PackingUp Up and Away... EventuallyGound Hog DayMade it at lastDowntown VancouverRocky Mountaineer – Vancouver to KamloopsRocky Mountaineer – Kamloops to BanffBanff, it’s a winter wonderland. Even in springFrom Mountain Tops to Frozen LakesICE, Snow and more ICEWater Falls, Bears, and a whole lot of roadUp, down and around the mountains, and through the valley we go.A Day on the Snow at WhistlerOff to the Island, eventuallyFlowers, Flowers, Everywhere finished with a Mountain ViewGoodbye Canada, Hello AlaskaCruising the Alaska we were looking forFairbanks Bound66° 33′ otherwise known as the Arctic CircleIt’s as COLD as ice and HOT as HellFarewell FairbanksWhite Water Rafting in DenaliReturning to AnchorageCranking the Air MilesNiagara Falls, CanadaToronto, CanadaOttawa, CanadaThe Thousand Islands, CanadaMontebello, CanadaQuébec, CanadaMontreal, CanadaOld Montreal, CanadaParc Olympic, Montreal, CanadaEmpire State Building, United States, New YorkManhattan, United States, New YorkLiberty Island, United States, New YorkFifth Ave, United States, New YorkVegas Baby, VegasMcCarran International Airport, United States, NevadaKulima Golf Course, United States, HawaiiKulima Golf Course, United States, HawaiiGrays Channel, United States, HawaiiKulima Golf Course, United States, Hawaii
 | quotidian |  | Canada/Alaska/USA Tour |  | 66° 33′ otherwise known as the... |
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May 19 2008, 12:54 PM
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The Arctic Circle, United States, Alaska
So we head off to airport, park the car and wait to be boarded on our little 9 seater plan, it’s a bumpy hour and a quarter flight from Fairbanks to Coldfoot, then we load up on the bus that is going to take us on our journey for the next 9 plus hours. We stop at the local Coldfoot Cafe a truck stop/cafe/gift shop for any drinks and a pit stop. Then it’s off down the very bumpy Dalton Highway, a road made by the oil company when the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline was being built, it’s used mostly now for trucking stuff up to the oil fields with the occasional tourist.
We learn a lot of interesting facts from our Tour guide Candy, from information about the pipeline to permafrost and the local wildlife. There is not much to see along the highway, heaps stunted trees trying their best to grow on permafrost. We do see a few Moose for the first time, but they are passed so fast I am unable to get a photo, we also see a heap of snowshoe hares but they are also too quick to capture. Oh and Caroline thinks she spotted a Porcupine.
We make a few stops, one at “Gobblers Knob” the lowest point on the highway where the 24 hour sun can be seen, one at the obvious point of 66° 33′ to cross the Arctic Circle, we later take a walk on the tundra and stick our hand in to feel the permafrost, then again to get some facts and figures on the pipeline, a food stop at the Yukon River and finally a pit stop at the Arctic Circle Trading post. The pipeline travels from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez and caries oil almost 1,300km, it was impressively built in just 2 years and 2 months between 1974 and 77, around half of the pipeline is above ground in areas where permafrost exists so as not to melt the permafrost and effect the local habitat.
So after a long trip on the Bus we are finally returned to Fairbanks to retrieve our car, we also purchase our first souvenirs on the trip, a couple of shirts and some pins.
These longs days are getting to us now, it puts off your eating and everything else, we decided to get some washing done when we got back to the hotel close to 1am when we went to bed and it's still light outside. It doesn't really get dark, just darker, imagine dusk and dawn meeting and you get the idea, night is dead here people.
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