It is mind-boggling how fast time flies on the road. We left Traverse City on May 20th and sadly nearly one-third of our planned time on the road is already gone. We have logged over 6,500 miles with plans to cover much more. Fairbanks was the right place for us to change gears from the aggressive road schedule to style where we can stop and smell the roses! Yes, they have lots and lots of wild roses here in the North Country. The stay in Fairbanks has been eight days and if we had the time we would stretch it a few more. The RV Park was a sound strategic location and has worked out even better than we had expected. Jan and I have found that the city is a lot like any big city but it still has the rustic Alaskan look and feel. I was complaining about an event that I thought was a bit lame to a local. He told me to get with the program. This is Alaska and being outside and enjoying the wilderness is what is important! Message received…

Although this part of the journey was a place to catch our breath we have managed to explore the area extensively. The Antler Arch downtown is where many pictures are taken by those passing through. There is a nicely done waterfront with lots to do and see. It has been hot while we are here according to local standards. We have found it to be quite pleasant and although it is hot there is no humidity. The bikeway here is impressive. I took advantage by doing several nice long bike rides. It was an easy five mile shot to downtown which we did several times. I was able to launch the kayaks right from the RV Park and enjoyed my time on the river.

When we were in Coldfoot Camp they served a beer called Coldfoot Ale from the Silver Gulch Brewery. Of course since we were in Fairbanks, I had to check it out. They do a good job.

Fairbanks has an outstanding visitor center and cultural museum. We really enjoyed our time there and would recommend it as a must do.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a fine cultural museum. We hit it just right and got a behind the scenes tour with one other couple. The museum has a lot to offer and we could have spent more time there as well.

So far on this trip our Sunday schedule did not match either time or place to take in a local church. We finally made it work here at the Zion Lutheran Church. It was a very dynamic upbeat experience both with the worship service and the outgoing members of the congregation.

Of course checking out farmer’s markets is always a favorite pastime for us.

The “big” annual event here is the summer solstices Midnight Sun Festival. It ran from noon to midnight and there were thousands of people. Lots of vendors with crafts, food, services and yes some political booths as well.

Fairbanks answer to a theme park is Pioneer Village. It was a great place to spend an afternoon. There are plenty of shops and museums. The park was created for the Fairbanks Centennial in 1967 using old buildings from downtown.

We did a trip out/up to the Chena Hot Springs. There was not enough time to take it in but there are plans to catch a hot springs or two later in the trip. The springs are located in the Chena State Recreation Area. They have some good hiking opportunities and we were looking for a good challenge. The selected trail was the Angel Rock Trail which climbs over 1,000 foot in the first mile. It was a great hike where we needed our new bug jackets to protect us from the hordes of mosquitoes. Once we got above the tree line we were good but getting there was a challenge. We also found out that we need to do a bit more training before the “next” challenge. Great views made the trip very worthwhile.

We found several moose grazing in the river. They kept getting closer so we had to move on…

We will miss Fairbanks with all it hills and mountains. That being said Denali is calling us. We leave in the morning for four days. Reservations are made for the Cantwell RV Park and the Denali Shuttle Bus. The park campgrounds are filled so we end up driving 30 minutes every day. We plan to spend three days in the park. We hope the weather holds for hiking and some good photo opts for Mt. McKinley.

More later after we check Denali off our to do list…

God bless,

Larry and Jan

The Dalton Highway leg of our journey was one of those on and off again ideas. There is a lot written about this highway (highway being a very loose term). There are little or to no services and the theory is you are on your own and left to your own devices to solve any problems you might encounter. In talking with others who had made the trip it was never clear if this would be a good thing or a bad thing. My take away now after making the trip is you either love it or hate it, there is no in between. As we were pulling out of the RV park to start the trip we talked with a couple who had just returned and they said it was the worst thing that had ever happened to them. Of course he had to show us his two flat tires and the story of getting replacements. I had already purchased a second (heavy duty) spare tire. The night before had talked to a couple who had made the trip several times and he challenged us as to why we would think we would need a second spare?

