Today we make our final push to
Deadhorse/Prudoe Bay. Once again, the
Gods have graced us with good weather.
We woke up at 8:30am and were on the road by 10:00am. We noticed a bright red fox running along
beside us trying to cross the road. I
adjust my speed to match the fox to see how long he’d run beside us before
giving up. By the time I had my camera
out; the fox had slowed down, crossed the road, and ran up towards the
mountains. Truly, it was a “Dances with
Wolves” moment.
We came across a few construction crews
re-grading the roads. We were told to be
careful as they spray calcium chloride on the road, which retains moisture for
prolong periods. This helps to hold down
dust, but also makes the road very slick.
Calcium chloride is corrosive; it’s important that we wash the bikes as
soon as possible.
The last 50 miles or so, we saw an
abundance of arctic caribou
The road conditions were not that great as
it was soft-packed gravel from here on in.
We stayed in the ruts created by trucks, rode at a steady speed, and
managed to do alright.
The light at the end of the tunnel
We made it!
The northernmost point by road in North America!
Nothing much can be said about Deadhorse;
it’s a work camp. Almost everyone wore hard
hats and had construction boots on and was busy doing something. You can book a bus tour to see the Arctic
Ocean as long as you book 24 hours in advance along with your passport number
for security reasons. Traveling on your
own is prohibited. I was having a hard
time enjoying the moment as I was already thinking about getting out of here as
soon as possible while it was still fairly warm. I was anxious to tackle that section of
soft-packed gravel while it was still fresh in my nerves. I did, however, took the time to accept the
fact that this was another one of those monumental points on our journey.
They have very strict rules when it comes
to chemical spills here in Deadhorse
This is the only convenience store in town
Getting a picture of this sign is a
must. There’s really nothing else to do
here.
This is about as close as we can get to see
the Arctic Ocean
Back at Galbraith Lake. We decided to press on to take advantage of
the ideal weather conditions.
We took our time soaking in Atigun Pass on
the way back…
…and some TLC for this special tree.
 |
| 237 km |
Dances
with foxes.
Slow
and steady keeps you safe.
A
long way from home.
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