Nineteen years ago, Janet rented an RV in Anchorage, Alaska. She was in Anchorage for a geology class—they were studying rocks, glacial till, uplifts, strata, and other kinds of stuff, all part of learning about the unique geological history of Alaska. The RV rental came from Great Alaskan Holidays, a company that prides itself in helping people experience the best of vacation experiences in all parts of Alaska.

Ever since her rental, she has been on a distribution list for information about Great Alaskan Holidays travel opportunities. Several years later, she learned about a program they had that involved driving an RV from the manufacturer, somewhere in Indiana or Iowa, to Anchorage—where it would be rented out for the season and beyond. This possibility intrigued her and by late 2019 she and I were signed up to drive a RV, size unknown, from the Winnebago factory in Ames, Iowa to Anchorage. Then there was COVID-19, and no one was driving to Alaska connected to this program.

Moving forward to May, 2026, we are scheduled to drive a 28’ C-class RV from Wakarusa, Indiana, distribution point of Thor RVs, to Anchorage. In all, we will drive approximately 4,335 miles in 13 days. We will spend an additional six days in Alaska, visiting friends and relatives and seeing the sites.

The first day, the longest of our drive, gets us back to Omaha where we will load up our gear and food needed for the trip. From there, we drive through Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska on our way to Anchorage. We will pass backwards through three time zones and be so far north that sunset will not occur until after 11 pm, with sunrise soon after 5 am, quite an adjustment for us flat landers.