Posted August 5, 2023 – Narrated by Jim
Our Alaska overland adventure, beginning in San Diego, had finally come to an end – but endings don’t come fast in Alaska. The adventure isn’t really over until you reach the lower 48, almost 2,000 miles away.
It’s like that time you hiked up to Half Dome and looked down into the valley from the summit and realized you were only halfway home and it was getting dark. It felt like the finish line kept moving farther and farther away. This part of the trip would be a push.
Weather predictions of snow and rough weather snapped the whip. We gave ourselves ten days. With plenty of sleep and down time, we should make it back safely.
As we turned south, the car-talk took a “Holy Cow! We did it!” turn as we logged notes about the journey, everything from the moment we made the decision to go to Alaska; the years of research, planning and prepping; the delays due to COVID and closed borders; and what we learned while there. We were grateful to be heading home, victorious.
We will miss Alaska…
but it was comforting to pass through Yukon and British Columbia again. These provinces hold their own in splendorous glacial scenery and a warm welcoming nature.
Leaving Alaska
Leaving Haines, our journey took us through British Columbia for a few miles…
then, into Yukon…
where we boondocked off the Alaska Highway in a gravel turnout near…
Haines Junction
Coordinates 62.173000, -140.679000 (62°10’22.8″ N 140°40’44.4″ W)
Just in time for Happy Hour, we poured the last few splashes of a well-traveled bottle of homemade limoncello – a gift, from our friend, Trish – into the hand-carved ice glasses from Chena Hot Springs and raised a toast to Alaska.
In keeping with tradition, we dashed the glasses on the rocks to celebrate.
Teslin Rest Stop
The scenery from Haines Junction to Teslin, Yukon, is breathtaking.
As we passed through Whitehorse, Yukon, we ducked into the Burnt Toast Café , our favorite spot for a good, hearty bite.
Then, pulled into the same rest area we stayed in June, across the bridge from Teslin with a magnificent view of the lake.
Coordinates 60.160825, -132.693421 (60°09’39.0″N 132°41’36.3″W)
We left the Alaska Highway near Watson Lake and turned south onto the Cassiar Highway.
The scenery on this highway is beautiful …
but the road was a challenge due to snow heaves and ongoing repairs.
That evening we settled in for a free night’s sleep in the parking lot of
Jade City
a settlement, well known to rock hounds. After buying a small gift for Carmen’s dad, we set out for a day of jaw-dripping views
and took an overnight pause at
Mehan Lake Rest Area
for a quiet night by the lake.
Coordinates 56.726417, -129.780031 (56°43’35.1″N 129°46’48.1″W)
We would have been alone on the lake, but at dark we were joined by a group of hunters heading north for the opening of Elk season.
The following day, the views kept our heads turning.
That night we hit the wall on long travel days, so we stopped for two nights at the
Fort Telkwa Riverfront RV Park
Our site overlooked the beautiful Bulkley river.
One of the campground owners greeted us with sad news. A few days earlier, her husband – in his late 70’s – had died while attending to maintenance on the shoreline. Campgrounds offered “for sale” by elderly owners was a common sight – one of the reasons why full-hook-up campsites were so few and far between.
Leaving Fort Telkwa, the scenery changed dramatically as we continued deeper into British Columbia. Civilization greeted us with the blessing of harvest-time. This familiar latitude warmed our hearts and made us smile.
Prince George Walmart Parking lot
Ah, civilization! We nestled happily into the same comfortable spot at the Prince George Walmart parking lot where we stayed in May.
100 Mile House Municipal Campground
The next day we gingerly picked our way through logging country, pulling over frequently to concede the road to people with jobs. Our view was fairly consistent …
all the way to 100 Mile House.
The next day we stopped in fascinating Kamloops where we spent the night as Harvest Host guests at
Mount Paul Golf Course
There, our friends Laura and Doug greeted us. They drove almost 100 miles from their lake house. We all went out for dinner and enjoyed a tour of the city of Kamloops, where we hope to visit again.
Crowsnest Vineyards
Now, on the final stretch, we followed the Amalfi-like shoreline of beautiful Lake Okanagan.
where we had our first introduction to British Columbia’s famous Wine Country.
