A Lap Around Alaska: An AlCan Adventure

By: Shawn Inmon

Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann

Find out what it's really like to cross 1,400 miles of the Alaskan Highway and travel some of the loneliest and most spectacular parts of America and Canada, all without leaving the comfort of your easy chair.

Join author Shawn Inmon and his 20-year-old Subaru Outback on his epic solo road trip through British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska. Part personal odyssey, part travel memoir, take an expedition into one of North America’s last remaining wildernesses. If you dream of packing up your four-wheeler, your snow boots and camera, and setting off to explore the wilderness, A Lap Around Alaska will give you a rare glimpse into the Land of the Midnight Sun, of moose, bear, and bald eagles, of monumental glaciers and scenery so staggering it brings tears to your eyes.

If you hunger for adventure and want to discover untouched beauty and to experience the majesty of the pristine North for yourself - Shawn saved the passenger seat just for you. This book also includes two bonus memoirs of life in Alaska in the 1970s - My First Alaskan Summer and My Matanuska Summer.

©2017 Shawn Inmon (P)2018 Shawn Inmon

Brought Back Many Memories

Thank you for writing this book! We traveled the AlCan moving, sadly, from Alaska after 11 wonderful years. Your writing and reading made me laugh, see my Alaska in my mind, and feel deep gratitude.

Fun Listen!

I really enjoyed listening to this, especially Shawn's fourteen-year-old summer with his brother. He is such an excellent storyteller and Gary was the perfect narrator of his tales. I am looking forward to listening to his other travelogue, A Lap Across America.

Did not meet MY expectations…

While planning a trip to AK for August 2022, I decided I wanted to listen to a book about adventures in the 49th state to get me more amped about our venture into the “the last frontier”. After scouring all the non-fiction books on Audible that had an Alaska theme I decided Inmons books would fit the bill. While we were not driving from the lower 48 into the Yukon, we would be driving from Palmer to areas roughly 4-5 hours from our home base and I thought this book would paint a beautiful picture of what to expect on the road, highlighted with interesting stories from his expedition.
The author does state at the beginning of his book that what he had written was not a tour guide, noted.
I should have known that this book was not going to hit the mark for me when I heard the disclaimer that this was a “rushed trip” due to the pending arrival of his grandchild and his deep disappointment that his wife was not with him.
IMO there weren’t any great stories (except the two at the end which were memoirs from his younger days with his more adventurous brother). It was mostly “I drove this highway, stayed at this motel, got stuck for several hours because I don’t like to research anything before a trip, and here’s snarky comments about the few people I met”.
It really felt like he was pressured by his publishers to get this book out by a certain date and so, much to his chagrin, he jumped in his car and did what was asked of him, almost like a petulant child.
As a disclaimer, I have not read his other book about his trip around the lower 48, but I don’t believe this authors writing style works for me.
As a second disclaimer, I have read and listened to many books about people thru-hiking the PCT, AT, and CDT, books about people driving great distances and sharing unique experiences of the beaten path. All had some mundane moments, especially when written in journal format like this book was, but most had many more redeeming moments when the other authors explained in detail the landscape they were seeing, the encounters with people and animals they had, or the thoughts in their head as they drifted into their 6th day alone on the road/trail. This book just didn’t strike a chord with me until the two shorts at the end.

He's no Steinbeck

But in mitigation, I just re-read Travels with Charlie. And Log from the Sea of Cortez. So he didn't have a chance.

Three stories in one book.

When compared to other books about Alaska, this book made me want to take action, get in the car, and drive to Alaska.

Fantastic story telling!

I felt like I was there with him! He had a way with words and detail. I loved listening to the last bit of when he was a kid!

Great audiobook

This was such an easy listen. It's part memoir and part travel guide. I also really enjoyed the 2 "free" short stories at the end of the book.

Almost like taking the drive myself!

I've been to Alaska a few times on business and have enjoyed it each time. Shawn does a great job of telling us his own experiences with his road trip and earlier times in this beautiful state, and his story also serves to make me remember my own experiences there. I actually have been to one of the places Shawn mentions in the book, Delta Junction, twice on a business trip to the adjoining US Army base, Fort Greeley. It is some beautiful country, no matter what time of year you go there. Shawn's storytelling abilities and descriptive language make you feel like you're there with him, but it also makes you want to just get in the car and drive there right now. Gary's narration is superb as usual, and he does a fantastic job of making the scenery come alive with his voice. Definitely a great book to read, and I highly recommend it!