Alaska Caper -- Day 10

June 13, 2007
Posted by: Dick Wilson

Start: Tok Junction, Alaska
Destination: Fairbanks, Alaska
Miles traveled: 220 miles

We are far enough north that it never gets completely dark at night. It is not light enough to read, but you don’t need a flashlight to see what you are doing. I was awakened at perhaps 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. out of my sleep by what sounded to me like a rooster pheasant cackling. Obviously, this could not have been the case–right? It repeated itself four or five times before I got out of bed at 6:00 a.m. and noticed that about 20 yards from where our tent was pitched, the Sourdough Campground owners had a pheasant pen with one rooster and a handful of hens. The lesson here is to believe your ears, even if you are half deaf.

We packed up our tents and sleeping bags, and we were off to Fairbanks. We stopped at Delta Junction. This is the end of the old AlCan Highway. It is roughly 1500 miles long and cost $115 million dollars to build in 1943. That would be a real bargain in today’s economy.

The Tanana River, which we followed from Delta Junction most of the way, was quite interesting. It would appear that at the height of spring runoff this river bed is completely filled. The accompanying picture illustrates that as the water recedes there are only a few channels running with a huge amount of dry ground. This is a pattern for many of the low-lying rivers in Alaska which drain the vast mountain ranges.

We arrived in Fairbanks, and we were lucky enough to get the last room at the Best Western. Steve sweet talked the young lady at the desk into a room rate of $110.00, down from the usual AARP rate of $154.00.

We then went to the "BMW dealer." The shop was a rundown mobile home with all manners of trash and defunct motorcycles and parts everywhere you looked. Not surprisingly, he had not ordered Steve’s speedometer, but he indicated he had a 1999 bike in the back from which he could scavenge a part. We were skeptical, and Steve will probably be looking elsewhere to replace his speedometer.

The weather for tomorrow looks encouraging for the ride to Coldfoot. The road report suggests that there is quite a bit of construction, which may be a limiting factor. It is our gaol to travel as far north as we can, confidently and safely; hopefully, to Coldfoot Camp. More on that later.