These picturesque mountains and lake valleys with hillside vineyards and orchards captured our attention. We could have crossed the border that day, but we had to make a Harvest Host stop at Crowsnest Vineyard in Cawston.
British Columbia Lake Country is now on our short list for Spring-Fall seasonal camping.
Fortunately Crowsnest had a table open at their world class restaurant where we enjoyed a celebratory “back to the lower 48” meal.
Now, just 14 miles to go. We used the quietest U.S. border crossing in Washington State, the Nighthawk Port of Entry in Loomis.
The U.S. customs officer grilled us for more than 30 minutes, warning of heavy fines if we did not disclose a written list of each and every item of potential contraband in the truck and trailer, “You RVers are the worst offenders,” we were told. But we had no potential contraband or food. We’d taken our licks and learned that lesson in Victoria. After a very polite (and long) discussion we were waived a hand’s on inspection and allowed back into the States. Just before we pulled away the officer congratulated us on the condition of our rig. We were the best looking outfit he’d seen coming from Alaska. “Most of ’em are wrecks, barely able to drag their axels across the border,” he said.
Well okay. If that’s a Welcome Home, we’ll take it!
Stay tuned! The last chapter in the Alaska series, Lessons Learned, will be released soon with the details of what we wish we’d known or paid more attention to before we set out.
The “Airstreaming to Alaska” series
- Chapter 1 – San Diego to Malibu
- Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay – Chula Vista, California
- Malibu Beach RV Resort – Malibu, California
- Chapter 2 – Malibu to Morro Bay
- Morro Bay State Park – Morro Bay, California
- Chapter 3 – Morro Bay to Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park – Santa Cruz, California
- Chapter 4 – Santa Cruz to San Francisco
- San Francisco RV Park – Pacifica, California
- Chapter 5 – San Francisco to Eureka
- Vinnie’s Northbay Airstream Repair – Wilton, California
- High Water Brewery (Harvest Host location) – Lodi, California
- Harmony Wynelands (Harvest Host location) – Lodi, California
- Van Ruiten Family Vineyards (Harvest Host location) – Lodi, California
- Four Fools Winery (Harvest Host location) – Rodeo, California
- Lawson’s Landing – Dillon Beach, California
- Mia Bea Wines (Harvest Host location) – Redwood Valley, California
- Johnny’s at the Beach – Eureka, California
- Chapter 6 – The Oregon Coast
- Harris Beach State Park – Brookings, Oregon
- Bay Point Landing Resort – Coos Bay, Oregon
- Blue Herron French Cheese (Harvest Host location) – Tillimook, Oregon
- Seaside RV Resort – Seaside, Oregon
- Chapter 7 – The Strait of Juan de Fuca
- Washington Land Yacht Harbor Airstream Park – Olympia, Washington
- Salt Creek Recreation Area – Port Angeles, Washington
- Chapter 8 – Victoria, British Columbia
- Weir’s Beach RV Resort – Victoria, British Columbia
- Chapter 9 – Victoria to Mackenzie
- Riverside RV Resort – Whistler, British Columbia
- Big Bar Rest Area – Clinton, British Columbia
- Walmart Parking Lot – Prince George, British Columbia
- Alexander MacKenzie Landing – Mackenzie, British Columbia
- Chapter 10 – The Alaska Highway
- Northern Lights RV Park – Dawson Creek, British Columbia
- Former Prophet River State Park – Peace River, British Columbia
- Hay Lake – Fort Liard, Northwest Territories
- Northern Rockies Lodge and RV Park – Muncho Lake, British Columbia
- Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park – Liard River, British Columbia
- Chapter 11 – Yukon
- Watson Lake Visitors Center Parking Lot – Watson Lake, Yukon
- Teslin Rest Area – Teslin, Yukon
- Norsemen RV Park – Atlin, British Columbia
- Hot Springs Campground – Whitehorse, Yukon
- Real Canadian Superstore Parking Lot, Whitehorse, Yukon
- Gold Rush Campground – Dawson City, Yukon
- Chapter 12 – Top of the World Highway to Chicken, Alaska
- Downtown Chicken Cafe and Saloon
