The Military has its advantages. Texas to Anchorage and everything in between

truthamedia

New member
*Note: I am new to writing and would love constructive criticism on how I could improve with both my writing style and grammar. Also, I hauled *** through this trip so as not to be late to my gaining base so keep that in mind when you comment. The first leg of my trip was completed without a camera so no pictures. Sorry about that. Scroll through it and you will see a lot more pictures in the Canada/Alaska side of the trip.

Without further ado.....:


You are given the option to go on an all expenses paid road trip complete with beautiful scenery, wildlife, and women; AND get 11 days off from work. Or you can be given a plane ticket (coach of course) complete with crying babies, crowded airports, and one bag of peanuts. Which do you choose?

I thought so.... I chose the road trip as well.

The US Air Force has been pretty good to me since I joined about six months ago. Good food (free food), decent pay, and awesome benefits. Being the land of the free means that when the government wants to relocate me to a new duty station, i get to choose the method with which I want to get myself and my things there. Being that my new duty station is Elmendorf AFB AK and considering that I had just bought my new to me Suburban, i felt that is was meant to be.
So I prepared for the long journey ahead of me with gusto. I got a diagnosis on what needed done with the Suburban, I bought emergency gear for the just-in-case factor, and I put on some bumper stickers! I knew that I would be in good shape money wise because I was going to be sleeping in the 'burb' for the trip.

Of course since the Air Force is part of the government, everything has to be difficult. The paperwork needed to even begin the trip is extensive. But I took it all in stride as I signed my signature ninety times.

And that was it! I was all packed up and ready to go! The first leg of the trip (To Washington State) was uneventful. So I wont cover it much. I left Texas and made it to Kaycee Wyoming the first day. That was a good 15 hour drive. Wyoming was covered in black ice and snow so it wasn't fun. Montana wasn't much different. Great scenery though in both states. Idaho was awesome and the weather held up nicely. I stopped in Pullman, WA to hang out with an old friend of mine who goes to WSU. It was good to actually have a meal that had taste and the company wasn't bad either. From there I went back to Spokane and stayed at the Fairchild inn at Fairchild AFB. It only cost me 40 bucks and I got a room with a kitchenette! The drive over snoqualmie pass was surprising. There wasn't much snow at all. Apparently the whole mountain range had a huge shortage this year. I did see some F-22s flying low over the pass which was an awesome surprise. It was as if they were saying, “welcome home Airman Brown!”

Once I got to my grandparents house I settled in with my parents in their fancy new fifth wheel trailer. The weather was good the whole time I was there and I loved every minute of it. It was nice seeing all of my family that I hadn't seen for almost a year. I was expecting so much to be different considering the changes I was experiencing down in Texas. However it all was the same. Which was good! I had my mama's home cooked meals, rode my Dad's Harley to my cousin Austin's wedding, and saw my friends who go to college at UW and a dance school in Seattle.

I went to Joint base Lewis-McChord to get groceries. Little did I know I was on the Army side going through an Army gate shopping at an Army commissary. The soldier at the gate was pretty straightforward. “Go back to where you belong.” And I did. I went home and enjoyed my last day with my family.

By the end of my stay there I was getting restless. I was ready to make the leg of the trip that I had been anticipating since I originally decided to drive up to Alaska. The wait was killing me! Not to say I wouldn't have stayed indefinitely if I had the option. Traveling and working for the greatest country in the world has its merits but being with my family would be my choice every time.
 
Thanks for your service! I will one day make the drive to Alaska, but have not made it yet. Looking forward to your impressions. Travel safe!
 

truthamedia

New member
Canada Bound

So off I went! First, south to get around the Puget Sound, and then North! To Alaska. (That is a song BTW) I stopped in Bellingham to buy a camera. I wanted to capture as many amazing views that I could while I had the chance. My phone just wouldn't do so I bought a nice Canon Powershot SX520 with 42X zoom! It worked flawlessly during the trip. And thanks to one of the three inverters that are in the burb I was able to charge the battery which lasted for about 200 photos. Once I got to the border I was surprised at how fast people were being allowed through. That wasn't the case for me since I had no passport. I had to go inside to talk to the lady so she could add me to the system. My first action in Canada was to turn the wrong way down a one way street... Yeah, I know...

