I’ve driven between the midwest and Alaska 6 times:
1996 Ohio to Alaska
1996 Alaska to Ohio
2001 Kentucky to Alaska
2010 Alaska to Missouri
2010 Ohio to Alaska
2013 Alaska to Ohio
And I’ve got some photos from these epic 4,000-mile journeys. This post is the first in a series, covering the 1996 up-and-back trips, from a time when my camera gear was based on film.
May 1996: Columbus, Ohio to Girdwood, Alaska
In early 1996 I was teaching high school and… not enjoying it. While I always enjoyed academics, it turned out being on the teaching side of the equation (especially in a high school) was not what I wanted from life, so I was looking for a way out. During that year’s spring break, I took a trip to Anchorage, Alaska—an unusual move for a first-year teacher. Plus, I’d never visited before.
While in Alaska I looked for jobs, figuring I could find something and head north at the end of the school year. And in fact, I did. I connected with the near Alyeska Resort and landed a job offer for a hotel front desk role that could start in June. I went back to Ohio, announced my intention to leave, and took off in late May, about 3 weeks before the end of the school year.
I got rid of stuff, ended my apartment lease, packed up my Honda Accord, and took to the highway, booking 16+ hour days of driving alone. These are some of the photos.
There’s an arch on I-70 on the border with Indiana that’s been there for decades, heralding my completion of the first of 11 states and territories over the next 4,000 miles. I would cross Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, a bit of Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and finally arrive in Alaska.Driving across South Dakota and Montana exposed me to the classic American West, including this antique—but still working—pickup truck.Montana is criss-crossed with 2-lane back roads worthy of exploration. The state is so huge, and that “big sky country” moniker is more apt than you might expect.You might think driving an average car to Alaska is impossible—that you need a 4×4 SUV to make it. Nope. A Honda Accord is all it took back in 1996 (and I drove a far-smaller car in 2013). Here I stopped to see runoff from the Matanuska Glacier. I’ll never forget the awe I felt when I stopped here, turned off the car, and listened to boulders being rolled over under the rushing runoff waters. No wonder glaciers carved such sharp lines through the landscape. Welcome to Alaska.
August 1996: Girdwood, Alaska to Toledo, Ohio
While in Alaska the job went… okay, not great. I tried getting a different (better paying) job, but that didn’t pan out. Meanwhile, my mother back in Ohio was diagnosed with cancer and I was feeling pretty funny about living on the edge of civilization while things back home were in flux. So by the end of August I was packing up again, and headed out from my apartment in Girdwood to make the drive back to Ohio.
I had assumed I would be in Alaska for years, so I went ahead and got local plates (which I was exceedingly proud of, and would be again in the future). Here I stopped for a break beside one of my two favorite lakes along the Alaska Highway: Muncho Lake in the heart of the northern Canadian Rockies.A wider shot from the side of Muncho Lake. And yes, driving the Alaska Highway will make your car absolutely filthy. The gravel dust is epic.On the Alaska Highway, wildlife is everywhere. Sometimes on the road. These are some juvenile caribou. But in future trips I’ll have some Bison to share.Somewhere in Alberta I stopped to make dinner on the side of the Alaska Highway, pulling out the camp stove and boiling water for a hot meal. Luckily, no bears.The “open road” may be the most American thing about me. I love it. It’s actually less fun these days, with so much traffic and bad driving behaviors everywhere (or maybe I just notice it more). But man… I love those long-distance runs out West. Perhaps that’s why I happily made all 6 trips up and down the Alaska Highway.
Thanks for reading! This was the first post in a five-part series covering all my north-south trips. Subscribe for future releases.
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