Moving to Alaska: Day 11

Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Miles traveled: 588
Total miles traveled: 2571

Believe it or not Whitehorse is quite the buzzing tourist attraction in the summer. Getting a hotel was a bit more challenging than I had anticipated and we ended up staying in a strange little hotel. There was no air conditioning in the rooms and believe it or not it was quite warm. We had a hard time falling asleep partly because of the warmth and partly excitement of our last day on the road.

The hotel did have an interesting display in the lobby.


That is two bull moose racks permanently locked together. There is a photo of the skeletons in at the top of the picture, if you look close. The story goes that one fall a pilot flying over the area saw two bull moose with their antlers locked together. Knowing they wouldn't be able to get them apart he made note of the coordinates figuring he could go back and salvage the meat after nature had taken its course. Then winter came and the weather got bad and the pilot was unable to return to the area. When he finally returned in the spring all that was left were two skeletons. He took the racks and donated them to the hotel as a tourist attraction.

Before we left Whitehorse we went down to a little park in town that runs along the banks of The Yukon River. Let me tell you that is one fast moving river. The banks were such that there was no getting close and to be honest I don't think I would have anyway.

The Sternwheeler Klondike is also on display and we took a few moments to check out the exterior of the ship. Sternwheelers played a huge part in the settlement of inland areas in Canada and Alaska. We didn't do more than look around and snap a picture because we were ready to get on the road! It seemed like there was probably a lot of fun and interesting stuff to do in Whitehorse if you were up for more than passing through, but we weren't so we didn't.

After leaving Whitehorse we pretty much just drove and drove and drove. We stopped briefly in Haines Junction for some gas a snack and continued on our way.

At this point the road started getting pretty rough. There were hundreds of frost heaves and the bumps and potholes in the road made travel slow going.

One of the only stops we made on between Whitehorse and Fairbanks was at Lake Kluane. The scenery was breathtaking and we made sure to take many beautiful pictures including a family picture of all of us sporting our Vandal gear. We also took this opportunity to run and stretch little legs and skip some stones before continuing on the road.

WE FINALLY MADE IT TO ALASKA!

Once you leave Canada near Beaver Creek, Yukon there is about a 13 mile stretch of road between Canadian Border Patrol and United States Border Patrol. I'm honestly not sure which country we were in at this point. We had left Canada but had not entered the United States. It was odd. Some where in this stretch was the official Welcome to Alaska sign. You can't imagine how excited we all were to see this sign. Even though we still had several hours of driving a head of us it was comforting to know we were in Alaska.

The "big" town you come to once you cross into Alaska is Tok. We stopped in Tok long enough to grab some snacks, and caffeinated Mountain Dew which Dan was very excited about, fill up on and then we hit the road. Ok Dan and I also stopped for a silly picture.


The official end of the Al-Can is in Delta Junction, Alaska. This is where the Al-Can meets the Richardson Highway which is the road into Fairbanks. So although we had reached the "end" of the Al-Can we still had another 2 hours on the road. Still the excitement was building as we knew we were about to reach the end of our trip.

At the End of the Al-Can. From Dawson Creek, BC to Delta Junction, AK.

It was just a little windy in Delta... or a lot windy. Dan was seriously worried that he might lose his hat while we were there. Fortunately the hat was not lost and we continued on our way.

Somewhere outside of Delta Junction we were welcomed by two moose crossing the road. A fitting welcome to Alaska if you ask me.

We ended up arriving in my parents driveway in Fairbanks at about 10:30 pm. We unloaded the necessities, let the kids play for a bit, and headed to bed. Dan had a job interview the next morning and needed to be at least mostly coherent for it.

And that's the story of how we got to Alaska. It only took me a year and a half but I finally got the story all told! If you missed any parts of my story I'll put links to days 1-10 at the bottom of this page.

Coming soon I'll post my thoughts and advice for someone wanting to travel the Al-Can.

