United States, Alaska – Fairbanks and the Steese Highway

The adventure before the adventure! That’s what we came to find on the Steese Highway, north of Fairbanks, after picking up our expedition Jeep from the garage. So, Jeepy, ready for a new adventure?

Wednesday, August 7^th, 2024

From Kluane National Park in Yukon, we arrive in Tok, Alaska, early in the day. Tok is the “big city” near the border. Well, when I say “big city,” it’s worth putting it in perspective. There isn’t much that’s big in Tok. A few scattered homes along the road and in the woods, two gas stations, a roadside restaurant, and a small supermarket. We stop there to do some shopping, then park in front of the public library to catch some Wi-Fi.

On en profite pour établir le programme des prochains jours. Problème : la météo s’annonce pluvieuse. On évalue les différentes possibilités, on réfléchit, on calcule. Finalement, c’est sans issue : quelle que soit la destination dans le Sud de l’État, ce sont des trombes d’eau qui nous attendent. On change donc radicalement nos plans et on décide de partir au Nord ! Ah, la liberté de voyager en suivant le beau temps. Bon, on ne suit pas le beau temps, on fuit le très mauvais temps. On prend la route de Fairbanks à 16 heures. En quatre heures de route, on voit de beaux orignaux, mais aussi de magnifiques paysages, illuminés par le soleil rasant du soir ! Mais où étaient ces belles montagnes, il y a deux ans ? (dans les nuages). C’est fou comme l’Alaska a changé en deux ans ! 😂

We arrive in Fairbanks at 9 PM, still under broad daylight. Here, it truly feels like the big city of Northern Alaska. We stop to eat at a McDonald’s. Then we head to a spot on the edge of town to spend the night. We’re not the only ones who had this idea: the parking lot is full of travelers’ vehicles! We park between a couple of them. Oh well, so much for a quiet campsite!

Thursday, August 8^th

Rémi a réussi l’impossible : obtenir un rendez-vous du jour au lendemain dans un garage de Fairbanks. Tu sais, la fuite sur le joint de l’essieu avant ? À 8 heures, on se présente face à une secrétaire très désagréable. Elle nous annonce d’emblée un coût de 75 $ pour le diagnostic. Euh… même si on sait parfaitement quel est le problème ? Oui ! Même si on te montre avec précision la pièce qui fuit ? Oui 😦. Bon. Elle nous interdit formellement d’utiliser les canapés confortables de la salle d’attente. Mais madame, Jeepy, c’est notre maison, on n’a nulle part où aller ! Elle nous dit sans sourire que Fairbanks est une belle ville, on n’a qu’à aller visiter. T’es gentille cocotte, mais Fairbanks, c’est pas Montréal : sans véhicule et sous la pluie, on fait comment ? Même Lézignan, c’est mieux desservi 😂.

So we ended up at the Starbucks next door, where we spent a small fortune on a mere tea and coffee. Four hours later, the diagnosis came in: the front axle seal is leaking. Really?? 😒 We had a hard time hiding our frustration. Four hours and $75 to learn something we already knew… To replace this seal and a faulty steering part, the bill is hefty: $2,500 💸. Considering we spent $3,500 a few weeks ago in Houston, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Oh, what wouldn’t we do for the health of our Jeep! Well, we’ll ease the sting with another overpriced tea/coffee from Starbucks, where we spend the afternoon.

Friday, August 9^th

Here’s the translation: --- This morning, it's the experienced traveler speaking. After two years of traveling and several minor mechanical issues, we are now seasoned: NEVER hit the road right after leaving a garage 😅. Indeed, two out of three times, we had to return to the garage due to problems caused during the repair. A new leak, a warning light coming on, strange noises, or even a breakdown on the highway (hello to the hellish garage in Bogotá 👋). So we decided to stay around Fairbanks and use the next few days to test the mechanics.

