June 30

A day spent in the Fairbanks area. We are traveling with two small Honda inverter generators each of which can run most of the trailer if needed. They can be wired together to supply more power if we ever need to turn on our air conditioner which to this point has not been needed. One of the generators had an issue so we stopped at a local place, The Woodway, to get it looked at. First things I noticed was a sign on the door saying they would be closed next Saturday for the wedding of their daughter. I like the small independent places. They resolved the issue without charge. They suggested we leave the truck in their lot and check out the Farmers Market right next door which we did.

Next on our travels was a stop at Cramers Field. This was once the northern most dairy farm in the United States. It supplied milk and ice cream to Fairbanks. At some point it became a wildlife refuge for migrating birds including sandhill cranes. We took a walk along a couple of trails. On the Boreal Forest Trail we encountered more mosquitos than anywhere else (so far) on the trip.

Our next stop was the Visitor Center where Marsha inquired about the Dalton Highway where we could get to the Artic Circle. Our thought was travel the Dalton Highway about 100 or so miles to get to the Artic Circle. By the time she was done talking with the information person she was seriously thinking about traveling the entire 500 miles to get within 7 miles of the Artic Ocean. The Dalton Highway was once know at the Haul Road which was built to support the construction of the Alaskan Pipeline. For many years it was closed to the Public. It’s now open. It’s in rough shape and a 1,000 mile round trip journey. There’s a possibility to see some interesting sights and wildlife. We are now making plans to leave our trailer with our Fairbanks friends and take the truck up the road. We have a tent and other camping supplies so we are more or less ready for such a journey. Still up in the air if we go so stay tuned. If we do go we will be totally off the grid for several days.