8/11 - 8/12 - 8/13

Well it is the end of our Alaska adventure. Our flight from the Arctic brought us back to Fairbanks for our Monday pm flight home. It was a great 3 + weeks added onto to our 10 day family cruise. The RV rental and multiple bush plane fights allowed us to experience Alaska at its best.  

It is an enormous state some 2,500 miles from one end to the other. We only drove 1,863 miles of it, but we’re able to travel from the southern coast line full of glaciers into the tundra of the Arctic. Note - Alaska has over 100,000 glaciers with mountains peaks higher then the Alps. 

Cost of living here is crazy expensive with gas at least $1.00 more then Md, food cost are high as well.  Problem is everything has to be shipped in,  even their salmon and gasoline.  Alaska no longer has a processing plant so the fish are sent to Washington State and then are shipped back to the grocery stores. Crazy!  

Pics from Fairbanks paddle wheel river trip  

Cool house on the river. 

This house had its own lagoon and multiple water falls including one that went across the driveway

Stuffed moose in the Alaskan historical camp setup by the river trip company. Moose in Alaska are larger then anywhere else in the world. 

Last night treat, dinner out. Great restaurant right on the river with awesome drinks! 

Last stop before the Airport was the University of Fairbanks museum. Nice museum. 

 8/9 - 8/10 - I hit a snag with Google photos that I can’t seem to straighten out on the road. So I will update the final few days when we are back home. 

8/14 - Got my Google problem figured out. Hey!

8/9 - 8/10 Travel day from Chicken to Fairbanks to turn in our camper. Temps are in the mid 70’s and very smoky from the forest fires around Fairbanks. We took in some sights stopping in at converted movie theater now an Ice craving display.  A short movie was played on craving then we were able to go into the 20 degree ice rooms and see the artwork up close.  

The ice room also had a slide. 

Up next in Fairbanks was our visit to Pioneer Park. Very nice park with historic buildings that were moved there including a steamboat from the 1890’s and President Harding train used to visit Alaska in 1923

Place Theatre where we took in a play in the development of Alaska.

Gift shops galore 

Next up is our trip to Coldfoot located in the Arctic Circle via the infamous Dalton Hwy. We hired a shuttle to take us on the 9 hour ride over a mostly gravel and dirt road. The highway was constructed by the oil companies back in the early 70’s to access the oil rigs at Prodhoe Bay. Huge trucks are on this road many with enormous loads and 10 axle trailers (40 tires) to handle the weight.

Fun at the Pipeline 

One of the many roller coaster hills on the Dalton. 

Wood deck bridge crossing the Yukon River. The only road in Alaska that crosses the river.

Our luxury Bus with only 7 people aboard. 

Made it to the Arctic Circle. Coldfoot still an hour and half away. 

Pic of the family from India that were on the bus with us up the Dalton Highway and our driver Tom. Nice family- fun to be with. 

Our Coldfoot lodge! Coldfoot is half way to the Arctic Ocean from Fairbanks and is essentially a truck stop for the truckers. 

Not lavish but clean and comfortable enough for our two day stay.

Lots of activity in Coldfoot with huge trucks rolling in and helicopters taking off and landing right next to our “Lodge “. Janet’s head was on a swivel! The helicopters are related to a new goldmine road being planned and new drilling development 100 plus miles further to the NW

Hiking in a 1/2 mile to our rafting spot. 

The landscape here is amazing. 

Our guide Duffy aka Steven. 

Pretty smoked in from the forest fires east and south of our location.

Low water. 

The Adventures!

Wendy always looking great even in the wilderness. Nearest civilization 250 miles away. 

We headed further up the Dalton to meet Jack Reakoff who lives 13 miles north of Coldfoot. He gave us a taste what is like to live in the wilderness off the land. Electricity is solar to battery backup with a small generator used in the winter months with 21 hours of darkness a day. Hunting and berry picking with a very small garden for food is the only option living so far out. A wood stove is the main source of heat. Tough life for sure!

 

Cold storage is in the root cellar.

Coldfoot Saloon 

We took a 4 mile hike into the back woods.

Brown bear and lynx tracks on our hike. Didn’t see anything thankfully.

Believe it or not a Model A drove up to the gas pump in Coldfoot. The guy had driven this car and camper from Minnesota across the US and Alaska to Coldfoot. He did need some repairs as is muffler had fallen off and the trailer also had problems. His goal was to get yo the Arctic Ocean and back home. Amazing!!

We were able to fly back to Fairbanks as the wildfire smoke cleared out. Thank goodness we didn’t have the 9 hour van ride home.