Tuesday 13 December 2011

Australia The Route Part 2

So, assuming Elsie and I arrive in Anacortes safe and sound in April some time, the next part of the route to be selected was from Anacortes to Alaska. 
In July2010 I drove up to Vancouver Island from Anacortes with my sister, and it was gorgeous.  So my initial idea was to catch a ferry across to Victoria, drive up the Island to Port Hardy, catch a ferry through the islands to Prince Rupert, and then drive north from there.  But looking at Ferry costs, the trip to Prince Rupert would be about $500 or more, whereas if I just drove to Prince Rupert from Anacortes, it is only about 1000 miles, so at 40 miles to the gallon is only 3 or 4 tanks of gas, which will be a lot less than the ferry option.  So, while the Vancouver Island option would be fun, I think it can be saved for another day.
So just looking at the maps, it is not too hard to pick a route as there are really only 2 options - Alaska Highway all the way, or the Cassiar and the Klondike Highways.   Easy - Will go up one way and back the other, and thus do both !!  I will try to go north of Vancouver through Whistler to Prince George, or if the roads are doubtful, go up Canadian Hiway 1.
From Prince George, if the roads are OK, I will keep west and go up the Cassiar Hiway through Smithers, or alternatively I will go up to Dawson Creek and get onto the Alaska Hiway at Fort St John.
Then at Whitehorse, I can either take the easy option and stay on the Alaska Hiway north, or I can go up the more exciting Klondike Hiway to Dawson, and then on a lengthy section of dirt road on the Top of the World Hiway to Chicken.  All weather dependent, and if I go up one way, I will come back the other !!
So this is what Part 2 is starting to look like :
Once in Alaska, the primary objective is to drive up the Dalton Hiway to the Arctic Circle, south of Coldfoot.  Depending on weather and road conditions, and how both the car and I are handling it, if we make it to the circle, then I would like to see if we can make it up to the Brooks Range and the Atigun Pass, which is supposed to be verydramatic.  We will just have to see because obviously our final destinations will depend on so many things.

As far as Alaska itself is concerned, I plan to spend time in Denali NP with the 20,000 ft peak of Mt McKinley, and I would also like to go down to the Kenai Peninsula, south of Ancorage and Kayak with the whales. I think there will be so much to do and see in Alaska that one brief visit will only be a taster for future visits !!

And after Alaska, I intend to come back down into Canada on different roads from those I went north on, coming down through Jasper National Park and Banff to Calgary.   And it that point I will decide what I do next, dependent upon how I feel, how the car feels, and, probably, what the weather is like !