Deadhorse wasn’t the kind of town that everyone had heard of, (not even some Alaskans) but for us it was the place we had been continually driving towards for the last eighteen months. Now all we had to do was drive the infamous 414 mile Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Deadhorse. Driving beyond the Arctic Circle in a broken beat up old Dodge Durango may not be everyones cup of tea but we wouldn’t have changed a thing. The end was in our sights!
The day before we set out to drive the Dalton we stocked up on food supplies, drove round a million different places looking to hire a CB radio and brought a massive bottle of champagne for the coming celebrations. The guide book and plenty of websites recommended a CB radio to communicate with the big rigs and keep out of their way but even after inquiring at Carlile trucking (the original ice road truckers) we couldn’t get hold of one. Turns out you could buy them at Walmart, but even for $80 we couldn’t justify it, in four days time we wouldn’t need it and it would become just another thing to get rid of before we flew home. We did however have four cans of tyre goo in case of a puncture which was fairly likely given our worn mismatched excuse for tyres. There were plenty of other things people said we would need but we had moved far beyond that. Like any other phase of our trip we expected some adversity but knew we would always be able to over come it, one way or another.
The day before we set out to drive the Dalton we stocked up on food supplies, drove round a million different places looking to hire a CB radio and brought a massive bottle of champagne for the coming celebrations. The guide book and plenty of websites recommended a CB radio to communicate with the big rigs and keep out of their way but even after inquiring at Carlile trucking (the original ice road truckers) we couldn’t get hold of one. Turns out you could buy them at Walmart, but even for $80 we couldn’t justify it, in four days time we wouldn’t need it and it would become just another thing to get rid of before we flew home. We did however have four cans of tyre goo in case of a puncture which was fairly likely given our worn mismatched excuse for tyres. There were plenty of other things people said we would need but we had moved far beyond that. Like any other phase of our trip we expected some adversity but knew we would always be able to over come it, one way or another.
On Friday the 18th of April at 10:45am we rolled out of Fairbanks due North. Ten minutes in we stopped and filled up the water tank from a fresh water spring before continuing on. The weather was a mixed bag that revolved between blazing sunshine and blizzardous snowy fog as we drove. The first stretch of road is actually called the Elliot Highway and this must be followed for 130km before turning off left for the Dalton. We took a break in the weather to climb on the now bare roof of the Dodge for some photos next to the Dalton Highway sign then moments later we were in a total whiteout. When Will got out to take a photo of us on the bridge over the Yukon River neither of us even noticed that the bridge was on a down hill angle until we crossed it on the return run.
We took driving the Dalton seriously and slowed right down and pulled over every time we saw a big rig speeding towards us, many trucks were even passing us, these drivers knew the road like the back of their hand and had a job to do so we kept well out of there way. However we were surprised when a guy in a fleet pickup signalled for us to pullover as he came up to pass. We stopped and he did too. After introductions he told us he thought we had an issue with our rear axel as it was wobbling in a strange motion. We had a look around underneath but couldn’t see anything so Will jumped in with the guy and followed behind while I drove. It was quickly obvious to Will that the rear left tyre wasn’t spinning true and another closer inspection showed that our tyre wall was beginning to fail and had bulged in one place out like a herniated disc. After a bit of discussion Wills theory was that we should just drive on it until it fails and get as far as we could before using the spare, our tyre goo couldn't fix this one unfortunately. So we thanked the guy and waved him off putting the issue to the back of our minds.
Later that afternoon around 5pm we reached the Arctic Circle. With plans to get a cheeky naked shot of us in-front of the sign we were testing camera angles, however a bus load of tourists pulled up right behind us so we waited around for them to leave. They took their time though and all wanted to chat with us about our journey. One lady even said she owned a Durango and was glad to see how tough they were. Not wanting to dampen her sprit we kept our mouths shut about all the problems we had had with ours. