Thursday June 6, 2013 Coldfoot AK

We began the day with a tour of the oil fields.  After all, the only reason for Deadhorse to be in existence is oil.  Everybody who is somebody in the oil business is here, along with some of the nobodies including  drillers, service providers, and oil firms.  The employees make good money, but work 12 hrs shifts for 2 weeks.  Then they get 2 weeks off and are flown to either Fairbanks or Anchorage – free!  …and they are returned – free!  While here, room is provided along with meals, entertainment and exercise facilities.  They work hard, but are well rewarded. 
The last part of the tour is when we have the chance to put our toes in the frozen Beaufort Sea.  One of our Canadian friends, Glenn, is apparently used to cold weather.   He came out in shorts and sandals and went straight to the water.  (those crazy Canadians)  Our last stop was the general store.  I asked if we might be able to purchase some insulated clothing before we left.  I was NOT prepared for this kind of cold.  Even the locals said that most all the ice is melted by now, and yet, all we saw was ice – EVERYWHERE!  It was a good stop and everyone was able to buy some “stuff” whether they needed it or not.

We gassed up and headed south toward (hopefully) warmer temps.  It started out at 28 degrees and eventually worked its way up to 31 for the 1 ½ hrs until we stopped for our packed lunches.  As we approached Atigun Pass, in all its snow covered and cloud enshrouded mystery, we topped off our tanks from the support truck, and began our next drama.  We had no idea what lies ahead, but there was no choice as to whether we proceed or not.  It turned out to be a non issue.  The valley before the pass was dry and 40 degrees and didn’t even get damp until near the top where the temp bottomed out at 32.  It was slippery coming down so speeds were lowered to a tolerable crawl until we reached the bottom.  YAY!  Here we go – 60 mph and a temp to match.  We’re on roll with dry, sometimes dusty, roads and having a good time.  Even the moose acknowledged our return as one startled adult tried running from us as we traveled the Dalton and the moose ran along the edge of a lake next to us eventually darting into the woods.  We found out later that another adult and calf did the same thing with our riders in the back of the pack. 

We made a few stops to stretch our legs and take some pictures, but all we really wanted to do was get back to Coldfoot and have a beer to celebrate our victory over the arctic.
  Jim said we should all feel lucky, as very few people get to experience this kind of tour.  Lucky?  I would say memorable.  This is one of those trips you will always remember regardless of the cold and the wind because – well, because it’s Alaska!  But this is a trip that is made even more memorable because of the weather, not in spite of it.  Very definitely memorable.  Lucky?  I think Jim needs to get back on his meds.