Tag Archives: fairbanks

To the Rescue in the Land of the Midnight Sun

From finding a job to getting good seats to the game, many things in life come down to who you know. As most of our followers on the web remember, during our hiatus in Denver we put on a fundraiser for gas money to get ourselves to Alaska and beyond. In order to complete the last major milestone of the expedition, we needed to rely on the support of friends, family, strangers, and generous companies both local and beyond. One of Steven’s friends, Clint, works for the sunglasses and gear oriented company, Oakley.

New Photos – Fairbanks

Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska. It has amazing weather and in the summer time it does not get dark, so you can jet ski and boat and walk down the river it bright sun at 2 am. The river passes through the center of town and allows for decks and patios to eat dinners and have drinks while enjoying the Alaskan summer.

1000 Miles Later

One month ago we set out from Denver for the great wide open wilderness of Alaska. Before leaving, Craig and I conducted considerable research on the last section of road to Prudhoe Bay named the James W. Dalton highway. I found a website with an entire page devoted to the road named The Dalton Highway, “The Haul Road.”

Catching up in Fairbanks

Don’t get me wrong, I cherish these unique experiences and it’s one of the main reasons that I’m on the expedition. However, after the mad dash to the Arctic Ocean and back I think I speak for all of us on the crew when saying we were happy to have a host for a couple of nights at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge upon our return to Fairbanks.

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans June 5-12, 2009

Perseverance is defined as a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement, and that is exactly what we had to do to make the voyage on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. To reach the farthest north point on the Pan-American highway we had to take the 1,000 mile roundtrip, mostly gravel road, that really put our driving skills and minds to the test. It is a desolate highway that doesn’t see many tourists, usually just semi-trucks making their trek north. We endured and made it to Dead Horse, and to tell the truth, it felt beyond bizarre and kind of empty. We had driven for the better part of a day, on a terrible road, coupled with the never-setting sun, and in the cold and came to an oil field in the middle of the tundra.

The funny photo

After being interviewed for TV, radio, and newspapers in many different places around the world, the bulk of the content about the expedition has been pretty straight forward. Often the questions we are asked are similar, the topics are similar, and the photos or video is somewhat traditional.

A slice of heaven

Since leaving Denver we have been camping about 75% of the time and cannot complain, the surroundings are beautiful, the wildlife is plentiful, and the temperature is a mild 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit with the constant light outside. It is nice to wake up to the fresh air, cook delicious meals and go to sleep after relaxing by the campfire. While the air is fresh our stinky butts are not with some runs putting us 3-4 days or more between showers, sporting a perfume reminiscent of campfire, body odor and camp kitchen.