Do we really need to say that we are going to realize one of our biggest dreams? Travel Alaska! For these first few days in the United States, we start our journey in Fairbanks!
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Today is a big day! No. Today is a great day! You are wondering why? Simply because we are on our way to Alaska. Alaska! We haven't even left Canada yet and our eyes are already shining. After two months in Canada, we are about to enter the most mythical State of the United States (according to us 😁): Alaska! The border is just there, behind the mountains. And to reach it, we aren't going the easy way: we take the Top of the World Highway! Classy, right?
A river crossing on a ferry, a last view on Dawson City and here we are in the mountains, surrounded by a stunning moutaineering scenery (as always may I add 😉)
After a curve in the road, here it is! The northernmost border post of the United States. It's not very crowded. The customs officer is serious, but friendly. After a quick check of our license plate and our passports, already stamped at the customs of Niagara Falls, she lets us enter the US 😎 We have one month to visit Alaska and leave the country just before our 3 month visa expires. It should be fine.
In front of the customs officer, we are serious. But, once the customs is out of sight, we happily celebrate in the car. We are in Alaska. Wait, let me just say it once again, just to relish it: we are in Alaska! We never thought we would ever set foot in this magical place. We hare so happy and excited that we miss the Welcome to Alaska sign. We quickly turn back to immortalize this happy moment.
The Top of the World highway winds through passes and valleys and along gold-bearing rivers. We arrive in Chicken. What a funny name for a town! We stay there for 10 minutes to calculate the gaz price. Is it cheaper or more expensive here? From the gallon to the liter, from the US dollar to the Canadian dollar and here it is: much cheaper! We then drive to the intersection of the Top of the World with a road we know very well: the Alaska Highway! After leaving it behind in Whitehorse, here we are again! Let's get back to old habits: endless straight lines.
At the end of the afternoon, we find a nice spot in a riverbed. It's warm and sunny. We heat 2 liters of water and take a shower in the sun, in nature: always a pleasure. The sight on the riverbed and on the mountains of Alaska is simply beautiful!
Dans la soirée, un Toyota avec cellule immatriculé en France débarque. Des français ! Il nous faut 15 minutes pour faire connaissance, et 20 minutes pour être invités à l’apéro par Marie-Claude et André. On passe un beau moment à discuter voyage et à échanger des conseils dans leur camper. Une belle soirée et une belle rencontre ! On espère se recroiser sur la route ! 🙂
Monday, July 18
After a few kilometers of straight road, we arrive at Delta Junction. It's the end of the Alaska Highway! More than 2,200 kilometers since Dawson Creek. Okay, purists will see that technically, we skipped a part of the road, between Whitehorse and the American border. No worries though, we will do that portion on the way back from Alaska 😉 In Delta Junction we can also see a part of the Alaskan pipeline. It runs from Prudhoe Bay, the American Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, to Valdez, in Southern Alaska: more than 1,200 km.
From Delta Junction, we drive 150 kilometers North towards Fairbanks. On the road, we are lucky enough to encounter two moose and several fighter planes, training from the Air Force base near Fairbanks.
Fairbanks is Alaska's second largest city. We are very excited to arrive there, especially me: I have been dreaming about Fairbanks for years, when I was reading Christopher McCandless' adventure told by Jon Krakauer in Into the Wild. Despite his tragic end, he inspired my travel desires. He embodied freedom and adventure, the desire to realize his dreams, to live close to nature and to escape a sometimes oppressive society. When I was reading and rereading this book, I never thought I would one day be in Fairbanks, which seemed so far away and so inaccessible. Today, no more books: we live our own adventure and realize our dreams.
Chris McCandless lived for several weeks in an abandoned bus, Bus 142, nicknamed the Magic Bus. It became a place of pilgrimage for many hikers. Unfortunately, some of them were ill-prepared for the harshness of Alaska and died trying to reach it. That's why the bus was repatriated to Fairbanks in 2020. It's now stored at the University of Fairbanks and it will soon be displayed in the city's museum. A great moment of emotion.
A few days later, we are in Healy, near the Stampede Trail. The copy of the Magic Bus, used for the movie Into the Wild is displayed in a restaurant of the city. Photographs and extracts from McCandless' journal are displayed on the frame of the bus, including a note he wrote shortly before he died. It is very moving.
But let's get back to Fairbanks! We visit Downtown. It's Monday and everything is closed and deserted. We then take a walk in Pionneer Park, a village from the gold rush. It's also deserted, but very cute. On the way out of town, we stop at Creamers Field where we are lucky to see many sandhill cranes. We finish our visit of Fairbanks in a fast food, where we order... two burgers!
It's 8pm and we take the road back to Delta Junction. It's quite late and we hope we will be able to spot wildlife! On our way, we briefly stop in the village of North Pole, Santa Claus' village! It's closed but it sounds like a tourist trap. Not to mention that they have some European reindeers in an enclosure...
We drive from 8pm to 10pm and encounter... nothing at all! Not a single moose or bear to be seen tonight! Too bad but the unpredictability of these wild encounters is what makes wildlife encounters so magical.
Tuesday, July 19
It's raining today. It's a pity, because we will drive the Denali Highway today, a road renowned for its incredible views on the Alaska Range. If the first part of the road is rather well maintained, the second part is quite rough. The whole road is however very wild, without any construction, except for some cabins. In spite of the rainy and cloudy weather, we are able to enjoy splendid sights on the mountains.
We spend the day driving, admiring and scrutinizing the landscape. Our observation finally pays off as we see a moose in a pond. The secret to seeing wildlife? Never give up searching! 😋
We spend the night near the end of the Denali Highway. The view on the valley and the surrounding mountains is splendid. It's cool but we spend the evening outside cooking delicious burritos.
Before going to bed, we make a wish: clear weather for the next day, so we can see the highest summit in North America: the Denali 🤞🤞
5 commentaires
😍
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Wowww… ca fait rever!!!
Merciiiiii. 😘
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Franchement je n’imaginez pas l’Alaska de la sorte.
Merci de nous l’avoir fait découvrir.
Bisous.
Mamie.