Favorite Scenery - Alaska Highway

17 pictures
Click here to view these pictures larger

There is nothing I can say to adequately describe the beauty and majesty of views along the Alaska Highway.  These photos are some of my favorites.  Enjoy.

Wildlife

Aside from taking in the breathtaking scenery, one of the joys of driving the Alaska Highway is seeing wildlife.  We saw stone sheep, black bears, bison and moose.

 



Dawson Creek - Mile 0

Halfway into our journey we landed in Dawson Creek - mile 0 of the Alaska Highway.

 

As a history enthusiast, I was intrigued by the history of the Alaska Highway.  You can read a brief history of the highway here: http://www.dawsoncreek.ca/visitors/history/

 

or watch a short video here: http://www.history.com/videos/the-alcan-highway-road-to-alaska#the-alcan-highway-road-to-alaska

Across the Border

Our next couple of stops were in Bismarck, ND and Saskatoon, SK, Canada.  You may be surprised to find out that we don't have many pictures from those days, but you shouldn't be.  Let's face it, you can only take so many pictures like this:

 



The stuffed moose (named Alaska) was our official travel mascot.  He rode on the dashboard all the way from Indianapolis to Alaska.  The green flag was from Medieval Times in Chicago - green was the winning team the night we were there and we celebrated our victory all the way!  Of course, there is a lovely photo of me sleeping and the infinitely more lovely Canadian countryside. 

We did pick up some hitchhikers along the way - nice juicy ones.

 

Another much anticipated stop along the way was Edmondton, AB, Canada.  We had heard that the West Edmonton Mall was comparable to Mall of America, and while it was impressive in size, we didn't love it like we did Mall of America.  Still, it was a nice diversion after a couple of long days in the car.

 



Unfortunately Isak was 1 inch shy of the height requirement to ride one of the roller coasters on his bucket list, and Becca got on a ride that turned out to be a little more intense than she anticipated.  By the time we left Edmonton, we were ready to get onto the Alaska Highway and start the 2nd half of our journey.

Mall of America

Hold on...before I move on to our stay in Minneapolis, here are a couple more photos from Chicago.  The first one is at the LDS temple in Chicago (forgot to mention that we went there) and the other is "The Bean". 

Minneapolis was a highlight of our trip and we definitely wished that we had more time there.  The Mall of America was everything we hoped it would be - an amusement park and all of our favorite shops and restaurants under one very large roof!  We gave the kids a spending allowance for the trip and they spent most of it that day - which was fine, because as you will see, once we left Minneapolis, there wasn't much to do. 

Jeremy and Isak went to the amusement park while Becca and I went to American Girl.  Molly (Becca's doll) got her ears pierced, a new hairstyle and an outfit suitable for the Alaska winter!  Isak was able to check a couple more roller coasters off of his "to ride" bucket list.

We left Minneapolis and started toward Bismarck, ND with only one goal in mind - to find some excellent cheese while driving through Wisconsin.  Apparently we had too much fun at Mall of America, because by the time we got to Wisconsin, all of the little roadside cheese shops were closed.  We took a chance on some aged white cheddar from a convenient store and surprisingly were not disappointed!

The Road to Alaska

It's been about 3 months since we left the Midwest and headed to Alaska.  Now that we are mostly settled and have adapted to our new home, new job, new school - new LIFE - I think I can finally get around to blogging about some of our experiences.

Our adventure began on August 5.  We departed Indianapolis with heavy hearts and a heavy van.

 

 

The first leg of our trip wasn't a long one.  We had been promising the kids a trip to Chicago for a couple years, and it is one of Jeremy's and my favorite places to visit.  We didn't have a lot of time there - just about 24 hours - but we crammed in as much sight seeing as we could.  We went to Medieval Times, Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the double decker McDonalds. 

 

 

 

While we were at Navy Pier, we got caught in a pretty heavy rainstorm and took shelter at the USO.  This was a new experience for me.  I'd heard of the USO, particularly in WWII stories that I've read, but I didn't really know much about it.  I half expected to walk into a black and white world of women in 40's-style dresses dancing with sailors.  What I found was a quiet, comfortable room where we could have a drink and a snack while we waited for the storm to pass.  It was a welcome perk of being in the military!

 

We enjoyed our short visit in the windy city.  Next stop...Minneapolis!  

 

A New Adventure

In three weeks our family will be setting out on an adventure - living in Alaska for three years!  We are excited about this opportunity and anxious to find ways to stay connected with family and friends while we are there.  I have decided that this would be a good time to resurrect our family blog.  I will do my best to keep the blog updated with all of our adventures! 

To get the ball rolling, here is a bit of information on Fairbanks.  We will be living on or near Eielson AFB which is just about 25 miles from Fairbanks.  Maybe by sharing information about the area we will live in I can tempt some of you to visit us!

Alaska’s second-largest city – Hub of the Interior, Gateway to the Bush, the Golden Heart City – call it what you will, Fairbanks is as diverse and distinct as any place in Alaska. 

About Fairbanks
The Fairbanks area is home to just over 100,000 hearty souls, making this region the second-largest population center in Alaska. The city features a university, an Army base and an Air Force Base and is known for dog mushing, northern lights and its extremes of light, dark, warmth and cold. In winter, temperatures as low as -62 degrees have been recorded; temperatures in the 80s are common in summer. Summer days are also long – Fairbanks enjoys more than 22 hours of daylight when the solstice arrives on June 21. 

Things to do
Fairbanks is one of Alaska’s best year-round destinations, and visitors will find plenty to do whether they come for the long, warm summer days or to watch spectacular northern lights displays color the night sky in winter. A wide range of activities are available, including shopping the many art galleries filled with pottery, painting, textiles and Alaska Native art and jewelry; rafting or kayaking the meandering Chena River; golfing; fishing; snowmobiling; enjoying tours and attractions like Pioneer Park that celebrate the town’s gold history; cross-country and Alpine skiing; wildlife viewing; soaking in hot springs; or even enjoying a locally brewed beer. 

Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Museum of the North, where the collections feature both natural history and art items. It’s rightfully considered one of the finest museums in the state.

 

Fairbanks is also a gateway for trips further into the Interior and the Arctic. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is accessible by small plane, and any trip up the famous Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay – also known as the “Haul Road” – begins in Fairbanks.

 

Chena River State Recreation Area is a great place to see moose or launch a canoe, kayak or raft on the Chena River. The Angel Rocks Trailhead is located in the Chena River State Recreation Area, and an eight-mile hike leads to nearby Chena Hot Springs Resort, where tired hikers can soak their bones in the soothing hot springs pools.

 

HistoryFairbanks dates back to 1901, when E.T. Barnette cruised up the Tanana River on the SS Lavelle Young with 130 tons of supplies bound for the Tanacross goldfields. The next year an Italian prospector named Felix Pedro struck gold 12 miles to the north and Barnette’s trading post became a boomtown with hordes of miners stampeding into the area.

The construction of the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Highway and the trans-Alaska oil pipeline all contributed greatly to the growth of Fairbanks. The city still has gold at its heart: the nearby Fort Knox Gold Mine is Alaska’s largest.