The Dalton Highway & Summer Solstice at the Arctic Circle

Saturday, June 20, 2009 – Day 51 – Summer Solstice 09:45 PM Alaska Daylight Time

Sounds strange, Alaska Daylight Time – it’s always daytime here in the summer.  Celebrated the day by crossing over the Arctic Circle. Up at 4:30 AM in order to be at the bus depot at 06:00 AM, with a departure time of 06:30 AM.   I took the bus tour with the Northern Alaska Tour Company, up the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees 33 minutes, north latitude.  (Can’t remember the longitude, but that wasn’t why I went.)  Would have liked to go up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean, but that will have to wait for another lifetime.

We had a great tour guide/driver.  Barbara has been doing this for a number of years and really seems to enjoy what she’s doing.  Gave us a thorough lesson in Botany, Geology and History.  She got us out walking on the tundra sedges and feeling down 12” into the mucky ground to feel the solid, impenetrable, layer of icy permafrost. (Barbara asked, “Does anyone know the difference between sedge and grass?”  Someone piped up, “You can’t smoke sedge!” – Turns out that was John!)   Cotton grass was blowing in the wind and fireweed was coming into bloom. She also gave us a lesson in placer gold mining and the building of the Alaska Pipeline.  Met a really nice couple from Belfast, Ireland who I found out were staying at a North Pole, B&B. Turns out they were just down the road from our RV Park.  I became aware of John and Pauline at the Yukon River Camp. (A camp up here refers to a base camp where food and lodging are available, usually very Spartan in nature and usually in an Atco industrial trailer – Rooms were $199/night.)   They were looking at a map on the wall and talking to Barbara about the Yukon River.  It turns out that their knowledge of the Yukon is better than mine! Pauline told me about Robert Service’s literature and about Lake Labarge! (Kind of embarrassing when people from the UK know more about your country than you do!)  It turns out that they visited the Yukon last year and had to come back for their Alaskan Experience this year.  They had rented a vehicle for their touring and had already been to Denali, where John had captured some incredible bull moose shots…full frontal moose!  He has promised to send some images that I will feature in “Spot the Moose.”  (Of course, I will give the photographic credit to John!)  They are off to Wasila and then fly out of Anchorage.  They will overnight in Vancouver and then fly to Toronto before taking a short flight to Ireland.

I also had a chance to talk with JP and Cathy from, the St. Augustine area in Florida.  I’m guessing JP is in his 60’s and he’s an addicted biker.  That is a racing bicycle!  He teaches remedial math and English at a community college, but he said adamantly that, “I don’t do windows or summers!”  His summers are free to travel.  In his spare time he is a Boy Scout troop leader.  I never did learn his real name, but I’m guessing it is Jean Paul – He was born in New Hampshire but spent his early years in eastern Quebec, before returning to the United States.  An intriguing guy.

Everyone got their picture taken at the sign that has been erected at the Arctic Circle, and Barbara served us chocolate cake.  After this brief stop we got back on the bus to drive the Dalton Hwy back to Fairbanks.  On the way Barbara pointed out the remains of a wrecked truck camper from last year.  Apparently the guy came down a hill a little too fast – and we all know that at the end of a steep downgrade, there is a hard turn, rather than an uphill to slow you down.  Anyway, somehow he lost his camper unit which landed up at the bottom of a 25 foot embankment.  Nobody was seriously hurt but now he must remove the unit or face a hefty fine for littering.  As we continued homeward we saw many more people headed north, probably to celebrate Summer Solstice (some people are crazier than me) at the Arctic Circle.  We arrived in Fairbanks just after 10:30 PM.  It was still light out and would be for the rest of the day.