Fairbanks to Marion Creek, just outside of Coldfoot, AK: Day 1 of the Dalton Highway

We started out of smoky Fairbanks on our trip to the Arctic today. There are quite a few fires burning, so the air quality is not great. We had spoken with lots of folks about this road, the Dalton Highway, and every account was different, ranging from "no problem, perfect conditions" to "nightmare". First, let me say that they use the term "highway" loosely. If a highway is a combination of road surfaces including pavement, chip seal, loose gravel, slippery clay (slighly more grabby than a hockey rink), mud, washboard, and 6 inches of glop, well then, this is a highway. The road was built in the early 1970's in an amazing 7-10 months (depending on the source)--that is pretty incredible--it is about 400 miles long and passes through some unfriendly terrain.

At the start of the Dalton, the road is first remarkable for how steep it is--I am amazed that 18-wheelers can make this trip, and they do it all year round. For some heavy loads, the trip takes over a week. I was also surprised at all of the twists and turns. At the crests of hills, I would count for several seconds as I rode, all the while staring down over the front of my bike, to try to see the road appear in front of me. The road is that steep.

The smoke made things kind of creepy, and the not infrequent roadside memorials did not help. Below is your friendly neighborhood big rig--they own the road.

Here is Mark coming over the enormous Yukon River, with the pipeline on his right.

These guys were on their way back. Their account made me scared--tales of sloppy conditions and tough riding. You can't see it well in the photo, but the gentleman in back was riding a crashed motorcycle--the front of it was all smashed up. It used to be ridden by the front guy's wife, until she went down and headed back to Fairbanks with some bruised ribs. The friend was riding it out for her.

We made it to the Arctic Circle today!!

We gassed up in Coldfoot, Alaska. This is a photo of me before we really started to get covered in dust and mud, sort of a before picture. Coldfoot is the home of the Interagency Arctic Visitor Center, which is full of great educational information about the Arctic--we lingered for a long time at this place, and it is a "must-see" on your way north.

The Marion Creek campground was really nice. We took a little hike in the evening and went to sleep to the sound of rain on our tent...

Odometer: 4730 miles