2011 Canada and Alaska – ArticRouteAdventure

6° Cayenne “Intercontinental” Artic Route 2011

Pesaro – Vancouver – Anchorage

Year 2011 will be remembered for many important events that happened in the World and for the Artic Route Adventure Group will be even more because has been the year we realised the Dream: go in Canada and Alaska with Porsche Cayenne cars!

Everything was “almost” planned and the word “almost” could have been of an insurmountable entity, but thanking God has not been so!

10.861 Km (6.788 mi); 166 driving hours; average speed 66Km/h (41,3 mi/h); 6.000 photos taken by the “Italians”, with us also the Director of Auto & Fuoristrada and Gente Motori, Mr Enrico Violi; 12 hours of video recording with “fix camera” (Roadscan and GoPro) placed in the Cayenne.
Those cameras have a different definition among them and the Participants cameras, so we have to evaluate if possible mix the various videos or have 3 different ones.

The Cayenne, all last model versions, beautiful, with many optional, included the heated seats and the back door electrically controlled.
I am sure it is useless enter detail of the cockpit: exceptional, is the same of the Panamera, so…

We have found a substantial consumption reduction, respect the prior version, being some of us owner of Cayenne Turbo S, GTS and S.

V6 Cayenne had a consumption average of 9,5L/100Km (2,15gal/62,5mi); S 10,7L/100Km (2,43gal/62,5mi); Hybrid 10,2L/100Km (2,32gal/62,5mi).
The 4th Cayenne, an S model with a Trailer of 3.500Kg (7,700 lbs)!! 20L/100Km (4,54gal/62,5mi)

Such interesting consumption because we cared very carefully the speed, driving maximum over the 25Km (15mi), for to do not have a ticket (or worse!)
Ticket that we did not “suffered” because car traffic has not been heavy but Trucks is another story …they were many and “running” at a very high speed!

6th Cayenne: for Artic Route Group, that is driving since 2006 Cayenne (in total we drove over 50.000 KM = 31.250 mi) those last 10.861KM (6.788mi) we found any type of weather: blue sky and snow storm with wind blowing over 30Km (18.75mi)/hour (Atigun Pass), everything “delivered” at an incredible and unbelievable short distance of 1 km (1/2 mi).
For to visualize the weather variability I give two figures: +14°(57,2F) in Williams Lake, -28° (-20F) in Deadhorse, but anyway was already budgeted.
In the following photos you find also the communication of the Road Surveillance Dept of Atigun Pass to Trucks drivers preventing them to drive to Prudhoe Bay because visibility was ZERO at the Pass and with a very strong wind!
Trying to let you understand how wind is dangerous, please check the thermometer where the perception of the cold becomes, based on the wind speed.
Close to -20F (= -28 Celsius) add the wind at 18,75mi/h (=30 Km/h) and you find a nice – 46F (= 44° Celsius): and now is Spring!!

Winch Company, that sponsored us launching the new line of dresses “Flying Dutchman” has supplied good garments, absolutely right for the weather we encountered and I add, also “elegant”, anyway Winch is famous for the quality of the clothing.

What to say about landscapes?: 10 pages are not sufficient for to tell what we have seen, but who has entered our web site (www.articrouteasdventure.com / portfolio) has got the occasion to see the majestic peaks, size of the territory, the very few population and the quantity of snow and ice we had!
Comment: really sites so far but and so fascinating; the “jump” of weather conditions, nature, human activity along the Highway from Fairbanks – Coldfoot – Prudhoe Bay (the same of Heroes of the Ice on Discovery Channel) is truly incredible…

A different comment is for the wildlife: Fox, Bison, Caribou, Moose, Eagle, Wolf: we have seen all, we missed the Grizzly bear but no problem, better said: good we did not !!

I want mention one Event in the Event, because is something unusual where we live:
April the 3rd, after we take the Dalton Hwy, built to serve the companies working in Prudhoe Bay extracting the oil and also for to control/serve/ protect the Pipeline, after 280Km (175mi) we arrived in Coldfoot, the only place for gas, food and a bed to sleep, before the Atigun Pass, direction Prudhoe Bay.