Moving to Alaska
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10

Moving to Alaska: Day 10

Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Miles traveled: 437
Total miles traveled: 1983

There is absolutely NOTHING else anywhere near the Northern Rockies Lodge, and they know it! After we woke up and packed up we took a look at the restaurant menu and decided breakfast wasn't worth THAT much. A bowl of cereal was almost $6 and that didn't include the milk. We had granola bars, juice boxes, and water bottles in the car. So we agreed to skip breakfast, get on the road and eat a big lunch in Watson Lake. By cutting breakfast out we ended up getting a much earlier start than we had planned, which was very nice.

Muncho Lake was absolutely beautiful. The cloudy skies didn't allow for a great picture of the dazzling green of the water. We spend a few minutes enjoying the lake and then we were on our way.

There is lots of wildlife to be seen along the highway. One animal we were hoping to see was the Wood Bison. Just outside Muncho Lake we got our wish. First we saw this big guy on one side of a two lane bridge. It was both amazing and intimidating to see such a large animal up close.
On the other side of the bridge and a little way up the road we found this group of Wood Bison sunning themselves in a large, open, grassy area. We pulled off the road and took several pictures, a video, and made sure the boys got to take a good look at the herd.
Watson Lake is home to the famous Sign Post Forest. The sign post forest has been in existence since the Alcan was being build. Story goes that in 1942, during the construction of the highway, a homesick construction worker put up a sign showing how many miles to his home town. Many other people followed suit and so the forest began.

It's pretty amazing to look at. There are population signs, welcome signs, license plates and other forms of signage from all over the world. The boys ran around checking out all the cool things and looking for familiar signs. It was a nice stop to stretch our legs and burn of some energy.

Another view of the signpost forest. The place was immense and quite interesting. If we'd had more time we might have taken a closer look. However we were wasting no time so after a brief investigation we were off to gas up and hit the road.

Now keep in mind we have now been in Canada for almost 10 days. We've been filling up on gas daily, staying in hotels all over Canada, eating out and shopping. Most, if not all, of this spending had been done one one credit card. We hadn't had any problems at all until Watson Lake. When I went inside the convenience store to pay for our gas the card was denied. We figured it was because of the unusual activity, although we were all a little surprised it had taken this long to happen. The real problem was that the lady in the store was not at all patient or understanding of the situation. In fact she was down right rude. We paid with a different card and left quickly.

After leaving Watson Lake we made very few stops, mostly because there was NO PLACE to stop, on our way to Whitehorse. By the time we arrived in Whitehorse the excitement and anticipation of reaching Fairbanks tomorrow was almost unbearable. We were all ready to be done with the driving, done with hotels, done with eating out and off the road. ONE more day and we would be DONE!

Catch up on Parts 1 - 9 of our Adventure to Alaska
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

On Pause

My recount of our trip is on pause. We are traveling and our hotel internet will NOT let me upload pictures. As soon as we are back in Fairbanks I will write the last two installments of our trip.

Moving To Alaska: Day 9

Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada to Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Miles traveled: 384
Total miles traveled: 1546

Leaving Fort St. John we had two choices: drive 384 miles, an 8 hour drive, and stay at the Northern Rockies Lodge on Muncho Lake or drive 555 miles, a 12 hour drive, to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada and find a place to stay there. Obviously an 8 hour drive, plus stops, was much preferred than a 12 hour drive, plus stops, so we opted for staying at Muncho Lake. Of course all this was dependent on the Northern Rockies Lodge having a room or rooms available. If they had nothing then we would have no choice but to press on to Watson Lake.

Thankfully when when we called the Northern Rockies Lodge had a room available. One room, two full beds, one twin and a private bathroom. Good enough for the five of us. And so we set off toward Muncho Lake.

