Best and Worst
OF OUR 1999 ALASKA TRIP
Of course these are fleeting impressions and may not be representative,
but when we look back on this 9000-mile trip, these are our best & worst
picks. -- Tim Vasquez
| Best | Worst | |
| Food | Captain Bartlett's Inn, Fairbanks, AK. Melt-in-your-mouth fish & chips, a complete beer selection, and outstanding service. | Country Kitchen, Eads, CO. Raw steak and chicken to die for (literally). The state should shut this place down. |
| Lodging | Rundle Mountain Motel, Canmore, AB. Friendly staff, large spacious rooms, great beds, and a great rate! | Provincial Motel, Fort Nelson, BC. Not a bad place, but because of mildewy sheets and a leaking toilet, it didn't compare with the other places we stayed at. |
| City | Pouce Coupe, BC. Just a stone's throw from Dawson Creek, this town had charm and good vibes all the way through. We also enjoyed Whitehorse, YT immensely; we want to come back and see it more. | Billings, MT. This town seemed to be raked with all sorts of problems; neither of us got a good feeling from this town. |
| Driving stretch |
Jasper/Banff National Park, AB. What a gorgeous 142-mile stretch, and we were lucky that traffic was very light. The 100-mile Alaska Highway stretch near Summit Lake, BC was also very scenic. | Prince Rupert to Prince George, BC. This might have been fun if we weren't passing through, but the windy roads, frequent in-town routings, low speed limits, and traffic made this 454-mile stretch totally exhausting. |
| Roads | Texas. In spite of lots of traffic, wide 4-lane roads and very small construction areas helped get us quickly on our way. | Colorado. Ridiculously long construction zones, bumpy, narrow roads, and poor sign routing made the drive a headache. |
| Traffic | Yukon. What traffic? Ok, there were a few slow RV's here and there, but this was a place where you could enjoy the drive without worrying about other folks on the road. | Dallas. Returning through north Dallas and Richardson we saw unparalleled examples of aggressive, nearly violent driving. I-25 in north Colorado, Billings, MT, and North Pole, AK come in second, third, and fourth for idiot drivers. |
| Border crossings |
Haines, AK southbound (U.S.). OK, I've heard the stories that U.S. border officials are a pain, but the lady here was as courteous and friendly as could be. | Border, AK westbound (U.S.). The border official here was cold and distant. Courteous, but I felt like I was interrupting his afternoon siesta. |
| Attractions | Yukon. This was the most enjoyable part of our trip. Lots of great sights, historic places, and towns to see. Even the wildlife was friendly and the bears left us alone. | Fairbanks. This is only a marginal worst; Fairbanks was a great place, but half the time we had no idea what would be open or closed for the winter (which apparently extends through May 28). |