Leaving Alaska: Fairbanks to Wisconsin

We spent our last workweek in Alaska in the Pioneer Park parking lot in Fairbanks. It was not the most scenic spot but the price was right and there was access to the Chena Riverwalk and everything we needed to prepare for our long drive south.

We were surprised by how fast the weather was changing. We had seen termination dust (the first snowfall) on August 11th in the mountains near Denali. It was so cold we were running our furnace during the day. Fireweed is Alaska’s summer calendar as the blooms move up the stems. And we finally understood the saying “When the fireweed turns to cotton, summer is soon forgotten”.

We had been watching the forecast to see if we could leave Alaska on the Top of the World Highway to Dawson City, Yukon. Unfortunately, rain on our planned weekend travel days pushed us toward the Alaska Highway instead.

After a workweek in Whitehorse, Michael was on vacation the first week of September so we could make a diagonal dash southeast across Canada to the middle USA, where we had plans in Indiana. We had no reservations along the way, which is not how we travel these days, but it was easier to take this long haul day by day.

We stopped in Watson Lake to see the Signpost Forest, the world’s largest collection of stolen signs, started by a homesick American who put up a sign of his hometown when he was in Canada working on the Alaska Highway during WWII.

Fueled by the excitement of wildlife sightings, hot springs, and cinnamon buns, the first few days of our travel were fantastic.

We saw herds of bison, caribou, and stone sheep, and also had a black bear, fox, and a wolf run across the road in front of us.

We stopped for a soak at Liard River Hotsprings.

Muncho Lake in the Northern Rockies and the cinnamon buns at Tetsa River Lodge were also highlights of the drive.

And then it wasn’t fun anymore. After completing the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, our route took us through Edmonton and Saskatoon in Canada to the US border crossing at North Portal, ND, and then across northern North Dakota and the Northwoods of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The temps were closing in on 90, forcing us to leave before sunrise to drive when it was cooler and spend the nights in RV parks to run our AC. It was not enjoyable and I didn’t take many photos.

After 8 straight days of driving from Whitehorse, we finally stopped for a short break along Lake Superior in Wisconsin. As always, our exact routes and stops are on the travel maps on our website.