The Cross Country Trip

Now, of course, Karl and I will be DRIVING to Alaska - it's the only way we'll be able to take even a moderate amount of our belongings.  I've always wanted to drive the Alcan anyhow, but it's just not feasible on a 10 day vacation.  I set out to figure how far we'd go each day, and where we'd stop each night.  This way I'd know how long we'd be in the car, and could plan our expenses and our departure date accordingly.  We finally got our copy of the Milepost, which is the be all end all guide book to highways in AK and Northwestern Canada.

The Milepost

So here's our planned itinerary:

Day 1: Pittsburgh to Cedar Rapids, IA - approximately 11 hours of drive time

Day 2: Cedar Rapids, IA to Sioux Falls, SD - approximately 11 hours of drive time

Day 3: Sioux Falls, SD to Billings, MT - approximately 11 hours of drive time (and we'll get to see Mt. Rushmore on the way!)

Day 4: Billings, MT to Calgary, AB - approximately 10 hours of drive time (and crossing into Canada!)

Calgary, AB

Day 5: Calgary, AB to Dawson Creek, BC - approximately 12 hours of drive time

View from the Icefields Parkway in British Columbia

Day 6: Dawson Creek, BC to Liard River Hotsprings, BC - approximately 10 hours of drive time

Liard River Hotsprings - 107° - 126°F !

Day 7: Liard River Hotsprings, BC to Haines Junction, YT - approximately 11 hours of drive time

Haines Junction, YT

Day 8: Haines Junction, YT to Wasilla, AK - approximately 11 hours of drive time

Wasilla, AK / Mat-Su Valley

I'm really excited for such an awesome trip across the US and Canada!  Now we just need to nail down when exactly we plan to leave.  It will be sometime in June or July, but no specifics yet!