We were on the road north by 5:30. Our group of 13 traveled with our driver/guide Gabe in a nicely equipped coach that could have accommodated twice as many people.
It is a straight run from Fairbanks all the way to the Arctic Ocean, though the highway name changes. We started on the Steese Highway, which changed to the Elliott Highway at Fox (where the gold dredge was yesterday). A bump in the road marked the transition.
Because of the permafrost and the cost of running pipes, most homes on the outskirts of Fairbanks and beyond are dry cabins. As the name implies, dry cabins don't have running water. They usually have small (kitchen sink) or large (plus shower and toilet) water tanks. People have gym memberships and can shower and do laundry there. (Yes, gyms here have laundry facilities.)
7:06 AM - Arctic Circle Trading Post
The Griffith family came from Minnesota to homestead north of Fairbanks in the 1960s. They homeschooled their eight children, and fostered and eventually adopted 18 more. After some of the kids set up a lemonade stand for the truckers on the new highway and made $100 in a day, the dad realized there was a potential market passing by and built the trading post.
It's bit of a misnomer, as the Arctic Circle is several hours away. But everything is relative, as compared to Philadelphia, we are close.
Their 10 bedroom cabin is still nearby, but the family has scattered as the kids grew up.
The door is labeled "Women", but fortunately nearby upgraded facilities were unisex.
The 8 hour ride was much more interesting than I'd expected. We made frequent stops to explore and saw videos during the drive.
North of Fairbanks, we passed several mining sites ranging from solo operations to corporate endeavors. A video on stacker dredge gold mining had archival footage showing in detail the process we learned a little about at the Gold Dredge #8 site we visited yesterday.
We reached the Dalton Highway at 7:53 AM. The highway, packed gravel and occasionally washboard and pothole surfaced, was constructed in the 1970s to build and support the Trans-Alaska pipeline. It was a private road until 1986 when it opened as far as Coldfoot (our destination today). It fully opened in 1994, except for the last 6 miles approaching the terminus at Prudhoe Bay. To access the final stretch you need to submit to a background check at least 24 hours in advance, and if approved, travel the last bit by shuttle.
The highway, as shown in the reality TV show Ice Road Truckers, is dominated by trucks hauling heavy equipment and gear between Prudhoe Bay and Fairbanks. Trucks have the right of way. We were cautioned to never step on or cross the road during our stops, as the road twists and dips and visibility is not necessarily sufficient for the heavy trucks to stop.
8:42 AM Viewpoint and pipeline
We took a walk up a hill to an overlook from which we could see several distant mountain ranges.
The pipeline, as throughout today's trip, paralleled the road. Gabe had a permit to cross the gate and walked us over to take a close look.
The inverted U's on either side of the pipeline are nicknamed headache bars, and are present wherever a road crosses under the pipeline. They assure that only vehicles that can safely pass under the pipeline will get through.
The pipeline was designed to last 20-25 years. It's now 43 years old, and still running, although at a lesser rate (500,000 barrels a day) than originally. We saw maintenance crews inspecting and working on the pipeline as we drove along.
The pipeline is suspended above the supports, allowing for expansion and flexing as the permafrost thaws and refreezes. The vertical supports are filled with ammonia gas which acts as an insulated heat exchanger to minimize movement due to changes in the permafrost. Every few supports, like these above, have earthquake bumpers flanking the pipeline.
9:52 AM - Yukon River Camp
The Yukon River is the 5th largest river in the world by volume, and 21st in length. Until the Dalton Highway bridge was built, it was crossed in winter by driving across the ice, and in summer by barge. We crossed the easy way and stopped at the Yukon River Camp to pick up sandwiches we'd ordered before departure this morning.
I was intrigued by the possibilities of the plywood Fur Shop / Birch Bark Shop, but alas, it was not open.
Gamely growing zucchini along the Yukon River
10:42 AM - Quick stop to fill water bottles at an artesian spring
We saw another video on Athabascan Indians and their relationship with nature, including the food they hunt.
Our route passed several federal lands. The Yukon Flats Wildlife Refuge, at 8.6 MM acres a bit bigger than Maryland, is home to 126 bird species at various times during the year.
11:50 Granite Tors
We stopped for a short hike to explore these formations of volcanic rock which have been forced up over eons through the stable permafrost. This is the same process of frost heave that causes havoc on highway surfaces and had to be carefully considered in constructing the pipeline.
The rocks were gradually lifted up through the tundra and eventually tumbled apart in rough circles.
12:36 PM Arctic Circle
Finally we arrived at the Arctic Circle, 66.33 degrees latitude north. Gabe told us that we are now part of an elite group, as only 1% of people who come to Alaska - including Alaskans! - ever come north of the Arctic Circle.
Sticker graffiti on the back of the sign
Max the Arctic dog hangs out at the sign with his Bureau of Land Management owner.
1:31 PM Viewpoint Gobblers Knob
Where Gabe stopped because he knew a geocache was there.
As we watched our next video on Arctic seasons, we drove between the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in our left, and Gates of the Arctic National Park off to our right. ANWR, at 19.2 million acres (slightly smaller than South Carolina), is the largest animal refuge outside of Africa.
2:00 Grayling Lake
The lake is in the Brooks Range, the only part of today's drive that was carved by glaciers. It's the northernmost mountain range in Alaska. The rest of the land we've passed though is too far from the coasts for glaciers.
2:20 PM - Visitors Center
We arrived at the Arctic Interagency Visitor's Center after another video about the origin of Gates of the Arctic National Park. The visitors center is shared by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The rangers explained that there is no sign (!!!!) for the National Park, so we had to improvise. But they did have NPS passport stamps.
3:00 PM Coldfoot
Coldfoot is 246 miles from Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean. It has the distinction of having the most northern saloon in the United States. Everything north is dry. We hung out in the saloon / gift shop / snack bar for a while waiting for our pilots to show up and then boarded our 9 passenger plane to head back to Fairbank.
Coldfoot is also the base of operations for the sole trooper assigned to patrol the Dawson Highway. However, he's been on paternity leave for a couple of months. I guess if anyone is crazy enough to go over the 50 mph speed limit on that road, have at it!
4:46 PM - Airborn
We got our last glimpse of the pipeline and Dalton Highway from the air, and saw some of the wildfires in the Fairbanks area as we neared the city.
We were back on the ground by 5:50, in plenty of time for our first leg home. Mission accomplished!
Before and after pictures of our coach
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