Vanholio's been thinkin' an' itchin' at the feet. Six months'n more Texas housebound's got him ready ta Go Big and Go Alaska! Plan is ta meander toward British Columbia and Alaska late March, early April. And he needs your help!
Check out the Google Map below. (Click image ta open in Google Maps.) Vanholio needs your advice on good places along the way. Don't mean tourist traps. I mean good free camp spots, cheap eats, little known side treks, hot springs and swimmin' holes for a bath, things like that.
And I ain't in no hurry, neither. Might take a month or more ta get up North.
"But Vanholio!," ya say, "You're missin' all the best stuff in the mountains and National Parks!" Well, first off, Vanholio's been ta all them parks.
Second, leavin' in spring, the notion is drive desert on the way up, goin' for sunshine and mid-50's weather. Mountains'll be too cold'n snowy that early. Might hit 'em on the way back south, though! TBD
That route there ain't set in stone none neither. It's a work in progress. But it avoids most big cities and interstates. And it keeps ta warmish high desert – Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, Inland Empire, and BC Interior. At least til the end.
Plans A, B or C?
At the end of that road, Vanholio's got a buddy with open invite up in the Haida Gwaii islands. Plan A after is a sidetrip ta Hyder, AK ta notch Vanholio's belt with his 50th USA state. Then it's back south one way or d'other.
But who knows! Maybe he'll hear the Northern Lights callin'! Plans B and C is up the ALCAN Highway or by Alaska State Ferry along the Alaska Marine Highway … Ya'll stay tuned!
So, ya got advice? Wanna hear it. Post in them comments!
Also See ...
- EarthCruiser Is Vanlife Rig I'd Buy (When I Win Lottery!)
- Finding FREE Public Lands for Boondocking
- Haida Gwaii (Lonely Planet)
- Camp for Free in B.C. (Tracks and Trails)
- International Travel FAQs (Verizon Wireless)
This #vanlife #manifesto was originally posted at Vanholio.com.
Your route is further east than our stomping ground so I can only add: Canada is a bitch. They are not inclined to let vannies in. Also try crossing the border anywhere BUT sweetgrass Montana. Those CBP guards almost ruined my honeymoon.
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I'll keep that in mind. Also I'll make sure ta wash the van, myself, and Ms. Barkley ta look all respectable. Fingers crossed!
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Have a location (made up or otherwise) in Alaska ready for the Canerdians. Tell them your heading straight thru to US soil.
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I'll do that. ... I crossed inta Canada a few years ago at New Brunswick and got a friendly interrogation. Basically, he wanted to know that I wasn't carryin' firearms or concealable weapons, and that I wasn't plannin' ta stay.
I will say, though, that both the Canadian and US border patrol were pretty nice up there. I been through the US-Mexico border a few times, and they look at ya like prison guards, both sides. Comin' back inta the USA from New Brunswick, Canada, the elderly US Border Patrol guy smiled and gave Ms. Barkley a dog biscuit. Totally different vibe.
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Sounds awesome. I want to head up to Alaska some summer but it won't be this year. Only thing I can think is it might be kind of chilly in some areas on the trip that early in the season. It looked like a fair amount of the route would at least be on average above freezing at night, although not by much (no data for Canada).
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BTW, where'd ya get that data? Seems useful. I just pulled up monthly averages for a few towns along the way, but what you did looks more efficient by far.
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That's my thought: mid-50s by day, +/- freezing at night. That not humid and mostly sunny is just fine by me, very comfortable. Don't mind the odd bad day. It might be a bit dank and chilly by the coast, depending on when I get there. Probably not till end of April earliest.
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https://vanarchist.shinyapps.io/vanlife-spot-finder/
If you want to get rid of the gym locations, change the mode to Map from Reported Spot. To show the temperatures, go to the weather tab and click the enable check box. You can adjust the sliders for the month and temperature ranges you want. It only goes down to 32 degrees F at the moment. You can hover the mouse over the polygons for more details.
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Sweet info!
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Hey, I recall when this app was just a glimmer in your eye! Very nice.
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Haha, thanks.
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Sounds like a great adventure.
Posted using Partiko Android
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