The downtown Fairbanks is just as we remember it: warm, sunny, bustling… No, I’m joking, it’s raining, everything is closed, there’s not a soul around, and there’s nothing to see. But we still like Fairbanks, with its austere vibe and its nearly constant bad weather. We watch the people we pass on the street and imagine their lives in the North of the world, and what it must be like in the heart of winter. We wonder what keeps them here. Do they love the summer and its mosquitoes as much as the winter and its northern lights? The traces of winter are everywhere: in the signs indicating ice on the roads and sidewalks, in the plugs hanging from the hoods to keep the engine warm in winter, and in the snow equipment parked in the yards.

On passe ensuite à Pionner Park, une attraction majeure de la ville, où j’oblige Rémi à prendre la pause en costume d’Inuits. Ça se voit qu’il a été forcé, non ? 😆

Well, all that is very nice, but exploring the city won’t tell us if Jeepy is in good shape! We need an adventure. Luckily, there are plenty of adventures to be had around Fairbanks. So we set off on the Steese Highway. This Alaskan road stretches for 259 kilometers and ends in a dead-end at the small community of Circle, 80 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. For now, we cover the first 100 kilometers before settling by the river. The weather is nice, but for how long?

Saturday, August 10^th

Here’s the translation: --- The first 130 kilometers of the Steese Highway are paved, but then the nice road suddenly turns into a narrow, winding… and muddy trail, as we're once again under a light rain. We follow the river, and then the trail gains altitude until we cross a pass. The presence of numerous caravans, tents, and camps along the road in this remote area intrigues us. But on closer inspection, we understand: camouflage outfits, huge bags, muddy pickups, bows, and rifles… hunters! Apparently, the hunting season is about to open. Suddenly, we’re not so sure we want to see any animals…

Quelques kilomètres avant d’arriver à Circle, on discerne les premiers signes de civilisation. Au bout de chemins en terre, des habitations en bois et tôle se laissent entrevoir à travers les arbres. La plupart du temps, une cabane en bois à quelques mètres de l’habitation fait office de toilettes. Les jardins sont faits de bric et de broc et entassés d’objets hétéroclites qui se meurent en plein air. La vie à la dure, dans un coin si reculé de l’Alaska !

Circle had a population of 104 in 2010. The village was named by miners at the end of the 19th century who mistakenly believed it was located on the Arctic Circle (it’s actually 80 kilometers south)! The village sits by the Yukon River. There isn’t much to do here except enjoy the lovely picnic area with a view.

We head back on the Steese Highway after eating. The weather has improved slightly since the morning, allowing us to better enjoy the scenery.

Lorsque l’on retrouve la route, on fait un arrêt en bord de rivière pour laver grossièrement le Jeep à coups de saut d’eau glacée. Puis on s’installe au bord d’un lac. Un barrage de castors, que l’on aperçoit d’ailleurs dans la soirée, a fait déborder le lac et l’eau coule en petites rivières dans la plaine. L’endroit est très mignon. On a acheté une grosse tranche de saumon d’Alaska au supermarché et on le cuisine en tartare ! 😋

The binoculars are out to observe the wildlife in the hills: bears, moose, beavers. We’re on high alert, vigilant (the salmon smells very strong) but also eager, when suddenly, a loud gunshot tears through the silence. We both jump. The shot echoes around us for a long time. Then a second one. And a third! It’s like that all evening. Our neighbors, who were peacefully fishing on the lake in a wooden boat, have now pulled out their rifles and are having fun shooting. We’ll have to forget about the peace… and also about the animals, which must have fled far away because of the noise! Ah, Americans and their love for gunfire… 🙄

Sunday, August 11^th

Jeepy performed like a champ on the Steese Highway. No strange noises, no warning lights, nothing that would justify a return to the garage. So we decide that it’s ready for the next level of adventure. After the Steese Highway and its 259 kilometers, it’s time for the Dalton Highway and its… 800 kilometers of track! Our next destination: the Arctic Ocean!