First stop was just out of town where we stopped beside
the Alaskan Pipeline so I could show Janet some of the detail of it. They have
examples of the “pigs” they put in the line to clean it of wax deposits, as
well as some other facts about the pipeline, like why some parts are above ground
while others are below ground, and the liquid ammonia heat transfer pumps on
each pair of legs which help to prevent the permafrost below from melting. And having been to Valdez and seen the end of
it, we were now going to follow the pipeline north to its origin – The oilfield
at Prudhoe Bay. It was to be our
constant companion over the next few days.
We got to Joe’s house, but no one was there. I met Joe and his wife Nancy on my last trip –
The coach tours stop at their place where they always have hot coffee and sell
a few souvenirs, but most importantly love to hear everyone’s story – Even though
theirs is far more interesting. Living remotely, built their own house, raised
some 25 kids (of which about 20 were adopted of fostered), they really are a
fascinating couple. I wanted to see them
again, and introduce Janet to them, but it would have to wait.
Weather wasn’t too bad, so we pushed on up the dirt
Dalton Highway, eventually crossing the Yukon River on the big wooden bridge at
about 11 am. Just over the bridge we stopped at the Yukon River camp for a bite
to eat and some coffee – And ended up having a delicious hamburger for “brunch”
! Also got them to fill up our thermos with boiling water so we had some hot
water for tea / coffee / soup if it was bad weather later, and cooking would be
limited. Coming out of the camp, we were
met by Jeremy and his mother Dorothy – Interesting people who lived in a cabin
5 miles upstream, and the only access was by boat from the camp. They had a small wooden shed at the camp from
which they sold home made things – Fur bags, purses made from various furs,
bear teeth / claw articles, bentwood items, and other local handicrafts that
they had made from animals they had shot or other items they had collected. Their
work was fairly “rustic”, and certainly would not have been able to be taken
back into Australia, but what fascinating tales they had to tell about their trip
up from the lower 48, the cabin they had built many years ago when her husband
was still alive, and their ongoing life in total remoteness. Jeremy wanted to
be called “Yukon Jeremy”, but somehow the name Jeremy just doesn’t go with
Yukon ! He needs to be a Jack or a Sam
! We gave Jeremy a small kangaroo stick
pin and promised to talk with them further when we returned from Prudhoe.
We then went over to the Information Centre, a small cabin
beside the Yukon River, manned by “ranger” Dottie. Like most people around here,
she is from the lower 48, but comes up here every year as a volunteer and loves
her summer life living out in the wilds of Alaska. Janet bought a mosquito head
net to cope with the increasing number of mosquitoes we were encountering due
to the mild winter they had experienced, plus the recent early hot weather. Then we set off north to the Arctic Circle.
As we headed north and up, it got steadily colder and
wetter. Past the tree line, we came to Finger Mountain that stands north of the
Boreal Forests, in the Arctic Tundra. I had a quick walk up to the top of the
hill, but it was sleeting, blowing and cold, and very muddy, so Janet stayed in
the car and watched me ! We then
continued north, with the pipeline continuing to zig zag along beside us (to
allow for expansion and contraction, and limit damage in an earthquake),
passing a funny abandoned “Gift Shop” out in the middle of nowhere. We finally reached the Arctic Circle at 3 pm
after a fairly long day, and a tiring one with so much dirt road, and much of
that being very slippery and muddy. It was still raining quite hard, and cold,
so after a couple of quick photos at the Circle itself, we drove the ½ mile up
behind the circle to the fairly rustic (and very wet and muddy) campsite. While
driving around looking for a level spot, we suddenly saw a golden eagle sitting
in a tree right beside us, looking at us, so that put a smile on our faces
despite the weather. We then climbed in the back, put the roof up, and prepared
for a basic night with no tent or awning on the back. A simple soup and bread meal was all we
needed after the good lunch at the Yukon, and we turned in fairly early and had
a very comfortable night on the Arctic Circle, warm in our -10 Deg C sleeping
bags !!
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