Alaska is such a HUGE State with so much to see and do. Just getting there was a 4,000 mile trek for us. One can drive for what seems like eternity and you would still be in Alaska. You can fit two states of Texas within Alaska. With over 34,000 miles of shoreline, Alaska has more shoreline than the entire lower 48 states combined! We did over 11,000 miles and were on the road for 3 months!
In an attempt to keep from boring those who look at this blog entry (we took several thousand pictures and videos, almost 3 months worth to be exact) I won't even try to convey our entire trip to Alaska. Instead, I've decided to show you some of the highlights of our trip in hopes this will give you some since of our journey to the 49th state.
To see all if not most of the pictures we took on our Alaska road trip, click HERE to see May to June of 2018.
UPADTE: It has been one year since we traveled through Alaska and in retrospect, this trip taught me so much about myself and helped to build a lot of confidence in myself. The only drawback is that all road trips after Alaska seem anti-climatic. We just traveled nearly 4 thousand miles to Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. A great trip indeed but 4,000 miles is a fraction of what we did in Alaska! But don't think for one minute we're done traveling because we LOVE the open road what the great people places and things we see along our Distant Adventures.
British Columbia And The Yukon, Canada
British Columbia and the Yukon are entities of and by themselves. We saw so many beautiful Lakes and rivers in BC and the Yukon, we lost count.
Welcome to Canada!
Our campsite at Skihist Campground
A Pano of Shihist Campground
Vantage point is from Skihist Provincial Campground
watching a CN Freight weave it's way through Thompson Canyon
That's me at Skyhist Campground
Canadian Sunset at Skyhist
Arlene with the Beautiful Thompson River Canyon in the background
Canadian National & Canadian Pacific bridges in Hell's Gate Canyon B.C.
After a couple nights at Skihist Provincial Campground, we pulled up stakes and headed up the road for about 10 miles to another beautiful Provincial campground called Goldpan which was located right on the Thompson River! Beautiful views of the river right from our camp site.
We then made our way to Hell's Canyon Tramway and Visitor's Center for the day where we rode the tram down to the bottom of the canyon to enjoy some spectacular views.
Then it was off to the Town of Lillooet, B.C. to check out the train action then back to camp for a camp fire and a good night's rest.
Arlene and Me at Seton Lake near the town of Lillooet, B.C.
A Pano of the Town of Lillooet, B.C.
Sunset at Seton Lake
The Thompson River as seen from our campsite at Gold Pan Provincial Park B.C.
Our campsite on the river at Gold Pan
And for our next adventure, we went river rafting! Would I do it again? Maybe if I was 30 years younger. As you came up to a rapid, the tour company would do it over and over and over until you wanted to say "ENOUGH ALREADY" but being that these tours are meant mainly for young people below 30 years of age, I guess they got to do something to keep the youngin's entertained.
After our stay in Thompson River Canyon, it was time to start making our way to Prince George but not until we made a stop at Horsting's Farm Market for some delicious cinnamon rolls, Peach Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. Horsting's is located just North of Cache Creek off Hwy. 97. YUM YUM YUM!
After a long days drive, we arrived in Prince George at Bee Lazee RV Park and Campground. Nothing to get too excited about but we were able to get some laundry done and had a place to sleep for the night.
Horsting's Farm Market
Bee Lazee RV Park
Prince George BC. to Watson Lake, Yukon
Our next night was spent at a beautiful Provincial Campground called Seely Lake which was only 15 miles from the Cassiar Hwy.!
Buckley River along the Yellowhead Hwy.
Seely Lake Provincial Campground
Free firewood but take only what you'll need for the night
The Cassiar Hwy. is the road less traveled and though it is 100 miles out of the way, you will be richly rewarded for your efforts as it traverses some of the most gorgeous scenery in all of Canada. Stretching a distance of 450 miles from Kitwanga BC. to Watson Lake, Yukon, the Cassiar Hwy. is an alternative to taking the Alcan Hwy.
And there are some very beautiful Provincial Campgrounds along the way such as Meziadin, Kinaskan and Boya to name a few. We enjoyed the Cassiar so much that we went home via the Cassiar as well. We were told there would be lot's of wildlife along the Cassiar but we must of been early in the year as we only saw two Bears. But the scenery made up for it as we saw such beautiful country and there's much less traffic on the Cassiar.
I will meld both our North and Southbound trips on the Cassiar Hwy. here to save both space and time and to make it more enjoyable for you, the reader.
The beginning of our trek on the Cassiar Hwy.
Some of the oldest Totem Poles in Canada
A glimpse of our ride along the Cassiar Hwy.
We traveled the Cassiar both going to Alaska and on our return Home. We had stopped at a road side rest along the Cassiar on our way back from Alaska and saw a poster that stated the Bears were out in Hyder, Alaska. This was not the case during our first visit to Hyder earlier on our trip. So, we agreed it would be worth another visit and a chance to see some bears. As it turned out, we saw only a couple Bears as the Salmon just weren't out as in years past.
Our site in Stuart, Canada
Arlene with Bear Glacier in the background
We made it to Alaska!
Fish Creek is THE Bear watching spot in Hyder, Alaska
The Bears or Bear of Hyder, Alaska
Arlene at the Bear watching site in Hyder, Alaska
This to me looks like a Thomas Kincade painting
Moonlight over Meziadin Lake
Arlene and Me at Hyder, Alaska
Beavers at Boya Lake
Leave it to Beavers
Arlene next to the Beaver dam at Boya Lake
The traffic is horrendous in Watson Lake, Yukon!
Boya Lake in British Columbia
What is there to do in Fairbanks, Alaska during the Summer you may ask? For starters, there's the Mid-Night Sun Baseball Game which dates back over 114 Years! The game starts at 10:00pm and goes until 12:00 or 1:00am (Depending on the game). No lights are needed (we were told they haven't worked in years) as the Sun is out during the whole time. Such an experience and a ton of fun!
From Haines Junction on our way home from Alaska, we made a detour to Haines, Alaska and we are sure glad we did! Haines, Alaska is a port Town with some beautiful vistas. Travel north out of Town and the road will take you to the North end of the Lutak Inlet and a bridge that crosses over the Chilkoot River coming down from Chilkoot Lake. Either side of this bridge affords excellent views of the local wildlife and as you can see, Grizzly Bears.
This Mamma and her 3 cubs were slowly making there way down the Chilkoot River looking for something to eat.
Wrangle St. Elias is the Largest National Park in the United States. I won't go into specifics except to say this National Jewal is HUGE and so beautiful!!! Click HERE to learn more about Wrangle St. Elias National Park and find out just how big Wrangle St. Elias is. You'll be amazed!
And so ends this Distant Adventures awaits adventure of our 49th State, Alaska. Thank You Alaska for an awesome visit and such grand scenery! Alaska is AWESOME!
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