983 July 12, 2023 Home Again, Home Again

Happy birthday Tim! 

The morning was cool, misty, and raw. 

I took the first shift of driving.  The road was riddled with potholes and I did my best to dodge them all.  There was very little traffic and I was able to use the whole road.  I was looking for any changes in the road surface but sometimes, the potholes sneak up on you!  It did make for some slow and tedious driving.

We saw a couple of rabbits, a mole or vole or mouse, squirrels, grouse, and sandhill cranes.

Wildfire residue.

At Gobblers Knob, the fog was dense and visibility was poor. 

This part of the ride is much less dramatic than the rest of the Dalton Highway.  There are trillions of trees! 

The pipeline is a constant presence.  This section zig zags.  The pipeline is designed this way near fault lines to allow for movement in the event of an earthquake. 

The sky was clearing as we approached the Arctic Circle.

We could see the Yukon River in the distance.  We stopped at the Yukon River Camp.  We enjoyed egg sandwiches for brunch.

After the river, the road had been recently graded and it was a relatively smooth ride.

We waited at a construction zone for the pilot car.  Suddenly, Chen was standing at Tim’s window.  He had hitched a ride back to Fairbanks and just happened to be in the car behind us.  We told him where we were staying and then it was our turn to go.

After the construction area, we pulled over and Chen and his driver did as well.  We invited Chen to come and join us for dinner.

We got back to the RV park.  We unpacked and I cleaned and organized gear.  Tim took the Jeep to the carwash here and he was able to knock the worst of the mud off. 

Chen arrived in early evening.  We all walked to the Chena’s Alaskan Grill.  It was great to learn about China and Chinese culture.  We also learned a lot more about Chen.  We had such a nice time visiting with him.  Maybe our paths will cross again.