Alaska

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 930 miles

The van was packed up and ready to go! But first, we had to make one more stop at Caribou while we had the chance. Can you tell we were a little excited?

We had a long road ahead of us. We were stocked up with magazines, snacks, and a lot of anxious energy. I was feeling sad to leave the boys behind for so long! We stopped in Fargo for a hearty breakfast/brunch before continuing our drive.

We made it to the Canadian border late afternoon. We were "randomly" chosen for a vehicle search, so we had to go sit in the lobby while they poked around our stuff. Fortunately we didn't have to wait around too long, and we were free to enter Canada! It looked the same.

As we made our way to our first hotel, we were greeted by a beautiful sunset so we stopped by a nearby train track to get a few photos before we powered through.

Dawson Creek, BC 1100 km

Since my sister was with, I had someone to help find good coffee spots! We decided on Collective Coffee to start the day. We still had a good stretch of "flat" driving before getting to the start of the Alaska highway.

It was starting to set in just how far we had to drive. Phil and I have been training for this for years, but our company was having a hard time keeping up today! I've never really been able to sleep well in cars (which is why I usually end up driving when we go overnight.)

We eventually made it to Dawson Creek - the start of the Alaska highway! We had dinner at Browns Socialhouse before settling into our hotel.

Muncho Lake, BC 690km

We officially made it to the start of the Alaska Highway! We stopped at the Mile 0 sign to get some photos before setting out. We were anxious to see some mountains! This is when we really started to look out for wildlife.

The scenery started getting really pretty! We were in awe of how clear the water was. A good part of the highway follows the path of the Tetsa River, so there were plenty of opportunities to stop and take it all in.

While there was no shortage of beautiful mountains, there wasn't a lot for services. Aside from camping, the only real lodging option in this area is the Northern Rockies Lodge where we stayed.

It started getting really cold at this point, so we spent some time admiring the almost-teal waters before heading back to our room to warm up. Another thing we werent aware of was the lack of dining options - there is a dining hall here, but the prices were a little high and nothing stood out, so we raided our snacks and dined on beef jerkey with cheese & crackers.

Whitehorse, YT 715 km

We woke up early to a chilly fall morning and spent a little time looking at the view from our balcony. It's important to note, that 3 out of 4 of us at this time were feeling a cold coming on! The night before, I remember wondering if we had made a huge mistake and if we were crazy for trying to make the drive, but getting some sleep helped banish the negative thoughts!

The fog rolling over the mountains was a cool way to start off the drive. This is a big benefit of getting up early - being able to watch the landscape transform as the sun gets higher in the sky.

We were told about a group of bison that basically lives off the side of the highway and migrates together. We were fortunate enough to come across them on this day! I paid close attention to all the cute little babies.

Our next stop was Signpost Forest in Watson Lake. This is place where people from all over have left signs over the years marking their time spent on the Alaska highway. In addition to the months of planning and weeks of packing, I obviously had to make a custom sign so we could leave our mark on this cool place. Someday we'll have to go back to see if it's still there!

After walking around for awhile trying to find familiar signs, we set out on the road again to Whitehorse, where we would then make a trip to Walmart to buy a humidifier to haul around for the rest of the trip!

Fairbanks, Alaska 590 miles

On this day, Phil and I would be marking off the 49th state that we have visited together - which is ironic, because Alaska is the 49th to become a state. Before crossing the border, we still had a lot of ground to cover.

This was my absolute favorite stretch of the highway - beautiful mountains EVERYWHERE. The road was flat so we just sort of winded around each one. There were so few vehicles that we were able to stand in the middle of the road for photos without any risk.

And there it was - the US border to Alaska! We made it! It started to cloud up and we saw some light rain as we crossed into the state. We also finally understood what frost heaves were. It felt like we were riding a rollercoaster.

We continued on our bumpy journey, eventually arriving at the very end of the Alaska highway. We had completed the 1442 mile stretch! We stopped to read a few fun facts (Phil's request) and got back on the road. We had a very brief moose sighting, we turned around quick but by the time we made it back - it had scurried away.

