Joe's Roadtrip

As I mentioned in the previous post, it’s time for me to start making my way back home.  “Phase 3” of this trip was the journey to Alaska.  I actually made it here, got to visit a lot of amazing places, but it’s time for me to go.

Not that I feel rushed to go, it’s just fitting with my overall plan for this trip.  Recall I originally blocked off three months – June, July, August – for this trip.  Early on in this trip, I realized I probably would not arrive home until mid-September (so about 3.5 months), and that was OK, as long as the car was in good shape and I was still in check with my trip budget.

The only real constraint on me is my trip to Asia, which kicks off September 25.  Naturally, I’d like to be home more than a week before getting on a plane, so if I linger too long up in Alaska and Canada, I’ll be cutting it pretty short.  And what I didn’t realize until I started the drive north from Vancouver is that Canada is huge – it took me about 5 days of driving (around 400 miles each day) to make it to Alaska.  I’d prefer not to drive that much on the way back to the Lower 48, so it will be prudent of me to get started now.

So you’re probably saying to yourself, “Alaska to New York?  Joe, it’s not going to take another 30 days to get home.”  And you are right, except for the fact my route home is going to be a bit indirect.  In fact, a lot indirect.  Recall the original trip plan:

Yellow arrows indicate "phase 4", the final leg of the trip

I’m going to change things up a bit and take a little bit more of a roundabout drive home.  I’d like to see some of my friends at least one more time before I leave the country in January, so I figured, “What’s another 2,000 miles or so when you’ve driven 20,000?”  So I’ll be heading south all the way towards Texas, east to Georgia, then a final swing up the East Coast back home to NY.  I figure the time is there, so why not take advantage and see some friends one last time.

So that’s my route back when I’m in the Lower 48.  And what about the Canada portion of the route?  Like my initial plan above, I’ll be making my way to Montana via Alberta, home of Jasper and Banff National Parks.  The Canadian Rockies are not to be missed, I hear, and I look forward to exploring more of scenic Canada.

Now that’s my plan above, how about my actual trip route?  Here’s an update I finished just this morning, showing the drive from Vancouver to Seward.

Eventually a lot of these black lines are going to intersect, so I think I’ll have to use a different color to mark the journey home.

So here it is, Day 78, and it’s time to start turning back East.  It’s a sobering feeling, after spending all this time on the road, to know that the route I begin now will eventually bring me home.  But it’s exciting at the same time.  I’ll get to see new places along the way, and some familiar faces, as well.  As much as I am a self-proclaimed loner, I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with others along this trip.

joe