I started the long drive to Alaska in Jasper, AB. I had made a posting on the couchsurfing ride share group some weeks ago and Theresa and responded, saying she would love to join me on my trip to Alaska. She informed me that she would arrive in Jasper, AB June 5th. After a quick check of my calendar, I realized that is was only 100km out of my way and it was well worth the extra driving to have someone to share the expense of fuel and break up the monotony of the journey. From Jasper to Anchorage the drive is 1904 miles (3064 km). We were planning to do the drive in about 7 days or less. The plan is to drive 6-8 hrs a day, and camp and couch surf along the way.
Theresa, is visiting Canada from Germany. She recently finished university where she studied to become a teacher. She arrived about 2 ½ weeks earlier and visited Toronto and Montreal, before deciding on whim to take the train across Canada to Jasper and meet me. We chatted on skype and decided it would be good fun. She was prepared to camp with me, and share some of the driving duties. Once we arrive in Alaska depending on how we get along she may join me for parts of my trip there. She is planning to travel North America for 6 months or more and then head to New Zealand and Australia.
After picking her up in Jasper we drove 6 hrs to Dawson Creek, BC, the official start of the Alaska (sometimes called Alcan) highway. I had made arrangements for us to couchsurf with Dan and Jen. The were great hosts, when we arrived we chatted for a bit and they made us dinner, then took us for a wlk into town to get our required photos at the Mile 0 sign post. While there we met another couple that were starting the same drive, but they had started in Mendoza Argentina! Jen a 4th generation Dawson Creekian and Dan both knew a wealth of information about the town. They even gave us a tourist guide to the highway and recommendations for places to stay our first couple of nights. They had been hosting for 3 years and had met people cycling and hitch hiking up the highway. Some had started from much further away than us. So I know many of you think my adventure is a bit crazy, but then I always manage to find others that make mine seem meek in comparison.
Our first day was relatively uneventful, we had planned to stop at the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park for the night, a 760 km (472 mi) drive. Other than some rain and a giant lumberjack (statue not real) the drive was pretty uneventful. We talked a lot, and it made the drive a lot easier. We ended up at the Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park, where after dinner we spent a few hours enjoying the midnight sun and the springs.
The next couple of days we continued to drive along averaging 130 km/h, Theresa even relieved me several times to give me a chance to sleep or just take a break. It seemed like everytime she did it would start raining , or we would get stuck in a construction spot waiting, sometimes up to 30 minutes to pass. The Alaskan Highway requires constant maintenance as it the poor soil, and freeze and thaws cause the road to heave. There were several sections, the worst being the last 2 hrs in the Yukon before crossing into Alaska.
Gasoline was never really a problem, but you did have to try and fill up in the bigger towns, sometimes I would get stuck and have to buy overpriced gasoline from a small shop in the middle of nowhere and pay nearly $6/gallon.
One of the most memorable sites were the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, a collection of over 60,000 signs from all over the world. My favourite lunch spot was on the banks of Kluane Lake, just outside Haines Junction, YT. We camped in Whitehorse, YT a surprisingly cool little town, but there is not really much going on there. We stayed in Tok, AK and then finally arrived in Anchorage after only 5 days after leaving Jasper, we had covered 1905 miles (3067km).
We saw a Bull Moose from a distance, plenty of Bison, mountain goats, and some smaller animals including my first Bald Eagle, Theresa even saw a bear but I missed it. The mountain scenery at times was just amazing, especially near Kluan National Park, looking towards Canada's tallest mountain, Mount Logan. It was a great drive, and everyone should do it at least once in their life. Lucky for me I’ll get to do it a second time on my way home. I’m hoping to take more time on the way back and see a few things along the way.
Full album: FTF Day 104-110
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