Regarding Alaska,
I believe God wired each one of us differently. We all have different wants and needs. That being said, I say the following with the utmost respect for every POG member on this site:
If you are worried about mud, if you are worried about a rock dent in your stainless, if you are worried about chipping or breaking a front windshield, you should probably not plan a driving trip to Alaska. You will be worrying and fretting about your bus so much, you won't enjoy yourself. The tradeoff is beauty beyond pictures in a book.