982 July 11, 2023 Antigun Pass In The Sunshine

Last night, we crawled up into the tent at 8pm.  Soon after that, the winds stilled and we slept.  This campground exists in a depression left by a glacier.  It is ringed on three sides by towering mountains.  The sun doesn’t set at all here right now.  We got up at midnight and the sun shone brightly in the northern sky.  As the night progressed the sun continued to skirt the mountaintops, never sinking below the horizon.  At 3:40am the sky was blue and the sun cast a rose gold light on the snowy peaks and it was breathtaking.

We took a walk this morning.  3 days ago, when we stopped here, the river was a muddy torrent.  Today, the glacial water was crystal clear.

This was a beautiful camping spot.

We were excited for the drive today.  I knew I could never capture all the beauty around me so I tried to take less pictures and just enjoy the ride.

Pump Station Number 4.

More mountains.

This is the Antigun River and the view that we are leaving behind.

The truck barreling down the highway was creating a cloud of dust.  Dry and dusty or cloudy and muddy…I choose dust!

This is the view from Antigun Pass…WOW!

The trees are back!  Scenery beyond the pass.

We saw a musk ox at Nutirkwik Creek.  We watched at he slogged across the river and then was looking for a place to climb the bank.  He caught us looking and turned back and walked away.  When we realized that our presence had changed his behavior, we left him.

We drove to the other side of the bridge and had the perfect place to enjoy our breakfast.

More mountains.

Remember that three days ago when we passed through, everything was draped in thick clouds and all of this was invisible to us!

This shoulder is cracked up!

We arrived in Coldfoot in early afternoon.  We got settled and I worked on the blog.  We had really great hot showers.  We went to dinner at the Trucker’s Café.  We went back to the Visitor Center and watched a video presentation on the Arctic.

This evening, we are making use of the free laundry room…woohoo!

If you are going to travel the Dalton Highway, it is cool to cross the Arctic Circle.  Coldfoot is the place to refuel and the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center is very well done and worth your time.  But in my opinion, the section of highway from Coldfoot to Galbraith Lake is the prettiest.  Keep in mind that we didn’t see much wildlife until we were almost to Prudhoe Bay.  Then, you might as well dip your toes in the Arctic Ocean. Keep driving my friends…you will not regret it!  We have been spellbound, humbled, and moved by the grandeur of our surroundings.

Wait…we still have one more day!  We are 250 miles from Fairbanks and the RV.  Tomorrow will be a long driving day.  For the most part, we are not driving much over 40mph.  What lies ahead?!?