The End of the Beginning

Dear Arctic Ocean,

I traveled the Dalton Highway, also known as the Haul Road for those who watch Ice Road Truckers. Regular folks aren't supposed to use this road between the months of October to April due to the extreme weather conditions. Quick facts: from Anchorage to the Arctic Ocean and back is about 1700 miles; we traversed this distance in 3.5 days; we drove a '99 Ford Exporer, black; it was coated brown after the end; we had to bring 15 gallons of gas strapped to the roof of the car b/c gas isn't guaranteed; 4 of us journeyed; we dipped in the Arctic Ocean which wasn't too cold, but there was a threat of hitting rusting metals in the water; BP is the operator up there at Prudhoe Bay where the oil is pumped; Prudhoe Bay, the farthest north area we went has the largest concentration of mosquitoes in the world; 250 some people travel it every day.

People said we were crazy, trying to get there. Many people blow a tire. Others wouldn't want to drive for three straight days. Still others would balk at eating meager rations. And, there's no support crew if you get into an accident. Few want to spend a weekend doing this.

Worth it. You get to see the interior of Alaska. You drive through 3 mountain ranges. You go past ANWR (Anwar as it is commonly pronounced). BTW, this makes me an expert at oil exploration. So if any of you are for or against drilling in ANWR, just know that I have been there and you can't argue with me because of my credentials. PhD Krawetzke.

Sadly few animals. The caribou had just migrated through the North Slope. Thousands of them the week before we got there. Major bumsies. It's okay though. We got to bounce along the tundra, follow the trans-alaskan pipeline (which is an engineering marvel, look it up), and travel along an unpaved road at speeds ranging from 20mph-45mph.

On our way back we made two notable stops. One was at the Chena Hot Springs. These hot springs are up by Fairbanks and a resort has created a pool around them. The water is over a hundred degrees and they've created a rock formation around it. You can go swimming in it year round. Pretty rad. It's not often in Alaska that you feel uncomfortably hot after a little while. Being encased in heat was intoxicating. Bliss.

Our other notable stop was in a place called North Pole. When people send letters to Santa Claus this is where they go. They even respond to letters. It's psychedelic. Every light post looks like a candy cane, every street is named something Christmasy, and there are giant santa cutouts that tower over you. I can't be certain, but this might be an LCD-inspired town. I'm petitioning Congress for a special investigation.