Tok to Skagway 8-12 & 13-2012

In Tok we stayed the nite behind the Chevron/Standard Gas Station. There were about 8 other RV’s that stayed the nite there too. We had a coupon for 10c. off a gal of gas so toped off our gas & propane there. The coupon was in one of the magazines you get @ visitor centers.

We also got a short visit with Mark & Renita. They were in Tok @ an RV park too. It was great to see them again. As you can see by the sign we have a drive to head to Skagway. It’s almost 300 miles to Haines Junction & then from there we have to decide if we want to go to Haines or just head to Skagway. that’s another 210 miles to go. There is a ferry that runs between Haines & Skagway but we’re not planning to take it. 

   

Just some of the scenery as we traveled south from Tok, AK. When in Alaska around the Kenai area we saw a lot of trucks etc. that had small household freezers. Probably full of Sockeye  

   

We traveled out of the US into the Yukon & then back into the US again in our travels heading to Skagway. 

     

Here we came upon some guys on dirt bikes and one lost control & went down on a frost heave  washboard section of road. They gave us a thumbs up so he wasn’t hurt. WE saw a lot of motor cycle riders in AK. It can sure be a dusty ride for them.  The pix of the white puff was very yellow when we first came into the Yukon, They are Dandelions   The other pix is a Beaver house. We saw a couple of beaver houses in our travels. but never got a pix of a Beaver.

   

Then again more construction. It seems to be unending in the north.

   

And another Grizzly eating along the Hwy.  We stopped just past Destruction Bay @ a viewpoint overlooking Kluane Lake’s Horseshoe Bay near Soldier’s Summit. Kluane Lake is the largest lake in the Yukon Territory, covering about 154 square miles It was a beautiful spot & there wasn’t a lot of traffic so wasn’t too noisy. until about 8:30 am Yukon time when a 5th wheel with a red kayak on the roof went flying by. Thanks Mark & Renita for the wake up call   Remember the Yukon is an hour ahead of Alaska. & we were going to be in & out of the two several times along the trip.  We enjoyed meeting Mark & Renita on our trip & look forward to crossing paths again.  

     

The Sunset out the front window.  One of the next small towns we pass is Carcross on the way to Skagway. and the ruins of the Venus Mine on Windy Arm of Tagish Lake.

   

There were a couple of Runaway places for trucks as the road down to Skagway descends from about 3000 ft. down to sea level.

   

     

Next stop Skagway, AK.

North Pole to Delta Junction & Tok 8-11-2012

After our trek to the Artic Circle we had to make a stop @ the North Pole to see Santa.It’s just 14 miles south of Fairbanks on the Alaska Hwy.  For us it was just a stop on our way out of Fairbanks starting our trip back south to the lower 48. 

Sadly I didn’t get many pix of the North Pole. But we did stop in @ the Santa House & was so taken with all the Christmas decorations that I neglected getting pix of the town. But as you can see the Mc Donald's sign & all the poles in town are striped in red & white. And the streets are named Santa Clause Lane, Kris Kringle Drive, Snowman Lane etc. This Santa statue is the worlds largest Santa, Standing 42’ feet tall & he checks his list…twice!  Santa was in the store to hear your requests & take a pix. Steve got his pix between the believers both Young & Old  

   

     www.northpolealaska.com

Then we were off towards Delta Junction.

Delta Junction is the northern terminus of the Alaska Hwy. The only road link through Canada connecting Alaska to the Lower 48. The Alaska Hwy. was constructed during World War II as a military route to carry supplies to military installations in Interior Alaska. At the peek of construction the men of 7 army regiments, worked with 77 contractors working on the road employed over 15,000 men & utilized more than 11,000 pieces of equipment. Total construction cost for the 1,422 miles was $115 million. Through the efforts of both the US & Canadian governments. There are stories told about the construction that say in some places, the swamp was so bad that crawler tractors would sink so deep they could not be retrieved, and the road was eventually built right over them.

Delta Junction besides being known for the road it’s also an Agriculture area. It has over 130,000 acres of private farms from 20 acres to 3,000 acres. Primary crops include forage, barley, & oats. Also wheat, canola, & various grasses grown for seed. You can also find sheep, beef cattle, elk, dairy cattle, & goats,

The pix to the right is of the pipeline going over a river by Delta Junction on it’s way to Valdez.        

