The best part of the ride to Fairbanks was the stretch through Healy Canyon north of Denali. The Nenana River slices through tall rock canyons, the train winds around high above the rapidly flowing, glacier fed water. The train was not crowded at all, which made it possible to move from car to car to get the best vantage points on either side. Very quickly the terrain flattened out, leaving the mountains of Denali behind. Anchorage people refer to the Fairbanks area as 'the desert,' as it is warmer, dustier, and flatter than the Anchorage area. I have to agree.
Our first day in Fairbanks we ventured downtown, what little there is of it. Only 230,000 people visit Fairbanks each year...it was like a ghost town. A nice park, Inuit Indian memorial along the Chena River, an Ice Museum, a dog mushers museum ( we declined to visit either one), a few restaurants, and jewelry stores. We opted for a late morning Java then I wondered into the jewelry store...bought a glass pendent from a local artist depicting the northern lights among the birch trees.
Our destination was Chena Hot Springs Resort about 60 miles east of Fairbanks. Tossed our bathing suits into the rental car, plugged the address into the gps and we headed out. After we turned off the main highway out of Fairbanks, I commented that I 'needed to watch for moose,' and no sooner did I say it than Paul was slamming on the breaks as I looked up and a giant moose cow was leaping up out of the brush on my side and bounding across the road in front of us, no more than a car length! We both just sat there stunned, then started laughing...and me without my camera at the ready! Didn't see another one all day.
Great ride, beautiful scenery out to the springs; that has been the case everywhere we have ventured in Alaska. Very quickly, we are in the middle of nowhere. Stopped at a few pull offs where we saw hiking, fishing, camping signs along the Chena River. We saw a few cars but hardly any other humans.
Chena Hot Springs was founded over a 100 years ago by two mining brothers; they sought relief for their rheumatism, found the hot springs, built 12 cabins and the resort has become the most popular of the interior of Alaska. The restaurant was just kinda okay, but the pictorial history on the walls and other memorabilia from the early days was fascinating. We toured the property, petted reindeer, and paid our fee to sit in the geothermal rock pool. The water is a mixture of sulfate, chloride, and bicarbonate. Water flows from the springs at 156 degrees and cool water is pumped into the rock pool so bathers don't parboil! It was very relaxing, children are not allowed. It's also a great place to view the Northern Lights in the winter.
We headed back to Fairbanks for an early wake up call for our trip to the North Slope and the Arctic Circle. My ultimate goal was to ride to Alaska; I want to ride the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Ocean. I settled for a small guided tour, where someone else does the driving. I booked the tour with the Northern Alaska Tour Company - founded by two high school students in the mid eighties and still business partners today! I'm fascinated with the Dalton Highway, the Alaska Pipeline, and the history of the area...the Call of the Wild, truly an adventure road. The tour takes 15-17 hours, depending on weather. There are only a few points of interest with the Arctic Circle being the final destination.
We boarded the small but comfy van at 6am with 16 other travelers, mostly our age. We were encouraged to bring our own snacks and water since the only outpost is the Yukon River Camp more than 160 miles from Fairbanks. There were only four stops all day, with outhouse accommodations. Shortly after leaving Fairbanks we lost cell service ( which made me realize if something happened to you or your bike on this road you are at the mercy of a passing trucker with a CB), shortly after that we lost asphalt. The elevation dips and dives but nothing very high, more like mounds carved out by glaciers eons ago covered by dense spruce and birch. The road is mostly hard packed gravel surface, with some patches very loose, and clouds of dust. On our return trip it started to rain and the road became a slick, gravelly, mess. Even in a comfy van, we were beat and slammed for 400 miles. The road is so narrow in spots, the van had to stop, scoot near the edge, not off the road because there is no shoulder, and wait while a semi goes flying by. CB radio communication lets other drivers know if a vehicle is coming around a blind curve or coming up or down the steep hills.
The Dalton Highway was originally built to accommodate the building of the Alaska Pipeline, it still serves as the only supply route to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. Very little tourist traffic, although we did see a few RV's and a dozen or so motorcycles making the trip. We stopped first at the Joy trading post, which was closed, but the tour company has the key to the outhouses, which are kept locked. It is at this first stop that the mosquitoes make themselves known, up to this point they haven't been an issue. The guide has 'Off' though and that keeps them...well, off. This is also the location for the tour company's Northern Lights tour.
The next stop was the Yukon River Camp situated alongside the river. It is a dilapidated series of modular type buildings leftover from the '70's pipeline boom, situated in a sea of gravel and dust - turned to mud when it rains - with a gas pump, several well worn vehicles scattered about, and ruddy looking people, mostly men. This is where we will pick up our sack lunch and where we will stop again for dinner on the return trip. And, it offers the only flush toilets/running water for miles. You can also rent a room here; the modular camps were set up in the '70's to house pipeline workers. The owners of the camp today, service the few tours like ours, the daring motorcyclists, and the down right insane bicyclists who brave the Dalton Highway. We grab our lunches - ample sandwich/chip/cookie/fruit - and cross the highway to the picnic tables set up under the pipeline. During the trip we watched four very informative videos; Gold Mining, Building the Alaska Pipeline, and Gates of the Arctic National Park....and the name of the other one escapes both Paul and I as of this writing!!
Finger Mountain is an unusual outcropping of granite rocks and spires in the middle of the arctic tundra. It was also the last outhouse stop before the Arctic Circle. We climbed up the rocks ( love me some rocks) and enjoyed the breathtaking panorama. Everyone was excited to reach our destination, latitude 66'33. Don't ask me why, there is absolutely nothing there but the sign - and more outhouses. It's just one of those extreme destinations that always attracts me. Aaron, our guide, made a crazy little ceremony...literally rolling out a red carpet with a dotted line on it to symbolize 'crossing' the circle from south to north, while he bellowed on a trombone ( moose call). Afterwards he served us chocolate cake with 'perma-frosting!' It as wild!
And almost on cue, the forecast 60% chance of rain started to fall. A slow sprinkle at first, by the time we reached to muddy oasis of the Yukon Camp, it was a steady downpour. We took our time over salmon tacos for dinner, hoping the rain would cease. No such luck, the driving was treacherous on the return trip. Snaps to Aaron for getting us back to asphalt - and cell service - safely. We were tired, our bones were jarred, our throats were choked with dust, but we did something not everyone gets to do.
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