Cross over the Arctic Circle!
This actually happened while we were staying in Fairbanks/North Pole.
I had the opportunity to cross over the arctic circle. It was about an hour flight each way with three hours visiting a local town.
The weather was not the best for the views from the plane as there were clouds, but we were still able to see sights on the ground and in the distance. During a good portion of our flight. we could see the Alaska Pipeline which is traveling from Prudhoe Bay, AK to Valdez, AK.
We landed in Coldfoot, Alaska which is located north of the Arctic Circle. Coldfoot is also where the Gates of the Arctic National Park is located.
Once we landed in Coldfoot we met our tour guide/driver. His name is Andy. Here is where “It’s a Small World” comes into play. I drive all the way from Pittsburgh to Alaska, board a plane that takes me across the Arctic Circle and land in Coldfoot, Alaska. I get into a tour van and the tour guide Andy is from Pittsburgh! He asked me if I knew where Mancini Bakery is located. I told him of course I do as my friends live right near there. He graduated from Sto-Rox High School and later after talking with my friends, I learned that Andy’s brother graduated with one of my friends. This really is a small world!
Our drive took us on a portion of the Dalton Highway to Wiseman, AK to the homestead of Jack Reakoff. He has several different tours that come to his property. One is an Aurora Borealis viewing tour where he assists the visitors in how to take and get good photographs.
Jack showed us around his property and gave insight on how he lives off grid. He does have solar panels and lithium batteries for power. They use a wood burner to heat their home. It takes 12 cords of wood to do so in the winter. This was the homestead of his mother and there are several buildings on the property. His wife’s son also lives there, and they are in the process of building a new home on the property which you will see in the video.
They hunt moose for meat but are not permitted to hunt within 5 miles of the Alaska Pipeline. They have beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. Their growing season is very short. He also has several dogs.
They have a separate building which is the chapel, and they open up for anyone to attend.
This was an interesting trip. If I had not already been driving a lot on the RV trip, I might have booked their excursion where you fly to Coldfoot, and drive back on the Dalton Highway back to Fairbanks. That is the same road that the “Ice Road Truckers” show is based on. We did however drive for a bit on the Dalton Highway.
Next up is Anchorage