My Journey to ALASKA

[(RIP) rustygates]

Onwards and upwards,the dalton beyond the Artic Circle is completely on perma frost, the trees over 100yrs old but less than 3mts tall, cracks appear across the road surface sometimes and are 50-100cm wide and sometimes its like driving on marbles

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

in Alaska the Dalton is was built to carry equipment etc to build the 4'diameter pipeline from Valdez to Deadhorse at Prudoe Bay in the70s, you can cross the same river 4 or more times.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

The pipeline is mainly above ground and built about 5mts off the floor on rollers to allow for movement and there are pumping stations along the way and also airstrips along side the highway, the pipeline zigzags to allow for expansion

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

The trucks are doing around 50mph and do not slow down they have the right of way at all times, to go on the highway you need 2 spare wheels first aid kit and cb radio, if you brake down,there are no friendly AA or Green flag rescue vans you are on your own and the truck drivers don't stop,Oh and one fuel station in 400mls at Coldfoot a small watering hole with a so called hotel made of Containers welded together left over from the pipeline days, the area is scattered with Cat D7's and D8's Draglines and Graders abandoned.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

You can follow the Dalton on Google earth, it start beyond Fairbanks up the steese highway,
along the actual highway there's a place called "Finger Mountain" where the permafrost has pushed the rock into a finger shaped mound and further along the Dalton there's a place called "Gobbler's Knob"?????

 

[exosteve]

jealous mate. looks like an adventure of a lifetime.:thumb2

 

[solarman216]

Definitely a journey of a lifetime, well impressed, I drove a 32 toner round Europe for 5 years so have some idea of it all, but great pics mate, Rick

 

[melissachels]

looks excellent! :thumb2 wonders how it would be in winter? rather scary i would imagine

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

This is one of the oil pump stations to move the crude oil down the pipeline which is continually heated,the stations are numbered.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

The Dalton crosses over the pipeline many times

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

crossin over the pipeline towards Coldfoot

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Coldfoot the only fuel station on the actual highway at milepost 175."mileposts are the only identification the alaskan highways have. eg milepost 1 is the start of any highway and there maybe a turning at milepost 58

http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/dalton_highway

more info here.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

As I was filling up the gas guzzler and had a meal at the truckstop powered by 2 cummin 12cyl diesel generators 50mts from the truckstop,still noisey though, i started talking to 5 guys on dirt bikes,who were riding up to deadhorse and were spending a couple of nights in Wiseman village which was our base, only 4 made it to wiseman one was killed on the treacherous "beaver tail" a long steep downhill section about a mile long and a sharp lefthander at the bottom and the track surface is lethal

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

From Coldfoot we travelled on up to Wiseman our base,as this is where our great uncle bob eventually ended up mining for gold.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

All the rivers and creeks around this area were mined for gold in and around the river beds, nearly all the road signs we saw had been shot at by various calibre rifle and shotguns.everyone is armed up here we rode up the dalton with 2 winchester rifles a 338 and a 243 + the obligatory pump action shotgun, it's because (all the wild animals in alaska are wild) they told me.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

We arrived in the village and saw the old post office first and then to my great uncle's cabin, he died in 1964 but the cabin is in good order and nothing had been robbed or destroyed(would not be the same in uk)

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Most of the cabins are from the turn of the centuary and were built on the permafrost ground (no footings) but they had a pot-bellied stove in the corner of the cabin which over the years would melt the permafrost ground in the stove area and the cabins used to sink or tip down one end.this cabin was my great uncle's

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

It was quite moving entering his cabin, we had seen photos that he sent to us and how he mined for gold, through the winter they would dig in the permafrost a shaft down maybe up to 100ft with steam lances from a boiler about a 6ft a day,looking for telltale signs of antimoney, which was always close to the gold,mainly under ancient river beds.they would dig the paydirt out of the mine and stockpile it and when the summer came they would wash the paydirt in rockers and the gold is heavier than water so it would collect at the bottom of the rocker and the dirt would wash away.

 

[TONUP]

This is a great thread 'akin to a Discovery Channel documentary'. Thanks for posting it.

Do you, or your family still own the cabin? Do you have any mining rights?

Regards

Alan

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Someone had used his cabin in the eighties a friend of bob's who was 17 and bob was 70 and they both dug for gold and got quite rich, but if the wanted a pair of boots it would cost them over $00 to get them from Seattle by steamer then by scow(a river raft)and wait for the rivers to freeze then by packhorse and eventually by dog sled, they used to bring the supplies to Wiseman as there wern't any roads.the winters would get down to -70f and for 3months of total darkness then 6months of twilight and 3 months of brilliant sunshine 24hrs a day,the sun just goes around above your head really weird.