Rethinking North America — The Long Drive South

Oct 20

Oct 20 Rethinking North America

The initial plan

At first, the germ of the idea that ultimately became this adventure was a few months in South America. The plan then came to include its beginning in Vancouver for entirely practical reasons (seeing my sister and simplicity of buying the car). So logically, the first incarnation of the North America component consisted of four days of straight down the US West Coast stopping in to see the various people I knew (basically Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and into Mexico).

With family and business connections on West Coast US and having lived in San Diego for an exchange semester in 2006, this was all common territory. Not to mention I’d done this drive with a previous girlfriend many years ago.

The change of plan

The change of plan came from my cousin Mike, who was an early reader of this blog (thus the idea of sharing with people via this site already demonstrating value). To take a small snippet:

“After reading everything you have put on your new website, I was struck by your lack of conviction to begin in Alaska. It makes sense to start there actually. I think your reasons were flimsy.”

His message was blunt but entirely right. So, within less than 24 hours of receiving this message, my mind was made. Anchorage was to be the first way point.

North to Alaska

A quick search on Google maps revealed that it takes about 42 hours to drive from Vancouver to Anchorage. This is the slightly more than the drive from Perth to Melbourne (my first home and my current home) which is also a drive I’d done once with a friend when moving to Melbourne. So not a short drive, but certainly a scenic one.

Then I considered the challenges and started solving them:

Is the road open at that time of year (late November)? Yes, it’s snowy and potentially icy though but they clear and salt it
Is there accommodation? Yes, but apparently you need to be prepared and call ahead
Can I camp along the way? Yes
But what bears? Probably not, they’d usually be hibernating by then
If there are bears, what is the preventative equipment I need? Shotgun and bear mace
Can I take a shotgun? Yep, I got my 4WD guy in Vancouver to lend me one. Nope, too hard to take between borders, not worth it (and I’d be forced to go back through Vancouver)
How cold is it? Maybe -15C in parts
Will my car start in that temperature? Yes, probably
Should I buy a block heater (to warm the engine up before it starts)? No, too expensive, not needed
Chains? Yep
Warm clothes then? Yep, add that in with all the summer stuff I’m carrying
How do I know what’s along the way? There’s a go-to publication called the Milepost, just buy it on Amazon
Can I drive for 10 or 12 hours a day solo? Hopefully, I’ll just park on the roadside and take naps in my rooftop tent when I need
Does this blow out my timing? I’ll get Hadyn to meet me in a Costa Rica a week or so later and make it up elsewhere

Hesitating slightly when my sister sent me a screenshot of the snowy Yukon / BC border (already in early October!), I asked my trust travel advisor Ivona not whether it was sensible but if it were possible. She appropriately replied: “I think it’s fucken cool - but I also know it’s a wee bit insane”. Ok, that’s all I need. Done!

Anchorage to Mexico

My research told me that there are two routes, the Cassiar (Western route) and the Alcan (Eastern route). So great, that meant I didn’t have to come back exactly the same way and it’s a new drive. Then the plan was to resume the previous plan.

A few days later, a new inspiration emerged at an unexpected time. At the tail end of a 16-hour work day finalising board papers for me last board meeting before I left, I casually mentioned to my CEO that I was adding Alaska to the journey. He immediately made the argument to follow the national parks of the Rocky Mountains South, see a majority of the best national parks in the US and end up where I needed to be in Arizona to cross into Mexico.

And thus, a new plan South was born: