THE DETAILS:
THE WEATHER: A beautiful start to the day….. Clear & 56 degrees. The rain showers came and went all day long but for the most part it was partly cloudy and in the upper 70’s & lower 80’s. It’s so cool to see the rain from miles away before it ever hits you.
THE DISTANCE: We left Fairbanks at 10 am for a drive up the Dalton Highway. 220 miles one way only to return to River’s Edge RV Park in Fairbanks at 10:00!
So today Gary wanted to climb the infamous Dalton Highway to cross the Arctic Circle. “Why?” you ask? Because it’s there. This is one of Alaska’s most remote and challenging roads. Only about 25% of it was paved, the rest was gravel. The trucks do not slow down and they know the road much better than anyone else so they continue to barrel down on you even on a curve or cliff. There were steep grades of 9%. It was certainly a driving adventure and our vehicle can vouch for it with about 80 additional pounds of mud and dirt on it. Mom, this is where, if you were with us, you would have packed your bags and headed home.
It took us 5 & ½ hours one way to get there. Dalton Highway follows the Trans-Alaska pipeline up and down hills and through forested valleys, across rivers like the Yukon, and through treeless tundra before you reach a sign that says, “Arctic Circle”! The sun does not set on summer solstice here and it does not rise during winter solstice. This drive gave us the possibility of seeing moose, grizzly, & caribou among other animals. We, unfortunately, saw only a moose off in the distance. That was a bit disappointing. There was 110 miles between gas stations and once you were on the highway the price was $4.49 per gallon! Ouch! But hey! We got our official certificates that prove we climbed Dalton Highway all the way to the Arctic Circle!! Yippee!
Bruno is getting acclimated to this region and I think he wants to stay… which is fine with us! (Gary’s getting a little irritated with the long showers he takes) So we are conducting a pole of our 20 “followers”, “Do you think Bruno should stay in his native Alaska? Or should he come home to NH with us?”
Can you believe that at 9:30 I am still wearing sunglasses!
I added some information to the Links section on the right side below the maps. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI can't add that destination to the map since there is no "city" to reference!
I vote to keep Bruno and then use him as a collage for all your pictures when you get home. He would look great in your living room!
So, I added Coldfoot, AK to the map, which is the first town after the Arctic Circle. About 60 miles more than you actually went, but it was the only way I could get that leg of your trip on the map.
ReplyDeleteI also vote to bring Bruno back to the lower 48 where he was manufactured, er, i mean born. Although his species is from AK he is native to NH and wouldn't last 2 weeks in the god forsakin' country. There is plenty of room here in the wine closet. Move over Tim buddy the bear is coming by for cocktails. Ref:youtube,"Gods Own Drunk"aka. The Bear Song
ReplyDeleteHAPPY FATHER'S DAY to Gary!!!
ReplyDeleteTom and I loved your post with the meat sauce and bottle of wine. I bet you're enjoying the rest of that bottle right now.
I'll let Tom finish the post...
I vote for Bill the bear to come back. He can scare all the chipmunks, beaver, deer, whales, and avalanches. Bob the bear is now tradition to your family, so you cannot leave him in Alaska. Buljack the bear is big & new and should not smell much since he takes such long showers. Maybe Gary can train Bubba the bear to chop wood, clear snow, clean fish (without eating them). I look forward to meeting Boatnip the bear in the near future. Later - Mr. Zoe
Bruno must come home. I vote you find him a brother moose or elk to make the journey more fun for Bruno
ReplyDelete