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| we made it! |
Daily Stats
First Rental Car Starting Mileage: 9,705
First Rental Car Ending Mileage: 9,749
First Rental Car Miles Traveled: 44
Second Rental Car Starting Mileage: 22,084
Second Rental Car Ending Mileage: 22,491
Second Rental Car Miles Traveled: 407
Total Miles Traveled: 451
States Visited: AK
When we were planning what to do in Alaska, it was a no brainer to get to the Arctic Circle. We didn't do it on our visit here in 2004 and we'd been regretting it ever since!
It's a long way to the Arctic Circle from Fairbanks and most people go with a tour group. Let me be very frank. There is absolutely NOTHING appealing to either C or me that involves 12 hours in a large passenger van filled with strangers. We've done tours like that before and we don't like the forced small talk, the being on the tour operator's schedule, the close quarters for long periods of time...I could go on and on! C looked into us driving on our own, but due to the rough conditions on what is an industrial road, regular rental cars are not allowed. Anyone wanting to visit on their must rent a car that is permitted to travel on that road, and if you know us, you know where this is going. Obviously we rented a second car.
We picked up the rental car from the office at the airport, meaning we had to park our first rental there for the day. If you're keeping score, that meant that we had our own car parked at SeaTac airport, our first rental car parked at the Fairbanks airport, and we drove off in our second rental car.
The second rental car was a Ford Escape, complete with two full spare tires, a first aid kit, and a huge toolbox - all "just in case" something went wrong.
The drive was both beautiful and terrifying at times! While there were short sections of "paved" road, much of it was dirt or gravel. We stopped for gas about halfway through the drive, and paid $5.50 per gallon because it was the only gas available for at least 100 miles in any direction. Some stretches of the road were rather treacherous, but my word, the scenery was unbelievable!
I took pictures from the safety of the car because not only were we instructed to not get out on any part of the road unless it was an emergency, but also because the massive mosquitoes were insane - a lesson we learned the only time we stopped at a turnout and were immediately under attack.
All told, we drove 407 miles in the second rental car and had it in our possession for about 11.5 hours total (and we had no internet access for 11 of those hours)! When we returned it, the amount of dust/dirt on the back half of the car was hilarious! As you can see the weather was beyond spectacular and we are so fortunate in that regard because I cannot imagine driving on that road in rain or wind!
The road pretty much followed along beside the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which is a marvel of engineering. It goes under the highway, through mountains, is suspended above the permafrost...honestly, it is incredible to see!
What an adventure! A bit crazy, but extremely on brand for us!
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| our first rental car parked at the Fairbanks airport for the day |
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| our second rental car for our adventure |
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| all communication was through the CB radio |
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| a guide describing the drive in great detail - this was such a great tool |
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| by the end of the day, the back window and the back up camera were useless |
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| the equipment provided AND the dust/dirt from the day! |
Happy Tails to you!
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