The ALCAN Highway Drive

[Ninja]

Went for a 2 week road adventure from Washington to Alaska. Over 6,000 miles round trip! There were so much to see, shot over 5,000 pictures but I can't possibly post all of them so I picked some XC pictures that I liked on Picasa Web. You can see them here: https://picasaweb.google.com/tarosworld/CrossCountry?authkey=Gv1sRgCILdxaOXhILv7gE

I bought the Thule Atlantic 2100XT and installed the Yokohama Geolander A/T-S tires to prepare for this trip. Both served the purpose very, very well! The Geolander is better than the stock Pirelli in all respect in my opinion, I'd highly recommend it.

Some numbers:

Miles traveled: 6,073
Days: 14
MPG: 25.8
Fuel Cost: $1,300

Car issues:

Passenger side headlight
Driver's side fog light
Ding on the windshield

The road is decent from Seattle, Washington, to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, but past that you'll go through deep dips, gravel, dirt, you name it, it can be challenging. Your XC can handle the road with no problems, but watch out for flying rocks and 1,800 pound moose!

Some pictures:

At Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/kluane.jpg

Sunset at Anchor Point, Alaska

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/anchor.jpg

At Watson Lake Sign Forest, Yukon Territory, Canada

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/sign.jpg

Route 37, Cariboo, British Columbia, Canada

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/farm.jpg

Bald Eagle taking off, Homer, Alaska

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/eagle.jpg

Grizzly, Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/grizzly.jpg

At a beach in Homer, Alaska

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/homer.jpg

Crossing a small river, Wrangle-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

http://www.mikazuki.com/xc/river.jpg

Enjoy the photos!

[Forkster]

Tried to view your pictures but either you won't allow us to see them or the album doesn't exist... :(

But some of those pics you've linked here are pretty amazing. :)

[Ninja]

Tried to view your pictures but either you won't allow us to see them or the album doesn't exist... :(

But some of those pics you've linked here are pretty amazing. :)

Oops, sorry... try again.

https://picasaweb.google.com/tarosworld/CrossCountry?authkey=Gv1sRgCILdxaOXhILv7gE

[ifnt420]

Very nice photos!! [thumbup]

[Ocean Racer]

Awesome pics !

[XCovlov70]

Nice pictures! [thumbup]

[mrslomo]

You've captured some of the grandeurs of Alaska. What a fantastic drive! Did you return on the AK Marine Highway (aka State Ferry)? Love that horse in your car! [thumbup]

PS My avatar photo was taken at the AK Pipeline, Yukon River, just before the Arctic Circle. : )

[mapper]

You did it in 2 weeks. Wow, that gives me hope. I keep thinking I'll have to quit my job when I finally decide to drive the Alcan. A trip, incidentally, that is one motivation for my current XC70 search.

Great photos!

[Art]

Incredible photos Ninja! Loved how you captured that essence of natural wilderness in the entire album. [thumbup]

It reminds me of a pre-XC road trip that we took up to Alaska back in '98. One of the more memorable moments of that trip was loading our car on to an open flat-deck auto train that took us through the tunnel from Portage to Whittier. That tunnel is now open to vehicular traffic.

Thanks for sharing!

[cattlecar]

That looks like a memories for a lifetime adventure.
Great photography.

[Xilikon]

Lovely pictures, it actually gave me a desire to do the same road trip with my 2000 V70 XC.

[Snowboarder XC]

Awesome trip and some great pics!

We are scheduled to take the XC70 up the Alcan next year. My wife and I will be driving up from our place in Colorado to stay with her brother who lives just north of Fairbanks. Then we will head up to Prudhoe Bay. Very much looking forward to the trip.

[ecbsykes]

I JUST got back from this same adventure! Drove from Flagstaff, Arizona to Anchorage, and then down to San Diego, and back again to Flagstaff. Almost 9,000 miles.

We took our time going up, but coming down, we got from Anchorage to San Diego in 4 days flat.

I wish I had a better quality camera than my smartphone...

[Ninja]

You've captured some of the grandeurs of Alaska. What a fantastic drive! Did you return on the AK Marine Highway (aka State Ferry)? Love that horse in your car! [thumbup]

PS My avatar photo was taken at the AK Pipeline, Yukon River, just before the Arctic Circle. : )

I did not take the ferry, where's the fun in that? :p Actually, we had considered it prior to departure but the ticket was more than the gas so we drove back as well.

[Ninja]

You did it in 2 weeks. Wow, that gives me hope. I keep thinking I'll have to quit my job when I finally decide to drive the Alcan. A trip, incidentally, that is one motivation for my current XC70 search.

Great photos!

