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The morning of the 28th, after packing up camp and saying goodbye to our host, we grabbed some breakfast back at Fast Eddie's.
Shortly afterwards we ran into a French couple that were driving their camper all over the world. They had a map on the back that said they left France in 2012, and so far have made it to Spain and Morocco, before heading to Venezuela and making their way all the way up to Tok by the point we saw them.
That's where things took a turn that would later turn a little weird, and eventually in our favor. See, while we were gassing up a woman came over to talk with us. Turns out she was a Park Ranger for the National Park Service, and had just came from somewhere up on the Arctic Ocean where she told us about skinny dipping to celebrate her 43rd birthday. She then gave her number to my friend and told us that if we found our way around her park to let her know. NOW, we thought she worked in Washington, not Alaska, but more on that later.
Last edited by Joker Relentless; Sep 12, 2016 at 09:12 PM.
The ride from Tok to Fairbanks was the least picturesque of the entire trip, although we did come upon a cow moose on the side of the road. The first of many we would see.
It had been recommended to us to stop for lunch at the Buffalo Center Drive-in in Delta Junction. The buffalo burger was inconsequential and not worth the price, however the blackberry shake (which is what we were told as the reason we needed to stop) was fantastic. Homemade blackberry syrup and fresh blackberries blended with local vanilla ice cream. Man, for a fat **** like me it don't get any better. Also the onion rings were close to the best I've ever had in my life.
Last edited by Joker Relentless; Sep 12, 2016 at 10:15 PM.
After a night in Fairbanks my buddy rented a GS800F and stored his Street Bob for the trip up the Dalton Highway. A note to anyone thinking about going, Hilltop Truck Stop is about the last place you'll have cell signal.
After a stretch on the Elliott Highway from Fairbanks it was time for the Dalton Highway, and of course the required picture with the pipeline in the background.
Short trip, with excellent wide open sky, up the Dalton and we stopped at Yukon River Camp. The rooms aren't bad. Make sure you bring some shower shoe flip-flops for the showers if you choose to part take. They have free **** on the TV's (which is weird since there is two bunks to a room) and a day of wifi is $15.95. Topper...this joint will set you back $220 a night. There isn't anywhere to camp, and we didn't know but the Hot Spot Truck Stop has rooms too, but I have no idea how much they are.
In this little shed out front of the Yukon River Camp we met Dorothy and her son, Jeremy. They make little trinkets, figurines, and jewelry which she sells out of this place. These people were about as "bush people" as you can probably get. The stuff they sell is made from rocks they carve and polish, bits of fur, and bone. The fur and bone come from the the animals that Jeremy traps. The two of then live together in a two story house that they (plus the now deceased husband of Dorothy) built a few years ago. The pictures and the story she told us of its construction were pretty cool. They have turned it into a rustic retreat for those seeking adventure off the grid, and the only way to get there is by taking a boat up the river.
Luckily, Dorothy told us about midnight we should see the Northern Lights.
Not to sound too much like a Hippy or anything, but it was no surprise why ancient cultures and our ancestral people's in the north thought of them as magic and spiritual.
The next day we headed out to do a round trip to the Arctic Circle. Most of the way the road was surrounded by tall evergreens (and semi's doing 70 MPH around curves), but there is one spot by Finger Rock where it just opens up. The trees all but disappear, and the ones that remain are in small clusters and only about a third of the height of the ones before.
Last edited by Joker Relentless; Sep 13, 2016 at 12:10 AM.
Made it! We got a little **** from people we met along the way and back because we didn't go all the way to Prudhoe, but **** them; we did what we set out to do.
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