Alaska Driving Inspiration

[iowahiker]

If you are considering driving to Alaska and are over 50 (55+ is better) then I recommend reading "Guide to the Alaska Highway" (second edition) by Ron Dalby and published by Menasha Ridge Press. If you have already decided to drive to Alaska, then other books are better because they contain more detail and are more current.

I do not enjoy travel books but was inspired by Ron Dalby's book "Guide to the Alaska Highway" to consider driving to Alaska (we are hikers not drivers). The first edition was published around 1989 while the author has driven the route 40 +/- times over as many years. Being over 50 (55+) helps relate to the "dated" descriptions in the book. For me, the book was half "time capsule", half interesting travel trivia, and half travel insight all related to driving to Alaska.

If you have not decided on driving to Alaska then Ron Dalby's book can be inspirational (if your over 50, or even better over 55).

We have not "scheduled" an Alaska trip which is our highest rating for travel destinations.

 

[iowahiker]

After being inspired by Dalby's "Alaska Highway", we returned to reality by reading "Alaska and Points North, Tips and Tales From the Road" by Carolyn Usher and published by Crackling Communications. Usher's Alaska book is a mostly unvarnished tale of their extensive and comprehensive camping van loop journey from Vancouver, Canada, to Alaska over almost 9500 miles. I normally do not read travel books but enjoyed both Dalby's and Usher's books. Usher devotes around one third of her book to interesting factoids and travels to almost all major destinations in Alaska and Northwestern Canada with a mostly tires/boots on the ground tale. Usher's only failing is an occasionally "catty" prose. Usher's route would be a first choice if you want to see almost everything in a long single loop journey to Northwest North America. Alaska remains an unscheduled trip.

 

[robbie]

I am 63 and I have driven the Alaska Highway 6 times today..

Robbie

 

[ski3pin]

I am 63 and I have driven the Alaska Highway 6 times today..

Robbie

 

[robbie]

I live less than a mile from the Alaska Highway. Mile 675. Drive up and down the Alaska Highway every day. Sometimes not far. But if you are thinking of driving the Alcan do it. It is a wonderful drive.. Take your time...

Robbie

 

[iowahiker]

Thanks and we will make the trip(s) but we do a lot of planning for our trips over multiple years (miles driving per day, where to camp, destinations, etc.). Usher's trip includes Inuvik, Prudoe Bay, Haida Gwaii, and more in a single trip (wow). Trip planning is part of the fun for us.

 

[shortbus4x4]

I'm 43 and have Dalbys book, one of the better travel books I have read.

 

[iowahiker]

shortbus4x4, We chuckled over Dalby's comment that "ladies need not wear a dress" and among other observations based on an earlier culture. iowahiker