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Day 78: Departing the last frontier in style
Location: 30 miles west of the Alaska/Canada border
Miles Driven: 346
Total Miles: 18,311
Around 2PM or so I was packed, the car was tidied up, and I was stocked up on some pb&js. Definitely was tough to say goodbye to Vegas, as we had become pretty good friends in just a short period. We got one last walk in around the neighborhood, and I got to tussle his furry head a bit before heading out the door.
The going was a bit slow getting out of the Palmer city limits, as there were some pull-offs to take in some of the nice views, and there was a Musk Ox farm on the way. Unfortunately, the cost to see the musk oxen up close was $8, and the animals didn’t appeal enough to me to pay $8. Also, I had felt some nausea and ready to puke (I suspect something was up with the grapes I had purchased the previous day). But an hour napping off by a river helped alleviate that a bit.
I had mentioned the views, and you didn’t have to drive far out of Palmer to be astounded.
Spotted an eagle
The goal was to make it to the Canada/Alaska border (or close to it) before I was done driving for the day. Eventually the route would take me to the Alaskan city of Tok, a place I passed through on the drive to Fairbanks. From there, I’d take the Alaska Highway, just going the opposite way I originally came.
I passed the famous Matanuska Glacier on the way towards Tok.
More mountainous scenery
After a few hours driving, I came to the city of Glenallen. From there, I could head north to Tok, or a bit south and explore Wrangell-St. Elias National Park – the largest National Park in the U.S. But given that it was later in the day, and I wasn’t feeling all that great, I passed. But I still was able to enjoy some of the park’s mountains from a distance.
I could be wrong, but I think that's a lenticular cloud on the right. Never saw one in person before
The Alaskan sky...around 10PM
A bit after 11PM I was ready to call it a day, and it worked out – I was just 30 miles west of the Canadian border. Definitely was a bit sad to be leaving this gorgeous state, but what an amazing drive on the way out.
joe
An update
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
Trip route – Summer 2010
Joe's Roadtrip 
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