- Chapter 13 – Tok to Valdez
- Tundra RV Park – Tok, Alaska
- Gulkana River Rest Stop – Gulkana, Alaska
- Bear Paw RV Park – Valdez, Alaska
- Chapter 14 – Glacier View to Anchorage
- Grand View Cafe and RV Park – Glacier View, Alaska
- Alaska Raceway Park (Harvest Host location) – Palmer, Alaska
- Ship Creek RV Park – Anchorage, Alaska
- Chapter 15 – Kenai Peninsula
- Heritage RV Park – Homer Spit, Alaska
- Marathon RV Campground – Seward, Alaska
- Chapter 16 – Whittier to Talkeetna
- Williwaw Campground – Whittier, Alaska
- Talkeenta Camper Park – Talkeetna, Alaska
- Chapter 17 – Denali
- Riley Creek Campground – Denali National Park, Alaska
- Chapter 18 – North Pole to Chena Hot Springs
- Riverview RV Park – North Pole, Alaska
- Chena Hot Springs Campground – Fairbanks, Alaska
- Chapter 19 – Tok to Haines
- Fast Eddy’s Restaurant Parking Lot – Tok, Alaska
- Gravel Turnout – Beaver Creek, Yukon
- Gravel Turnout – Destruction Bay, Yukon
- Haines Hitch-UP RV Park – Haines, Alaska
- Chapter 20 – South to the Lower 48
- Gravel Turnout – Haines Junction, Yukon
- Teslin Rest Area – Teslin, Yukon
- Jade City Parking Lot – Jade City, British Columbia
- Mehan Lake Rest Area – Bell II, British Columbia
- Fort Telkwa Riverfront RV Park – Telkwa, British Columbia
- Walmart Parking Lot – Prince George, British Columbia
- 100 Mile House Municipal Campground – 100 Mile House, British Columbia
- Mt. Paul Golf Course (Harvest Host location) – Kamloops, British Columbia
- Crowsnest Vineyards (Harvest Host location) – Cawston, British Columbia
- Final Chapter – Lessons Learned
- Philosophy
- Preparation
- Planning
- Mileposts (the book)
- Roads
- Weather
- Camping
- Cash and Currency
- Clothing
- Food
- Wildlife
- Bugs
- Fuel
- Dump Stations and Potable Water
- Pets
- Internet Connectivity
- Hiking
- Cycling
- Kayaking
- Damage
- Dangers
- Canada Border Crossing
- US Border Crossing
- General Observations
- Serendipity
- Final Thoughts
- Our Camp Sites
If you want to see our exact route, click here.
*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.
Getting ready to board a flight to Vancouver because your outbound post inspired us to make a trip there. Always such beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing.
Leslie, so good to hear from you and glad we were able to encourage you to visit Vancouver. Miss working with you at various healthcare meetings in San Diego. Stay safe out there! Jim
I have really enjoyed your Alaska blogs and look forward to your lessons learned in the future. We are starting to plan our 2024 trip from Wisconsin to Alaska with our 22 Flying Cloud.
Kathy, glad to hear you have enjoyed our Alaska blog posts. We are working on that final chapter in this series and hope to have it published this month. Congratulations on planning your 2024 trip o Alaska in our Airstream Flying Cloud. Jim
Beautiful photos – thanks for sharing.
Dana, thanks! Glad you enjoy the photos. We try to capture the beauty of what we see. Sometimes we fail, but we keep trying. Jim
No better way to experience a travel destination than at ground level! You’ve seen a Yukon and Alaska few have!
Wonderful post as always! When you headed to Haines, at the end of the last post, I thought you might take the ferry back to Washington. We will take the ferry up on our next trip to Alaska and drive back.
Dan, happy to hear you’re enjoying our blog posts. We looked into the ferry, but they have very restrictive rules about pets. Our research indicated it is a 3 day trip and you can only go see your pet in your rig every 8 hours. Pico de Gallo can only go out 5 hours between needing to go outside and receive himself. So… the ferry was not an option for us. Without a pet, the ferry is a great option. Jim
Lizbeth, we agree! We were able to see so much more of British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska journeying by land than is possible by flying or taking a cruise. Jim
What a great adventure it had been!
