6/21 to 6/27
Some of the most beautiful mountains we have ever seen were just west of Tok. These very high mountains were snowcapped and just an awesome sight. Soon they were out of sight and for most of the rest of this 200 mile trip there was nothing spectacular to see. On our way we passed through North Pole. We are camped not far from there so we will go back there in a day or two to see Santa Claus. We are staying at the Roads End Campground and will be here for a week. We have cell phone service here but not internet service. Today 6/21 is Summer Solstice. Here in Fairbanks they have a celebration all day with a festival downtown and a baseball game at midnight without lights. On this day the sun here sets at 12:45 AM and sunrise is at 2:30 AM. More than 20 hours of day light. We did go to town and walked around the festival but the ballgame was way too late for us. It is a strange feeling to wake up in the night when it is light outside. On Thursday we took a side trip north to the Visitors Center for the Alyeska Oil Pipe Line. The pipe line is 800 miles long and is 48 inches in diameter. 380 miles are buried and the remainder is above ground a minimum of 5 feet allowing for uninhibited caribou migration. The pipe line is above ground in the permafrost areas. It is built with a zig zag pattern and was constructed so that it can shift from side to side to counteract the heave of the permafrost. It is designed to withstand earthquakes for 5.5 to 8.5 on the Richter Scale. At this time one million gallons of oil flow through the pipe line per day. It takes just over 6 days for the oil to flow from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. We also went to the Santa Claus House in North Pole. We were disappointed because I expected to find toys there and Santa Claus. I had hoped to send a gift from there to our great granddaughter. But mostly all they sell is Christmas decorations and ornaments. This small town is growing as more and more people from Fairbanks migrate there. It is a strange feeling to wake up in the night when it is light outside. On Thursday we took a side trip north to the Visitors Center for the Alyeska Oil Pipe Line. The pipe line is 800 miles long and is 48 inches in diameter. 380 miles are buried and the remainder is above ground a minimum of 5 feet allowing for uninhibited caribou migration. The pipe line is above ground in the permafrost areas. It is built with a zig zag pattern and was constructed so that it can shift from side to side to counteract the heave of the permafrost. It is designed to withstand earthquakes for 5.5 to 8.5 on the Richter Scale. At this time one million gallons of oil flow through the pipe line per day. It takes just over 6 days for the oil to flow from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. We also went to the Santa Claus House in North Pole. We were disappointed because I expected to find toys there and Santa Claus. I had hoped to send a gift from there to our great granddaughter. But mostly all they sell is Christmas decorations and ornaments. This small town is growing as more and more people from Fairbanks migrate there. We went on an evening cruise up the Chena and Nenana Rivers. Several facts about the area and the importance of the rivers to the people were given to us. It was a beautiful evening and a fun time. The Nenana River is spring fed and the Chena River is glacial fed. When these two rivers come together the glacial silt floats on the top. It is quite unusual to see this. Also we are able to observe any river and tell if it is glacial water.