Planning for Alaska (2024)

This weekend we leave for our summer road trip...Alaska here we come!  A goal of mine has always been to drive on the AL-CAN Highway.  

Planning started in earnest in January, but before that, our kids gave us the Milepost Guide for Christmas 2022 - this is the quintessential guidebook.  As you can see I have made good use of it!

In addition to heading for Alaska, Barry & I have some states to cross off our list.  Thanks to my gal pals at Toyota who gave me this sticker map (among other things) for my retirement we can clearly see what is missing (shout out to Aimee, Nicole, Myriah, Christy, Debra!).

Here is our route:

Note that Luke is joining us, however he will not make the journey to Alaska...two reasons:

1. Our ferry ride from Bellingham to Haines is 39 hours and dogs are not allowed on the upper decks - there is no way he (or I) would survive with scheduled potty breaks on the car deck.
2. Malti-poo...possible bear bait?

Jacob has graciously agreed to host Luke for the time we will be in Alaska - Seattle is beautiful in the summer and he will have a grand time there!

We will be mixing up our overnights with camping, stays at Harvest Host & Hipcamp locations, Airbnb's, hotels and visits with two cousins along the way.  I'm not sure how often I will be posting.  It may depend on whether we have internet connection, or how busy we are exploring.

Barry & I have also decided to combine this roadtrip with a fundraising effort to support Alzheimer's research.  My dad (and others in our family) have suffered from this terrible disease - I hope some of you will join us with a donation for the cause :)