I took the trip of a lifetime up the Alaska Highway June 6-20, 2024. The weather was wonderful and the scenery was breathtaking. I’ve experienced the Rockies in both Canada and the United States, but I was overwhelmed by the vast northern mountain ranges. They go on forever!
I was a passenger on a WestWorld bus tour to Yukon and Alaska. It was a pleasure to meet the other 25 people on the tour, especially my roommate, a retired teacher from Saskatoon who helped me read menus and signs.
I booked the trip through the local CAA office. To begin the trip, my sister drove me to Saskatoon where we met the tour bus. Everyone on the bus greeted me by name … so friendly! It turns out I was 15 minutes late! (Not my sister’s fault)
Not long after getting on the bus I started to panic because I couldn’t find my passport! My wonderful tour director, Kari Carpenter, reassured me and calmed me down. By the time we got to our hotel in Edmonton that evening the CAA staff had it all sorted out. What a team!
Tom Brothwell, Prince Albert CAA store manager, worked overtime to find a way to get my travel documents to me before we crossed into the United States. He phoned me several times and carefully explained that a commercial courier could not guarantee that I would get my passport on time. The CAA travel team kicked into high gear and came up with a plan that allowed me to sleep easy that night.
Prince Albert Abbeyfield house co-ordinator Judy Anderson got the documents from my bedside table where I had safely stored them. (I had forgotten to pack them!) My sister drove my papers to Saskatoon where another travel director, Koral Hrominchuk, picked them up and brought them to Edmonton along with another tour group on June 10.
June 7-9 I stayed with my brother at his Edmonton home. We had a lovely visit and took a couple of sight-seeing trips around Edmonton on the new light rapid transit train.
On June 10 I flew Air North to Whitehorse (with ticket arranged by Tom). Because of my blindness, I couldn’t read the signs in the airport so a security guard hailed a taxi that took me to the Gold Rush Hotel on Main Street. That evening I was reunited with Kar’s tour group and able to enjoy the rest of the trip.
I really didn’t miss those four days of the tour from Edmonton to Whitehorse because the bus covered the same route on our way home. Kari made sure that I had an opportunity for the best photo ops on that homeward bound leg of the trip. What great support!
I will be forever grateful to the CAA travel team for providing me with the trip of a lifetime through Yukon and Alaska … despite my forgetfulness. For many years I benefited from CAA roadside assistance but I can no longer drive. Now I have experienced the care and professionalism provided by CAA and WestWorld Tours.