Between Fort St. John and Muncho Lake there was Fort Nelson and that's about all. Honestly other than beautiful views, scenic vistas, wildlife, and road construction there is nothing between the point A and point B. So we drove and drove and drove some more. We stopped in Fort Nelson for lunch, not necessary because we were hungry but more because there was a Subway there and we had NO idea if there would be any food again. Fortunately we were smart and had a cooler of meat, cheese and condiments as well as bread, chips and some desserts stowed in the car. As it turned out that would be our dinner that night because upon arriving at our destination we discovered food was outlandishly expensive and it would have cost a fortune to feed a family of five!

Scenic vista some where between Fort St. John and Muncho Lake.

Two things about his picture. First of all we followed the same car from Pullman to Fairbanks. What are the odds of that? ;-) Second see those trailers in front of Dan's car. They are hauling some sort of pre-fabricated building and we played leap frog with them almost all day. We would pass them, get ahead and then when we stopped to stretch they would pass us again we the would start all over again.

There was another guy in a red pick up that we must have seen four or five times. Same deal, we pass him, we pull off, he passes us and then we pass him again when we get back on the road. He actually pulled into Muncho Lake to get gas just moments after we got in line to check into our room. Needless to say mom and I had a good laugh about that one. And I bet you can't guess who we saw when we got to Tok. :-) We still chuckle about that every now and then!

Crossing a bride over some river some where. Real descriptive, right?

We had the cars packed in such a way that the boys could either ride together in Dan's car or we could separate them if need be. Dan was listening to the Eragon series on CD and Jonathan got really into the story so he never moved cars because that meant missing part of the story. Jason on the other hand was passed back and forth several times over the course of the journey. Somewhere between Fort St. John and Muncho Lake mom and I realized that Jason had been awfully quite, too quite, suspiciously quiet. I turned around and found this scene.

Jason has in his hands the entirety of a box of tissues that he must have pulled out one by one. He has also picked up a second box and was trying to figure out how to get it open. Oh what a laugh we had!

The Northern Rockies Lodge.

The hotel and the lake were super nice. Our room had a sliding back door that was on a trail leading down to the shore of Muncho Lake. The lake was beautiful. It had that same jade green color that most of the lakes and rivers in Canada had. The water was cold but the boys had a great time skipping rocks and throwing rocks into the water. It was a great place for them to have a little freedom after a long day in the car.

Jonathan skipping/throwing a rock into the lake.

Jason after throwing a rock into the lake.

Super cute pontoon plane that is used at the Northern Rockies Lodge. Jonathan said it looked like a little rat. He was pretty enamored of that plane. He wanted to take a ride but believe me that was WAY too expensive!

Exhausted we crawled into bed, went to sleep and we dreamed of Fairbanks.

Moving to Alaska: Day 8

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada
Miles traveled: 412
Total miles traveled: 1162

Leaving Edmonton signaled the beginning of the second half of our trip. The trip from Pullman to Edmonton had been a sightseeing trip. We took it slow, took in the sights, enjoyed the drive, and basically treated it like a driving vacation. We covered 710 miles in 7 days and it was, by comparison, a pleasure cruise.

The second half of our trip, Edmonton to Fairbanks, was where the rubber hit the road. The necessity of getting to Fairbanks in a timely manner coupled with the sparse places to stay the night meant we had to cover some serious miles every day. We had just 4 days to cover 1,826 miles. Vacation was over, it was time to get to work. We filled up on a good breakfast and hit the road.

Somewhere just outside of Edmonton we stopped at a little roadside market. They had fresh produce as well as souvenirs and ice cream. There was also a tipi that was open to explore. Of course the kids thought it was pretty neat to go inside and look around. Jonathan had a hard time understanding just how someone could live in something like this, especially in a place with cold and snow.

A semi-decent family picture.

We stopped for dinner in Grand Prairie. It was beautiful there but definitely a prairie, it was as flat as flat could be for miles around. The wind in Grand Prairie was intense. It was almost a challenge to walk straight. It looked like there was some pretty interesting things to do and see in and around Grand Prairie but we were on a schedule so stopping to explore was not going to happen. Maybe next time (HA HA HA!)

