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.
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!
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!
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