So, for anyone thinking that driving to Alaska was enough of an adventure for us, just wait...
Today, we drove from Fairbanks, clear up to the Arctic Circle...
and crossed it, of course!
The adventure up there was something...
I had done a lot of research and had watched a lot of videos of others who had attempted the drive, and this was honestly the part of our adventure that I was both most excited about AND most nervous about!
We got up early, and left Fairbanks around 6:30am. We took the Elliott Highway a couple of hours north to the infamous Dalton Highway, also called the "Haul Road"...
Today, we drove from Fairbanks, clear up to the Arctic Circle...
and crossed it, of course!
The adventure up there was something...
I had done a lot of research and had watched a lot of videos of others who had attempted the drive, and this was honestly the part of our adventure that I was both most excited about AND most nervous about!
We got up early, and left Fairbanks around 6:30am. We took the Elliott Highway a couple of hours north to the infamous Dalton Highway, also called the "Haul Road"...
It's the road notoriously featured on the TV show, "Ice Road Truckers", as it follows the Alaska Pipeline and connects the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Shore to the Elliott Highway, and from there to Fairbanks... So, that's another show I'm going to have to check out, now!
Once we hit the Dalton Highway, it took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes to make the 115 mile trek north.
We crossed the Yukon River...
and for most of the trip, the pipeline was our only companion...
A lot of the scenery looked like this...
but, we made it!
As crazy as it sounds, when we got there, there was a sweet couple all set up with a tent and information about the Arctic Circle, handing out Arctic Circle certificates!
It was such a welcoming sight after passing only a handful of cars, trucks, and motorcycles our whole route up.
During the 45 minutes or so that we spent up there, probably 5-6 cars pulled in, out popped a few people, more photos were snapped, and they continued on their way...
From the Arctic Circle, you can continue on up to Coldfoot at Mile 175 or ride the highway all the way to Deadhorse which ends at the Prudhoe Bay oil fields at about Mile 414, just under 10 miles from the Arctic Ocean...don't you know...if we only had a couple more days... :)
Most people that drive the entire highway (and seriously I've even watched video accounts of people riding the entire highway ON A BIKE!) take a couple of days, spend the night in Coldfoot, and arrange for some sort of tour to the Arctic Ocean at the top, because of course you can't actually drive to the Arctic Ocean...you can get close, but not all the way without the help of a private tour!
So, seeing that we were scheduled to be in Juneau, that's right, Juneau, in about 24 hours, we had to turn around and head back...
On the way back we saw more of this...
and this...
We stopped at Mile 60 for lunch at the Hot Spot Cafe...
and continued on...
This is what our car looked like as we left the Dalton Highway!
On our way back to Fairbanks, we a stop at the Alaska Pipeline viewpoint just north of the city...
and made another quick, but important, stop...
before continued on through the night to Haines...
We have an 8:30am boat to catch tomorrow morning!
More {Road Trip} 2017 Fun
Day Nine - Denali National Park & Preserve + Go UAF Nanooks!
Day Eleven - JUNEAU
Days Twelve & Thirteen - Driving for Days
Day Fourteen - Hello, Seattle!
Day Fifteen - A Couple of Capital Cities with Capitol Steps to Climb
Day Sixteen - Out and About in the Portland Area
Day Seventeen - Idaho
Day Eighteen - Utah, and a Goodbye
Day Nineteen - From the Mountains to the Plains
Day Twenty - Canvasing Kansas
Day Twenty-One - Good Bye, Kansas + Hello, Missouri!
Day Twenty-Two - Finishing Up Truman's Missouri
Day Twenty-Three - Kicking It Through Kentucky and HOME!
Day Eleven - JUNEAU
Days Twelve & Thirteen - Driving for Days
Day Fourteen - Hello, Seattle!
Day Fifteen - A Couple of Capital Cities with Capitol Steps to Climb
Day Sixteen - Out and About in the Portland Area
Day Seventeen - Idaho
Day Eighteen - Utah, and a Goodbye
Day Nineteen - From the Mountains to the Plains
Day Twenty - Canvasing Kansas
Day Twenty-One - Good Bye, Kansas + Hello, Missouri!
Day Twenty-Two - Finishing Up Truman's Missouri
Day Twenty-Three - Kicking It Through Kentucky and HOME!