James, fantastic to hear from you! Hope you are not still the Chair of HSAB!? 🤪 I sure miss working with you! And yes, it has been a great adventure. Jim
Thanks for sharing!
Melinda, glad you enjoyed this blog post. Stay tuned for our Lessons Learned chapter coming out in a few weeks. Jim
While we had thought we’d be touring the U.S. in an Airstream Classic, “life happened” and we’re now living in the mountains of Ecuador instead. It’s a good (and very inexpensive) life, but I wish we could have done both. Thus my enjoyment at being able to be an armchair Airstreamer through your lyrical and lovely posts. Thank you!
Carol, you and Ken have been commenting on our blog posts for years and I never knew you were living in Ecuador. I would love to know what made you two choose to live there, from all the possibilities. Glad you are enjoying being an armchair Airstreamer through Carmen’s writings. Stay safe out there! Jim
Beautiful photos! It’s on our list of places to go!
Terry, thank you for your kind comment. Alaska was on our list of places to go for more than 7 years. We finally said if we are ever going to do it, we better do it now. So… we did 😊. Thank you for following Living in Beauty. Jim
Just back from Alaska………………..by cruise ship! As always, love, love, love following your journeys. Hugs to you and Jim.
Judy
Judy, we have been following your posts about your Alaska trip on Facebook. Looks like it was an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoy our posts. We sure do enjoying living this lifestyle and writing about it. Send our love to Michael. Stay safe out there! Hope we see you again soon! Jim
Have you thought about Hawaii as your next stop?
I’m sure they have great camping on each of the islands
You need to turn one of these Blogettes out every other day to catch up to where you actually are at. I would be happy to assist as co-writer (I would get 50% of the profits of course). Just give me the name of a city/town/river/waterfall/KOA facility and I’ll write some clever remarks. I can go to some local eateries (Dennys/KFC/Roundtable) and take pix of the food — no one will know. I have great shots from the top of Cowles Mountain etc. you can use. All in the interest of expediency
By the way, did the border guard really call the other folks’ RVs “wreaks” as in the smelled bad?
Jim, last time I did research these Airstream trailers do not float well, so getting to Hawaii could present itself with a few challenges. Someone told us a few years ago they heard it can cost more than $10,000 to ship an Airstream to the Hawaiian islands, so that option is not an option. Maybe a few hundred blowup inter-tubes duct-taped to the bottom would suffice for the journey. Thank you for your kind, magnanimous, and considerate offer to write some mini, what did you call them, blogettes, for us. We would graciously give you 50% of the profits. Since I am a retired CFO, I can figure it out that if I take 50% of $0, and then add a tip for you about, say 30% for being so studious, that would make your payment for a blogette at, what… ZIPPO. Good deal for us… not so much for you. I am sure if we used some of your photos of San Diego and mentioned they were in Alaska, we might have a few astute readers that would possibly challenge that. Maybe we should just stick with honestly and hope for the best. Oh, and the border guard was referring to the damage he sees on the rigs limping back from the 49th state, not if they smelled bad. Thanks for the spelling correction on wreak instead of wreck. (corrected now) As always, we enjoy your unique point of view of the world around you. It is no wonder they call you the “Funniest Man in San Diego.” Love, your favorite, bestest and admiring friend, 🤞🏻 Jim
We have so enjoyed your Alaska adventures. Our trip was much shorter (39 days), From Maryland to Dawson City, across the Top of the World Highway, to McCarthy and Valdez, and then back on the Alaska Highway. It was our best Alaska trip out of the five, so far. Our border crossings were quite pleasant, but we did enter through Montana and depart from Manitoba. Crossing into North Dakota, after the usual questions about food, alcohol, and weapons (important ones, to be sure) and where we had come from (Alaska), the border agent looked at us and then our rig (a Flying Cloud), and said “Are you retired?” We assured him we were. And then he said, “Living the dream, aren’t you?”
