Category: Pan American Highway

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20250816-18 Day 7, End of The Dalton, Fairbanks

We left the Arctic Circle campground about 10 AM and headed the 190 miles back to Fairbanks. We arrive in Fairbanks around 3 and headed straight to the car wash. We planned to get cleaned up but we’d never stay clean with Howie in this condition.

The road salt/mud was caked on the body, frame, and all around the camper. $75 and 60 minutes later it was much better. I still will get underneath in the near future and work the frame a bit but for now this will do.

It was coming along 5 pm and we headed to a local campground for the night. We got a deal at this place, even though it was $40 with power, it included free showers. The dogs barely got to pee before Kathy was headed to the showers with her gear.

The next two days were expensive on the budget. We spent an additional $350 for groceries and supplies,;$25 on laundry (cheap really); $90 on campgrounds; $100 on diesel, propane, and truck supplies. Going to town costs money.

Sean had his final cardiology tele-appointment so we stayed in Fairbanks. We also had to fill prescriptions for Kathy and Walgreens in AK is not fast. Sean’s appointment results were fantastic with reports that the AFib was not permanent, his heart echocardiogram showed no issues, and the imaging/stress test showed no arterial plaque or other issues. The doc wants to keep me on the Rx so we will have to head back into Fairbanks to get those tomorrow.

We decided to head south a bit to get away from the pay campsites and to visit the North Pole. We enjoyed the Christmas store and all of the Yule spirit, got a few postcards, and then found a free camp next to the Salcha River. Here’s a picture from the Howie’s door.

here are some additional photos from the past few days.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250816-18-day-7-end-of-the-dalton-fairbanks

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20250815 – Dalton Highway – Day 6

We left after the swim in the Arctic Ocean and drove south. The weather was turning and snow was expected. We wanted to make it through Atigun Pass before we stopped but it ended up being too far. I think we ended up stopping at a rest area around 8PM. We woke up to two inches of snow on the camper the next morning. Fortunately we still had propane and Howie stayed nice and warm all night.

The road is well traveled and maintained due to the hauling that occurs so other than being muddy, the pass was beautifully blanketed in snow and the road was clear. We made it to Coldfoot in the late afternoon, fueled up, and pushed onward. I wanted to get back to Fairbanks because we were low on propane and were about 8 days in since a shower and 7 days since food supply, tank dumps, and fresh water.

The road was tiring to drive with the constant watch for potholes and dips. I managed to avoid most of them but one bad one bent the eye bolt on the repaired side. Fortunately no damage to the wood repairs was evident, but when we got to the camp at the BLM Arctic Circle Campground I had to attach the chain to the jack mount again as the eye bolt threads were stripped.

The pups were glad to get a walk in although it was slightly raining. We hunkered down for the night and slept well. The propane still managed to keep us warm all night.

here are some additional photos of the day.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250815-dalton-highway-day-6

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20250814 – PanAm Mile 0 – Prudhoe Bay, AK

Yesterday was an epic day for us. We spent a second night just outside of Deadhorse, AK because we had reservations for the shuttle up to the Arctic Ocean. Since we did not know which day we’d be there, I scheduled it when we arrived and it requires 24+ hours so they can receive clearance for us to enter the oil fields. It was definitely worth it as we slept in and rested until the tour started at 3:30. The day started out a bit sunny and then by 2 some clouds had come in and the temperature had dropped into the low 40’s.

I’m going to put Kathy’s text from her Facebook post in here as it perfectly describes our adventure.

Such an amazing day that will not be forgotten.

Yesterday we traveled to the Arctic Ocean to officially start our Pan-American journey. On the way to the beach (only accessible by shuttle and required a security clearance), we were able to see a heard of caribou being stalked by a grizzly bear. We also saw a red fox and numerous kinds of water foul along the way. Once we arrived at the beach both Sean and I took a quick dip in the ocean to commemorate the event. When finished, we were surprised to receive certificates declaring membership in the Arctic Polar Bear Club from the shuttle driver. It was an unexpected tribute for something we almost didn’t go through with due to the extremely frigid conditions, but we are so glad we did. On our way to the campground we witnessed a heard of wild muskox grazing off the side of the road. It was such a magnificent site. After we got settled in Howie, we toasted this extraordinary day and once in a lifetime occasion with a shot of Penelope bourbon (gifted to Sean by his coworkers to mark this event) and then as we readied for a peaceful and fulfilling sleep, it began to snow.

here are some photos of the day.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250814-mile-0-prudhoe-bay-ak