Fairbanks - Day One

6/24/13

Began our tour of Fairbanks today with a trip to the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus overlooking the city.  Beautiful museum of Alaskan culture, art galleries, and botanical gardens were enjoyed today under a high temperature of 92 degrees eclipsing a record of 91 for this date here.  Alaskans love the 20 hours of sunshine now but are complaining about the heat.

We enjoyed a late lunch today at the Cookie Jar.  This restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives TV a while back.  We made some arrangements for our kids to travel on the Alaskan Railroad in a few weeks and did some grocery shopping.

End of the Alaska Highway - All 1,422 miles of it

6/23/13

Left Tok, AK continuing up the Alaska Highway to Delta Junction where the road officially ends.  Took a photo op there as you see below before continuing to Fairbanks.  Arrived safely here and set up at the Riverview RV Park in North Pole, AK.  We will begin touring tomorrow here in Fairbanks for about a week.  I look forward to seeing what I can at Ft. Wainwright Army Base formerly know during WWII as Ladd Army Airfield where my dad was stations from early 1943 to late 1946 as part of the Army Air Force’s Cold Weather Test Detachment (this unit is still active today).

RV Report:

We completed the entire Alaska Highway today.  None of you contemplating this trip should fear driving this road.  Scenery is terrific all the way.  Yes you have to be careful in spots, fuel and services are available along the way.  From small travel trailers, 5th wheels, Class A, B, and C.  We saw them all.  Everyone was having a wonderful time.

Fuel:  $ 4.52 gallon for diesel and $ 4.12 for gasoline today in Fairbanks, Alaska.

PS - yes, there are mosquitos up here.  We have been fortunate in that they are not really a problem now - know its not always that way.  We attach a picture of the "State Bird" below:

Kluane Lake to Tok, Alaska

6/22/13

Today we continued our trip on the Alaska Highway toward Fairbanks, AK.  Up until today the road had been better than expected.  Today that changed.  From Kluane Lake to the US Border the road lived up to its expectations.  Reaching the US border it was night and day for about 20 miles before it returned to frost heaves, bumps, and gravel road.  The last pictures show the US/Canadian Border location through thick forest.  We are stopped tonight in Tok, AK at the Tok RV Park.  Reached 81 degrees today.  We arrive in Fairbanks tomorrow where we will stay about a week.  Sorry the wifi updates have been spotty but we’re just having too much fun to update every day.

RV Report:

The Alaska Highway finally showed us the road surface we had expected much earlier from Kluane Lake, Yukon up to the US Border.  Frost heaves, cracks, gravel sections, and some road construction we evident almost every mile.  Generally areas in poor repair were marked and the Yukon road crews work in an orderly fashion normally with a guide car to follow.  This section plagued the military from the beginning due to the frozen tundra (perma-frost) formations.  Nevertheless, we slowed to 20-30 MPH in many places with overall speed about 35 MPH for the trip today.  Drivers can do this road, you just need to be alert and on top of conditions immediately ahead you at all times.  Inattention or being lulled by a few miles of good road surface can be painful.

Fuel:  $ 4.42 gallon for diesel and $ 4.15 gallon for gasoline in Tok, AK.

Skagway to Kluane Lake

6/21/13

Today we packed up departing Skagway for the trip up over White Pass to Carcross and Whitehorse, Yukon.   Rejoined the Alaska Highway continuing through Haines Junction today stopping at Congdon Creek Yukon Provincial Park in the “boonies”.  Fantastic views of Kluane Lake.

 Yesterday was Summer Solstice.  We note that because it was almost dark from 12:15 AM to about 3:45 AM.  Then it was daylight again.

RV Report:

The Alaska Highway continued to be fairly good surface conditions today through Haines Junction.  The road from there to Kluane Lake deteriorated in spots slowing us to about 45-50 MPH most of the way.

Fuel:  $ 4.55 gallon for diesel and $ 4.22 gallon for gasoline in Haines Junction.

Touring Glacier Bay National Park

6/20/13

Up at 5 AM for the boat trip.  Nice buffet breakfast was served at the Lodge starting at 6, down to the boat and off we went into nothing but watery wilderness for the day.  We saw a number of humpback whales here in the Bay having traveled from Hawaii to spawn and eat.  They only eat annually about 4,000 pounds of small fish per day while they are here before they migrate back to Hawaii.  Stopping in front of the Margurite Glacier to observe it (seeing it calve twice – massive hunks of ice hit the bay with what can only be described as thunder).  Saw a massive Kodiak Bear, Mountain Goats, numerous birds including orange-beaked Puffins, and Eagles all today.  Returned at 3:30 for a quick trip to the airport for a flight back to Juneau and Skagway on Wings Airlines in a Cessna Caravan II.  Up over the mountains at 6,500 feet in VFR weather back to Skagway.  Just a few pictures below of our day.  Just incredible!!!!

    

Skagway to Glacier Bay National Park

6/19/13

We departed this morning around 11:30 for the quintessential Alaska experience “bush plane flying”.  Our pilot brought along a Cessna 206 six-seater for our flight to Juneau and then Gustavus, Alaska.  Weather was clear and a hundred miles visibility down the Lynn Canal.  We arrived at the Glacier Bay National Park Lodge around 3 PM, took a hike in the forest, and had a wonderfully sophisticated dinner of salmon, shrimp, and halibut overlooking Glacier Bay.  Tomorrow up early for a cruise in the Bay.  The last picture was taken about 11 PM, this is about all the sunset you can see up here now.  PS – sunset was at 12:48 AM and sunrise at 3:06 AM.