Sign showing the directions out of Grand Prairie. I think heading west sound like a good idea! :)

Our drive to Fort St. John also took us past Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada. Beaverlodge has the distinction of being home to a giant beaver statue. The novelty of the whole thing necessitated a stop for a family picture.

Our family with the giant beaver. Wouldn't that have been a great Christmas card!

The most momentous part of the days journey was reaching Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Dawson Creek, not to be confused with Dawson City, marks the official beginning of the AlCan. From here it was a mere 1523 miles to Fairbanks.

Our family with the famous Mile 0 sign post in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.

The road to this point was so much better than I had expected. We had four lane, divided highway for quite a while out of Edmonton and when the road did go down to two lanes it was still a very well maintained road. And so far we had not yet found any of the infamous Alaska Highway frost heaves. That would change!

Moving To Alaska: Day 7

Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I'm not one for thrill rides. I'd even go so far as to say I hate roller coasters. They scare the heck out of me. I don't even really like watching them. I get this knot in my stomach just thinking about them. That said I LOVE water parks. They are super fun. Twisting, turning and splashing is my idea of a really fun thrill ride. Needless to say from the moment we decided we were going to Edmonton the water park at the mall was on the agenda.

We had a blast! Mom doesn't really do water but she went with us and took some pictures, read and relaxed. The kids splash area had a really great slide that kids could do alone or with a parent. Both boys had so much fun. There were knobs to twist and valves to open and close that all changed the direction the water was going.

Jason and Dan after doing one of the big slides together.

Jonathan was having a blast!

Playing with one of the foot water controls. Very fun for small kids.

Jason just splashing around.

Dan at the bottom of one of the body slides. I believe he told me this one was bumpy and the red one was scary. It takes a lot to scare my husband. I'm glad I didn't go on the red one!

Mom took this one of me coming out of one of the slides.

It was a great day and the perfect way to wrap up our time in Edmonton before hitting the road to Alaska.

Moving To Alaska: Day 6

Location Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The West Edmonton Mall has a huge amusement park. They have several roller coasters, some thrill rides, kids rides, and a train that goes through the whole park. Since we were spending several days at the mall we decided to spend part of one day at the amusement park having fun with the boys. Jason wasn't able to do a lot of the rides because he was too small but he had fun one the ones he did get to go on. The ride operator of the hot air balloon ride even let all 4 of us on for the price of 1. It was pretty cool. I'm sure if they had been super busy that wouldn't have happened.

Jason and Dan on the hot air balloon ride. Getting Jason to look at the camera is challenging!

Jonathan and me on the hot air balloons.

Jonathan on the airplane ride.

Jason ridding the purple zebra... or something!

All of us on the train ride.

The mall also has a huge pirate ship and a sea lion show. Of course to get into the arena to watch the sea lion show costs an arm and a leg but you can watch for free from the mall concourse above the arena. The boys were thrilled to get to watch the show, even they didn't have front row seats.

The pirate ship.

The sea lions doing one of their tricks.

We also ran into Cosmo, the mall mascot. Jason wanted NO part of him!

After dinner we drove into downtown Edmonton and did some adventuring and looking around. The downtown area of Edmonton was really nice and I wish that we had more time to take some tours of downtown. Perhaps we will have to revisit Edmonton!

Downtown skyline at night.

Moving to Alaska - Day 5

Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Since we were in Canada we couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend sometime in Edmonton and visit the West Edmonton Mall. As it turns out choosing to spend an extended time in Edmonton was a really good decision.

One evening after eating dinner we went out to Dan's car and it wouldn't start. It had been working just fine up to that point but all of a sudden it woudn't start. As Jonathan put it "the car just got dead." Mom was traveling with us and is a member of AAA so she called the AAA number to see what we needed to do to get help in Canada. After a few troubles with her member number things got straightened out and we were able to get a CAA representative to help us. We told them the problem and said they would get one of their diagnostic trucks out to us ASAP.

