My apologies!

Sorry, I was distracted any the posts on the Dalton Highway got published out of chronological order. I would suggest reading the intro, Dreamin' of the Dalton, then Coldfoot to Galbraith Lake, then Galbraith Lake to Prudhoe Bay and concluding with Prudhoe Bay. Sorry about that! Kriste

Dreamin' of the Dalton....Day 1

June 5,2008 marked the beginning of one of my most favorite adventures, The Dalton Highway in Alaska! A friend of mine is planning a trip to Alaska and his goal is to drive the Dalton (yikes!) and I promised him I would do a retrospective on my blog of that part of my trip..I started blogging 6 months later...better late than never! Its something that I would do again in a heartbeat and recommend to everyone going to Alaska. Dale, seriously....if you need a copilot/navigator/maid/
sherpa...whatever...call me! I'm up for the challenge! Although I was a bit blurry-eyed from the previous day's excitement (the Wings beat the Penguins to clinch the Stanley Cup :-) )I awoke about 5 am eager to get to HQ of the Northern Alaska Tour Company for my tour...Arctic Ocean Adventure! Yup...right up my alley! Joining me in the van were guide Jackie and 8 other adventurers. I got to ride shotgun for the first part! It wasn't long before I spotted the 1st moose of the day(we saw half a dozen over the course of the day) and a few minutes later pointed and shrieked "little brown furry thing!"....a marten had just crossed our path and everyone else missed it, including my camera!

Don't be deceived...very little of the road is paved, only at the very beginning, on the opposite side of the hill near the bottom you can see an elevated section of the pipeline that stretches from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. The dark brown area to the right of it that cuts through the boreal forest is the Dalton Highway, or Haul Road. Wheeeee!

We stopped briefly near a section of the

800 miles of pipeline to examine it closely. It is preferential to bury the pipeline but 420 miles of it is elevated due to the permafrost that lies below. Some of it is elevated higher than normal at "caribou crossings". The darker H pieces are called vertical support members and are designed to allow the pipe to flex with environmental changes such as earthquakes. The pipe can actually slide across the horizontal bar a few feet each way if mother nature feels the need to shake the ground! The silver part at the top of the vertical bar radiates heat away from the pipe and metal into the air as to not heat up the permafrost below. It is truly an engineering marvel and would recommend reading "The Great Alaska Pipeline" by Stan Cohen. Anyway, the pipeline constantly parallels the haul road either above or below ground and was our companion for the next 2 days.

Within a few hours we approached milepost 56, the Yukon River. Remember...this is not really a ROAD like you live on...it is a dirt road with tons of potholes and truck traffic...think of the worst backwoods road you have been on...how fast did you drive?! The Yukon is the 3rd largest river system in the US stretching nearly 2000 miles draining into the Bering Sea. The 2, 300 foot bridge over the Yukon river was completed in 1975 and not only carries vehicles, but the pipeline itself is anchored to the east side of the bridge. For obvious reasons, security is quite strict and there is NO STOPPING ANYWHERE on the bridge! It is constantly monitored by air and folks on the ground, if you go less than 5mph the loudspeakers start blaring and then draw their weapons!So..keep moving forward, but you don't have to speed. Yes, those are wooden planks. Another tidbit, you may not stop ANYWHERE along the road for more than 30 minutes, unless you are in one of the towns. The road is being monitored and if you stop for more than 30 minutes, someone WILL approaching to ask YOU questions! Keep an eye on the time! Now right around here was a nice diner and across the road a Bureau of Land Management visitor center with some great info!Unless you packed a lunch...you better stop. Oh, also, fill up with fuel at EVERY opportunity!

Milepost 98 brought us to a turnout
at Finger Mountain, although the weather was going to pot, I hopped out for a look around the area and to inspect the tiny arctic blooms on the tundra!

And who doesn't want their photo
taken on Finger Mountain amongst all the lichen covered rocks?!

Milepost 115...yay I am crossing the Arctic Circle and am now officially in the Arctic!

Somewhere around here also was an "airplane crossing". A section of the road ties into a runway and "railroad gates" will come down as planes approach! How odd!
Oh, be sure to stop at Milepost 156 the south fork of the Koyukuk river. You can get out here and go down by the river and look for rocks, its BLM property so feel free to take one...or two...Watch for bears!
Milepost 175 is the "town" of Coldfoot. I use the word "town" loosely. "Town" has the Slate Creek Inn (where I stayed), an old mining camp, post office, cemetery, visitor center (HIGHLY recommended), Alaska DOT buildings, state trooper post, and and airstrip. That's it. I was supposed to take a small plane to Anuktuvuk Pass-a settlement in Gates of the Arctic National Park...but the incoming plane blew a tire upon landing and replacement parts would not arrive until the morning...excursion cancelled. :-( If you don't go with Northern Alaska Tour Company...perhaps they can arrange for just the excursion...I hear it is well worth it!
So here's my "hotel" the Slate Creek Inn in Coldfoot, Alaska. At first I was a bit freaked out...but I adjusted to rustic accommodations rather quickly and now consider it just part of the adventure! As long as there are no bugs. By this time it was late...about 9pm or so and decided to have a bite to eat. I didn't have to go far....just across the parking lot for a great meal! If you watch the History Channel's

Ice Road Truckers, the "restaurant" is often featured in the show. There is a large wooden support post near the cash register about at big as a circle you make with your arms....if someone has called (or passed through) and wanted to leave you a message...it would be tacked to that post. Here's my room and it did have a private bath :-)

Prudhoe Bay Alaska

After our movie about the oil fields in the Arctic Caribou Inn, we boarded a bus where we were given a very quick escorted tour of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. The only place where the bus actually came to a halt was at...the Arctic Ocean, more specifically the Beaufort Sea. We were given only a few minutes to explore the very small area. The tour was nearly cancelled

because there was a polar bear 30 miles away in Endicott. They can run for extended periods at 35mph! If he came closer, NO TOUR! And...no dip in the ocean! One lady on the bus hoped for a polar bear....I, for one, was glad we didn't see any because I really really REALLY wanted to get in that water! I know its crazy, but I feel the need to swim (or at least get my feet into it) in every ocean in the world. I guess.....really ANY body of water. Why not?! So, I rolled up my pant legs and donned my flip flops and waded into the 28 degree salt water! WOW, refreshing!

I was having fun in the murky water, and it really wasn't bothering me! Everyone couldn't believe it and was asking me to pose! I begged them to join me! When else might you get this chance I cried!

There was grise ice all around and for the sheer hell of it I plopped my foot in that!

Just a few seconds after this...wow, INTENSE pain set it! TIME TO GET OUT! One lady wanted 1 more picture I told her no way. Jackie said she was just getting ready to make me come out because she didn't like the purple color of my legs, I was only in 3-5 minutes.

I didn't get all the way out to the point, only where the lady on the left is standing, but I can tell you...from the water to the bus was only 200 feet or so, but that was the most excruciating walk I have ever taken. It felt like I was walking on crushed glass. As soon as I got on the bus, I toweled off and put on socks and started to wiggle my toes and feet. Within 5 minutes the color returned to normal and they were toasty warm. But it was definitely worth it! The driver stated that a 90+ year old native lady went in last week, but went ALL THE WAY IN! Her grandkids helped her out of the water after she went under. The water was sort of icky though, I'm not sure I would want my face in it!

I tried the best I could to take pics from the 15 mph moving van while still trying to absorb everything I was seeing.

Each "house" is a well with a feeder line into the Prudhoe Bay oil field.

Spectacled Eiders near Arctic Caribou Inn.

Red Necked Phalarope in the same pond.

Saying goodbye to guide, Jackie before boarding the 9 seater Piper Navajo that will have us back to Fairbanks in just a few short hours.






Simone and Gaspere from the Netherlands and Lee & Eileen were seated in front of me for our journey back. Beryl and Chrissy from Australia were behind me. Tom & Linda from New Hampshire had left just before lunch as they were headed to Barrow! I wish I had time that I could have fit that in!

Up up and away.....adios to Prudhoe Bay and Lake Colleen.

