About Us

Ron Dalby grew up on the North American road system. He was but a year old in 1950 when he made his first trip down the Alaska Highway and through western Canada. Throughout the rest of his formative years, he criss-crossed the United States many time as his father, a career Army officer, moved from assignment to assignment. He traveled coast to coast in the contiguous 48 states in a car at least four times before he was 8 years old.

The urge to travel America’s roads never left him. Forays in his RV have led from his home in Alaska to as far away as Florida and almost everywhere in between—and to more than just a few favorite fishing holes and golf courses. Possibly the only people who know America’s Interstate Highway System better than he does are the ones who built it.

The RV is a perfect match for his itchy foot, and over the years he has owned or used one of every type available. He knows how to operate a pop-up tent trailer, a travel trailer, a pick-up camper, a class-C motorhome and a class-A motorhome.

As a writer and editor for more than three decades, Ron has produced a huge volume of work, both as a freelancer and on the staff of various publications. The newest edition of his most successful book was released in April 2008 in full color as the Guide to the Alaska Highway from Menasha Ridge Press. Originally titled The Alaska Highway: An Insider’s Guide, the book was still in demand on Amazon.com's used book list though out of print for nearly a decade.

His photographs have graced the pages of dozens of magazines and include several Alaska Magazine and Alaska Geographic covers. Currently he is a national columnist for MotorHome magazine, writing the popular Tales from the Trail column on the inside back page.

Part of his love for the RV lifestyle can be traced to Ron’s love of adventure and the unknown. As a young adult, he served two tours as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and flew later as a military test pilot. He has made dramatic helicopter rescues of injured climbers on Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest peak, and flown thousands of hours as a bush pilot throughout the wilderness of Alaska.

His education is as diverse as the rest of his background. Ron attended seven different grade schools and junior highs, ultimately graduating from high school in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He attended college in Ashland, Oregon and Corvallis, Oregon, and finished his bachelor’s degree at Troy State University in Alabama. Later he enrolled at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to pursue two additional degrees, journalism and geography.

Ron has been married for 39 years to the former Jennifer Durland of Milwaukie, Oregon. She shares his love of travel and adventure and has more than once picked up on stories he might otherwise have missed. They have two grown children, Eric and Tiffany, four granddaughters, and one grandson.

This website, his photographs, his books and his articles grew out of Ron’s love for the American road and the people he has met along the way. Sometimes funny, sometimes moving, but always entertaining, Ron celebrates the beauty of exploring the North American road system.

Words and pictures from thedigitalRVer.net

R&D Communications