I do understand the inconsistencies you speak of. Unfortunately it may not work out this time around then. I cant even afford to travel the nothern areas of Alaska. My strict budget will just be enough to get me to Seward and ready for a busy season of work. Wont have the extra time or money to go north. Plus I will have all my possessions with me so room will be tight as well. I will be crossing over into Canada either in Montana or North Dakota. Not sure yet. Ferries cost to much money from what I could gather. How much do you expect to pay a ferry to get you from WA to AK? If it was cheaper to drive straight to WA then take a ferry then I would do that instead of driving up through Canada and Alaska.

 

It's expensive. Last time I checked it was 2600 USD round trip to Bellingham. My challenges are the time that I have to be away from home and work, and then the added complication of having my 3year old as my co-pilot.

If you're already in Seward once we leave for the trip, we'll for sure stop by to say hi.

 

Progress has been slow due in part to the holidays and all but its time to post a little update on my D2 build.

Recently I purchased a Gizmo 40 inch LED light bar: I chose to mount the light bar on the front of the SD roof rack but the mounting brackets and hardware included with the light bar were completely useless for the application I wanted so I had to buy some special 1" in diameter mounting brackets in order to fit the light bar to the rack cleanly. If you take this route then remember that you want the 1" in diameter clamps: https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/work-light-accessories/universal-mounting-bracket-for-off-road-led-light-bar/1746/ next I ordered a spare cruise control switch and used a spare fog light faceplate and mounted it in the speedo dash in place of one of the blanks. Wanted a clean setup for this light bar. The end result is amazing

Low Beams:


Low Beams with Fog Lights:


High Beams:


Light Bar with High Beams:








I also threw on some specialized vinyl stickers. Still need a couple more and will add them in the coming weeks. Eventually when I can get my hands on 2 "A Decade of Discovery 1994-2004" plaques I will mount them on either side of the front fenders under the indicator lights. Placement of these stickers was inspired by the Camel Trophy.











Don Trudeau recently changed the name of his shop to Anarchy Fabwork and he decided to slab a friendly reminder on the *** end of my truck ^^ but it actually looks pretty good and Im thankful he helped me sort out the issues I was having with the wiring aspect of the light bar.




Tomorrow I'm having Don install my 4" stainless steel brake lines thus completing my overhaul of the brake system. So far Ive replaced the booster, master cylinder, all 4 calipers, upgraded to drilled and slotted zinc coated rotors and ceramic brake pads. Add the SS lines and I should be good with brakes for awhile.

 

Birmabright brotherhood stickers finally came in and I installed the farmtek flooring on my SD rack. I ordered 4 sections and had to do quite a bit of cutting to get the final piece in snug.














Met a Discovery 3 today, alot smaller than I realized. Always imagined them being considerably larger but they done seem it.





So I was thinking about the glare people speak off that radiates from roof mounted orr road lights and LED bars and I got to say that I dont see what the fuss is all about. I dont have any issues with glare myself. Maybe it has to do with the angle in which you position the lights but theres hardly any glare on my bonnet so I think Ill hold off on the blackout kit for a little while as it would only be for cosmetic appeal vs function.

Bonnet with LED light bar turned off:


Bonnet with LED light bar turned on:

 

I'm attending this years Winter Romp in Waterville Maine. Will be my first experience off-roading and my first Land Rover gathering so Im excited. As strongly recommended by others, Ive infested in some recovery points and some communications gear.

- Jate tow ring for the front end of my truck: TOW RING MILITARY STYLE DEFENDER w/HRDWR, PLK0211 - Rovers North - Classic Land Rover Parts

- Viking multi-hitch with shackle for the rear: Viking Recovery Hitch / Tow Hitch

- Uniden CB sideband, weatherband radio:
- Wilson T2000 antenna:
- Wilson coax cable:
- Wilson antenna spring:
- Mr Heater space heating device:

Next week Im also going to order t more things:

- Hi-Lift recovery kit:
- Rugged Ridge recovery strap:
I also found those metal Discovery plaques I was looking for and Ill get those mounted to the fenders very soon and take some pictures. Also ordered some more decals. The Discovery decal that went just above the front windshield and 2 large Land Rover stickers that go on the rear fender panels as seen on camel trophy trucks. Pictures coming soon.

 

Heres a couple pics I took using my girls new GoPro Hero camera. The "A Decade of Discovery 1994-2004" metal plaques I was ranting about are now installed on either front fender. I think they look great though they are a little bit bigger than I hoped. Next I have the Land Rover "Discovery" vinyl decal fitted just above the windshield. Unfortunately given the color of my truck the black lettering is not easily readable but I can live. Im still waiting for 2 large oval Land Rover vinyl decals I order to come in the mail, I will slap those on the rear quarter panels. Treadwright said they would make me some vinyl decals to so if they come through then Ill fit those on my front fenders between the shell and England flag decals.

 

What is taking you to Alaska? born and raised there. currently living in texas, just finished my welding degree and looking for a job back there. hopefully be living back that way in the next year. there are some great places for off roading. good luck to you there. I bought my disco because i hope to take 6 weeks to head back that way one day.

 

Icicle Seafoods has several operations throughout Alaska. I worked at one of their on land based processors and I made some reasonable money as provided housing etc. I would like to return and make a career out of it plus i love how beautiful it is up there. My departure in April may be postponed to October due to budget issues but in any case would you be going up to AK around any of those dates? If so maybe we could meet up and continue together? Im looking for people interested in driving along with me.

 

 

At long last Ive participated in my first Land Rover event and experienced offroading for the very first time, after nearly 2.5 years of owning a D2. It was a great opportunity to meet some interesting like minded folks, share stories and Rover builds and have some fun on the trails. I got to meet Justin from Lucky 8 LLC and had the privilege of riding in a Series for the first time, with none other than the editor of Rovers North Magazine Jeff Aronson! Wicked nice guy with a wonderful outlook on life and a positive attitude.

Admittedly this year's Winter Romp may have been cursed from the start. Falling on Friday the 13th the entire weekend was a mess. Groups were very disorganized, and the trails remained un-breakable at best. Big trucks with huge lift kits, massive tires, chains, plows and even a snow blower could not get through some of the trails for a couple days so most people had to sit around waiting or idling in their vehicles for hours on end. Storm warnings and possible road bans forced many people including Lucky 8 LLC to leave early. One vehicle blew both diffs, another had fuel pump issues, a old Chevy busted a driveshaft and a couple of use lost our mirrors and tail lights! But by Sunday some of the trails had been broken in thanks to the veteran diehard offroaders who worked through the night to get those trails beat in so the rest of us could have some fun.

With nothing more than a 2 inch HD lift, mud terrains, diff guards, HD tie rods and 10 psi in my tires, my Disco actually did a pretty good job! I got stuck about 5 times 3 of which I managed to get myself out and 2 times I was recovered once by a Defender pickup and the other by a Series. The most useful tool in my arsenal was probably my ARB EZ Tire Deflator. Made for quick and easy tire deflation which in turn made it possible for my truck to hit some trails. Though I fared better than most as far as repairs/damage is concerned I drove away with a broken exterior driver side mirror, missing horn button, crack in the driver side front bumper end cap, and 3 amigos! Not to bad for my first time around! I really needed this experience plus it gave me an excuse to request a 4 day vacation from work. I took a handful of pictures and had a couple minutes worth of video footage recorded, shame i did not get more footage and pics but like I said we had alot of down time with no action and below zero temperatures outside. Enjoy the pics!