975 July 4, 2023 Getting Ready

I walked huge laps around lots of big box stores this morning.  There was a nice sidewalk and I was able to do 4 miles.  We knew there was no rush to get to Rivers Edge Campground in Fairbanks.  We were just 8 miles away.  We left way too early and arrived at 9:30am.  We were told that there was a firm policy in place and that no one could check in before noon.  They were kind enough to let us dump tanks and use the car/RV wash for both vehicles.  They gave us the WIFI password so that I could post the blog and they gave us the codes to the laundry room.  We had an extremely productive morning!

At noon we moved to our site.  We spent the day packing and preparing.  Tomorrow, we begin our grand adventure.  We are planning to drive the 499 miles to the Arctic Ocean.  We are leaving the RV here in this campground in Fairbanks.  The Dalton Highway is no place for our RV…though some people risk it! 

Tomorrow we will cross the Arctic Circle and we have a room reserved at Coldfoot Camp.  Thursday we will sleep in the rooftop tent.  Friday, we have a room at Deadhorse Camp.  Saturday morning, we will take the bus at Prudhoe Bay to the Arctic Ocean because no one is allowed to travel there without an escort.  This is the site of the largest oil field in North America.  That evening, we plan to tent out.  Sunday we will stay in Coldfoot and Monday, we will drive back to Fairbanks.  This trip required some planning and coordination.  Security clearance is necessary to take the bus to Prudhoe Bay. 

We are excited…we never know what we are going to see!  It is unlikely that we will be able to post the blog.  To be sure, we will be taking lots of pictures and we will have stories to share when we get back next week.