In last week’s post, I chronicled my trip on the Alaskan Marine Highway System, a “highway” on the waters of the Inside Passage. This week, I write about my experiences on the Alaskan Highway.
The “Alaskan Highway,” like Route 66, today comprises a series of numbered land roads–British Columbia 97, Yukon 1, and Alaska 2– from Fairbanks, Alaska, (USA), to Dawson Creek, Alberta, (Canada.) It was built during WWII by just 10,000 men (Army Corps of Engineers,) in only 9 months! That was quite a feat, knowing that it stretches over miles of the most untamed land on the planet. The distance from Fairbanks to Calgary is over 2000 miles long, and it took me 5 days to complete.
This is how I always pictured Canada in my mind. Mile after mile of pristine forestland. Literally, the big maple leaf of the flag of Canada. There are many different kinds of Canadian landscapes, from the mountain barriers of seaside British Columbia, to the “horse country” prairies of southeastern Alberta and Saskatchewan I drove through today. But, if woods are your idea of Canada and Alaska, you might enjoy a few of the photographs of this trip on the accompanying page “Road From Alaska” (Main Menu.)
As I head east on an ultimate RV excursion, I plan to keep an open mind, as well as open eyes, to the beauties of Canada. I return to the states next week.