Overlanding around the World
Honeymooners Haydon and Me-an Bend head south along America’s stunning Pacific coast
Honeymooners Haydon and Me-an Bend head south along America’s stunning Pacific coast
WITH THE Landy’s autopilot set for south, we start the long drive south from the Arctic Circle and towards warmer climes. The scenery is much the same as the past few days but only in reverse. After a quick supply stop in Fairbanks, we head to the Denali National Park, one of the most famous national parks in the US as it boasts the highest peak in North America, Denali, which is the Native American name of the mountain previously known as Mt Mckinley.
The closer we get to the national park, the more tourist buses we come across. Most of the tourists have come off the cruise ships in Anchorage. After the remoteness of northern Alaska, it seems a little strange to see so many people. We utilise our off-road capability to find a free camp spot in the easy-to-find wilderness that surrounds us.
There is a 95 per cent chance of seeing a grizzly bear and a 25 per cent chance of seeing Denali at the national park. Sadly, we are in the minority for the former and in the majority for the latter. However, we haven’t got time to hang around to see if our chances improve. It’s a long way south from here — 9484 miles, as the crow flies.
In a bid to get off the tarmac, we travel along the Denali Highway, which is the old Native American route to the mountain range. The road is mostly gravel and is still flanked by three metre high walls of snow. The road itself has been cleared by the snowploughs, but the side road leading to our chosen campsite is still covered in snow and it looks like it hasn’t had much use over the long winter. With our new BGF KM3 tyres and plenty of momentum, we make it to the shore of a frozen lake to camp up for the night. Next to the warmth of the campfire, we look around at our surroundings and chuckle at the fact that we are so alone and isolated in this wild and beautiful landscape before we tuck into our evening meal of spaghetti bolognese, feeling extremely lucky.
In the morning, with much haste, we follow our tracks out of the snow and visit the small Alaska fishing town of Haines, which is famous for being the bald eagle capital of the world. There are around 400 year-round residents but every year approximately 3500 eagles gather in the area to mate. Unfortunately, we are here at the wrong time to witness this event, but we do get to see a few eagles up close at the American Bald Eagle Foundation.
To avoid a 300-mile detour, we get on the short ferry that forms part of the Alaska Marine Highway from Haines to Skagway. As the ferry cuts through the still, glassy waters of the fjord we get to admire a different scenic side of Alaska, while being serenaded by some young local violinists who happen to be taking the same journey to school.
The snow slowly recedes as we head further south and the landscape turns greener. We continue our journey back into Canada along the majestic Highway 37, spotting a few more black bears including a mother and her two cubs, several bald eagles who seem to prefer to scavenge than hunt, and admiring more stunning scenery.
We make a quick stop at the town of Kamloops, British Columbia, to meet an old friend from my military career, then move swiftly on to Vancouver to visit my cousin and meet the newest member of the clan, baby Theo.
After a few relaxing days, it’s time to get back on the road again to head down the Pacific coast. After the traffic-free roads of the far north, the more populated coastal cities and traffic-filled freeways are a shock to the system. We pop into Portland, known for being weird, and sample some of great
“As the ferry cuts through the still glassy waters we admire a different scenic side of Alaska”
“What they sell as aged cheddar can only be described as chewy Lego”
beers, from the many local breweries. The next day, in a slight haze, we head for the famous 101 road that shadows the Pacific Ocean. It is wonderful to see the ocean again. It has been a few months for me but a lot longer for Me-an.
We drive past many small coastal towns, stopping off to visit one of the last remaining huge blimp (airship used for surveillance) hangers from World War 2 in Tilamook. The town is also home to a massive cheese factory that offers a tour, and let’s just say the Americans have a lot to learn. What they sell as aged cheddar can only be described as chewy yellow Lego. The 101 also takes us through the redwood forests of Oregon and northern California.
The peace of the ocean road and dense forest is disrupted as we reach San Francisco. We spend a few days exploring the city and visit the little island-cum-prison-cum-tourist attraction that is Alcatraz.
We leave the city in the rear-view mirror as we head inland and up to the granite mountains of the Yosemite National Park. The famous El Capitan is certainly impressive, however many grand waterfalls and giant trees can also be enjoyed in the park. And maybe for this reason, the tourists clog up the roads and fill the car parks. We may have left the city behind, but not the crowds it seems.
We carry on south through Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, stopping to gaze down at the rivers below and up at the giant sequoia trees. We also enjoy some walks around this area, however Me-an takes less joy from some of wildlife as she is confronted with another rattle snake. This one is a lot bigger than her previous find.
We have really enjoyed the national parks of North America. The variety of landscapes has been world-class and our highlight of this part of the continent. With early spring being a great time to visit, to try and escape some of the vast crowds.
San Diego is the last US city on our route before we head across the border again into Mexico. The last four countries we have visited are all developed, English-speaking countries, so Mexico should provide some old-school adventure that comes with a language barrier and different culture. We stock up on a few supplies and buy some oils for the Land Rover’s upcoming full service then head across the border.
The border crossing is not as smooth as we could have hoped. We miss the immigration office and go straight through customs then we take a wrong turn and find ourselves very much in Mexican traffic. It takes us a little while with our limited Spanish to explain our predicament and get a border official to lead us back to immigration again.
After getting our visas and a stamp in our passports we obtain a temporary import permit for the Landy and we are free to explore the country, starting with the home of one of the most famous off-road races in the world: Baja, California. Bring on the bull dust…