The Alaskan Pipeline

July 1,2010
Yesterday we checked out the Trans Alaska Pipeline System near Fairbanks. Oil was discovered in 1968 in Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska. Pipeline construction began in March 1975 and was finished in June 1977. Crude Oil began flowing on June 20 of that year and the first tanker was filled at Valdez on August 1. The 48-inch diameter steel pipeline runs 800 miles and crosses three mountain ranges and 800 rivers or streams. Because of the permafrost large segments of the pipeline were elevated above ground to keep the permafrost from melting. More than 16 billion barrels have moved through the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Alaska supplies nearly 14% of the United States’ domestic crude oil production. Over 19,000 oil tankers have been loaded at Valdez. The Marine Terminal cost $1.4 billion to build, covers 1,000 acres, and includes 18 oil storage tanks with a capacity of 9 million barrels.

I thought maybe you would like the little board that was posted at the pipeline sight about sunrise and sunset.

Fairbanks

Today is Tuesday, June 29 and our 20th day of travel. We drove from Tok to Fairbanks on Highway 2 in a gentle rain.. The highway today was excellent and took us in a NNW direction. We left Tok at about 7 a.m. and got to Fairbanks at about 2 p.m. Today we saw several moose, one with a baby. We did stop at North Pole, Alaska and have a little chat with Santa. After that we had our first look at the Alaska Pipeline as it crossed a river. We went to Pioneer Village for a Salmon Bake this evening. We had prime rib, salmon, halibut, and cod with all the trimmings and dessert. We then walked around the village and saw many different antiques.

Saturday we drove from Whitehorse to Dawson City in Yukon Territories. It was a rather uneventful 349 miles. We did find a place called Moose Creek Lodge that was supposed to have good food and pastries. It did not look very promising, but the food was great! I had a grilled roast beef, onion, and cheese sandwich on homemade bread. Then had a raspberry tart that was delicious.

We went to the “dome” when we got to Dawson City. It is a high point that overlooks the city and the Yukon and Klondike rivers. From above the city, the places where they dredged the Klondike river for gold look like big worms. From the highway, the dredging looks like big mounds of rocks. The area between the street and river is a green belt that had lots of activity--people camping, kids playing, and walkers. The guys went to fill with fuel and to get a few groceries. Milk was $8 a gallon, so they decided we really didn’t need it for another day or two.

Sunday we didn’t go very many miles, but we were on The Top of the World Highway. To go from Dawson City to Chicken in Alaska, first you have to cross the river on a barge. We left the campground at 6:45 and had a 90 minute wait for our turn to cross the river. Then it was 80+ miles of gravel roads up and down the tops of mountains with a little rain thrown in. The views were truly amazing. In the middle of nowhere, was the port of entry back into the United States. We stopped for lunch in Chicken. We drove on to Tok. The first thing we did when we got to Tok was to wash the rigs.

Monday is a day of rest for us. It has rained all night and is still raining. We are just doing the maintenance things like washing clothes, getting groceries and watching a little TV.

Train Trip

Today, June 25, we got on a bus to take us on a train trip! How about that!!! From Whitehorse, YT we took Highway 2 or the South Klondike highway and stopped at Carcross, YT. Carcross stands for caribou crossing or the narrows the caribou used go between two lakes in the area. There is an area of sand dunes know as the Carcross Desert close by. The sand came from lake-bottom material left behind by a large glacial lake. It looks like the OK sand dunes except it has pine trees growing in it.



Then it was on to Fraser, BC where we boarded a narrow gauge train, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad which was completed in 1900. We saw spectacular scenery as we rode to Skagway, Alaska. There were two tunnels, several bridges, lots of waterfalls, high mountains, and sheer drop-offs. It was a fun trip.



Before getting off the train, our passports were checked because we were now in the U.S. We had also crossed a time zone. Skagway was one of the staging areas for the gold rush in the Klondike. Now it is a port for cruise ships and so there are lots of tourist shops--especially jewelry shops. It is a neat little town--with a feel similar to Leadville in Colorado except the shopping is more upscale. I found a quilt shop with great Alaskan patterns and purchased a little fabric.



Back on the bus and heading back to Whitehorse and another passport check to get back into Canada. We got back about 6.

Observations

North of Watson Lakes for many miles, rock messages are spelled out along the highway on the slopes of the ditches. The rock messages were started in 1990 by a Fort Nelson swim team. Now there are lots of names and messages.

The continental divide divides two of the largest drainage systems in North America--the Yukon River and the Mackenzie River watersheds. The Yukon goes 2300 miles to the Pacific Ocean and the Mackenzie flows north and empties into the Arctic Ocean after 2650 miles.

The landscape is full of small, calm lakes surrounded by pines just like the pictures you have seen. We did follow a lake for a while that was 86 miles long, so there are huge lakes here too.

We have crossed the Rocky Mountains and now are in the Cassian Mountains, which are not quite as rugged as the Rockies.

We are traveling with a couple who were here four years ago and there were not many people traveling then. This year there are lots of campers and trailers. The RV parks are about filled by evening. There are many pull-outs along the highway for truckers and travelers.

It is light here 23 hours of the day this time of year. The sun was still not set at 10 p.m. The first day of winter they have about 5.5 hours of daylight.

British Columbia is the energy capital of Canada with gas wells everywhere. The RV parks had many oil workers living in them.

Today we are riding a train to Skagway.

In Yukon Territories

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear Haley!
Happy Birthday to yooooouuuuu!
Happy Birthday you 18 year-old.

Monday was quite a day. We were driving along on great roads when all of the sudden we hit a ROUGH spot. I think everything was airborne for a second and then more bumps. The result was a collapsed table and two scrambled recliners. Our noon stop was on top of a mountain pass and it rained and hailed for about 20 minutes. The ground was white. We took off in a light rain and ½ mile down the road it was clear. That evening the guys glued our table back together and it is okay again. The recliners are a little worse for wear.

We stayed at Testa River Campground which is the mosquito capital of BC. The place generated its own power and had been in the family since the road was built. We saw two caribou, a mother bear with two cubs, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and buffalo on the roadside.

Tuesday night we stayed in Watson Lake, YT. This is the town with the park in the center of town that has signposts with signs from all over the world. It is quite a spectacle. Off to Whitehorse.

The Alaska Highway

We stayed overnight in Beaverlodge because the rv parks we called in Dawson Creek were full. So we had a short hop today to Dawson Creek. Our first little glitch for the day was to put some air into one of the truck duals. It has had low pressure several days. The second little glitch was the friend's slide that would not retract. So it took a while to get things done. But we gained another hour and were in Dawson Creek by 8:30. Then we settled into the campground, walked Charlie, and started some washing. We toured the museum, art gallery, saw a film about the making of the Alaska Highway in the early 40's, took pictures of everyone at Mile Zero, went a few miles and looked at one of the original bridges, stopped for some supplies, got the truck tire fixed, and then went out for supper. It was another busy, vacation day!