Now For Something Completely Different – My Backroads Bucket List

Banff, Alberta, Canada Banff, Alberta, Canada[/caption] So often on this blog I write of where I have been and what I have seen, but, I also have dreams of some huge road trips.  Perhaps my biggest dream is to go to Alaska via Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon Territory.  I have even gotten my free booklet from NorthtoAlaska.com entitled “The Ultimate North American Road Trip“.  If I were to do this trip, the following would be my mapped route:

My Ultimate Dream Trip

Some of the sights I would want to see (all photos taken from the North to Alaska website — since I have not been to these places yet…)

[caption id="attachment_1701" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Spirit Island, Jasper NP, Alberta Spirit Island, Jasper NP, Alberta[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1698" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Kinuseo Falls, Monkman BC Kinuseo Falls, Monkman BC[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1700" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Spectrum Tange in Mt Edziza BC[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1697" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Denali Highway, Alaska Denali Highway, Alaska[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1699" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Seward Highway, Alaska Seward Highway, Alaska[/caption] On the way back, I would also want to go to Yellowstone and on to the Beartooth Highway in northwest Wyoming.  This would be a long and likely expensive trip.  But, it is truly my ultimate dream trip. [caption id="attachment_1704" align="aligncenter" width="420"]US Highway 20 US Highway 20[/caption] My second bucket list trip would be to drive the entire length of US Highway 20.  It goes coast to coast across the US and spans a whopping 3,365 miles, beginning in Boston, MA and ending in Newport, OR.  Along the way on my many trips, I have touched on this highway. [caption id="attachment_1705" align="aligncenter" width="576"]US Route 20 Map - from Wikipedia US Route 20 Map – from Wikipedia[/caption] The wonder of a roadtrip like this is that it touches so many small communities along the way and much of it is not freeway.  It would be an awesome trip to document. [caption id="attachment_1703" align="aligncenter" width="304"]US Highway 6 US Highway 6[/caption] Another dream trip would be to take old U.S. Route 6, The Grand Army of the Republic Highway, across the country.  After U.S. Route 20, it is the second-longest U.S. highway in the United States and the longest continuous highway.  There is actually a group whose goal it is to preserve the Heritage of Highway 6.  The site, called the U.S. Route 6 Tourist Association is chock full of information about this great road.  It stretches 3,652 miles from Provincetown, MA to Long Beach, CA. [caption id="attachment_1702" align="aligncenter" width="512"]US Highway 6 map - from Wikipedia US Highway 6 map – from Wikipedia[/caption] Like Highway 20, I have touched on parts of this highway in my many travels.  But to drive these roads would be a great adventure. [caption id="attachment_1707" align="aligncenter" width="459"]California Highway 1 - Pacific Coast Highway California Highway 1 – Pacific Coast Highway[/caption] This route is my fourth bucket list trip – following California SR 1 along the Pacific Coast. The highway is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the USA, leading to its designation as an All-American Road. [caption id="attachment_1706" align="aligncenter" width="514"]California State Route 1 map - from Wikipedia California State Route 1 map – from Wikipedia[/caption] As with the two highways above, this road goes thru numerous communities and eventually meets up with Oregon Highway 101. This is also called the Oregon Coast Highway and I have traveled some of this already. [caption id="attachment_1708" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Oregon Highway 101 Oregon Highway 101[/caption] Also known as the Oregon Coast Highway No. 9, this highway goes over the high mountain ranges along the coast of Oregon and offers some breathtaking views. [caption id="attachment_1709" align="aligncenter" width="512"]Oregon US Highway 101 - from Wikipedia Oregon US Highway 101 – from Wikipedia[/caption] There is a great Mile by Mile site that points out all of the locations one can see on this trip. [caption id="attachment_1710" align="aligncenter" width="480"]Living the Dream - Enjoying the Ride Living the Dream – Enjoying the Ride[/caption] For now, I can only dream of taking these trips, but, without the dreams, the reality may never happen.  ]]>