Roadtrip, Tennessee to Alaska (Anchorage, Hope: crime, to buy, car)

[josetann]

We're going to leave either June 9 or 10 from Tennessee. Have to be in Anchorage by June 18. The travelers will be myself, my wife, 3yr old son, and 5mo old daughter. We'll be in Anchorage anywhere from 3-5 months.

Not sure which vehicle we'll be driving. We'd settled on taking our van, an 05 Kia Sedona. Installed headrest dvd players so our son wouldn't be too bored. New gps system. Been working on getting it ready for the trip. Now we find a place that'll let us park an RV for free through sometime in October. We'd have to buy a car and then sell it back, or fix up our small saturn wagon to tow there and back (I think the van is just too heavy to tow). So, one way or the other we're driving to Alaska in June. Should be quite an adventure.

Does anyone know what road conditions I can expect on the Alcan in October and November? If snow comes in, would it be feasible to expect the road to be cleared shortly after the storm passed? What time of the year will the road generally stay covered with snow/ice?

Thanks!

[warptman]

Yes.

[fairbanks101]

come on up man, the water's fine

[josetann]

I'd just figured that at an average 50mph speed, we'd have to drive ten hours a day for eight days straight. Hopefully we'll get a few 16-20 hour days in the beginning, then we can do some sightseeing after we're further north.

Also I apologize for not ending my last post correctly. After reading various threads here, I think I know how to do it now.

BBC, world news, Dr. Who, Tom Cruise, Britney Spears.

Yes Indeed!

[Barkingowl]

I hope you take some pictures along your drive for us.

[josetann]

Originally Posted by Barkingowl

I hope you take some pictures along your drive for us.

Of course. I think it'd be a crime for anyone to drive to/from Alaska, and not take any pictures. We've got three cameras; a nice bulky one, a small everyday one, and a third for backup (in-between size, and takes AAs).

[warptman]

50mph? It'll take you weeks. Took me four days to get to Great Falls, didn't pay attention to the mph average though. I took a Fuji point and shoot to take pictures while on the road and my Canon 40D for when I stopped somewhere to take the more serious shots. I'm still in Montana, heading back up to Alaska on Wednesday. I'll post a new thread "Alcan, Northbound" while en route.

[josetann]

Originally Posted by warptman

50mph? It'll take you weeks. Took me four days to get to Great Falls, didn't pay attention to the mph average though. I took a Fuji point and shoot to take pictures while on the road and my Canon 40D for when I stopped somewhere to take the more serious shots. I'm still in Montana, heading back up to Alaska on Wednesday. I'll post a new thread "Alcan, Northbound" while en route.

Well, the RV will go 55-60mph. I figured 50mph for traffic. I know it'd take weeks if we did a lot of sightseeing, but we're just going to drive straight-through for the first few days. Then we'll take it easy for the rest of the trip (assuming no break-downs).

[warptman]

Ah, RV's...takers of the lane and halfs...lol.

[josetann]

Originally Posted by warptman

Ah, RV's...takers of the lane and halfs...lol.

If it helps, it's a converted bookmobile.