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Day-by-day travel log ABQ to Alaska
Published
Modified
The start of the trail to Alaska begins here. In the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque.
Although would-be overlanders should have go-bags packed and ready to roll, some planning is necessary for a 4-week, nearly 9,000-mile road adventure. Here’s how we got ready for our bucket list adventure.
Countdown to the road
Find accommodations? Was Denali National Park and Preserve open at this time? The National Parks website said yes and has its own website for camping reservations, reservedenali.com
- . Spots were available in June 2024, refundable up to 7-days in advance, so the credit card came out for a 5-day stay. That’s much longer than we usually stayed in one place, but more days raised the likelihood that Denali, the tallest peak in North America, would emerge from its well-known cloud cover. Reservation made.
- Request time off — nearly five weeks for this trek. After more than 30 years at the Journal, I had plenty.
- Get shots. Made sure our traveling team was up-to-date on COVID shots and other old people shots like shingles.
- Arrange dog sitters. Our dog, Ora, opted to stay home with one of her favorite people.
- Check passports and country destination requirements.
Here are other some items to check off your ready to launch list:
- Check cellphone coverage and plan rates. My plan covered voice and data in Canada.
- Do a vehicle check. Are registration and insurance up-to-date? Canada has a reciprocal agreement with United States for car insurance. That means your New Mexico car insurance is good. Check tires and oil — get rim for extra spare.
- Is the van ready to roll? Check out all engine codes, tire pressure and all fluids. Fill diesel exhaust fluid if your rig runs on diesel. You’d hate to limp along as your diesel engine shuts down. Are your tires, including the spare, ready for thousands of miles of travel?
- Get maps on paper and apps, including iOverlander, Gaia GPS, onX maps, which list camping spots, roads and land ownership for dry camping without hookups.
- Research Crown land in Canada — is it just like the U.S. Bureau of Land Management? We never quite figured this out, even after asking Canadian visitor centers.
- Check sunset and sunrise — Apple’s Clock app works even when you don’t have cell service, if you set up major cities when you have service. We learned the sun does not set until long after 10 p.m. as you move north.
- Get Canadian dollars. At the BMO branch on Wyoming Boulevard, Canadian dollars are not available without special order. Is Canada a plastic purchase nation? Do we need to exchange money before arriving or can we use credit cards for everything including snacks along the road? BMO said our debit card would work in its ATMs across the border. Spoiler: It worked.
Get a quick preview of the roads, potholes and views on the only two main routes from Alaska to ABQ. In this five minute video, you can experience and hear the view from the front seat of a Sportsmobile Promaster Camper Van -- with a cracked windshield full of bug splatter and rain along the way. On the whole the roads aren't any worse than those in New Mexico except for I-25 and I-40.
This video includes clips from the ALCAN and the Stewart to Cassier routes.
More pictures along the road
https://www.abqjournal.com/collection_2bc2ffee-3336-11ef-9095-431b48aa7882.html
Stock provisions
- Take a quick trip to your dollar store and grocery store to stock up on snacks like beef jerky, cookies, V8 and other healthish foods. I spent $20. If I had spent $40, I wouldn’t have run out and gotten hangry on the road.
- Watch YouTubers such as Tal and Mads, Lifestyle Overlander and One AdVanture At A Time for guidance, but not so much detail to ruin serendipity of the journey.
- Buy dehydrated food and stock emergency food and water. Our rig held 20 gallons. Also, having lived and camped in the desert for 30-plus years, I purchased six jugs of drinking water just in case.
- Have a fight or two, and now we’re ready to roll.
The day-by-day log of the story continues in Journal Outside next week.
