Mini Cooper. Ha!

Beginning of AK Highway, the car is still pretty clean

Alaska Border

I am not really sure why I thought it would be a great idea to drive a mini cooper to Alaska. Oh, I will get great gas mileage, carry just the basic necessities and other stuff. I guess thats what I was thinking. Sure the roads are paved, right? It's Highway, its the only road to Alaska, therefore it has to be in good condition. WRONG. When I crossed over into Canada from North Dakota I should have realized that all the vehicles in Canada were really big trucks. Im talking Ford F-350s and chevy 2500s jacked up and with duel wheels in the back. If you are not a car buff no worries, just imagine monster trucks cruising down the road crushing everything. Not only that but they have mud on them, shovels strapped down, spare tires and gas cans. And I have a mini cooper.
A Mini is the complete opposite of a huge truck. Its like putting an earthworm and a tyrantisaurus rex in a gladiator arena and telling them to fight to the death. The earthworm being the fiercest of all would slither up to the T-Rex and start nibbling between the toes of the Dinosaur. The strong teeth and jaws would gradually kill the T-Rex and through consumption it would leave a nice pile of compost behind for everyone to garden with. Yes but, NO! NO, NO, NO! If you thought the T-Rex was the analytical vehicle which represented the Mini Cooper you were wrong. But going back to the fight, the earthworm would probably win the fight. The T-Rex would not be able to find the tiny earth worm crawling around on a dusty gladiator floor. The T-Rex would then die of starvation while being stuck in this gladiator ring. Then the earthworm shines, yes, the earth worm would gradually turn this huge chunk of prehistoric meat into loamy garden soil. Earthworm wins! Okay back to crossing the border.

Sketchy AK Highway section

Follow the lines, look how wavy the road is

Everyone has big trucks, we covered that. When I say everyone I mean, most everyone. I then began to realize that the further north I went the fewer and fewer car like vehicles I saw. The vehicles got bigger, they actually hauled more ass and they are very intimidating approaching in your rear view mirror. When you look in your rear view mirror and all you can see is monster truck wheels approaching at like 140 you poop your pants a little. 140, they were going that fast? I know, I know, they were. 140kmh, it equals out to be around 90 miles per hour. With some new brown boxers I continued driving up towards Yukon. Once I reached the beginning of the Alaska highway in Dawson Creek, BC the traffic died down a little. However, not the monstrous trucks. There are a lot of Gas, Oil, Logging and Mining camps out in the "bush." Other than that most people are travelers, travelers with big ass trucks pulling trailers or piggy back bed campers still passing you going real fast. The mud that is sprayed up all over these trucks I just assume is from all of the non paved roads going out into the bush, most of that is true.
Then I got to Yukon.

Mini Cooper Destroyer

Some of the taller mountains in Canada

From Whitehorse, Yukon one can go one of two ways; down to the Alaskan peninsula or North to Fairbanks, Anchorage, and most everything else. For me I was headed the northerly route, so off I went. After leaving whitehorse there is very little traffic other than travelers. A few big rigs pass occasionally but there is very little reason for many of them out there. Then, there is one last split, at Haines Junction, Yukon. From Haines junction to Tok, Alaska there is a few gas stations, one or two run down hotels and the alaska canada border. It is vast wilderness from Haines Junction to Yukon and the roads show their wear. This area with its sub arctic conditions wear the road quite a bit. There are some paved sections, lots of packed gravel sections and pot holes which could literally eat a Mini Cooper.
 Driving this Mini with run-flat tires and no spare was an extreme risk. Had I had tire or wheel problems between Fairbanks to Whitehorse, 600 miles or Whitehorse to Edmonton, 1,200 miles I would have been absolutely screwed. There is absolutely nowhere in between that could help, unless it involves a bush plane flying something in. Not only that but if I hit some of the potholes I saw on the road, it would damage that poor, cute little city car to a much larger extent. Regardless I am here in Fairbanks and my car is somewhere where I am not, Craigslist, for sale. Who wants to buy it? It is quite hard to adventure in such a not so adventurous vehicle which has a difficult time on gravel roads.

Some mountains outside Delta Junction, Alaska