And so we waited. Of course its late in the evening so the mall that was near the restaurant has closed so the five of us are sitting there with nothing to do. The kids were getting twitchy so I took them to a nearby McDonalds to play for a little bit. In the meantime mom called our trusted mechanic here in Fairbanks and told him the problem, let him listen to what the car was doing and got a diagnosis of a bad alternator from him.

When the CAA guy showed up he was just as nice as could be. He ran all his tests and confirmed that the alternator was indeed bad. Then he called a tow truck to come and get Dan's car. But we were still left with the problem of how to get back to the hotel and get my car. Plus my car was packed full which meant unpacking the car and loading all the stuff into Dan's car so my car could be used as a family car while his was in the shop. Fortunately the diagnostic guy offered to drive Dan back to our hotel to retrieve my car. I can't tell y'all enough how absolutely wonderful the CAA guy was to work with. He was so polite and helpful and genuinely concerned that we got where we needed to go.

After Dan got back with my car we transferred every thing from my car to his and waited for the tow truck. As luck would have it they were taking the car to a place that was less than a mile from our hotel. When the tow truck showed up he was just as wonderful to work with as the guy from CAA. He commented that it was a good thing it happened in Edmonton instead of in the middle of nowhere, something that we had been reminding each other of all evening. This may be a bummer but it could have been way worse!

Watching the car getting hooked up to the tow truck.

What Jason was doing while the rest of us moved stuff from one car to the other. Lucky bum!

Our "dead" car getting ready to go.

When all was said and done we were without the car for just a little less than a day. Not bad when you consider how much worse it could have been. And that would be our only major excitement for the whole trip. Pretty good if ya ask me!

Moving To Alaska: Day 4

Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Miles traveled: 187
Total miles traveled: 750

We stopped in Calgary for two reasons. First it was a convenient on our way to Edmonton and second I wanted to see the Saddle Dome. My very first memories of the Olympics are of the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. As a young figure skater I vividly remember watching Debi Thomas and Katrina Witt skating for Gold. I also remember the aerial shots of Calgary and thinking how cool the Saddle Dome looked. So since I was close I just had to see the Saddle Dome.

We started off our day with a trip to Tim Hortons for breakfast. While we were there Jonathan looked up and said "Look mom there are two police officers in this doughnut shop!" He he had no idea how ironic his statement was he was just in awe of the police officers!

After breakfast we headed off to the Canada Olympic Park. This was the sight for many of the events during the 1988 Olympics including luge, bobsled, and ski jumping. We got to sit in a bobsled, take a look at the luge and bobsled track, and see the ski jumping towers. Those things are tall! I can't imagine standing at the top and actually going down on skis! The boys also got the opportunity to stand on and official medal podium and to their best victory face. It was a pretty neat experience.

Hanging out in a bobsled and once again finding it impossible to get a decent family picture! :)

One of the curves in the luge/bobsled track.

The tallest of the ski jump towers.

The view of Calgary from the base of the ski jump towers.

Jason wins the gold!

Jonathan takes the gold!

Then we headed off to the Saddle Dome. The Calgary Stampede had just ended so traffic heading into downtown Calgary was a little crazy. We wound our way around, got lost a few times but finally found the Saddle Dome and I got my picture. Oh the things we will do for a picture!

The Saddle Dome! Bet ya can't guess why its named the Saddle Dome ;)

The drive between Calgary and Edmonton reminded me of driving in Idaho and Washington. Lots of farm land with wheat and canola. The views were beautiful. We drove through Red Deer and Medicine Hat before arriving in Edmonton. Edmonton was where we were going to take a little vacation before making our final long haul push to Fairbanks. Turns out that was a great decision! (to be continued)

Somewhere between Calgary and Edmonton.