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!