To make a long story very short, it was an excellent experience. It was the right decision to go but will never make the trip again, well never is a long time! No, we did not need the extra tire. With our auxiliary fuel tank we have a range of over 650 miles. Many folks have to carry extra fuel in containers as Coldfoot is the only place to get low sulfur diesel fuel which is 250 miles out. I think the truck took the washboard road and bumps better than we did. The scenery was spectacular, wildlife was everywhere, the road was bumpy, dusty, muddy, and rocky, the mosquitoes plentiful and found the folks we encountered along the way do not fit into any one box easily. The lodging options limited to work camps at $200 a night came with outstanding food prepared by various chefs. I could devote an entire blog to the lodging and meal experiences.

Our staging area for the trip was the Rivers Edge RV Park in Fairbanks. It is located on the Chena River and just a couple of miles from downtown. The park had sites where we could hook up water and electric and could leave the RV as we headed north. Actually we should have had another day to prep as living out of the truck for three days took a bit more turn-around time than we had planned.

The Dalton highway begins 90 miles north of Fairbanks. It is 414 miles in length with Coldfoot at mile 175 and Prudhoe Bay at 414. The road was built in 1974 in five months to provide supplies for the construction and continued operations of the Alaskan Pipeline.

You cross the Arctic Circle at mile 299.5. This of course is a photo opt stopping location.

The first night and third night we stayed at the Coldfoot Camp. Here you are able to buy fuel, great food, get beer called Coldfoot and have a place to spend the night. Here we had our own bathroom, twin beds and lots of mud and Mosquitoes. Across the Dalton from Coldfoot is an interagency facility for the BLM, US Field and Wildlife and the US Park Service. It is a very nice facility with displays and staffed with knowledgeable interpreters. We attended their nightly program going and coming back.

If you find Coldfoot service basic wait until you see Deadhorse Camp. Coming into Deadhorse saw this run down building and told jan I have a bad feeling about this. Well it ended up that is where we had booked. Once inside it was not too bad. The food was outstanding…the room very basic…the bathroom down the hall and around the corner but with no Mosquitoes. The mud was everywhere and you were required to take your shoes off, the same as Coldfoot. There are no keys so you could not lock your room door. We had the opportunity to talk with lots of interesting folks all who were there for different reasons. I guess if there was a common theme it was the journey was the driver, not the destination.

Purdhoe Bay became Deadhorse when the zip code was assigned. Most of the folks who stay/live here call it Prudhoe Bay. The area is 1,000 square miles all devoted to the oil drilling operations. Just industrial complexes with one store and several housing camps.

There is a visitor center at the Yukon River. It has information on the pipeline and what to expect along the highway. The Yukon River carries 60% of the water in the North and ends at the Bering Sea.

Traveling the Dalton you get to see and have plenty of opportunities to learn about the Alaskan Pipeline. It was built 1974 to 1977. It extends 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. You are never far from it along the highway. The area has permafrost so it was a good opportunity to see and to learn more about it. New think for me was the pipeline cannot go below ground where there is permafrost as the oil is 180 degrees when it leaves Prudhoe Bay as it would have a negative thawing affect. As a side note the oil is 115 when it reaches Valdez.

We took the tour to the Arctic Ocean. This is a restricted area and you have to have security clearance to make the trip. The highlight is we got to wade in the Arctic Ocean. The tour was informative as it was narrated with lots of behind the scenes information.

We always had dinner at the camps. For breakfast and lunch we ate on the road again sharing our time with the Mosquitoes.

There was plenty of wildlife. We got to see the Musk OX and Caribou. Jan had logged over 500 Caribou who migrate to the area in the summer. There are lots of ground squirrels (bear food) and we saw two moose crossing the road. It had been our hope to have a bear encounter somewhere along the trail.

The big surprise of the trip was the scenery. It was magnificent, ever changing and a true wilderness. Once again we captured several hundred pictures and here are a few selected somewhat at random.

The badge of honor for the Dalton Highway is a mud covered vehicle. You can tell who made the trip by the how dirty and the color of the mud. I am still working on getting rid of the mud and salt…which may now be a permanent part of the truck and a support for the lasting memory of the trip.

