Prepare for the mother of all road trips, Anchorage, AK to Charleston, WV. Warning: Leave this to a trained professional. Do not try this at home.
A ridiculous 4,101 miles separate Anchorage from Charleston. Given an average of roughly 600 miles a day, it's going to take almost an entire week to make the journey. Better hope we have some spare batteries for our Game Boy and plenty of CD's for the trip.

Day 1 - Anchorage, AK to Haines Junction, Yukon Territory - 608 miles
As we head northwest out of Anchorage, a few clouds are expected as high pressure lifts north out of the area this Tuesday morning. Low pressure along the Alaskan coast looks to ignite some late morning/early afternoon thunderstorm activity along the coastline, but we'll be nearing the Alaska/Yukon border around that time, so only some patchy clouds are expected. But as we head southeast down Alaska Highway 2 into the Yukon, chances of showers will increase as we approach the low pressure that continues it's slow northward drift. Most of the evening and early nighttime hours will be spent with the windshield wipers on as we cruise through the mountain valley along Highway 1 into Haines Junction
Day 2 - Haines Junction, Yukon Territory to Fort Nelson, British Columbia - 1,104km (681 miles)
Getting another early start today, as we will most every day on this trip because of the ground that must be covered. The lingering area of low pressure is going to keep widespread showers in the area, making for a soggy 1st half of the day. As the showers lift north and we drive east-southeast, the skies will clear up a little bit as we make our way into the far northern reaches of British Columbia. This will be a tease, however, as the sunshine will ignite some scattered thunderstorms over the region, making for some periodic rumblings over the Canadian Rockies as the evening wears on. The storms should be mostly fizzled out with some mid- and high level clouds coating the area as we make our way into Fort Nelson.
Day 3 - Fort Nelson, British Columbia to Edmonton, Alberta - 1,042km (643 miles)
Low pressure has lifted up from central Saskatchewan into Northern Alberta, pumping up quite an impressive warm sector out ahead of it into Manitoba. This low pressure trough continues all the way down into the Upper Midwest, and will continue the unsettled weather over much of Central Canada today as well. Some scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms will dot the high Canadian Praries as we push southward out of Fort Nelson south-southeast towards the Alberta border. The upslope flow over the mountains to our west will aid in the thunderstorm development starting midday, so once again, there will be a good chance of thunderstorm activity as we negotiate our way out of BC into Alberta during the mid-afternoon. Unfortuantely, the main center of low pressure looks to develop over southern Saskatchewan, so persistent showers on the backside of the system will annoy us as we finish the night traveling east into Edmonton.
Day 4 - Edmonton, Alberta to Minnedosa, Manitoba - 1,091km (673 miles)
Well, that low pressure isn't going ANYWHERE fast, and unfortuantely, it's going to sit right in the middle of our path on HWY 16 for the duration of the day. What does that mean? Doom and gloom my friend! Well, not ALL doom, at least you don't have to worry about those sunglasses you left in the restaurant 1,300 miles ago. Showers will pester the family all through the day, with a few embedded thunderstorms expected as well, all the way into Minnedosa, which is in southwestern Manitoba. Tomorrow, we're back in the States, hooray!
Day 5 - Minnedosa, Manitoba to Eau Claire, WI - 1,092km (672 miles)
Our good ol friend, Mr. stationary Low Pressure, will continue to make Central Canada his home for another day. Good news however, as the main pressure trough leading this low is pushing towards the northeast into southwestern Ontario to another low over the Great Lakes. What does this mean for our travel weary family? Cloudy skies and a few light showers will mark the landscape during the morning hours as we make our way southeastward into Winnipeg, then southward into far eastern North Dakota in late morning. Our arrival into the United States is greeted with clearing skies and warm temperatures as a ridge of high pressure is nosing it's way into the Upper Midwest. After the last 3 days, the sunshine is a welcome sight and definately a mood-booster to the road warriors. The sunny skies and light winds make the trip through Minnesota and into Eau Claire a breeze. A beautiful end to Saturday. One day to go!
Day 6 - Eau Claire, WI to Charleston WI - 809 miles
During the night, an area of low pressure is beginning to form over SD and NE, pushing some clouds into MN and WI for the early morning. Will yesterday's nice weather give way to a slightly more gloomy Sunday? Luckily, the answer is no. While there will be more clouds today, our trip southward out of WI through Chicago into Indiana will dodge the showers that look to form over IA and MO. The low pressure over the Great Lakes will slowly shift into the Northeast, so cloudy skies will greet us as we cruise through Dayton, Ohio. A couple of stray showers could steak their way into Charleston, but dry weather should greet us as we finally arrive, very late at night might I add, at Charleston. We made it! But wait, where's little Billy? Uh oh...
