My Trails

Tanana River.

To keep mosquitos from attacks.

I left Clearwater Recreation Area near Delta Junction and drove ten miles north to Delta State Historical Park. I had read there was a campground there that was only $10 and had a dump station and potable water. The campground was nothing more than a parking lot and the dump cost extra. There was, however, a free historical display of buildings and artifacts and stories of the old roadhouse.

Rika’s Roadhouse

Rika’s Roadhouse was built in 1903 and acquired by Rika in 1923. Being on the Tanana River the roadhouse was an important crossroads for early trappers, prospectors, and military men headed north from Valdez. I enjoyed looking at all the artifacts and reading the stories of yesteryears. In one building there were many old tools and gadgets I remember seeing in grandpa’s barn and garage.

Alaska Pipeline over Tanana River.

I moved up the road a mile and stopped to look at the Alaska Pipeline where it crosses the Tanana River. Running 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, crossing three mountain ranges, and built for a measly $5,000,000,000, the pipeline is quite a marvel. Many places the pipe had to be raised above ground on stilts to keep the hot oil from melting the permafrost. Here at the Tanana River was one of the longest spans – 1200′.

I ran into more construction a few miles before a town called North Pole. After sitting and waiting for the pilot car for 20 minutes, I didn’t feel like stopping at North Pole. And anyway, a town named North Pole smacks of the idea of bangels and bobbles and tourists.

Air Force base

I passed Eielson Air Force Base a few miles before Fairbanks. The runway is fairly close to the highway and I could see fighter jets and large tanker refulers on the flight line. This is probably a pretty important base this close to Russia, but I suppose no one would want to think about that. There were signs all along the highway saying – NO STOPPING, NO PARKING, NO PHOTOGRAPHY.

I’m parking at Walmart for a couple days and then I will probably move to Pioneer Park. I have an appointment in a week to get my brakes replaced so I will be here long enough to see the sights.

Back in civilization!

Dumpster

It was an exciting day today. I walked my garbage down to the dumpster.

Alaska Highway northern terminus.

It rained all night and for most of the morning. The gravel parking area where I stayed overnight had puddles filled with water when I got up, so I hung out and waited for the rain to let up before pulling out. I could have stayed right where I was but I decided to find a place near Delta Junction.

Later that morning I drove the 60 miles north to Delta Junction and found a state forest recreation area that was only $15 a night and had good cell signal. I paid for two nights just to let the rainy weather blow through and give me a rest from driving.

Clearwater State Rec Area.

This campground, called Clearwater Recreation Area, is nestled into trees with a lake running along beside. It is quite small and has filled to max tonight. I went down to the hand pump to get water, and what came out of that well didn’t look like clear water to me!

In the afternoon the sun came out and I made a trip into Delta Junction to visit the Visitors Center and see what else was in town. Along the way I saw a moose beside the road and instinctively slowed down to keep watch for wildlife.

The Visitors Center had some displays about the Alaskan Pipeline and the official signpost signifying the end of the Alaskan Highway. I talked with the person inside and got some ideas about camping and viewing the Pipeline. Those will be for another day.

Size of oil pipeline over years.

Alaskan Mosquitos

Delta Junction has a nice supermarket and I picked up some lettuce, potatoes, and fruit, all things I have been hungry for but didn’t want to buy in small towns.

Four foot satellite dish.

On the way back from town I took a picture of the satellite dishes they use up here. They are pointed low on the horizon and are quite a bit larger than what we use down home.

Storyboard

The campground north of Chicken was completely full by dinner time. I guess it was because I left Dawson so early is why I beat everyone there. Just as I was eating dinner two pickups came in, one pulling the other. I later found out that a young couple had broken the universal joint on their truck just two miles back and a good samaritan had towed them in. The camp host had a satellite phone and called for a tow truck out of Tok. I talked with them later and we both agreed it was a good thing it didn’t happen on the Top Of The World Highway.

That’s the chance you take out here with no cell service. By the time someone comes along and finds you broke down by the road and goes for help, it can be a long wait. I shudder to think how much it would cost to tow a motorhome from the Top of the World Highway, 100 miles to Tok.

