Behind the Wheel: Three friends drove an AMC Gremlin to the Last Frontier in 1973

METRO DETROIT — The year was 1972 and Rufus McGaugh was living in Warren after serving two years in the military, including several months in Vietnam.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran was soon off on another adventure with two friends he knew from St. Leonard’s Catholic Grade School in Warren. The trio piled into a Pontiac Firebird on a quest to visit Alaska. But they only made it to Montana before they headed back home.

A year later, in 1973, McGaugh made the Alaskan excursion again, this time in his two-door 1972 AMC Gremlin with one of his St. Leonard’s buddies, Allen Thomas, and a friend from Wayne State University, Dave King. They ventured through several states, including South Dakota and North Dakota, before hitting the Alaska Highway in northwestern Canada.

“Back then zero of it was paved and it was considered to be the worst road in North America. It was a military road to begin with back in World War II,” McGaugh said. “You cut through the Northwest Territories and (the) Yukon (Territory) and get into Alaska. To cut across Canada, that was the only way to go. When you’re young, it’s an adventure.”

The brown Gremlin had a stick shift and four bald tires. As a precaution, McGaugh bought two extra spare tires for the trip.

“But they were bald tires also because that’s all I could afford,” the Grosse Pointe City resident laughed.

It took the guys at least two weeks to get to Alaska finding their way with maps. Along the way, they took in the views of any national forests they came across. Back then, it was recommended to drive 25 mph on the Alaska Highway due to the unpaved gravel and what McGaugh described as “pothole after pothole.”

“I understand since it has been paved,” the 1967 East Detroit High School graduate said. “We had to do our own navigating. We ended up with four, five, six flat (tires). Every time it happened, the station attendants said, ‘We can’t plug this. We’ll do our best.’ By golly, they got us through.”

The adventure-seekers traveled lightly with a small tent and Coleman stove. They took minimum clothing and “raided our moms’ pantries with everything we could — cereal, peanut butter, anything that was canned.” Each night, they pulled off the side of the road to set up camp and relax with a meal.

“We’d set up the tent, get the Coleman stove out, see what was left of our dwindling supply,” McGaugh said. “We ate some strange meals — things you normally eat for dinner for breakfast and vice versa.”

They generally drove 16 hours a day. When en route, they rarely saw other drivers on the road.

“You’re so spread out, there were very few vehicles and most of those were big semis carrying fuel from the lower 48 (state) to Alaska, or supplies,” McGaugh said.

The town of Fairbanks was the first hint of civilization once they reached Alaska. They also visited Anchorage and couldn’t take their eyes off Mount McKinley peaking from the distance. There was time for two days of canoeing in a moose refuge and the chance to see elk, bald eagles and more out in the wild. Alaska reminded McGaugh of “Michigan on steroids.”

“A big overgrown Michigan with mountains,” McGaugh said. “There were a lot of similarities between it and my own state. It was summer and warm. Beautiful. Lots of forests like Michigan. I liked it very much. I certainly liked what they had to offer in the outdoors.”

McGaugh’s buddy, Thomas, however, didn’t stay in the Last Frontier state very long. As soon as he could make travel arrangements, he flew back home.

Alaska was the 49th state McGaugh visited. The last state to see was Kansas, so after leaving Alaska, he made sure to drive to Kansas with King. When they came upon the “Welcome to Kansas” sign, McGaugh signified the moment by writing “No. 50” in mustard on a piece of cardboard and King got a snapshot.

With a cracked windshield and blown engine, the Gremlin barely made it home to Warren.

“That car was just beat to hell,” McGaugh said. “I was living with my parents at the time and it died in my parents’ driveway.”

Despite the shape of the car, “It’s got a lot of fond memories,” McGaugh said.

A few months later, a cousin helped the traveler install a new motor. Traveling to all 50 U.S. states was just the tip of the iceberg for McGaugh. The world traveler said he has visited all the countries and territories in the world.

McGaugh shared his travel experiences when he taught social studies at Brownell Middle School in the Grosse Pointe Public School System. The now-retired educator also taught at the district’s Pierce Middle School. He still travels sometimes alone and sometimes with his wife, Monica, and sons, Eric and Jason.

The accomplished author also chronicled his travels in two books, “Drowning in All Seven Continents” and “Travels, Treasures and Tales of a Nomad,” which are available on amazon.com. He has written other books as well.

“My whole life of travel has been out there to see what there is to see,” McGaugh said. “The big, the important, the beautiful, the spectacular.”