTubers and a lot of people but she takes the cake no no I'm serious she stole my cake I want it back if you see her tell her to get my oh I'm sorry anyhow um I just want to tell all of you that Nikki here is on that well she really isn't on the nice list but she's not of the naughty list so I don't know what are you thinking sketchy list let's go there okay I'm kidding but remember words from Santa just for you if you can't be good don't get caught from the north hole Merry [Music] Christmas and remember do not under any circumstances forget to like And subscribe right if you want to be on the nice list that is you heard it from Santa thank you so much Santa you best don't forget to check out the largest Santa statue that stands at 42t tall and 900 lb there's construction right now but you have to check out reindeer Academy next door where the reindeer learn to take flight I'm in such a good mood what an experience if you're coming all the way up here highly recommend making the stop but also Ming Ling with the locals and really getting a feel for the town um but we are not done in 24 hours we are going to be landing on top of a glacier it is going to be an incredible experience but we have some fun sprinkled in in between so what do you guys say we recap the next 24 hours of course by way of Santa Claus Lane we first took the hour and 9 minute drive to China Hot Springs here we soaked in some of the magical outdoor Healing Springs they have these rocks that are like like perfectly diagonal so you can just kind of rest on them it's so nice and so romantic here it'll be fun to be here with someone else until then we'll make some friends I also thought that I hit jackpot staying at their campground on the river but when I went inside to pay for a spot it ends up it was too good to be true well can't Camp here they close on September 15th there's your sign so now it's time to find a new spot somewhere in the wild which ended up being even even better than I expected after an amazing night's sleep in the heavy rain and enjoying the views the next morning I started the drive to tala stopping for a shower and groceries along the way I'm so excited you guys it looks like the weather is clearing up for our flight yes we're here it seems like there's a little fog but where we need to be is all clear I am so excited it seems like this flight is going to be a go woo coming back at 12:45 flight was cancelled but will the next one be later all right we're flying in that baby I think one of these but that would be my best guess I made new friends what are y'all's names Jen Jen Lauren Lauren Nicole Nicole I'm Nicole I'm Nikki you guys ironically we got the BF Goodridge plane pumped about that what's your name Tim Tim let's go Tim woo all right we're going to sit in the back here because it's hot do I take the jacket off we take the jacket off although I'm going to be upset when all right here we go ladies and Gentlemen let's do it you ready all right guys it's getting loud cue the music [Music] [Music] [Music] holy moly you guys I cannot believe this is my job I get to do this for a living thanks to you guys Welcome to Alaska my favorite place on the planet and we are just getting started you guys did you know Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers there's more active glaciers and Ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world even cooler of the 20 highest peaks in the United States 17 are in Alaska this was an adventure I will never forget Che cheers I love you girls just jump and twist yes make that angel yes let's check snow angels in Alaska on a glacier oh my God my pants are getting wet hi Mom hi Dad thanks for birthing me making this possible also don't forget to like And subscribe this is all cuz you guys and I'm going to cry that's why I have these on cuz I'm getting emotional and I love you thanks for thanks for making this my life
2024-11-18 10:55
