It's 5:45 a.m. and raining as we assemble
at the Alaskaland parking lot in Fairbanks to board the
Dalton Highway Express, a 10-passenger van that offers bus
service between Fairbanks and Deadhorse. The Express is
full today, with 9 passengers, 2 bikes and assorted luggage
and freight.
It's still raining as we make our way slowly
up the Elliott Highway from Fairbanks to the junction with
the Dalton Highway. Fred, our driver, says he has had fog
for the entire 500 miles from Fairbanks to Deadhorse, and
days so hot and sunny he had to wear shorts and drive with
all the windows down. It doesn't look like it will be shorts
weather today.
Fred asks if anyone has noticed any traffic
coming from the other direction. No one has. This is not
a good sign. It has been a wet August (not unusual in the
Interior), and a rain-swelled Lost Creek washed out part
of the Dalton two days ago. But when we stop for coffee
at the Arctic Circle Trading Post, we learn that the road
has been reopened and we are "go" for Deadhorse.
After coffee, conversation gets a bit livelier in the van as
we all introduce ourselves (with the exception of 2 sleeping
commuters on their way to Wiseman). There's Ian from London,
on his third trip to Alaska but first trip up the Dalton. There's
Joe and his son, Andrew, from California; they're headed for
Coldfoot. Larry, also from California, is going to Deadhorse
to see the Arctic Ocean before flying down to Skagway to hike
the Chilkoot Trail.
Two more Californians--Dave and Mary--take
the van only as far as the Arctic Circle Wayside at Mile
115, which we reach before noon. They will take the next
7 days to bike the 300 miles to Deadhorse. It is so early
in the day they decide to skip a planned overnight here
and start up the highway. After a quick stop that allows
them to unload their bikes and gear, we're on our way again.
Just a few minutes up the highway, we're
stopped at the south end of 15 miles of road construction.
The flagger is not happy to hear about the two cyclists
on their way up the road. They will have to be trucked through
the construction for their own safety.
Road conditions on the Dalton range from
good to memorable. The few good stretches are generally
those that have been "rehabilitated" by the state,
meaning they've been widened, restored and resurfaced with
a High-Float Emulsion treatment or what used to be called
chip seal. On the gravel road, there are sections of washboard
so bad they make your teeth rattle.
We stop for gas and food at Coldfoot Camp,
Mile 175. Originally a truck stop, it now caters to the
tourist trade as well as truckers, offering a great cafe,
overnight accommodations, tour services, fuel and tire repair
year-round.
We stop again 16 miles up the road at Wiseman
and our 2 sleeping passengers rouse themselves and disembark.
Although the Express doesn't stop for picture taking--it's
transportation, not a tour--we have just enough time to
shoot some photos of this historic old mining town, while
Fred delivers boxes of supplies ordered by some of the local
residents.
From Wiseman, it's another 225 miles to Deadhorse.
We pass the time watching for wildlife and commenting on
the scenery. The Trans-Alaska pipeline is always there:
a dull gray or silvery pipe--depending on the light--snaking
its way across the landscape, sometimes disappearing underground.
The scenery never gets boring. The vegetation seems to change
every few miles, from boreal forest to boggy lowlands to
tundra. The trees start disappearing altogether as we climb
the dramatic Brooks Range over Atigun Pass.
There are relatively small numbers of wildlife
along the Dalton, probably for the same reason that there
aren't many humans: it's not an easy place to make a living.
We see a couple of moose, some Dall sheep, about a dozen
caribou and several black lumps on the horizon that Fred
tells us are musk-ox. But seasonal population highs can
make a difference in wildlife sightings. Fred says that
the Arctic coastal plain is so thick with ducks, geese and
cranes in the spring, he has to slow down to avoid hitting
them as they fly across the road.
We arrive in Deadhorse about 9:30 p.m., a
half-hour after both hotels have stopped serving dinner,
but at least we have rooms reserved. There's so much work
at Prudhoe Bay this summer, space is at a premium. It is
32 degrees and blowing. Larry has decided to tent it, rather
than pay the $120 for a room at the Arctic Caribou. Fred
drops him off at the Alaska Airlines terminal parking lot
where he can pitch his tent.
Only cold sandwiches are available at the
Arctic Caribou, where we are staying, so Ian and I walk
over to the Prudhoe Bay Hotel to see if there's any hot
food left at their cafeteria. "Bear in Area" signs
are posted at the hotel desk, so we watch for bears as we
walk to the other hotel. Pedestrians are an oddity in Deadhorse.
Everyone drives here, because of the bears, because of the
cold, because there are no sidewalks and because there's
not much to see if you've been here longer than a day.
The Prudhoe Bay Hotel cafeteria lets us scrape
the bottom of the soup and chili tureens. We sit in the
dining room with our hot meals and watch wrestling on TV.
After eating, we walk back to our rooms at the Arctic Caribou.
Although the architecture here can best be described as
'industrial,' our rooms do have cable TV and hot showers.
At least we're not in a tent, like Larry.
After breakfast the next morning, Fred meets
us out in front with the van at 9 a.m. and we pull out onto
the highway for our southbound trip. Ian and I are the only
passengers until we pick up a commuter in Wiseman. As so
often happens on a road trip, the return drive seems shorter.
We spot Dave and Mary on their bikes about 20 miles south
of Coldfoot. They still have 260 miles ahead of them. We
honk and wave. We don't stop to tell them it snowed in Deadhorse
last night.
NOTE: There are several ways to experience
the Dalton Highway.
The Dalton Express operates their commuter
service in summer, offering northbound service (Fairbanks
to Deadhorse) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and
southbound service on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. For
more information, phone (907) 452-2031, or go to www.daltonhighwayexpress.com.
You can drive the Dalton Highway yourself.
From Fairbanks to Deadhorse, allow 2 days up and 2 days
back. Or just drive as far as the Yukon River Crossing,
140 miles from Fairbanks, where you can get a close-up look
at the pipeline and have lunch at the Hot Spot Cafe. A detailed
description of the Dalton Highway can be found in the current
edition of The MILEPOST®, available in bookstores or
online at www.themilepost.com.
Northern Alaska Tour Company offers a variety
of 1-day and overnight tours on the Dalton Highway that
combine flying and driving. Trips may include overnights
at Coldfoot Camp and Deadhorse, stops at Wiseman, and tours
to the oilfield and Arctic Ocean. For more information,
phone (800) 474-1986 or (907) 474-8600, or go to www.northernalaska.com.
[This story originally appeared in the February 2002 edition
of Alaska Magazine.]