The Dalton winds around on the right while the pipeline and corridor are to the left.

I could hardly pry my eyes away from the window as I was amazed by the beauty of the snow capped mountains of the Brooks Range. I was too mesmerized to be scared about being in such a tiny plane!



A river winds through the Brooks Range in or near Gates of the Arctic National Park.

This was one of my most favorite adventures of all time and I hope someday to travel the Dalton again!

Dalton Highway- Galbraith Lake to Prudhoe Bay

Sorry, you'll have to read about Coldfoot to Galbraith Lake at the end of the journey, the order got messed up as I was publishing. So, after a nice lunch at a picnic table at Galbraith Lake we had to get a move on if we wanted dinner...so we only made a few stops.

Just after Galbraith Lake we saw a vertical rainbow hovering just over the pipeline to our left! I saw a LOT of rainbows in Alaska!

At MP 355 the Last Chance Wayside (a pit stop) we were able to see evidence of very recent earthquake activity! Jackie said that the cracks were not there last week!

I really wanted to investigate further (there was a dark hole by me heel) but I was a little chicken and didn't want to go to China quite this way and was only brave enough to hover my foot over the fault.



As we neared Prudhoe Bay, the wildlife sightings (besides moose and muskox) really picked up....while driving saw a male Willow Ptarmigin changing from winter coloration (the white) to summer breeding plumage.

And out the other window I spotted this Arctic Fox jumping about on the tundra looking for a snack, and watched him finally catch a lemming and trot off with it!

We began to spot lots of caribou, most likely making their way to the cliffs near the shoreline for calving. They spooked easily, as when we hopped out of the van, they bolted in the other direction. Probably a good thing. While in Alaska, I discovered that caribou is pretty tasty! Be sure to try some!

On the outskirts of Deadhorse, we passed Franklin Bluffs. There was a story.....but...I don't recall it.

FINALLY...Milepost 414...Deadhorse!Now, I know you're thinking...what a name! But years ago,a trucking company came up with a slogan that they would haul ANYTHING up the Dalton....even your dead horse! The name stuck. Inside the building is a giftshop with a wide variety of wares, downstairs is the worlds largest NAPA store! Anything you may need up here to fix equipment...they've got it!

Dinnertime at the Arctic Caribou Inn. I'm not sure if there are other places to eat....but it was a buffet type restaurant also with cooked to order items and pizza. Wide variety to chose from to feed all the hungry workers and visitors in Prudhoe Bay! Just a sidenote...there is 1 double restroom and it is unisex! A local worker was quite shocked to walk in and find me washing my hands! But hey, it beats the heck out of trying to find cover on the tundra!

Shortly after 9pm we arrived at our "hotel"..Deadhorse Camp. It's kind of funny thinking of this trailer as a hotel...but a small price to pay for this wonderful experience. We were 2 miles south of the end of the Dalton where it reached Lake Colleen. I would have liked to have gone for a walk since the sun never dimmed, but we were warned that this was polar bear country and it was simply not safe to be out exploring. After my trip to Churchill...I can MORE than understand the reasoning!

My room was clean and neat and the bed suprisingly comfortable! Since the constant daylight messed up my sleep/wake cycle (I was super energized and would only sleep 3-4 hours a night at best, and a light sleep at that) I enjoyed looking out my window onto the Dalton to see what was going on. The bathrooms were community bathrooms and located upstairs, and there was a wonderful pancake breakfast awaiting me in the morning!

Dalton Highway Coldfoot to Galbraith Lake

After a 7:30am breakfast on June 8,2008 we started off northbound on the Dalton from Coldfoot. The near constant sunlight really energized me and I had difficulty sleeping more than 3-4 hours a night. Not because the sun was in my eyes...but because I simply wasn't tired! Wiseman is at MP 189 and over 200 miles north of Fairbanks. In the summertime there are 13 residents, in the winter it drops to 6! Life here is rewarding....but not easy! Electricity is produced by solar panels and small wind turbines and batteries, wood needs to be chopped and split for heat, and hunting and trapping is a way of life.

