I've ridden it on a Harley, back when I was in IndyCar and we raced in Vancouver. As I recall, it was a lovely drive. There are some twists, but no switch-back, steep grades or anything of the sort. Tractor trailers run up there to service the resort, not to mention the logging trucks.

You'll have more headaches on I 5 in the Siskiyous in Southern Oregon/Northern CA than you will from Whistler to Vancouver.

And besides, friends in Vancouver drove me, so I didn't have a driver's perspective.

We arrived at the end of the day, visited a couple of night spots, and crashed. In the morning we learned of the blizzard coming in and high-tailed it out of there before we got stuck. If we'd left 10 minutes later we would have been stranded there for a week!

You always have the best info from your long-hauling experience.

Sorry about the delay in responding. I saw your nice compliment last night as I was driving down I 95 toward West Palm Beach, but typing in a response to DU while going through tropical downpours is not a real good idea!

I've had a number of those "10 minutes later" type situations over the years. One time I was traveling East on I 80 out of Utah into Wyoming, the stretch across WY is notorious for being shut down in the winter. The snow was coming down pretty good as I crossed the state line at Evanston and steadily got worse and worse as I drove across. I stopped for a short bit in Rock Springs and noticed the Eastbound traffic was VERY light, but I kept after it to Cheyenne, the closer I got the fewer vehicles coming the other way, and with the snow coming SIDEWAYS at the rate of about an inch an hour.

I got to the hotel I was staying at in Cheyenne (The Little America Hotel...GREAT place) and found out they had closed the highway in Evanston about 10 or 15 minutes after I passed the gates and closed the Westbound gates at the Eastern state line about an hour after that..

Whew!

The next morning? Bright, beautiful blue skies and a white winter wonderland in the high plains!

and don't want to mess with 100 or so miles of up and down through the Siskiyou Range, south of Roseburg, OR, consider taking Oregon Route 58, which cuts off from 5 about the 188 MM, south of Eugene/Springfield, Southeast to US 97, then 97 south till it hits I-5 again in Weed, CA. You will go up the mountain range ONCE, run more or less along the top of the range and then down ONCE. Only small hills instead of long up and down curvy mountain grades a bunch of times on Interstate 5. It's a very pretty drive, lots of high mountain lakes and you'll pass on the Eastern side of Crater Lake.

The Town of Klamath Falls, OR on US 97 has plenty of all you need, and there should be lots of camp grounds along the way as well.

OR 58 is kind of curvy the closer you get to the top, but not real steep as I recall, and I have driven that way in an 18 wheeler 3 or 4 times, though it's been 20 years.

When you come down off the top of the range toward Weed it is no big deal at all, the steepest grades in the 4% range, maybe 5% for very short ( <2 miles) stretches.

Again, if you haven't taken I 5 all the way down or up, it is also a pretty drive, but it has a LOT of ups and downs and as I am sure you are aware, it can get wet there quite often.

Hope you see this post in some time to do you good, have fun, enjoy the drive and stay safe!

PS...I envy the hell out of your trip to AK!

Hope you're taking pictures. I don't think I speak for just myself, as I imagine most of the lounge would be interested in a photo montage of your journey.

Now that I gave you advice, you and your family are on my mind!

I hope the road has been kind, clean, worry free and with a constant tailwind!

We're off exit 99 near Olympia, WA.


We haven't updated in awhile though.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/tedandcarla/1/tpod.html

Here's yesterday at Cheakamus Lake, Whistler, BC. From my Galaxy S5.

Thanks for the link to the blog. Again, I envy you! Looks like a blast. My oldest brother has been planning a similar trip and when he gets into it, perhaps next summer, he has invited me to fly to Seattle and do the Alcan with him. Logistics in getting me back to FL in a timely way are my only concern, but I absolutely LOVE the scenery in the PacWest so I may just have to find a way to make it work.

Be safe and enjoy!

Paul

I'd explore there further.
Not sure about Alaska. Don't get me wrong. We had a great time but there's something about the wide open feel and less people in the Yukon.

Did you see the Aurora many nights? I've only seen them once in my life, when I visited friends in the UP of Michigan, back in the 90's. Here's a pic of me above Lake of the Clouds, In the Pocupine Mountains (The Porkies!) not far from the southern Lake Superior shore and about 25 miles or so West of Ontonagon, MI.;

Most nights were very short and cloudy.