From Seattle, it took me 3 nights and on the 4th day I reached Fairbanks. I spent 6 days in Alaska before headed back to Seattle. I drove about 10 hours a day, plus 2 hours shooting pictures, bio stops, meal, etc. If you can manage to take 2 weeks off, you can do this :)

[Ninja]

Incredible photos Ninja! Loved how you captured that essence of natural wilderness in the entire album. [thumbup]

It reminds me of a pre-XC road trip that we took up to Alaska back in '98. One of the more memorable moments of that trip was loading our car on to an open flat-deck auto train that took us through the tunnel from Portage to Whittier. That tunnel is now open to vehicular traffic.

Thanks for sharing!

Whittier was on the itinerary but we ended up spending more time in Homer so we didn't get to go. But I want to do this again in the future so I'll go to places I could not go this time.

[Ninja]

Awesome trip and some great pics!

We are scheduled to take the XC70 up the Alcan next year. My wife and I will be driving up from our place in Colorado to stay with her brother who lives just north of Fairbanks. Then we will head up to Prudhoe Bay. Very much looking forward to the trip.

Get "The Milepost" before you leave. It contains a wealth of information about the cities and places you'll drive through, gas stations, motels, stuffs to do, tips & tricks, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Milepost-2011-Alaska-Travel-Planner/dp/1892154285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312910146&sr=8-1

[Ninja]

I JUST got back from this same adventure! Drove from Flagstaff, Arizona to Anchorage, and then down to San Diego, and back again to Flagstaff. Almost 9,000 miles.

We took our time going up, but coming down, we got from Anchorage to San Diego in 4 days flat.

I wish I had a better quality camera than my smartphone...

Wow, some hardcore driving there! Although not all in once piece, I did drive through Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, Barringer Crater, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Zion National Park, all in 10 days prior to the Alcan drive.

There's much more to see in America!! And my XC just passed its 100,000 mile mark, so I got myself this:

http://www.davebarton.com/A-hi-mile-100m.jpg

...and this:

http://www.davebarton.com/CC3-Alaska2.jpg

[Ninja]

And thanks for all the kind comments, everyone!

[ecbsykes]

Wow, some hardcore driving there! Although not all in once piece, I did drive through Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, Barringer Crater, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Zion National Park, all in 10 days prior to the Alcan drive.

There's much more to see in America!! And my XC just passed its 100,000 mile mark, so I got myself this:

I just discovered that website, but hadn't noticed the Alaska Hwy sticker! Just bought one! [thumbup]

Sounds like a great drive you had! I know I'll remember the Alcan drive for a long time.

[gary]

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing. Some day...some day.....I hope I'll be able to get out that way!

[ForestRanger]

Nice photos! It's nice to see people enjoying my back yard. I'd highly recommend taking the ferry one way (likely back south) too. Nice break from driving, and it's like taking a low-priced cruise down the inside passage.

[mrslomo]

I did not take the ferry, where's the fun in that? Actually, we had considered it prior to departure but the ticket was more than the gas so we drove back as well.

You're quite right about the ferry fare. After a long drive with the midnight sun enticing us to drive more hours than we really should, we need a break returning to the lower 48 and have caught it twice on return from Scagway.

From Scagway, AK to Bellingham, WA, if you can convince the ticket agent your XC is no longer than 15-feet (we're stretching our tape measures just a few inches), the current vehicle transport fare is $820. Otherwise, it's $976 if they don't believe you. The individual passenger rate is $363 per person. Total for a "15-ft." Volvo wagon and two passengers comes to $1546 ONE-WAY. This fare DOES NOT include food nor cabin. Oh, and there was a $25 per dog charged as well. We brought our own food and pitched a tent on the deck to save money. Then, it was kicking back and watch the whales go by!

The ferry is highly recommended if you're too exhausted to drive back the hundreds of miles of gravel-like roads! Ninja... I'm impressed you returned without taking the easy ride back!

[Ninja]

You're quite right about the ferry fare. After a long drive with the midnight sun enticing us to drive more hours than we really should, we need a break returning to the lower 48 and have caught it twice on return from Scagway.

From Scagway, AK to Bellingham, WA, if you can convince the ticket agent your XC is no longer than 15-feet (we're stretching our tape measures just a few inches), the current vehicle transport fare is $820. Otherwise, it's $976 if they don't believe you. The individual passenger rate is $363 per person. Total for a "15-ft." Volvo wagon and two passengers comes to $1546 ONE-WAY. This fare DOES NOT include food nor cabin. Oh, and there was a $25 per dog charged as well. We brought our own food and pitched a tent on the deck to save money. Then, it was kicking back and watch the whales go by!

The ferry is highly recommended if you're too exhausted to drive back the hundreds of miles of gravel-like roads! Ninja... I'm impressed you returned without taking the easy ride back!

mrslomo.... wow, dang, that's expensive for a car + 2 passenger with no food/cabin! I glanced at the fare on the web and when I saw $800+ I was like, "okay, we're driving back! muahahhaha"

Though I would love to be on a cruise some day.

[giorgio]

Thank you for yours fantastic photos.