The road from the campground to Tok was full of dips and humps but at least it was paved. I only averaged about 40 or 45 mph down to where the Taylor Highway joins back up with the Alaskan Highway. From there it was better road for the last 12 miles to Tok.

If you are driving into or out of Alaska, you go through Tok. I think they know that at the grocery store. The prices were higher than they were in Dawson, and you don’t get any discount with the money like the Canadians give you. I did laundry, filled with gas (gas prices are better here than Dawson), and used a coin carwash to blast some of the mud from Minnie and Honda.

I was thinking of staying in town. I checked the prices for an RV park and found out it would be $55 for the night. The Chevron station lets you park out back for free if you fill up with gas. I didn’t really feel like handing over $50 or parking behind the gas station among the junk cars so I headed out of town to find a parking area.

I found a large gravel parking area near Dot Lake. It is about 60 miles south of Delta Junction, the end of the Alaskan Highway. I have a tiny bit of 1X signal so I may be able to post this but not put up any pictures.

Looks like I’m in for a storm tonight. The Weather Channel just posted warnings for heavy rain and hail in this area. How big of a hail stone will a solar panel survive?

Crossing the Yukon River

The line waiting for the ferry to cross the Yukon River can be more than two blocks long. If you wait in that line it may take you several hours before they load you for the trip to the other side. I decided to get up early and board the ferry before the big crowds. I figured that not only would I skip the wait but it would put me out ahead of traffic on the Top Of The World Highway. I set my alarm for 5:30am.

It was hard getting up at 5:30am. It has been quite some time since I’ve had to get up than early, and with the days so long and bright up here, I have become something of a night owl, staying up until midnight or later, and sleeping in till 8 or so. I almost couldn’t force myself to wake up, but the alternative thought of waiting in line spurred me out of bed.

I hit the ferry a little after 6:00 and boarded almost immediately. The road from Dawson to the border of Alaska was dirt but fairly smooth and wide. There were many places along the road where RVs had camped for the night and most of the travelers were still sleeping as I drove past. I took my time and stopped to make breakfast at one nice pullout above treeline. There was no hurry to get to the border crossing because they didn’t open until 8:00.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

I kept thinking as I drove this highway through the Northwest Wilderness how big this land is and how small I am. When I hiked the AT there were times at the top of a mountain where you could see for miles and miles of nothing but forest, but you new that out there were roads and towns and eventually civilization. Up here, the forests are wild and immense and void of any human impact. There are things out there that could eat you! When Alaskan bush pilots went down in this area they were in for a struggle to survive.

I reached the US border about 20 minutes before they opened. There were already two cars in line that were earlier than me. They let me back in after making sure I wasn’t bring in any elk antlers. I assured her I wasn’t. The road was paved and new for about two miles and then it got bad.

I had read in the Milepost and also on Richards blog about the narrow, winding road from the border to Chicken, Alaska so I was pretty well prepared for it. A lot of the road runs along the side of a mountain with 1000 foot dropoffs and no guardrails. And on top of that, the road is too narrow for two big rigs to pass each other without moving way out on a soft shoulder. I took it slow and easy and had no problems.

The last two miles driving into Chicken and five miles beyond were under construction and very rough. It looked like they had dumped dirt in the road and not even leveled it out. I was driving over piles of dirt coming down the last mile into town. The construction north of Chicken was the kind where you wait a half-hour for the pilot car to return.

Chickin

Chicken, AK is a tiny mining town in the middle of nowhere. The story is that the miners wanted to name the town ptarmigan but none could spell it. That’s my type of guy – I have trouble spelling chickin! The town survives by catering to tourists staying in the RV park, browsing the mining artifacts, and eating in the diners. I saw an advertisement for chicken pot pie but the cafe I stopped at didn’t serve it so I had a turkey sandwich.

I drove twenty miles north of Chicken and spent the night at a BLM campground called West Fork Campground. I was the only one there for a while but then the sites filled up later in the day as more people came across the Top of the World Highway from Dawson. I have no cell so I will wait till tomorrow when I get to Tok to post this.