On the road again...

Hi all...the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of chilly nights and very long dirt roads, but we had a great time. After leaving Denali, we decided to head North toward the Arctic Circle. Our original goal had been to head all the way up the state to Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse (the site of the oil fields and the only driveable way to the Arctic Ocean), but with mixed reviews about the road, we were unsure about the long trek. The road is about 400 miles (much of which is dirt), and the brochures admonish you to carry two spare tires, water, flares, watch out for semis flying by, and be prepared to have a cracked windshield. Now while dirt roads are not exactly foreign to either of us, we were a little apprehensive about embarking on such a trek, so we decided to go partway (to the Arctic Circle) and turn around if it proved too difficult. Once we got partway up, however, we were encouraged by the rangers at the Arctic Interagency Center to head on up the road and be wowed by the scenery and animals. This, combined with our friend James telling us that the road is for true adventurers, was pretty much irresistible, so with one spare tire and visions of cracked windshields, we headed out. The drive included going over Alaska's highest pass, Atigun Pass, at 4,643 feet and also took us through the Brooks Range. Yeah...I was pretty excited about that. :) The views were phenomenal, and we even got to see the farthest Northern Spruce on the road as the terrain turned to vast treeless plains covered in ranging red tundra. The fall colors were amazing, and despite the chilly nights camping, we had a blast. The trip included seeing our first muskox, lots of caribou, and getting to touch the Arctic Ocean, so really, what more could you ask for? After reaching the ocean (which had to be accessed by a guided tour that is monitored by the oil company), we realized that it was all South from there. It was a pretty strange feeling after heading North for so long. But we were certainly not done with the Arctic region.
As we headed back south, we drove half of the road and then decided to stop and visit the only real town on the road, Wiseman. Wiseman is about 85 miles north of the Arctic Circle and is home to about 14 full-time residents. When we drove into town, someone suggested that we visit the chapel. We drove up to a very historic building with a chapel sign, and walked inside to find an adorable, quaint chapel that had a sign that beckoned you to stay and engage in prayer. We sat for awhile, and after some time a little elderly lady came up to the door to say hello. We began chatting and after a little while we were intrigued by this women and her ministry of the prayer chapel, so we decided to stay in the area. After a quick walk around the town, we came back to our car, and she invited us into her home for tea. We were able to stay the weekend, and woke up on our first anniversary in the little town of Wiseman, north of the Arctic Circle, and getting to attend church at a wonderful little prayer chapel surrounded by wonderful people! We could not have planned a better surprise if we had tried. What a blessing!

Sadly, we had to leave Wiseman and our new friends later that day and head back toward Fairbanks. The last major place on our list was Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and we were running out of time to get down there. So, with about 28 hours of driving on the Dalton Highway behind us (and no flats or cracks), we headed for Wrangell-St. Elias, known for its glaciers and backcountry wilderness.
While we were excited to go, our spirits were slightly dampened when we learned that the way into the park was by a 66 mile dirt road that had been laid over a railroad track and was littered with railroad spikes. Let's just say that we drove slowly, scouring the road for anything that might land us on the side of the road. When we arrived, the weather was overcast, and the "campsite" was right near the glacier. When I say "campsite," insert "large gravel parking lot that they let you set a tent up in." Now there is something you should know about glaciers. They are God's form of air conditioning and unless it's hot, you don't want to camp next to one. All night a cool breeze blew through the tent airing out everything in its way. The view, however, was really phenomenal. We awoke the next morning, intent on heading into the town to see the glacier, only to find one of our tires quite low. Rodney filled it up (which I would have never known to do, but I have now been thoroughly educated in the way of tire sidewalls), and we headed out to find the only tire repair shop in town. The guy was putting a roof on somewhere across town, so we waited a few hours. Upon removing the tire, the culprit was determined to be "ye old drywall screw." Yeah...
Well, the next day we got to go into the town, and we were able to hike down to the glacier. It was amazing to walk around on it and get to see it all really up close. The trip was definitely worth it!

We left there, and headed down to Valdez (home of the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill). Having driven the pipeline all the way to the top, I wanted to complete the entire length of it. In Valdez, we were treated to more glaciers, wonderful waterfalls, and a sea lion. The scenery there was unbelievable with mountains towering above you as you head toward the ocean. Really beautiful!
Now we're back in Anchorage. We're hoping to get a glacier cruise in before they end for the season, but we'll see....