On June 21st we set out from Fairbanks with the intention of sleeping on the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is he southernmost point at which the midnight sun is visible on the summer solstice. In other words, we got to experience Alaska’s famous midnight sun!
Driving to the Arctic Circle campground took us by some beautiful places:
First stop: Walmart in Fairbanks – not so beautiful, but necessary. There are very few stores between Fairbanks and Deadhorse.
Second stop: Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline Visitors Center in Fox, AK. Our class studied pipelines in Alaska and Virginia – so this was a must. Here we got to see our first pipeline pig.
Pipeline Pig — used to inspect and clean pipeline
Third stop: Gas station in Fox, Alaska. This was the last time we saw gas for under $5.00 a gallon until we got back to Fox, six days later.
Forth stop: Lunch at the Arctic Circle Trading Post in Joy, AK. Gifts are available here. We ate “out of the coolers” on the front porch and were joined with a friendly squirrel (our first wildlife of the trip, luckily not our last).
Arctic Circle Trading Post
Fifth stop: Dalton Highway sign! To get to the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks you must travel about 70 miles of the Elliott Highway. We were excited to start up the famous Dalton Highway, made famous by the TV show, Ice Road Truckers. You can read a New York Times article about the Dalton here.
Sixth stop: Yukon Crossing Visitors Contact Station. This is a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) managed stop with access to gas and pit toilets. The students spent some time reflecting on the banks of the Yukon River.
Yukon River
Seventh stop: Finger Mountain BLM Wayside. Here students climbed on rock formations that hunters used as markers for where they were and where they were going.
Students at the top of Finger Mountain.
View from Finger Mountain
Around 6:00 pm we made it to the Arctic Circle. The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed; as of 1 July 2017, it runs 66°33′46.7″ north of the Equator. I (Dr. Pederson) got our 12 passenger 4×4 van stuck in a mud puddle (a rather large mud puddle) on the way to our campsite. Camping at the Arctic Circle is rustic. There is one pit toilet for the entire campground. That is the only amenity.
We made it to the Arctic Circle
Day one of the Dalton Highway was action packed. All along we followed the Trans Alaskan Pipeline. We would continue to do so for days to come.
Day two coming soon!