I drove along to Prince George for the first day. I would talk about this part of the drive more if there was anything to talk about. It was southern B.C. so it was tame compared to what I was about to embark on. Filling up on gas was a problem, however. My debit card couldn't be read anywhere. I only had it and an ATM card to be able to access funds and I was going to run out of gas before I could make it to a bank the next morning. Thankfully an ATM was able to read my ATM card and I could pull from my savings account. I highly suggest hitting up a bank. (duh...)
Once in Prince George, I stopped at a chain up area for the night. I didn't know if anyone was going to bother me considering it wasn't actually a rest area but no one did. I woke up the next morning to a good couple inches of snow on my roof and it was quite cold.


I left the city at around eight in the morning and chugged along. Following my Pre-downloaded GPS, I was oblivious to which highway it was taking me on.
I didn't realize until I made it to Smithers that I was not on the highway that was going to take me to fort nelson. I guess that is what I get for not paying attention when I should have been. No matter though, because 37 goes all the way up to Watson Lake. As long as the road conditions held up I would be in good shape and I would make even better time than if I had gone all the way to Fort Nelson. The scenery had been decent but nothing to remarkable. However the weather had not been fun. It was raining and snowing most of the time while on the highway of tears leading up to 37.The only thing I was worried about was my duffle bag which I put up in my water resistant (not waterproof) roof rack bag.
The speed limits in Canada are a formality. Nobody follows them. most of the trip not including the town that you pass through every once in a while I basically went as fast as was safe. Since the weather was so fickle, that range was large. (between 50 and 95 MPH) Which was quite a bit over the 100 kilometer limit put up by the Canadian government. But that is their problem for making the highway so darn slow. I did not see a police officer the entire time I was in Canada.
I departed Smithers after utilizing the wifi that Mcdonalds reliably has. I began heading up 37 and it soon turned into a trek through snow and ice and more snow. My speeds reduced drastically from 90 mph to an abysmal 55 mph.

When I passed the river at a specific point I noticed that it looked much like a scene from the movie “The Grey” with Liam Neeson. I looked it up just now now that I am in Anchorage and it was indeed the place where the entire movie was filmed! I thought that was pretty cool.


I made it to Watson lake at the end of my second day driving through Canada. There were so many places up highway 37 that I would have loved to stop at and explore but I didn't want to risk getting stuck. The last thing I want is to get in trouble for not making it to Elmendorf on or before the day I told them I would be there.
Watson lake was a pleasant surprise. The visitor center there was the focal point of the town being that the “sign post forest” was there. I didn't stop to look at it that night because it was cold and dark. So I found a parking lot at a gas station and hopped in the back of the burb to sleep. I woke up refreshed the next morning and ready to go. I remembered that I wanted to walk the sign post forest so I reluctantly waited an hour so there was more light to be able to take pictures.
The 22 degree weather didn't bother me in the least at first. The dry windless air there made it seem like it was in the 40's and not in the low 20's. But after taking a hundred or so pictures for 30 minutes and walking through 4 feet of snow, my fingers and feet were numb. It impressed me to see the places that people came here from. I luckily happened to have 4 old license plates from when I lived in Washington so I chose the most recent one and put it next to a very old Washington plate from the 80's.


 

truthamedia

New member
("Thanks for your service! I will one day make the drive to Alaska, but have not made it yet. Looking forward to your impressions. Travel safe!")


Thank you it was an awesome experience. Not many people supported the decision since I am only 19 years old but it was well worth it!
 

truthamedia

New member
Allow me to backtrack a bit. On 37 just coming to the junction of the Alcan, I saw a car in the ditch. It was a chilling reminder that if I slipped up, I might not make it on time...



