3 Arctic Travelers Took Wayward Road

* I keep asking myself why you squandered at least half a page on “Trio Takes Hard Road to the Arctic Circle” (Aug. 30). A better question is why your writer thought the antics of these three irresponsible men warranted an article in the first place.

Hundreds of Californians drive the Alaska Highway every year. Most of these travelers do not careen off the side of the road endangering themselves or others. It was an interesting angle to suggest that these three were modern adventurers, but a little research would have revealed the folly in that notion. Twenty-five years ago the roads were bad, horrible even in spots. Today, most of the highway and its connector roads are paved or are well-maintained gravel. Westwood Boulevard is far worse. Drivers who obey the speed limits don’t have a problem.

This year was my family’s sixth trek to Alaska. Four years ago, my husband and I also drove the pipeline road to the 66th parallel and the Arctic Circle. But unlike the men you would like to portray as heroic merely because they arrived somewhere, we spent time appreciating and experiencing the countryside around us. Your article was not an account of a journey made but a feeble pitch for a high-concept B movie.

KERI DEARBORN

Woodland Hills