Arctic Roadshow- Part III (Arctic Bound)

The Dalton Highway, roadway to the North. Also called the "Haul Road". This supply line is mostly dirt/gravel with intermittent paved sections. After leaving Fairbanks you travel for 70 miles along the Steese & Elliot Highways before reaching the start of the Dalton.

For 420 miles this roadway crosses several mountain ranges and ecologically unique biomes.

"Enduro" motorcyclists make way to the Arctic Circle and beyond.
Only a few miles into the drive, Gretchen and I pause to collect our thoughts before pushing on.
They don't call it the "haul road" for nothing, we were passed by hundreds of trucks supplying the North Slope oil fields.
Rolling country in the White Mountains, only 100+ miles North of Fairbanks.
Memorable occasion, crossing the mighty Yukon River.
Jasper, Jack, and Sam racing to see the Yukon River.
The mighty Yukon. Huge tributary of the North country.
Typical lunch break. Sam makes sandwiches, Jasper takes a nap, and Jack tries to sneak cold cuts...

I called this hill "Roller-Coaster" because it reminded me of the Rebel Yell coaster at Kings Dominion theme park in Central Virginia.

Black bear spotted alongside the highway about mile 87 of the Dalton Highway
Finger Rock- 40ft rock spire pointing towards Fairbanks, just south of the Arctic Circle
Jasper loves road trips
Tundra taking a rest at Finger Rock wayside
Tundra crossing the Arctic Circle
Another benchmark in the life of a traveling Geographer!
Awesome rainbow we saw coming into the Brooks Range, just south of Coldfoot


Camping just North of Coldfoot, Marion Creek Campground- Gates of the Arctic National Park to the left, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the Right

Another boring camping dinner- jambalaya with shrimp, Louisiana hot links, and of course Pinot Noir


Yeah, say's do not cut- but looks like a Beaver gnawed on it...
Sort of lame, but still a landmark...
Yes, rivers have many forks
Gorgeous mountains traveling through Atigun Pass
the Arctic Plains, 30 miles to the Arctic Ocean
Jasper & Jack's first walk on the North Slope, Pipeline in the background
didn't think Alaska could be this flat?
Finally, Deadhorse in the distance.

Arctic Roadshow- Part II (Chena Area)

After three days in Fairbanks we headed down Chena Hot Springs Road.

A gorgeous sunny afternoon,we decided to hike to Angel Rocks.
A five mile loop climbing from the Chena Hot Springs Road, travels through these unique rock out-croppings.
The hillside above the Chena River covered with "Angel Rocks".

Clear skies and green hills, gorgeous country. Gretchen enjoys the day.
Despite the presence of mostly evergreens, the terrain reminded me a little of the Shenandoah Mountains.

Monday we set out from Granite Tors trailhead for a 15 mile loop of the large rock formations. Very much a "natural stonehenge" of granite in the Chena hills.
Snacking on wild blueberries for breakfast as we hiked.

This area has seen a couple large wildfires in the last 7 years, so the "Fireweed" is blooming everywhere.

Jasper & Jack found copious amounts of Ermine, Marmot, and Tundra Squirrels to chase.
Mid-way hikers shelter. Provided a haven to eat our lunch out of 55 degrees and drizzling rain.
Gretchen crossing the alpine tundra, Tors in the distance. Just past 7 miles was very "boggy and wet".


Interesting neon orange and green algae growing on some of the Tors.

After a long 15 mile hike it was great to relax in Chena Hot Springs.
Sign said 106 degrees, but it sure felt warmer.

Chena River
Jasper after a long hike
Jack racked out
Tors Campground
Typical camping dinner; Shrimp Alfredo
Typical camping appetizer- red wine, IPA, and plenty of guacamole
Spotted a young moose along the Chena Hot Springs Road

Very photographic Moose, love the reflections.
Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Chena Hot Springs with a delicious breakfast in the lodge and headed North- Arctic bound!

Arctic Roadshow- Part I

Gretchen and I made it back safely from our 2200 mile journey deep into the heart of Alaska. After 10 days we traveled the Glen Hwy, Parks Hwy, Chena Hot Springs Road, Steese Hwy, Elliot Hwy, Dalton Hwy, Richardson Hwy, and finally Denali Hwy.

We met some awesome people along the way and spent three days with a good old Army buddy I haven't seen in four years that has moved to Fort Wainwright. It was awesome to meet his daughters for the first time. Its hard to choose a pinnacle of the trip, but driving the Dalton Highway and swimming in the Arctic Ocean was pretty amazing.

The trip started with Gretchen participating in a open-water swim in the Chena Lake near North Pole, AK. She swam with several girlfriends from the Buckner Masters Swim team.

At the start, I think the water was warmer then it looks; but I was drinking coffee on the shore for 90 minutes, so what do I know...

Elinor emerges from the lake.

Levi and I spent the first year of our Army careers together. Fort Lewis, Fort Leonard Wood, Sapper School- the good ole' days. It was awesome to reconnect for three days, I'm happy his family was stationed in Alaska.

Bold Ridge Day Hike

Just another beautiful Summer day in Alaska. Gretchen and I were shopping for vacant land in the Eklutna lake area, so we decided to go for a bike/hike with the boys.

Willow Creek Packraft

Week in McCarthy

After a month of summer school it was great to finally be free for the rest of the Summer. SO, Gretchen and I headed to one of our favorite spots in Alaska, Mccarthy. The great part about working for Schools is we had more then a weekend to travel. Monday to Monday sounded great over the 4th of July Weekend

Long days hiking and biking helped Jack & Jasper catch-up on some rest.
This photo was taken from our campsite along the Kennecott River. The old copper mine can be seen in the bottom of the frame with Jumbo and Bonanza Mine looming below Bonanza Peak at the top.
My buddy Matt Johnson showed up for the long weekend, so we packrafted Kennecott River.
It was kind of gnarly.
Gretchen and I fit in a 8 mile hike up to Bonanza Peak above the Root Glacier in the background.

Kennecott Mine.
The last day we decided to packraft Mccarthy Creek.

After walking an hour upstream we had some splashy fun back to our campsite.
Matt was hoping to "boof" something, but not on this creek...