Mary, thank you for sharing your story. Glad you were able to go to Dawson City. We loved our 4 days there. Hope you saw Gertie’s show. Our journey on the Top of the world Highway was not the best. It rained the whole journey and the fog was blinding. I bet it could be quite a beautiful ride when the weather is nice. It rained the 5 days we were in Valdez… hope you had better weather. Wow… 5 trips to Alaska. We admire that, but we doubt we got up there again. It pretty much wiped us out. Love the comment the border agent gave you. We agree, traveling in an Airstream is living the dream. Thank you for following Living in Beauty all these years. Stay safe out there and happy travels. Jim
Love it! We are doing North Carolina to Alaska and back right now….and still doing it….traveling through Canada at the moment. We left June 6 and are currently at 11,000 miles traveled thus far! Such a beautiful journey.
Shauna, fantastic! Hope you are having a blast. How’s the weather this year? Is it raining as much as it did in August 2022? Hope our 20 chapter series “Airstreaming to Alaska” can provide you with some ideas, tips, and possible stopping places. 11,000 miles already? Wow! Stay safe out there and happy travels! Jim
Beautiful! In 1981 the AlCan was all gravel! Previous Hubby thought he could do “ the speed I want” it was 35 mph posted… yeah lost our bathroom pipes underneath the tt.. such as smart move
Roanna, thank you for sharing that story. Carmen and I laughed and wondered if you just left you ‘former’ husband on the side of the Alaska Highway when that all happened 😉. Carmen told me she was close to that point a few times during our trip 🤪. We are glad there has been considerable improvement on the AlCan since 1981, but, as you know, since much of the road is paved over glacier ice, the road receives damage every year that has to be replaced. We are happy we did this trip, for us a once in a lifetime experience. Stay safe out there! Jim
We are scheduled for a 3 month journey to Alaska in 2024. Your blog gave me insights and “envy”! Thank you for allowing us to travel with you – we enjoy every blog issue! …Jim
Jim, congratulations on your plans to journey to Alaska next year. It will be an experience you will never forget… the beauty, grandeur, and size of Alaska is breathtaking. Stay tuned in a few weeks we will publish our lesson learned from the journey. Stay safe out there. Say hi to Sukie for us. Jim
I am exhausted just reading about your daily trek back to the lower 48. Even though I know you have been back for almost a year, I breathed a sigh of relief when you crossed the border. Intrepid!
Linda and Greg
My husband I Airstreamed from 2007/2014..31′..not full time but-6-9 weeks at a time. Never made it to Alaska, but in a restaurant in Oregon we met a couple waiting for a group of vintage Airstreams to gather for a trip to Alaska together. Now that would have been a sight to behold!! Enjoy
Brenda
Brenda, so great to hear from you again. It must have been something to see all those vintage Airstream together. Knowing what we know now, I am amazed folks would take precious vintage Airstreams up to Alaska. But, hey, we did it in a 2001 Airstream, and that makes it almost vintage. Congratulations on your years of traveling in your 31 foot Airstream. Stay safe out there! Jim
Hi you two!
I’m a tad late to the party, but I needed to wait to check your blog posts until we had enough data to load the photos, which I don’t want to miss.
Speaking of photos, there is one, under Jade City with the caption “Cassiar Highway near Snowbank Creek” that had a vertical white line in the sky. I wonder if that was a rocket or something as a plane would never make that kind of movement…
I can totally relate to being exhausted after all that driving on the way south. And, the bad roads. We’ve been driving every day now, here in Peru, for almost three weeks (in addition to sightseeing, working, and running our lives), because we can’t find a decent spot to rest. How I miss the Alaskan peace, quiet, and scenery. 🙂
Congratulations on a grand journey completed!
Liesbet, great to hear from you. That photo near Snowbank Creek is of a jet stream. The angle of the shot looks like it is totally vertical, but it wasn’t. That became clear as we traveled down the road. We left the photo as we took even though it looks a bit deceptive. I am sure you can relate to the bad road based on where you are right now. 😉. Sorry to hear you three are having trouble finding a place to rest. Stay safe out there Liesbet! Jim