Masters of RVing Adventures

From Tok, in a shiny clean rig, we head the 262 miles to Fairbanks. After the first 50 miles, drizzle and road conditions had Jackson ready for another bath!

We reach the end of the Alaska Highway and join the Richardson Highway

Seeing Santa

Our first excursion is going to see Santa at the Santa Claus House in North Pole. We had Santa send our two great nieces a video message. Rudolph was enjoying some reindeer games, so we have to go back to visit him.

Pioneer Park

We take in a Vaudeville-type show, called the Palace Theater Golden Heart Revue, and an Alaskan Salmon Bake at Pioneer Park. The Salmon Bake was all you could eat, and it was more than you could eat. Very generous portions with nicely prepared meats and fish. You could choose halibut, cod, salmon, prime rib, snow crab legs, and more!

Waiting on the performers to take the stage for the Golden Heart Revue.

The Pioneer Park also had a number of historic artifacts from the settling of the area.

We saw this derelict steam shovel, but it had such an interesting past that it immediately brought back childhood memories of reading Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel.

Museum of the North

Mark and I decide to visit the Museum of the North on the University of Alaska‘s campus. While we are walking to the parking payment kiosk, we do a double take as we recognize a couple we know from Snowshoe, WV! Totally a God thing to literally run into our friends! We ended up walking through the museum together and then met later for dinner at the Pump House on the Chena River.

Artic Circle, Coldfoot, & Wiseman

Today we are off to the Arctic Circle, touring small amounts of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, visiting the Interagency Visitor Center, stopping at the Yukon River Camp and at Coldfoot Camp Cafe, and spending the night at The Boreal Lodge – another 75 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The most interesting aspects, besides just how darn cool (no pun intended, as it was 73^o F) it was to be on the Arctic Circle, it was so interesting watching the truckers with their oversized loads headed to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay, and following the Alaska Pipeline all along the Dalton Highway.

We started in Fairbanks and made it North on the Dalton Highway past Coldfoot into the Arctic Circle to the base of the Brooks Range to where our overnight lodge was located. If any of you have ever watched Ice Road Truckers, this is one of their winter routes. We didn’t go over the Atigun Pass/Continental Divide.

Zigzag lines of the Alaskan Pipeline

Now, I know I’ve tried to describe road conditions on the last stretch of Canadian side of the AlCan and then again on our side trip to Chicken, but the 289 miles from Fairbanks to Wiseman, where we found the small mining camp where we spent the night at the Boreal Lodge, took us roughly 10 hours because of the road conditions. We all arrived stiff and worn out from the gut-wrenching potholes and cinched-tight seatbelts from hitting washboard sections, ice heaves, sudden dips, and drops as we constantly switched from gravel to broken pavement.

In all fairness, part of the driving time was consumed by three 12-mile pilot-car lead road repair and construction sections, as well as we stopped three times. Our first stop was just after crossing the wooden bridge at the Yukon River Camp (4 hours into the ride and the first place we could stop) for a stretch, bathroom break, and late picnic-style lunch from the back of the dust-covered tailgates. Part of our group chose to order from the small grill and stay to eat lunch inside for a longer break.

Our second stop was for photos at the Arctic Circle. This was such a neat stop, not so much for the scenery, but more so because of the significance of standing at the edge of the Arctic Circle. Of course, we had tons of inspiring scenery all along the Brooks Mountain range of our journey. I’ve already posted these photos above.

Our third stop was at the Interagency Visitor Center where we talked with Park Rangers to learn more about the area and got a number of park stamps and stickers.

Our last stop for the night was at the Boreal Lodge, set well back off the highway. We followed the lodge owner’s directions into this small community that had once attracted gold seekers. Our accommodations consisted of two old hunting cabins converted to very comfortable guest cottages and an old hunting “lodge” converted into four small but acceptable rooms and a guest kitchen that had all the basic necessities. We had brought pre-cooked taco-seasoned ground beef and all the pre-chopped accompanying toppings, along with paper plates, plastic utensils, etc. Mark had volunteered us to make and bring brownies for dessert. By the time we got unloaded and heated up our dinner, we ate about 9:30 pm outside in full daylight. Then we sat around talking with after dinner drinks until after midnight, which was still daylight. Our dark “hours” lasted from 1:30am – 2:15am.

We stayed in the brown door, Boreal cabin, along with Liz & Mike. Three couples stayed in the lodge rooms and two other couples stayed in the cabin with the white door, the Polar cabin.

My advice, if you plan to make the trek to the Arctic Circle or even be so adventurous as to travel all the way to Deadhorse, plan your trip and then double the time you think it will take you. I’m only suggesting a summer trip; I personally think you’d be crazy to do it in winter ice and snow!

Because we kenneled the dogs and had a 6pm pick up time, we had to leave the lodge at 7am in order to have enough time for a quick breakfast at the Coldfoot Camp and get home in time to get the doggies. Notice the nice two-tone grime look on all the vehicles.

A Little Extra

Some more adventurous folks than our group