vehicle choice/alaska/gas

Hi, I basically have 3 questions to post at once.

1. My friend and I are planning on traveling from DC around the US counter clockwize. We want to go to national parks and
baja california. we have a choice of two vehicles, a GMC Conversion van and a GMC Suburban. Which would be the best choice? We plan on sleeping in the car also, as well
at campgrounds, etc. Gas millage is probably a bit better on the suburban, but the van is much bigger and has a built in bed. Any opinions?

2. When we get to Washington State
we want to go to Alaska. What would be the best way to get there? I am kinda worried about driving there b/c there its so long and lots of small roads and lots of animals.
Would it be best to fly, take a ferry, or a last minute cruise? Any suggestions is appreciated.

3. IS there a way to find out the cheapest location for gas? Is there a website or
something like that? We will probably take a laptop and use it somehow for internet access along w/ a cell phone.

Thanks for any help, Ian Spivack

Odd as it may seem, I compared the fuel mileage of my van with that of a friend who had a Suburban and I blew him away. Of course, differences in driving style and the fact that he had a larger engine probably contributed somewhat.
On an easy day, my 1/2 ton van with a 300ci inline six gets somewhere between 16 and 17 mpg.


On the road, the handiest email tool I've used is Pocketmail, I picked up a device for less than $20 on ebay and paid about $10 per month for unlimited service. You should check it out. There are probably others as well.
For regular internet access, many truckstops have installed 'net kiosks which will take cash or credit cards, and I've used them to check my web based email account from the road.

I know it takes 3-4 hours to fly to AK from Seattle, but that might be your best choice. a cruise costs a lot and i don't think you get to see much away from the coast, and driving up there & taking the ferry would take a long long time (depending on how far you go). It took my family over a week to drive down from Anchorage to seattle about 10 yrs ago. If you don't want to go too far North, i recommend staying in Ketchikan.