Posted by: Dick Wilson
Start: Fairbanks, AL
Destination: Coldfoot Camp, AL
Miles traveled: 260, very hard-earned miles
Destination: Coldfoot Camp, AL
Miles traveled: 260, very hard-earned miles
Today, we began the ultimate road adventure and the most successful and anticipated leg of the Alaskan Motorcycle Caper, riding the Dalton Highway. This road extends from Livengood, Alaska, to Deadhorse at Prudhoe Bay, 414 miles north. Our goal was to ride to Coldfoot, 175 miles and a total of 240 miles north of Fairbanks where we began. 
In 1969, when oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s north slope, excitement was high at the prospect of new money to fuel Alaska’s "boom and bust" economy. The nation was in the throws of an energy crises and were pushing for an 800-mile long pipeline. The Dalton Highway, named for James B. Dalton, a life-long Alaskan and expert in arctic engineering, was constructed in only eight months through the dead of winter, with temperatures at -50 degrees F. or colder, and mud, dust, and clouds of
mosquitos in the summer. It is also referred to as the "Haul Road," used to carry construction materials and provisions for the pipeline which was completed in three years (1974-1977).
Traveling north from Fairbanks, we reached Livengood, where the pavement ended, and we began a 175-mile jaunt northward on gravel roads. It had recently rained, and the road surface in parts was, what they say in Alaska, "slicker than greased pig poop." We traveled slowly and without incident. One challenging section of
the Highway, approximately one mile long, was a recently laid road bed composed of softball-sized jagged rocks which had not been adequately compressed or filled. We made it through just fine, although not without some anxiety. Apparently, the previous day that road had claimed over one dozen truck and RV tires because of the sharp rocks. Crossing the Yukon River bridge, we traveled north, gassing up for the north ride. This is spectacular country. The road parallels the Alaskan pipeline, some of which is submerged and other places elevated sufficiently high to permit 
wild life to travel underneath.
In 1969, when oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s north slope, excitement was high at the prospect of new money to fuel Alaska’s "boom and bust" economy. The nation was in the throws of an energy crises and were pushing for an 800-mile long pipeline. The Dalton Highway, named for James B. Dalton, a life-long Alaskan and expert in arctic engineering, was constructed in only eight months through the dead of winter, with temperatures at -50 degrees F. or colder, and mud, dust, and clouds of
mosquitos in the summer. It is also referred to as the "Haul Road," used to carry construction materials and provisions for the pipeline which was completed in three years (1974-1977).Traveling north from Fairbanks, we reached Livengood, where the pavement ended, and we began a 175-mile jaunt northward on gravel roads. It had recently rained, and the road surface in parts was, what they say in Alaska, "slicker than greased pig poop." We traveled slowly and without incident. One challenging section of
the Highway, approximately one mile long, was a recently laid road bed composed of softball-sized jagged rocks which had not been adequately compressed or filled. We made it through just fine, although not without some anxiety. Apparently, the previous day that road had claimed over one dozen truck and RV tires because of the sharp rocks. Crossing the Yukon River bridge, we traveled north, gassing up for the north ride. This is spectacular country. The road parallels the Alaskan pipeline, some of which is submerged and other places elevated sufficiently high to permit 
wild life to travel underneath.We arrived at Coldfoot at approximately 10:00 p.m. It was bright as day. We checked into the motel, a very "plain Jane and expensive cubicle" and ate supper. At two minutes after midnight, I photographed the mountain behind Coldfoot Camp at 12:01 a.m. As you can see, the sun is shining on it. We were definitely in the "land of the midnight sun." We unloaded the bikes and crashed after an exhausting but exciting day.
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