The “Leader” Camillo, renamed “Unlce Camillo” by Rob Rothwell (www.auto123.com) met a Texan professional photographer, expressly there for to see and “catch” Northern Light (Aurora Borealis).
Camillo, pardon Uncle Camillo, that is in love for Aurora Borealis, after he has seen one in Norway last winter, took the occasion to for to talk about with the photographer, asking when, where at what time that night, the Event was supposed to appear.

For to make it short, after a dinner with fried onion rings, a Chili soup bowl, an hamburger with fries (oil used 5W40) and 6 baskets of bread, when we left the dining room and Camo with Silo (Silvano, our Master for photos and videos, author of all videos of Artic Route Adventure) they informed that that night from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Northern Light will be visible!

“Well, very cool! Meantime we go to bed. To day we had 370 mi (592Km). But please make sure you call us if Event happens..!!”
Those have been the last famous words of the Group going to bed, at 10 p.m.

Next morning during breakfast we have been “attacked” by Camo and Silo because we did not answer to their call.
Knowing very well Uncle and Master, a first glance between us, “guilty” for the non answer, we considered they were playing with us, making a “boutade”, but they know us well and they organised to have witnesses, “dragging” Mara and SHREK (= Howard) with them as “affidavit” for their words.

“We knocked to any of your door, almost knocking down the door, running in the hotel corridor, waking up all hotel Guests, but no one of you deign us!”

Honestly I personally did not heard anything as all the rest of the Group, but it is the truth Aurora Borealis has been seen and the Texan photographer, arrived to catch with the right stuff !!
He has been moved by the enthusiasm of Camo, Silo and Mara that has sent us the photos giving us the permission to use.
Really one part of the Group has seen the Aurora, we only did not had the right camera and this enables us to affirm “we have seen it!”

Porsche Cars Canada: it is an obligation to thank Public Relation Manager, Laurance Yap that has adhered, endorsed, supported us, making our Dream becoming real.!
The 4 Cayenne, the two “Angels” Tony Morris and Rick Bye, the 7 journalists, the trailer with parts: this has been all organised by Laurance for us.

Laurance with Roberto; Tony, I and Rick; Cayenne S with “Trailer”

Howard; Rob; Grant Mark (left) Mathieu (left) Lesley (middle) Harry (right)

With us, as participant, we had the honour and the pleasure to have the Director of the main Italian Automotive magazines Auto & Fuoristrada and Gente Motori: Mr Enrico Violi

Enrico Violi

The Media coverage has been really … important! Here the link where Canadian Journalists have wrote about us and about their own experience, because also for all of them has been a Great Adventure.

www.auto123.com “The Artic Road Adventure 2011” day by day, 138 photo
www.nationalpost.com /cars/Posted Driving, econd article “sloopers coming home …”
www.autos.ca http://www.autos.ca/auto-articles/feature-anchorage-to-vancouver-the-last-great-road-trip .
www.wheels.ca “heated seat…” more articlesi “Related: Mark Richardson blogs about his journey”

“Our” Enrico “does not sleep in the straw” and in the Magazines he directs, end April and end May we’ll have many pages.
Furthermore, in the main Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, in June, in the special insert “Corriere Motori” 2 pages talking about us.

Names of the Italians Participants (in alphabetical order):
Cangiotti Camillo, Frassati Gualtiero, Godeas Tiziano, Occhialini Roberto, Piazza Ignazio, Piermaria Silvano, Vecchiet Mara, Vichi Stefano, Violi Enrico

I consider this enough; I have been annoying sufficiently who has ventured into reading my summary, but may be looking at the photos in our web site and reading the articles of the Canadian journalists, he’ll feel a part of the Artic Route Adventure “Heroes of the Ice in the Dalton Highway”, forgiving me.

Stefano Vichi