My wife, Peggy, and I have long loved traveling in Alaska and Canada. The scenery is spectacular and the people are warm and friendly. We made our first trip to Alaska during our honeymoon in 1980. We again visited British Columbia and Hyder, Alaska in 1995.

As a teenager Peggy read early acounts of intrepid travelers driving the all gravel road known as the Alcan Highway and dreamt of of following them into the vastness of the North.

The Alcan is over 1500 miles long and connects Dawson Creek, British Columba to Fairbanks, Alaska. It was initially built in 8 months in 1942 due to threats of a Japanese invasion of Alaska. At the time the only way to access Alaska from the lower Forty-Eight was by boat. Indeed, Japan did try to take over several islands in the Aleutians.

The highway was built over rugged terrain that emcompassed mountains, rivers and marshes. In addition, the engineers faced the problems of permafrost and spring thawing of rivers.

It was also a marvel of cooperation between United States and the Canadian peoples. Although the highway had the benefit of opening up the interior of northwest Canada, many First Nation members were displaced and their traditional way of life was disrupted.

So in the fall of 2006 we decided that the time was ripe to drive the Alcan Highway and explore Alaska, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

Click below for details of trip:
Introduction
Itinerary
Chitina Cabbage Festival
Northern Lights
Portfolio
Wildlife