      

These next 3 pix are a display of what they call the Pig. It is run in the pipeline to clean it & ck for leaks.  This is a display @ the Visitor center.

     

Delta Junction is known for the Bison that were transplanted into the area in the 1920’s. There are over 400 of them & they roam pretty much where they want. A small truck towing the red car passed us & then had to suddenly stop as this herd crossed right in front of us. 

   

We didn’t stay in Delta Junction, we continued on to Tok, AK. No mater what route you take through Canada  &/or the Yukon Territory you have to travel through Tok. It’s the first town coming in & the last leaving.

   

That’s it…now on to Skagway, AK.

Our trip to the Artic Circle 8-9-2012

Some people have asked us Why the Artic Circle. Well we don’t have any exotic answer for that question except it sounded like a Fun & Adventures outing. Maybe the answer would be because it was there. Now that being said Steve couldn’t be talked into taking the MH up so it was just a long day trip in the Tahoe. And we took a picnic lunch. 

Black Gold (oil) discovered in 1968 @ Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope of Alaska. After all the permits & Safeguards were met the “Haul Road” was built (415 Miles). Called that because almost everything supporting oil development was “hauled” on tractor-trailer to it’s final destination of Prudhoe Bay.  The Trans-Alaska pipeline was run like a wartime project –Money was no object. The Haul Road was completed in 5 months and the Pipeline in 3 yrs. (1974-1977) In 1981 the Hwy renamed the Dalton Hwy. after James B. Dalton.

The Hwy was only open to Commercial traffic until 1981, When the public was allowed as far as Disaster Creek MP 211. In 1994 the public was allowed as far as Deadhorse MP 414.  Services are Very Limited. Before going you need to ck on the Road & Weather conditions, & wild fires.There is no Phone or Internet & you need to bring Drinking water with you.

WE left about 9 in the morning and there was a little fog to start but soon cleared.

     

There were several areas of construction along the Hwy. And because of that there’s a lot of mud. So much you can’t see the license plate on the work trucks. It hasn’t been raining They wet down toe road in the construction area’s for dust & with this type of dirt it helps to pack it. 

   

I had to post the 2 mileage sign’s It took an hr. to travel the 27 miles. 

   

Steve out looking @ the pipeline. And an area where there had been a fire. This area of Alaska can have a lot of fires. Summer in northern Alaska brings frequent thunderstorms, formed as continuous sunlight heats the moisture into the air. Lightning generated within thunderstorms sparks over 200 wildfires in Alaska each year.  The pipeline engineers anticipated wildfire and wrapped the trans-Alaska oil pipeline in both glass insulation & galvanized steel so it can withstand flame & heat. Firefighters further reduce the risk posed by wildfires by removing fuel sources, such as dry vegetation, near sensitive pipeline equipment. Between 2003 & 2005 fires along the Dalton Hwy. burned over 1.2 million acres of land.      

   

We finally come to the Yukon River again.  Back in June 23 we were in Dawson City, Yukon Territory and crossed the Yukon River in a small ferry boat. The Yukon River winds nearly 2,000 miles from Canada to the Bering Sea. This wood-decked bridge, completed in 1975 (upgraded in 1999) is 2,290 ft. long and has a 6% grade. This is the largest privately funded construction project in U.S. history.     

   

On the other side of the bridge is the visitor center & the Yukon River Camp. It’s the first place you can get gas @ & the next gas is 119 miles up the road. There was a group of old classic cars that were making the drive all the way to Deadhorse They had reservations for overnight accommodations @ Deadhorse.     

   

Finger mountain is another stop along the way @ MP 98.  And we finally made it to The Artic Circle (MP 115). The Artic Circle is an imaginary line @ latitude 66 deg.33’ North. where the sun stays above the horizon for one full day on summer solstice (June21) and below the horizon for one full day on winter solstice (Dec. 21) And the Tahoe didn’t do too bad till we returned.

   

WE did drive to the next stop Gobblers Knob (MP 132) Steve, Mike & Sandy B. @ Gobblers Knob. And on our return the old cars were still heading up.   

   

Back @ the MH in Fairbanks the Tahoe before & then after it’s $20 bath. The whole trip took us about 13 hrs. That included stopping for gas twice & a picnic lunch.

It was a great trip with great sunny weather. Maybe next time we’ll have to start earlier & go a little farther up. But unless we would stay the nite don’t think we would go all the way to Deadhorse.

Contact info www.blm.gov/ak/dalton