 |
| DESTINATIONS
LIBRARY: No. 6 BEYOND THE ARCTIC CIRLE IN SHIRTSLEEVES (and Deet!) TO ALASKA Pictures © Robert Fisher |
| We
are all aware of changes to the world’s climate in recent years but Robert
and Carol Fisher had a real surprise in store when they ventured north
of the Arctic Circle in the late summer……… "Some ten years ago we enjoyed a holiday in the Canadian Rockies and after some deliberation decided to travel as far north as possible by road on the American continent. Initially we considered flying to Whitehorse via Vancouver. However by flying to Anchorage from London Gatwick via Newark the initial holiday cost was some 40% cheaper." Alaska is the largest state of the USA, with a sparse population outside of the cities. Our route in brief was Anchorage – north to Denali – north to Fairbanks – southeast to Tok (pronounced as in Tokyo) – north and east on the Top of the World Highway to Dawson City in Yukon Canada – north again on the Dempster Highway, a gravel road, to Inuvick via Eagle Plains. |
| We then flew into Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk to locals). We retraced our path to Dawson City before moving on to Whitehorse. Continuing south to Skagway we returned to the USA and took the ferry to Haines. Travelling northwest we re-entered Canada and stopped at Haines Junction. Our last border crossing was just before Tok. Then southwest to Palmer and down to Seward before retracing our steps to Anchorage where we returned our 4 x 4 (an Isuzu Trooper) and at 0200 took off for the long flight home which entailed a stop at Portland, Oregon. Arrived 0630 at London Gatwick. Flight duration outwards bound was 2 x 7 hours approximately and return some 1½ hours longer. |  |
|
 Emerald Lake |
DENALI NATIONAL PARK is huge at some 3,200 square miles but is number three in size in Alaska. Cars are forbidden so we used the special tour bus. The drive had 10 years experience of this park and we saw a lot of wildlife. Unfortunately no bear sightings nor wolves. Caribou, moose, Dall sheep, bison, snowshoe hare and many birds. Marmots and ground squirrels posed as we passed – they have no fear of man. | |
| FAIRBANKS was a typical sprawling city but a view of the Alaskan pipeline above ground was possible but gold panning was a must. We spent a very enjoyable morning swishing water in a pan for a total of $11. | ||
| We then had a long drive to TOK before continuing on the sometimes mud gravel and occasionally metalled road to DAWSON CITY. The isolated towns of CHICKEN and BOUNDARY are interesting. Chicken originally called Ptarmigan changed its name because the miners couldn’t spell it. >Nowadays some 20 people live there. No telephone, no mobile telephone and no television. Both these communities are ‘fly in’ in winter. Boundary was even smaller but being higher had a colder winter. The TOP OF THE WORLD HIGHWAY is similar to some of the lesser roads in the Pyrenees. Green above the tree line and we only passed some 12 vehicles in four hours. |  Dawson City |
|
 Gold Dredger |
DAWSON CITY is a step back in time. No tarred roads by town laws. The Gas Light Follies and the floor show at Casino – Diamond Tooth Gertie’s was a very good evening’s entertainment. The partly refurbished gold dredge No 4 kept us enthralled for some two hours as we listened to the problems of a 3,000 ton vessel in the permafrost at 40˚ below. |
|
 Midnight sun at Inuvik |
We stayed B & B with the Robertsons and were treated as part of the family, coming and going as we pleased – even going out to photograph the midnight sun before going back to bed. At 130 miles north of the Arctic Circle there are over 50 days of continuous daylight but in winter perpetual darkness for a similar time. The climate is extreme and some parts of this northern land have temperatures in Farenheight of +80˚ to -80˚. The latter, especially with high winds is definitely not for us! | |
 Notre Dame, Inuvik |
||
 Whitehorse, Yukon |
WHITEHORSE is a tidy and reasonably compact town. To Carol’s delight the Talisman Restaurant provided vegetarian meals – a rare luxury outside of the main cities. A tour of the SS Klondike – a steam paddle-wheeler, entertained us for the morning and in the afternoon Wiles Canyon used several rolls of film. | |
The journey
to SKAGWAY with snow on the occasional mountain top took twice as long
as it should with so many irresistible photo opportunities. Finally
arriving at Skagway and booking the ferry we did the town – a tour ship
destination with plentiful souvenirs. The local brothel, The Red Onion
Saloon, with its bar and special tours upstairs added to the local interest! |
 Reflections |
|
 Haines |
HAINES is a very small town which until quite recently generated its own electricity. The Captain’s Choice Motel has a fantastic view across the inland passage with the coastal mountains in the background. | |
| PALMER via Haines
Junction and Tok claim to be the only colony of the USA. Its fertile soil
results in 7 lb carrots and 100 lb+ cabbages! The scenery changes from
the MATANUSKA GLACIER to more gentle plains. The Musk Ox furs were a must
but the cost of the under-coat or ‘Qiviut’ is horrendous, but is one of
the warmest of all furs. SEWARD was our last night, but CESCIT GLACIER, part of the HARDING ICEFIELD, was a short distance away. We walked up to the glacier, the katabatic breeze was very cold and we were glad we brought cardigans We met many people on our 3,600 mile journey – I guess John was 65 to 70. He cycled nearly 4,000 miles from San Diego in Southern California on his way to Anchorage. He then planned on cycling back! Also memorable were the couple from Argentina who had started their journey at the bottom of South America and three years later were nearly at Inuvik! |
||
| A few helpful notes: | |
| General: | Crime rate is low but use sensible precautions. We used Visa and Amex traveller’s cheques and US and Canadian dollars for cash. We were very lucky with the weather, neither did we have a puncture. Don’t expect either roadside assistance or regular petrol pumps. Independence and common sense is essential as is an emergency water supply (about 2 gallons). |
| Guidebooks: | Rough Guide Alaska and Rough Guide Canada. |
| Map: | The best map covering the whole area is the AAA/AA Alaska, Northwest Canada ISBN 0-7495-2897-4. |
| Measures: | Canada is totally metric – other than draught beer in pints! |