To the Arctic and Back
Fully topped up with food, water, fuel and propane, we set off in search of adventure. What we had done to prepare would have to suffice. Our goal was to make it up to Prudhoe Bay and dip our toes in the Arctic Ocean.
The initial drive out of Fairbanks was uneventful other than a brief stop a the Alaskan Pipeline’s roadside exhibit. The Elliot Highway, which would take us to the bottom of the Dalton Highway, wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. We didn’t encounter much traffic other than tractor trailer trucks on work runs. We stopped at a pullout to stretch our legs and chatted with a very friendly truck driver. He educated us on the Dalton Highway etiquette, which was to always slow down when crossing a truck. When you slow down, by way of courtesy they will reciprocate and reduce the chance flinging a rock into your windshield. We thanked him for the advice and continued on our way.
It rained on and off making the road soapy (slippery) but the drive was nice. By evening, we had reached the Yukon River. As there are only three fuel stops on the Dalton, we filled our tanks. We opted to spend the night at the nearby BLM campground which, due to the rains, we dubbed mud pit. Not only was it muddy and slippery but we finally encountered Alaskan sized hordes of mosquitoes. Our head nets proved to be quite useful. There were a few other travelers camped, mostly truck campers or motorcycles. The next morning, I went in search of coffee and pastries at the local shop but unfortunately, it was not open. So instead, I flew Squirt, the drone.
Off we go to clearer skies and make it to the Arctic Circle! There is a small rest area and information plaque as well. My GPS showed us having passed 66′ 33’N nearly a half mile earlier but who am I to argue with a big signpost? Of course we stopped for photos and the pushed on and end up at Coldfood Camp, our next overnight stop.
This rather remarkable bit of civilization not only had fuel but also offered campsites, rooms, showers, and an amazing buffet for the truckers. Overall, their food was quite good. We also spent time at the nearby BLM/NPS visitor center. This was the last place for fuel before Prudhoe Bay, 250 rough miles away, and over the Atigun Pass in the Brooks Range. We finalize our arrangements with the tour operator in Prudhoe Bay and set off.
Having had enough driving for the day, we settle on a roadside pullout and are treated to a midnight double-rainbow. The sun was still bright enough to generate a decent amount solar power at 2:00 in the morning! The evening was wonderful until we found out that our propane furnace had stopped working. We toughed it out that night but the prospect of camping in Prudhoe Bay which was forecast to be even colder was not appealing.
Our new plan was to leave the trailers at the BLM campground near Coldfoot and make a day trip over Atigun Pass and onto the North Slope. I decided that I needed drone footage, so I took Squirt out. Just as I was on last video pass, I lost control and crashed it into a stand of drone-eating trees. A long and exciting story short, I was able to recover Squirt unharmed other than a few scratches. We doubled-back to Coldfoot and on our way crossed a truck. Following Dalton etiquette, we slowed down. It was the same trucker that gave use the etiquette lesson a few days earlier! We had great chat in the middle of the road. In Coldfoot, we got more food and fuel, dropped the trailers and set off around 19:00. We drove and drove and drove some more ascending the pass – always paralleling the Alaskan Pipeline. At the top, we found snow and stopped to explore. Even Hobbes went out onto the white stuff.
Thankfully vault toilets are fairly frequent on the Dalton which also gave us chances to stretch our legs. We didn’t quite make it to Pump Station 3 before deciding it was time to turn around. By this time, it was early morning and the sun, which was well above the horizon all night, was finally peeking out from under the low cloud bank.
We returned to camp around 07:00 and crashed. The weather had cleared, and I awoke a few hours later quite warm inside Bubbles. Eventually we broke camp, still a little disappointed with our furnace, and stopped in Coldfoot for more food and fuel and one last stop at the visitor’s center. On the way back to Coldfoot, I had noticed that one of the trailer tire sensors wasn’t checking correctly so before leaving, I went reset the sensor and noticed that it was running about 5lbs lower in pressure than I expected. I topped it off and decided to keep an extra eye on it. Our drive down was faster than going up, we were a bit more used to the Dalton by now and ended up stopping at the Yukon River for the night. The next morning, we refueled and also got some Banh Mi sandwiches from the shop because why not? And they were really good too!
Our bellies and tanks full, we set off again. About 10 miles from the end of the Dalton, I notice that the pressure on the suspect tire is low. We pull off to check and I hear a hissing sound coming from the tire! We break out all of ours and 13roads’ tools, and together we are able to safely chock the trailer, raise it up on blocks, deflate the tire, remove the antique shoe nail that had gone into our tread, plug and then reinflate the tire. All this happened while the kids were inside our trailer singing Christmas carols!
Back on the road, is not too long before we reach Fairbanks and settle in for a few days before our next adventure. In the meantime, I call CoachNet technical support to try to understand what happened to the furnace. On a whim I tried the furnace while on shore power, and it works! Thinking we were out woods, we anyway picked up some furnace parts from a local dealer and continued on.
The Arctic Ocean will have wait have to wait until we return!
