The van picked us up at our campground at 5:45 A.M. and drove us to the Northern Alaska Tour Company's office. There we checked in, made our lunch order, and boarded our tour coach. We were introduced to Kailey, our tour guide and driver. We also met some of the 20 other members who were going to the Arctic Circle. Of the group, 8 were from India and 8 were formerly from India who now live in the USA. It was fun to listen to them talk in their native language, and I was very impressed with their command of the English language.
The bus departed Fairbanks around 6:30 a.m. We left town on the Steese Highway. Our first stop was at a gold mine where Kailey talked about the methods used to extract gold from the pay dirt (gravel containing gold). About 15 miles out of Fairbanks we turned off the Steese onto the famous Dalton Highway.
Formerly known as the Haul Road, the Dalton was constructed to allow for the building of the Alaska (Alyeska) Pipeline. This highway has also been featured on the TV reality show, Ice Road Truckers.
We stopped for a photo op at the sign designating this highway. It was apparent that truckers really do haul on this road as 3 semi trucks heading north passed by. This highway goes all the way north to Prudhoe Bay where the oil fields are located.
A few miles up the highway we stopped and walked a short distance to the pipeline. The pipeline is nearly 800 miles long and goes from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean all the way south to Valdez. Kailey did a nice job of talking about the pipeline while we took photos.
From there we stopped at the little area of Joy, Alaska. It is made up of a couple of families and a general store. We were able to browse the store, but more importantly use restrooms which are limited along the Dalton.
We then rode 140 miles north to the Yukon River. The highway is a combination of part asphalt and part hardpack gravel. And like other roads in the north is uneven and potholed. For this reason I chose to not drive my pickup on it. And by looking at the tour coach's windshield I knew it was a good decision. And it seemed that with each truck we met we could hear stone's bouncing off the front of the bus. The cracked windshield of the bus was proof that vehicles do take a beating. Car rental companies forbid that their cars be driven on the Dalton.
At the Yukon River we picked up a box lunch which we ate enroute. Farther down the Dalton we stopped at Finger Mountain. This area of stone outcroppings was used by the natives to create scarecrows which helped funnel the herds of caribou to places where they were easier to hunt. The unique rock shapes were also used by the early aviators as navigational aides. After pictures and a restroom break we were on the Dalton again.
At about 1:45 we arrived at 66º 33' North Latitude- the Arctic Circle! The Arctic Circle is significant because it is the most southern point capable of receiving 24 hours of continuous, direct sunlight at sea level (the sun never sets below the horizon). If you go any farther south, those areas would have a moment of time when the sun slips below the horizon at sea level. We had truly crossed into "The Land of the Midnight Sun"!
We celebrated our arrival at the Arctic Circle by crossing a red carpet with a dotted line on it. Photos where taken and then chocolate cake with whipped cream was served. We even received a certificate indicating our crossing upon our arrival back at the company office in Fairbanks. There were two volunteers in the parking lot who stamped passports for those who had one. They told me with our group a total of 92 people had stopped at the Arctic Circle sign which was a bit over the daily average.
After turning around it was back on the road and heading south towards Fairbanks, a distance of 199 miles. Several miles down the Dalton we made a stop in a transition area between the boreal forests and the tundra. Kailey walked us out onto the tundra. It was squishy soft when you walked on it. With a trowel, Kailey dug a hole into the tundra and allowed those who wanted to put their hand down the hole to feel the coldness caused by the permafrost.
She had also mentioned that there were blueberries in the area so while she dug, I harvested and ate a couple of handfulls of the ripen berries. I only wish we had more time and a container to collect more!
At about 4:45 we arrived back at the Yukon Trading Post where we ate a dinner that we had pre-ordered on the first leg of our trip coming out of Fairbanks. Peggy and I each had a burger which was grilled and tasted very good. The trading post also had homemade pie, so we couldn't resist. Peggy had cherry, and I had rhubarb.
Afterwards, we all walked to the bank of the Yukon River. In my imagination I could see the paddlewheelers going upstream to Dawson City and the gold fields there to deliver supplies and stampeders who could afford to travel by boat. What a significant river to the settlement of Alaska by the influx of non-natives.
In between stops we were entertained and educated on the bus by the presentation of videos on the subjects of gold mining, the building of the pipeline, the tundra and permafrost, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I have to admit that many, including myself, used these opportunities to take a quick nap.
From the Yukon River we were back on the bus with the next stop the Joy Trading Post for restrooms. While waiting to board the bus for the last leg of the return trip I gained a new friend. For some reason (I can think of several reasons! heehee) I was befriended by the year and a half year old granddaughter of the trading post proprietors. She had singled me out from the group and held her arms out to be picked up! So the grandpa in me took over, and we played rapid lift and toss/catch. The best part was her toothy giggle! This went on for some time as I would put her down when my arms tired, and she would come right back to me to be lifted up again. Hmmm?? Maybe I miss my own granddaughters more than I thought!
We arrived back in Fairbanks around 9:30 P.M. where we said our goodbyes to our tour mates and Kailey, and received our certificates. We were then given a ride back to our campground where we wearily but happily were back home. What a fantastic day!!
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