It was dark by the time we made it to the (Bridewater Hotel), so we stayed in and ordered pizza from Great Alaska Pizza. Our next morning was going to be the earliest yet!

Hope, Alaska 450 miles

I think my first alarm was set for 3:45am. On this day, we had to be at Denali National Park by 6am to jump on our transit bus, which meant about a 2.5 hour drive. We just made it in time! You can tell by the blurriness of this photo that it was good and early.

We were looking forward to some wildlif sightings, so when we came across caribou right away in the park we had high hopes! I did my best to capture the beauty of this place in photos, but you really need to see it in person.

There's a reason why they don't let just anyone drive the park roads - it requires skilled drivers to navigate the twists and turns - and oncoming buses! There were times when we had to look away, because one wrong move would likely send us over the edge. We went as far as the Eielson Visitor Center due to time constraints, but at this point we were able to walk around and explore. Apparently it is rare to be able to see Mount McKinley because it's usually blocked by clouds, so we must have been really lucky to see it on the one day we dedicated to seeing Denali.

The ride back from the visitor had us all feeling pretty sleepy. Unortunately we didn't see any wildlife on this tour, but we couldn't complain. Once we made our way back to the bus lot, we spent some time looking for souvenirs, then began the drive to our next destination. We stopped for dinner at 49th State Brewing for dinner where we were able to sit on the heated rooftop deck and watch a beautiful sunset.

The drive back was dark and stressful, as we were now seeing "Watch for Moose" signs around every corner. We knew the risk of wasting too much time on this day, but YOLO. We arrived at our Airbnb around midnight in pitch black darkness. Our host greeted us and gave us a quick tour, and we settled in for the 4 hours we'd be able to sleep.

Sightseeing Seward, Alaska

This day was packed with activities. My dad and Phil had signed up for a 12 hour Alaskan fishing tour that departed Seward at 6am sharp, so we had to get up early and pack lunches, then set off for a 1.5 hour drive to Seward. I requested a "super excited" shot, and this is what I ended up with 🤣

After "the Bandit" set sail for fishing, my sister and I had a few hours to explore the city of Seward before our sightseeing tour. We drove around the beautiful northern lights library building a handful of times - I'd love to tile our house to look the same way!

Since we're always searching for cool new places for coffee, we knew we had to try out Resurrect Art - what a cool place! It's an old church converted into an art gallery and coffeehouse. We decided to grab some lunch before our tour, so we made our way over to the Sea Bean Cafe for some breakfast burritos.

Next up was our sightseeing cruise! We arrived extra early to try and get a good spot - but once we got on deck, there was some confusion and we ended up not getting a great spot - so we stayed pretty mobile for the 6 hour cruise.

It didn't take us long to start seeing wildlife, first up was sea otters! Next we saw a few families of Orcas! They were really putting on a good show for us. We probably spent about 30 minutes watching them swim - there were even little babies 🥰

I took too many photos to include here (check out my full gallery!), but I just had to include this one of my new seal buddies. Our cruise guy seemed more interested in the glaciers, so we didn't get to spend as much time looking at these little guys.

This was by far one of the coolest days on the trip for us (is it bad that we weren't all together?) Both groups started making our way back to the harbor around the same time. After that, we were able to take a look at the major fishing haul that my dad and Phil brought back with them. Nice work!

Since we weren't staying in an area with a lot of restaurant options (and it was going to be late when we got back), we stopped at the grocery store in Seward and picked up some ingredients for dinner for the next couple days, then we made our way back to our airbnb. This time we would be able to go to sleep, and sleep in the next day!

Sightseeing Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Just kidding! Anyone who knows me knows that I pretty much can never sleep in when I'm able to - only when I have to get up for something. I was up at various points during the night checking outside for northern lights, so you would think I'd be tired enough!

We were at least able to wake up naturally on this day and spend some time admiring our airbnb in the daylight. We were towards the very end of tourist season, so I think we were the last ones to stay here. What a gem! We were even thinking about trying to fit another day in, but with our tight timeline, we just couldn't make it work.

We had chef Phil in the kitchen, so we were able to have a nice home-cooked breakfast in the kitchen overlooking Turnagain Arm. When we were done, we got ready and set out to go visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see some more animals!