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

Our Northwest Territories trip on the Mackenzie Highway ended in Peace River, Alberta. Once we left the Decho Trail we were ready and anxious to take on the Alaskan Highway sometimes known as the ALCAN. That being said after the 9 days and 2,000 miles of the NWT we were ready for a day off from driving. I guess you would call it a mental health time out. Reservations were made at the Mile 0 RV Park in Dawson Creek for two days. We had allocated 8 days to the ALCAN leg which had two extra days built in for “that” unknown adventure. The ALCAN was much easier to drive than we thought (or was led to believe) and most days covered around 300 miles. There were many construction delays along the way most stopping you for no more than 10 to 15 minutes. It eased one’s mind (after the Decho Trail) to know the next service was 50 to 100 miles instead of 150 to 200 miles. The towns along the way had a lot to offer with plenty of little side trips to make it interesting. The scenery was outstanding and so spectacular (at least to me) it was hard to keep your eyes on the road. I now understand why people keep coming back. After Peace River we stayed in Dawson Creek, BC; Fort Nelson, BC; Watson Lake, BC; Whitehorse, YT; Tok, AK; and the last night was near Delta Junction, AK. The final day into Fairbanks was 100 miles. Including the little side trips this leg of our journey covered over 1,600 miles. Just enough rain to be annoying to the photography aspect of the trip otherwise it was perfect.

The Alaska Highway starts at Dawson Creek, BC and ends in Delta Junction, AK at mile post 1422 with another 100 miles into Fairbanks for a total of 1,500 miles. . Yes, there are mile posts everywhere. You will find most ads for services along the ALCAN have mile post numbers included. If you ever make the trip to Alaska buy a copy of the Milepost publication. It provides a very detailed account/analysis of the road and ever thing along the way. We are also using “Traveler’s Guide to Alaskan Camping” which also does a nice job of providing info without the blow by blow detail found in the Milepost. Both publications have their place.

It was cool to learn more about the ALCAN. It was initially built as a military highway in response to Pearl Harbor. I had to buy the book but did not get the T-shirt. The road was approved by Congress on February 14, 1942 and completed by November 20, 1942 with the help of thousands of military personnel and outside contractors. It was opened to the public in 1948 and has been undergoing continuous improvement since that time. The US actually started building the highway without the Canadian’s approval. We have seen that comment many times along the way. After WWII the US turn over their interest in the highway to the Canadian Government. All is well that ends well.

A highlight of the highway was seeing wild life. One day we saw five black bears just hanging out along the road. The highway has no shoulders so if there is traffic you cannot stop to take a picture hence no bear pictures. Other sightings were buffalo, Stone Sheep and Moose. One of the highlights of the trip was the Sign Forest in Watson Lake, BC. It was started by an engineer working on the road in 1942. The sign forest now has over 72,000 signs. The plan is for us to hang ours on the way to Juneau in August. We bumped into a fascinating Alaskan State Park historic site called Rika’s Road House. We stayed the night where we caught up on local history about Rika, her road house and the interesting folks of her time from the turn of the century to the 60’s. She was over 90 when she died. Whitehorse, Yukon Territory is where we ended up using the other extra day. Whitehorse is the capital for the Territory. Total population in the Territory is 35,000 and over 60% live in Whitehorse. There is a lot to do here with well done museums, displays, trails and a nice downtown. We ran out of time so now plan to stop on the way back through. When we started four months seemed like it might be too much time…that is not the case.

What more can I say, it is all about the view. Here are some pictures selected from the several hundred that I took. There are so many pictures sorting them all out will have to wait until we get back in Michigan. Here is a little glimpse into life along the Alaskan Highway.

Here is proof positive that we made it to Alaska. The River’s Edge RV Park is working out great for us. The plan was to get the Alaskan Highway update posted before we left for Prudhoe Bay. However there just was not enough time. Stay tuned for an account of that adventure which will follow next.

God bless,

Larry and Jan

Yes, we made it to The Northwest Territories (NWT). This leg of our journey grew from a concept to being a reality relatively quickly. There was an attraction and a bit of mystery that drew us to the far north. In this post assessment period, it is still considered a worthwhile adventure and we would do it again given the chance. We found it to be a very unique part of the world. The culture is fascinating as it is a blend of native Canadians and white folks (the label given to outsiders). The vast natural resources of the land and the history of inhabitants living off the land for generations are impressive.

