Headed off today for the Arctic Circle. It’s a fair drive but the real issue is the Dalton Highway, known as the ‘Haul Road’ as it is mainly used by trucks and the only Road Trains I have seen in Alaska, to service the North Slope Oil Fields at Dead Horse, it links the Top of the Alaskan Oil Pipe Line with the remainder of the State.
Out of Fairbanks is Bitumen up to the Start of the Dalton Highway then the first section is very rough gravel. I was concerned if it was going to continue like this, it was going to be enough to terminate our quest, but my research indicated the road should get better.
Soon we hit a great patch of tarmac that was great to drive on, and from that point until the Yukon River, was sections of good sandy gravel and then bitumen. After the Yukon River the road actually improved, both in Bitumen and the Sandy Gravel. Took it slow, the set speed is 50 miles per hour.
All along the road all ponds and small creeks were frozen. It had not snowed as yet, so it was green and brown foliage and some great views up toward the Brookes Range to the North.
Got to cross the Arctic Circle about 6pm, 2 hours before Sunset at 8pm. Did a Geocache while here :)
Set camp, and a camp fire and waited to see if we would be rewarded with a showing of the Northern Lights. We weren’t disappointed. Also enjoyed the Snow Shoe Hares near our camp. There was only one other husband and wife camping the night. Steven and Marie Weinberg from Luxumbourg. They are driving around the World in their 1951 Renault. See the picture below. Steven is a retired marine bioligist and science teacher. He is working on a book of his adventures and has a blog at http://www.weinberg.lu/ Enjoy the photo’s below.
Weather: Coolish Low unknown, about minus 9C High 0 C
Wildlife: Snow Shoe Hares.
O/N N 66 33.502 W 150 47.494
Made it, Arctic Cicle - Dalton Highway, Alaska.
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