This was the first time we were driving the Hope highway in daylight, so it was like we hadn't made the drive 3x already! As we made our way into the conservation center, it didn't take long for my sister and I to find the babies. Meet Arnold 🥰

The center serves as a sanctary dedicated to preserving the wildlife of Alaska. They hav so many interesting animals to learn about! We especially enjoyed watching the 3 grizzly's get fed an assortment of fish, fruit, and dog food (lol) - fun fact, the female bears peel their oranges, while the males just go to town and eat the whole thing.

I was especially psyched about all of the cool photo ops here. I think if I lived in Alaska, I'd be going here almost daily! It was nice to have a "slow" day so we could really take our time walking around - it felt good after all the driving we had been doing.

With this being our last night in the airbnb, we wanted to get back somewhat early so we could unwind before getting back on the road. We spent a little time hunting for souvenirs in the very small town of Hope and made our way back to settle in for the night. Our hosts were kind enough to start a fireplace for us so we could enjoy our lasagna and smores as the sun went down.

Tok, Alaska 520 miles

While we were in Seward, we saw some brochures for Seavey's Ididaride and other attractions around the area. Even though it was going to set us back a little, we decided to drive back to Seward after checking out. The fog this morning was so cool!

We arrived at Seavey's and could already hear the dogs barking before we got out of the van. It was a perfect fall morning, the sun came out shortly after we arrived.

The ride itself wasn't very long, but it was definitely an Alaskan experience for us. Afterwards, we got to hold puppies 😍 Even though coming back to Seward set us back about 3-4 hours, we think it was worth it.

Before heading out of Seward, we stopped for lunch at Chattermark for some fresh fish! And some meds because at this point, both my sister and I were feeling pretty sick. We think it happened on the cold ride back from the sightseeing cruise.

I wasn't really familiar with what our route back would look like, but we were driving through during the golden hour and were in awe at how beautiful it was! We stopped for some photos and as the sun went down, I kept my eye on the sky for northern lights. They were the one thing missing from the trip, and we only had one more chance.

Whitehorst, YT 625 km

We got to the Caribou Cabins so late that we didn't really even get to see it, so we were pleasantly surprised when we got up and walked to the lobby for breakfast.

Our morning got even better when we discovered that they have two pet reindeer named Boomer and Buddy. They have toys and everything!

We had another long drive ahead of us, so we hit the road and made our journey back to Canada. We had to stop and get one more selfie in front of the sign.

The colors were noticeably brighter on our way back after having about a week to develop. I saw a side road on the way up that looked like a great photo op, but we didn't end up stopping at the time. I happened to notice it again on the way back and I made Phil turn around so I could get a few photos. Some of my favorites from the trip!

We made our way to Whitehorse and stopped for dinner at Dirty Northern before checking into our hotel and resting for the night.

Muncho Lake, BC 720 km

The trip was starting to wear on us a bit. Each night of sleep helped, but we were getting tired! We started off our day with breakfast at Burnt Toast Cafe and picked up some Starbucks for the road. We had another long drive ahead!

We came across the same herd of buffalo on our way back, check out this big fella! At this point of the trip, I was feeling terrible and had no voice, so I wasn't as diligent about the photo taking on this day. We were content just driving and enjoying the scenery.

We stayed at Northern Rockies Lodge again this night. We picked up Subway sandwiches in Whitehorse to have for dinner in our room, and we all passed out shortly afterwards.

Grande Prairie, AB 825 km

Up to this point, we had pretty perfect weather for our trip. This is when the snow started falling! We're from Minnesota so we're no stranger to snow, but seeing it this early in September was new. I was feeling terrible - being the photojournalist I am, I pushed myself to stop and get photos.

It was snowy and windy, but apparently this is the weather that the wildlife likes - because we saw so much on this day. First up was this family of goats!

There were several sighting this day, but one of my favorites was this herd of caribou. I was able to get pretty close and get some great shots - this is one of my favorites.