Here we are in front of Jack Reakoff's house , initially I couldn't figure out why anyone would chose to live here..especially year round! By the end of my vacation though, I found myself wishing I could live in such a peaceful beautiful place, but...I don't think I have the skill set that I would need to survive. But the views (and the wildlife and northern lights) would definitely make any sacrifices worthwhile! Jack's Sister owns a B&B in Wiseman (Arctic Getaway B&B) and sometime in my life I will get up here in the winter. There would be no better place to view the aurora!

There is an non-fiction older book by Robert Marshall entitled Arctic Village, and it is based on life in interior Alaska and the author lived in Wiseman for a time and was soon on the outs with the rest of the residents as he apparently offended some of his neighbors. I started reading it last winter and it got put aside and have just now picked up where I left off.

In Arctic Village there is a reference to Big Jim's porch. Well, this is Big Jim's house and the metal attachment is...the porch. (I haven't gotten to this part in the book yet). The structure now serves as the Kalhabuk Prayer Chapel to the residents.

Looking to the east from Wiseman over the Koyukuk river ...wow to see that view every day! Yukon Flats NWR in just to the southeast of this area, Kanuti NWR is to the southwest, and Gates of the Arctic NP is a few miles behind me to the west.

Our visit was over all too soon and
we had to keep moving to make it to Prudhoe Bay by dinnertime! Soon we arrived at MP 204 and were quite impressed with 4459 foot high Sukakpak Mountain! This monster of marble lies within the Brooks Range but does not but up to any of the other mountains and just looks odd reaching skyward out of the tundra!
I wish the lighting had been better and we could have gotten out!

The next few are just some shots I found interesting and took while we were speeding along at about 20mph! Here's our friend the pipeline again!

The Koyukuk River and mountains from the Brooks Range in the background.

While edging closer to Arctic NWR we found a cow moose with newborn twins! The second one is hard to see and you may have to double click on the image to enlarge it but its just below her belly. Jackie figured they were only a few weeks old

MP 235 marks the end of the taiga and the beginning of the arctic tundra and the furthest north spruce tree (black spruce). But some smart ass decided to girdle the tree and kill it in 2004! Jerk! It took about 273 years for this spruce to mature!

But that's ok....God fixed him! Another black spruce sprouted even farther north! I can't remember exactly how far..but I think only a few hundred feet! :-) Make sure you look for it!

At MP 237 we reached Chandalar Shelf. A very inhospitable place. The temperatures here plummet to below zero in a heartbeat and the winds howl across the tundra. Even the natives have a rough go of it here. Apparently even Jack tried to live here at a time...but I don't think for long.

AT MP 224 we crossed the Continental Divide by going over 4,739 foot Atigun Pass. The temps went down to 34 degrees and despite being foggy it started to snow! In June! There were avalanche cannon platforms on both sides of the road that get frequent use during the winter. A good deal of the snowpack had melted so there was no danger of that now...just fog, snow, sucky roads and big trucks! I forgot to mention that it is necessary to report your vehicle and that you are approaching Atigun to warn vehicles coming from the other direction. Trucks have the right away at all times! Jackie was constantly on the CB (all throughout the trip) apologizing for pulling off the road or slowing down so we could all get our photos, or to see if it was ok to pass DOT vehicles doing work on the road. The van from quiet as she maneuvered around this dangerous segment of road.

Breathing easier, we stopped for our lunch break at MP 275 Galbraith Lake. We had gotten boxed lunches in the morning at Coldfoot and were looking forward to enjoying our sandwiches and goodies at this pretty spot. The weather (the whole trip) was not the best, chilly, damp and rainy and cloudy, but despite that I made my own sunshine and was just happy to be in such a beautiful area! Plus..I had gotten some great Gore-Tex raingear at Cabella's while outfitting for this trip!

Wandering around I peered at the Brooks Range through these wooly catkins! Jackie's telling me to hurry up and get back in the van...time to move on toward Prudhoe Bay....good thing someone is keeping me on schedule I was just simply in awe of my new surroundings everywhere I went looking at rocks, flowers....anything....