The loop route we took is the Deh Cho which is named after the Mackenzie River. Deh Cho is Slavey Dene (Native Canadian Tribe) for big river. This is a wilderness/remote route with about 1/3 being unpaved. It is 800 miles starting in the Peace Valley in Alberta and ending at the Alaskan Highway in British Columbia. We were not able to do the entire loop due to a major washout and a temporary bridge which is unsafe for large rigs. Since we could not do the loop we decided on a side trip to Yellowknife (over 700 miles round trip from the loop).

Going north from Edmonton the flat farming terrain gives way to hills, rocks and pine trees. Our first night we stayed at Peace River which is named after the river. The trip down into the valley was very steep and never seemed to end. There we found the town folks extremely friendly and very talkative. We kept hearing about 12 foot Davis, a local legend so we had to take his pictures. Actually he was only five seven in real life and yes, he is a legend.

The next day we passed into the NWT at the 60th Parallel which is now documented by a certificate from the visitor center. Next overnight stop after a 400 mile day was Twin Falls Territorial Park. There were two nice falls on the Hay River. The water levels were high and the river was fast. There were traces of snow and lots of water falls from the melting snow off the cliffs. The park manager was from the Dene Tribe and was very personable. He gave us lots of information on the Native Canadians and their culture both present and past. Jan said she could talk to him all day.

The trip to Yellowknife was 350 miles. There is a new bridge, only a year old, which replaced the ferry service. Yellowknife is the capital of NWT (1967) and became a city in 1970. Gold was mined there for forty years. When the gold started to run out, diamonds were found in 1991 and Yellowknife is now a leader in the world Diamond production. The NWT has 45,000 total population with over one half being residents of Yellowknife. The old part of town is called the “Rock” and actually a small island which “is” all rock. There is new development referred to as “New Town”. Once outside of the city limits it becomes wilderness quickly…of course pictures included.

The old part of town is very crowded, dense and can be a bit on the seedy side at times. There are lots of small shops and does retain a connection to the past. It attracts tourists and is in the process of being redeveloped. Jan found a large Inukshuk there so we had to take a picture.

Houseboats are one thing you would never expect to find in the far north. There are lots of them and they come in all sizes and colors. The inhabitants have to leave them in the fall when the ice forms and again when it breaks up in the spring. Otherwise they are year round lodging. Looks like fun if you like boon docking and living on the water. You see lots of float planes used for regional travel. The city does have a large airport with helicopter and jet service.

The roads in NWT are in fairly rough shape. There are lots of frost heaves and sections where the pavement has been removed. At the end of the day you find things have moved around in the RV from all the jostling. Drank lots of coffee to stay alert as some of the major dips and bump are marked but many are not. The road to Yellowknife goes through a Buffalo Reserve. We saw lots of them grazing by the side of road which gave us many photo opportunities. There are many small lakes along the entire loop with water fowl and Muskrats houses to keep one entertained.

We spent three nights in Yellowknife before moving on to Hay River for two more. Hay River is the older city having been around since the 50’s (Population 3,800), second largest city in NWT. There are only the two cities of any size in NWT. Hay River came in to its own being the rail terminus for the region. The city use to be a shipping and fishing center connected by all the rivers that converge there as well as the Great Slave Lake. The town has fallen on hard times since the road was built. At the shipping terminal I counted 12, there may be more, rusting ships now permanently dry docked.

We stopped back in Peace River to catch up with the “friendly” folks we met on the way up. As you can see from the pictures there was rain for both our Peace River stops. We did manage a camp fire the last night between the rain clouds although you cannot see the fire in the picture, it is there.
Dawson Creek, British Columbia is home for two nights before taking on the Alaskan Highway. Dawson Creek is mile 0 for the Alcan. We arrived yesterday afternoon. The first thing to do was to give the RV and the truck a bath so we could find out what colors they were. Today is restocking, laundry, catching up on email, posting to the internet and planning the next week. It is a 1,500 drive to Fairbanks and we expect to be there in one week (June 14).

Life on the road is good. So far no major issues that we could not solve. The NWT tour is now logged and we are ready to take on the next leg of the Alaskan Journey.

Hope all is well with everyone out there…

God Bless,

Larry and Jan