We stopped at the Tetsa River Lodge for gas and to look around - this is where we got snapped at for opening the door to take a better look at a possible souvenir (we ddn't buy it!), but at least we got to meet a new furry friend!

After getting a sufficient amount of photos from the drive, we buckled up and drove to our next hotel without taking many stops. We didn't have the energy to go out again once we got to our hotel, so we ordered pizza and stayed in for the night.

Lake Louise, AB 745 km

We woke up to a parking lot full of snow! Since we had planned to drive Icefields parkway on this day, we were forced to change our route because parts of the road were closed :(

It was definitely hot beverage weather! Both my sister and I were feeling pretty terrible, so we opted for caramel apple spices to help warm us up for the drive.

It's hard to believe that this photo was taken on the same day as there was no snow on the ground. The snow cleared up as we made our way south towards Banff, which had us wondering if we should have tried to drive the mountains!

We made our way towards our hotel in Lake Louise, and on the way stopped at Peyto Lake. There's a little hike to get to it, but once you reach the top you're rewarded with a pretty great view! The water is so turquoise that it looks fake. The sky cleared up just long enough for our visit, then after we got back on the road it clouded back up and the lakes started looking less impressive.

We arrived in Lake Louise and had dinner at Timberwolf Pizza & Pasta Cafe then we headed back to our hotel and settled in for the night.

Banff, AB 60 km

We woke up to beautiful light fluffy snow in the morning. We had an extra short drive between Lake Louise and Banff, so we were looking forward to a break from all the driving. Our first stop was actual Lake Louise. It's famously known for its crystal blue water, but since it was snowing it was muted quite a bit - still beautiful though!

We spent some time walking around amongst the many tourists despite the weather. This was the first time on the trip where we felt "touristy."

Today was the day we spent the most time souvenir shopping in the city of Banff. I think we all found some presents! There are a lot of beautiful art galleries with amazing pieces made by local artists. We stopped for coffee at Little Wild to get some energy for the rest of the day.

Once it was late enough to check in to our hotel, we hung out in our room for a bit, then went out again to have dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory - one of our favorites from home.

Whitefish, MT 460 km

It was another snowy day for us! We were able to sleep in a little before packing up and hitting the road. We picked up some coffee and we were on our way.

As we made our way back towards the US, we drove through Kootenay National Park following the Kootenay River most of the way. The snow went away and the weather got progressively warmer as we drove south. We stopped at Olive Lake to admire the beautiful green hue of the deep but shallow looking water.

At this point, we had crossed borders 3 times. By this one, the guy basically just waved us through without giving us a second glance. We must have looked really harmless! As we made our way into Whitefish, my first stop was a pharmacy to get the cold medication that I rely on when I'm sick - I couldn't find it anywhere in Canada!

We checked into our hotel and went out for dinner at Piggyback BBQ. When we got back to the hotel, we hung out in the game room and played shuffleboard and toasted marshmallows out on the deck before turning in for the night.

Rapid City, SD 825 miles

We were on the home stretch! We got up early and stopped at Montana Coffee Traders for some of the best caramel lattes that we've ever had! Seriousy, so good.

Our original plan for this day was to drive "Going to the Sun" road in Glacier National Park, but the road was closed due to the recent wildfires happening in the area. As we drove east, you could see the smoke like a thick blanket hovering over the park.

It was alarming just how smoky the drive was. At certain points, we didn't see any other cars and we started to wonder if we should even be on the road. Eventually the skies cleared, but the scent of the smoke lingered on until we were well out of the mountains.

The drive was starting to get less exciting as the landscape flattened out, which is one downside to living in the midwest. We stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming at Sanfords Pub (now closed) before driving through part of the night to our hotel in Rapid City.

Home 600 miles

It was the last day of our trip, so we were all starting to feel a little sad - but also ready to sleep in our own beds for once! To get in one last "fun" activity of the trip, we stopped at Bear Country USA to check out some bears before making the drive back.

It was hot and awful out - a huge difference from what we had seen just the day before in the mountains. The bears seemed kind of miserable and not very energetic - even the babies seemed kind of lazy!

After we left the park, we stopped one more time for coffee and set out for the last leg of the trip. We did it!