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Fairbanks

If you look at my photos of Fairbanks, you will notice that they are all taken near or around the University of Alaska - Fairbanks. That was not by omission, that was by design. There was little in the town that stirred my enthusiasm..

It was a conversation in the Yukon with a couple from California that made me aware of the Museum of Alaska located on the campus of the university.

It is truly stunning architecture which distinguishes the museum and some of the buildings on campus like the International Arctic Research Center.

My favourite exhibit at the museum was a display dedicated to Lance McKay. He is the dog musher who this past spring did the unprecedented and won the two key events in the sport - the Iditarod and Yukon Quest .

The Iditarod, the main event in the dog sled racing, goes from Seward to Nome, a distance of 1150 miles. The Yukon Quest, the second main event, goes from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, a distance of 1000 miles

For a number of years, I have been a keen follower of the Iditarod and the grueling ordeal to which both musher and dogs are subjected. My interest was ignited by a gripping series of reports on the Iditarod written in the sports pages of the Detroit Free Press by Mitch Album.

I also like the university area because across from the campus was College Coffeehouse.

It was a good place to find an electric plug and gain access to wireless Internet.

While there, I struck up a conversation about my computer problems with a gentleman by the name of "Billy". In parting I also gave him a copy of my "business card" .

Two days later in the town of Nenama, 55 km south of Fairbanks I heard someone call my name as I stopped for a coffee at a gas station.

So what were the odds of running across the only person in Alaska who knew my name?

I wish I had bought a lottery ticket on that day.

Now before ending my Fairbanks blog, I have to address the issue of the Dalton Highway - the 800 km gravel road that goes from Fairbanks to the Prudhoe Bay on the Beaufort Sea.

The Dalton Highway - Did I Drive it or not?

The Short answer is NOT!

The Long Answer is, well, a bit longer --

I did not drive the Dalton Highway for the following reasons.

A major aim of my trip to Alaska was to see Denali National Park where Mt ..McKinley and Polychrome Pass are located. The bus tours in Denali National Park, which are the only means of seeing Mt. McKinley and accessing Polychrome Pass, were coming to an end for the season on the following Thursday. It would have been a real rush, if not impossible, to drive the Dalton Highway and get to Denali with enough time to see the park.

I adored driving the Liard Highway in the Northwest Territories which I drove a one-way distance of about 300 km. The Dalton on the other hand would be driving distance of 1,600 km for the round trip. That is a huge, huge distance on gravel road that is used as a haul road for the oil fields of the Beaufort Sea.

As a haul road there would be a fair amount of heavy truck traffic. Each passing truck would pose a potential hazard to the windshield or headlights of my car.

Had I driven the entire distance of 800 km to the hamlet of Deadhorse, there is still a distance of 8 miles to the Beaufort Sea for which there is no public access . Apparently there are organized tours for the last stretch in season.

There are no medical facilities between Fairbanks and Deadhorse.

Food, gas and vehicle repairs are extremely limited. (for a Volvo - nonexistent)
It is suggested that a car be equipped with 2 spare tires mounted on rims, emergency flares, extra gasoline, oil and a CB radio to monitor truck traffic.

The weather is also iffy at this time of year with snow not unexpected from the Brooks Range on north.

There is a danger of flash floods and running water may wash out the culverts and bridges.

The highway is apparently nowherer near the excellent standard of the Liard Highway. There are an abundance of potholes, washboard, sharp rocks and depending on the weather, clouds of dust or slick conditions.

Rental car companies prohibit the use of their cars on the Dalton which speaks for itself .

Fortunately, the extreme hoards of mosquitoes would no longer be a factor at this time of year.

The most daunting factor of all is the towing charge of $5 U.S.per mile. That could add up to more than the value of my car should it happen at the extreme end of the highway.

So these are the factors which ultimately led me to err on the side of caution..

In conclusion, of course, I wish I would have gone.

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YOU TUBE - http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelsWithLobo

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