After a further 4 hour journey on the Alaska Railroad, we arrived in Fairbanks.
This is a city of more than 30,000 people in the centre of the state.
Its central location makes it the focal point for the tiny villages scattered throughout
the surrounding wilderness, when Fairbanks is a staging point for the north slope villages
such as Barrow and where we headed the oil fields of Peruto Bay.
The largely unpaved 415 mile long Dalton Highway runs from outside of Fairbanks through
the Brooks Range to Dead Horse and Peruto Bay.
It was built to support the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
This pipeline carries oil from Peruto Bay in the north to Valdez in the south.
Much of the pipe has had to be built above ground due to the permafrost that covers
much of Alaska.
The radiators that you can see are there to stop the permafrost melting.
Since its completion in 1977, the pipeline has transported over 15 billion barrels of
oil.
The highway which originally had restricted access is now open to all, to within a few
miles of the Arctic Ocean.
Rivers along the highway are few and far between in this remote part of Alaska.
Here in Joy, Alaska, we came across one of the more rustic stops that we would make during
our trip.
As we travel northwards, we cross the 3700 kilometre long Yukon River, which travels via Canada's
Yukon Territory and the state of Alaska on its journey to the Bering Sea.
We pull out onto the bridge crossing the Yukon, you get an idea of the grade, we're on a
6% grade on a bridge, that's a lot for a bridge.
Despite its length, there are only four vehicle carrying bridges which cross the river.
This is the E.L. Patton Bridge, and also has the Alaska Pipeline strapped to its side.
Just past the bridge is the Yukon River Camp, a very welcome lunch stop, normally open only
during the summer months.
We had a couple of unexpected visitors several years ago, but a couple of grizzly bears decided
to break in and call it a winter home.
The construction of the Trans-Alaskin Pipeline had a number of engineering challenges, including
extreme temperatures and earthquakes.
To overcome these, the pipeline zigzags across the countryside like a snake.
One landmark that was significant to the local Indians is this rock.
Now on its finger rock, it's been found a point directly back to Fairbanks.
You can't reach the arctic ocean without stopping here.
After finally crossing into the land of the midnight sun, we continue our journey north
to Coldfoot, Alaska.
It's now 10.30pm, our day is still not done.
The Kayakuk is a 800km long trivetree of the Yukon River.
It's fed by glaciers and snowmelt from high up in the Brooks Mountain Range.
And this is what we always take tonight in the Slate Creek Inn, and this is Coldfoot,
Alaska.
We didn't live up to its name, however, as we had 33 degrees Celsius while we were here.
Coldfoot is the last service stop on our journey to the Arctic Ocean, and marks the
beginning of the longest stretch of unserviceed highway in North America.
Out here you really are in the wilderness, wildlife abounds all around.
We are able to catch this glimpse of the Alaskan state bird, the Willow Parmigun.
We also had a closer look at the state animal, the moose.
It's the largest member of the deer family, and while they might seem like quite placid
and friendly animals, this certainly is not the case.
You don't want to come close to a moose, especially a mother with a calf as they are
very protective of their young.
After leaving the Kayakuk River Valley, you finally pass beyond the point where the spruce
trees grow.
Leaving the last of the trees behind, you begin to climb the Brooks Range via Attigan Pass.
Now both the highway and the pipeline cross to the northern slopes of Alaska.
This pass is 1415 metres high, and is kept open all year round servicing the Pruto Bay
oil fields.
Many truck drivers have had hairy experiences crossing this mountain range in the treacherous
winter weather, especially considering all this snow, ice and darkness for three months
of the year.
Many of the guardrails are very badly battered, showing how slippery it's been.
The further into the mountains we went, the more wildlife we saw.
This time it was a flock of doll sheep high up on the Rocky Mountain face.
When we made it to the other side, we stopped for a picnic lunch, which was ended when a
thunderstorm approached to chase us down to the Arctic Ocean.
The closer we got to the Arctic Ocean, the more the landscape changed, morphing into
tundra grassy plains.
Here the Sarg River was seen, bringing it more wildlife, with a couple of muskox going
about their business.
These creatures are most closely related to sheep or goats, and were virtually extinct
until an effort to repopulate was made in the 1930s.
Here is one of the more curious landforms on the Arctic Plain.
It's called a bingo, and it's caused by water freezing and re-thawing on the surface and
interacting with the permafrost.
For a very long day, our first sighting of the Franklin Bluffs told us we were getting
very close to the end of our journey, with only 34 miles remaining of the Dalton Highway.
Well here we've arrived, welcome to Dead Horse Alaska at the end of the Dalton Highway.
We are approximately 1200 miles south of the North Pole and 250 miles north of the Arctic
Circle.
This is the location of the only public accommodation available up here on the North Slope.
To finally access the Arctic Ocean, you need to undertake a formal tour of the Prudhoe Bay
oil fields.
At the end of your journey, you are rewarded with the view of the ocean, and an opportunity
to take a dip if you so desire.
