We topped Atigun Pass and just made the turn to start back down the other side when we met an escort truck.  “I need you to pull off and hold up here for 15 or 20 minutes.”  An oversize load 21 feet wide and heavy is making its way up the south side of the pass with the help of two pusher trucks.  Of course we waited.  It was kind of cool to watch.

The day started bright and beautiful so were enjoyed the mountain views for a bit before the clouds closed in again.  It dripped off and on but never really rained on our travels.

Two moose at a roadside pond.

The mountains look even more spectacular as we approach from the north.  They rise up from low rolling tundra to knife powerfully into the sky.  Clear blues sky, puffy clouds and the play of light and shadows make the images even more vivid.  It did rain again today off and on but we are getting used to that!

We climbed back through the heavy construction.  It seemed a bit less painful today.  The motorhome is pretty scummy but it is nothing compared to the pilot car (pickup) we followed.  The driver actually took a hammer and beat the mud from under the fenders and the running boards.

We considered and reconsidered and hemmed and hawed but ultimately trekked all the way to the North Slope and the flat, flat tundra that runs to Deadhorse.  Why?  A chance to see Muskoxen in the wild.  We hit paydirt.  A family of 10 or so including a yearling and twin calves emerged from the brush just for us.  They look a bit prehistoric and the calves more like a pig but with long legs than a cow.  We enjoyed watching them interact.  They make a weird grunting, snorting, growling sound.

A couple fox made appearances today too.  According to a local sheriff we missed a herd of caribou that passed through yesterday.  Bummers.  Still, we did see a couple on gravel bars and swimming the Sagavanirktok (Sag) River.  The road continues to be a bit of a challenge but nothing insurmountable.  We are starting back south.

N 69 Degrees 49 minutes or 225 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Milepost 384 on the Dalton Hwy, 468 miles north of Fairbanks

Above the Arctic Circle, this time of year, we enjoy the “midnight sun”.  Ever wonder how the “midnight sun” really works?   If you look closely at this latitude you see daytime sun movement you expect east to west, the real fun starts in the evening.  The westward recession halts before sunset and slowly the sun appears to head northward crossing over the north to “rise” in the morning in the east.  What we really see, Europe’s daytime sun as Alaska’s midnight sun.  Pretty cool.

(Mercifully, no more miserable mosquito nights)

Along the 235 miles of Dalton Highway between Coldfoot and Deadhorse there are exactly 0 campgrounds.  That might not seem problematic until you realize that the average speed for a motorhome on this road is about 25mph.  The solution, informal camping.  That means parking along the road in pull offs, side roads, or pipeline access roads and living off whatever you brought with you.  If you can get off the road far enough to avoid flying rocks and the noise it is actually a great experience.

Our first night at the foot of Slide Mountain brought Dall Sheep, Arctic Ground Squirrels and birds to watch.  We are on thick permafrost here and had a great example of subterranean ice along a pond bank.  The mountain views are spectacular.

Our second night found us at the bank of the Sag River in a meadow of wildflowers.  It is a wide braided river with multiple streams rushing downhill tumbling round rocks along with it.  It is a wonderful sound.  I marvel at the acrobatics of a Yellow Wagtail as it dives and loops seemingly tirelessly catching bugs mid air.

Third night is at Atigun Pass.  It is a roadside site so likely will be noisy tonight but we picked it so I can watch the Dall Sheep.  We are on the continental divide and at the headwaters (mountaintop snow pack) of the Atigun River.  Three beautiful Harlequin ducks are expertly maneuvering in the cold rushing water then curling up like fancy painted bocce balls to rest.

Ok, weather isn’t perfect for it but we are heading further North.   Everyone tells us we have to at least cross Atigun Pass and get out into the open tundra to get a real feel for the Arctic north.  Clouds shroud most of the peaks ahead of us but we push on encouraged by the occasional glimpse of rugged mountain tops bathed in splashes of sunshine.  Despite the rain, we manage to pick out some Dall Sheep high on the mountainsides.  Once we cross the pass, clouds thin and eventually we run into to clear dry weather.  It is beautiful and so different.  Boreal forest has given way to rolling tundra.  Tiny blossoms brighten the low growing shrubs and mosses.  I remain on bear and caribou watch but no luck so far.

New birds: the long tailed Jaeger, Lapland longspur and red necked phalentrope.

Oh, the road!  The first 40 miles or so were “the best miles of the Dalton” according to the folks at the visitor center. Kent would agree I think.  That section was pretty good.  Then back to gravel.  Keep in mind it has been raining here for the past 4 days or more.  Potholes are filled with water and we slosh through a couple inches of soupy mud as we roll along.  Yuck, you ought to see the motorhome!  But that was nothing compared to the section near the end of our 120 mile day.  A 15 mile section is under re-construction with one end being nearly done and in pretty good shape but the other end was just dumped and barely compacted stone. Kent mumbled something about thinking he ought to get paid for rolling it for them.  The biggest challenge was that we had to keep pace with a pilot car and that driver must have been a local.

It came recommended by the camp hosts plus local diners are almost always a treat; or at least can be counted on for a memorable experience.  This one was no exception.

It is classic diner; tile floor and bare tables with gigantic bottles of ketchup and hot sauce on every one.   Remnants of hot-oil smoke film that just won’t quite wash off cling to windows and pictures.  We obediently avoided the “Reserved for Truckers” table and claimed a couple seats. Kent ordered “the standard” a ½ pound burger with the works.  There is just something about a burger fried on a flatiron grill.  My bowl of New England Clam Chowder seemed a bit out of place for here but it was delicious as well.  So much for the yummy part.­

The memorable part. The mouse that darted out of the back hall and settled in to scavenge under the table next to ours all through lunch.  Thankfully I had my back to him.

Mosquitoes pollinate wild blue berries.  So the Ranger says.  If he is right, they are going to have a bumper crop of blueberries up here this year.

Lots of great exhibits.  Friendly helpful staff and volunteers.  The first ranger we spoke to has spent a 20 years as a field ranger living in these arctic parks sometimes year round.