Driving to Alaska!
So we’re on the road again after 8 weeks in Toronto visiting with family and friends. We’re off to Alaska which was supposed to be part of our road trip in 2020, but Covid took that off the table along with the Yukon and Northwest Territoies. Regardless, we’re now able to make the trip, excluding the North West Territories as we don’t have the time and, quite frankly, the gas prices are killing us.
We went back and forth on our Alaska route, but in the end we made a slight detour to Denver as we had to attend a wedding. Unfortunately, our trip took a turn about an hour into the drive as we hit a construction pylon. The good news is we were okay, but our black tank, the plumbing and the two back jacks were destroyed. After a pit stop to settle our nerves and regroup, we decided to drive straight to Denver as we had the best chance of securing both the parts and service. A big thanks to Charlotte and her team for getting us back on the road.
Denver is a pretty cool city to visit as it’s walkable, has great professional sports teams and an impressive Art scene. The city invests more per capita compared to the rest of the country on the Arts and it’s evident. If you go to the area, look up Urban Adventure Quest for a three hour walking scavenger hunt of the downtown area. We normally do a bus tour of a new city, but this walking tour gave us a good workout and we learned a lot.
After dancing the night away at the wedding and a few days in Denver, we finally hit the road to Alaska. Our route took us through Wyoming and Montana, both destination States in their own right, but we drove straight through excited to spend more time in Alaska.
After a quick pit stop in Calgary visiting with friends, we were on our way to Edmonton to get an electrical issue fixed in the trailer. It’s pretty hard to get quick appointments these days, but Mike and Dave got us back on the road within 24 hours. These two are super great and if you’re looking for service or a van build out, look them up Mike and Dave RV .
After 9 straight days of driving, we made it to Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. We’ve been here for two nights to do errands and regroup before venturing on to Alaska. Whitehorse has a good vibe with plenty of outdoor summer and winter activities, plus some good food, particularly Baked Cafe & Bakery and Klondike Rib & Salmon.
We’ve staying at Hot Springs Campground close to the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, a great place to soak those old bones.
A few extra tips if you drive the Alaskan Highway. First, fuel pumps are few and far between and there is no guarantee there will be fuel, so fill up when you can. Second, cell service is very sketchy often not available until you hit a populated area; so bring an old-school paper road atlas. Also, campgrounds are pretty plentiful and we’ve not made reservations yet, but they aren’t all full service, so you’ve got to be flexible.
Remember, you’re north of 60th Parallel!
Thanks for joining us our journey so far! Check out our YouTube Channel and IG for more updates.
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