I was officially on the Alcan Highway. The roads were in much better condition than 37. For the first 3 hours I was blissfully taking pictures at a steady 80 mph.
A trek through Canada in the winter is not for the faint of heart. So imagine my amazement as I saw this dude biking down the highway with gear that showed that he wasn't a local. I can only hope he knows about this site and is a member because I would love to hear about his trip.

So there are these signs that show little humps in Canada and basically it means you are about to go on a wild ride. The first time I saw it I was unprepared just coming out of Whitehorse and the first time I hit the section of road that ramped up and down I was going about 85 miles an hour. The entire Subrurban lifted up about a foot in to the air and went down the other side of the abrupt elevation change. It scared the ******* out of me but I maintained control and the truck seemed fine as well. I will be wary of that from now on.
I picked up a hitchhiker just before Whitehorse. I was surprised when he got close enough since he was only 15 or so years old. He smelled like pot and needed a ride into town. So I obliged. Overall he wasn't a bad guy and it was a nice (if awkward) fifteen minute ride into Whitehorse.
The last leg of Canada went off without a hitch. I stopped in a nice little town on Kluane Lake and the people there were very nice. I could see myself living there for sure. The scenery was amazing as well.




The frozen Kluane Lake:

Once through Destruction Bay the road turned to gravel until I made it to Beaver Creek. There I spent all my Canadian currency on gas and made my way back into the US.
 

truthamedia

New member
Alaska!

I made it to my dream state! The scenery is impressive to say the least. My camera couldn't do it justice. The mountain ranges literally filled your vision and the sun drenched clouds above them gave the whole scene a peaceful look.



The wildlife was a nice addition!


Thank you Vets!


I wish I could have stopped more along the road, but I had a destination and thankfully I could come back any weekend I wanted!


The suburban was tired by the end of the trip. I bought her at the end of January and put 7500 miles on her in one month!


My destination came too soon. But I still have a remarkable view from my Dorm!
 

scoolbubba

New member
Good trip. I've got a PCS to hawaii coming up. The wife and I are planning an epic road trip from FL to CA the very long way; not sure when we will be back inconus. This is inspiring me to get out the nat geo wall map and start putting push pins in it.
 

truthamedia

New member
Good trip. I've got a PCS to hawaii coming up. The wife and I are planning an epic road trip from FL to CA the very long way; not sure when we will be back inconus. This is inspiring me to get out the nat geo wall map and start putting push pins in it.

It is well worth it! especially considering the government gives you more travel days then you actually need to get to your base or port. Good luck with the move!
 

AA1PR

Disabled Explorer
Thanks for serving

Awesome adventure, I got as close as BC when I was a teeenager

not sure what base AirmanSkee is at, but if you eye a lifted Chevy red stepside thats him, say hi for me

surprised to see a VT plate on the post
 

al415

Observer
Nice trip and best of luck in the newest chapter of your life. The Air Force were always very good to me during my time in the army. I spent a fair amout of time sleeping in visiting airman's quarters and making premature exits from their aircraft.
 

truthamedia

New member
Nice trip and best of luck in the newest chapter of your life. The Air Force were always very good to me during my time in the army. I spent a fair amout of time sleeping in visiting airman's quarters and making premature exits from their aircraft.

lol why jump out of a perfectly good aircraft? Thanks for your service!
 

BCobe

Adventurer
Looks like an awesome trip. Been thinking about trying for Alaska this next go around. Who do you currently bank through? If it is not USAA I would highly suggest going through them. My ATM card has worked everywhere I have been, Airports in Ireland and Romania, ATMs in various European countries as well as Qatar and Mozambique.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
lol why jump out of a perfectly good aircraft? Thanks for your service!
.
We don't jump out of "perfectly good aircraft." We jump out of AIR FORCE aircraft. ;)
.
Nice trip report. So you took the Cassiar Highway in the Winter? For your first trip to Alaska? Wow, that's going to be hard to top.
 

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