Our last Day of the Trip to the Arctic Circle

davis676
Jul 1, 2024
3 min read

Just a few shots of the last 170 miles or so. An easy trip. Couple of waits for road work. A highlight was a stop at the Yukon Camp for breakfast, and an associated short walk down to the river's edge with Tuck to get a feel for just how big the Yukon is. The answer? Very big!!!

It was a short walk due to it not being very far, but also due to the quantity and aggressive nature of the mosquito population. Not hard to handle with a head net and bug juice on the back of your hands or on any other exposed skin, but Tuck and I had neither, so we beat a hasty retreat back to the truck after our little walk.

Ann had already gone into the Yukon Camp to order breakfast for us, on the heels of two or three truckers who had just walked in before her. Two of them looked like ordinary people; the third? Not quite so much. Huge, about 6' 6", wife-beater tee shirt on, exposing big arms and big tattoos. Ring in his nose. Mohawk haircut. Apparently, a capable "fun seeker" in some of the rougher part of Fairbanks (which can be pretty rough, as far as I can tell). However, we had a very nice conversation with these guys while our breakfast was being prepared. Conservative bunch. Hooted at the idea of Prudhoe Bay ever shutting down. Coffee was fine; everything else about breakfast was pretty poor. Really gross hashed browns. More like "hashed grays".

Lots of smoke as we approached Fairbanks, and a lot more as we got into to town. Drove right through an area that had been fully engulfed in flames about three days ago. Still smoldering, in fact.

Got into town, dropped a load of laundry off, and then went to the hotel to get checked in. Left Tuck there while Ann went to Walmart, and I went to clean the calcium chloride mud off the truck. The stuff goes on like mud, but sets up quickly into near-cement. So, it took a while to spray it off. New frying pan and plates for the truck, to reward Ann for her considerable patience in spending six days in the truck going and coming to the Arctic Ocean. Dinner at the bar at the restaurant in the hotel, Lavelle's Bistro. Saw our good buddy, Gary, the hotel maintenance man, who agreed to set me up with a fresh water tank fill in the morning.

A little drizzle, still going on this morning. The place needs the water, About 150 wildfires burning in the State, including one near the entrance to Denali Park. The campground in which we stayed ten days ago has been evacuated. We need to drive right through that area today or tomorrow on our way to Willow, AK, to spend the 3rd and 4th with cousins of close Desert Mountain friends. Will also spend the 7th and 8t with them at their home in Anchorage.

More fun on the way!!

Thanks for your interest.

Davis, Ann, and Tuck

Were lots of these on the road...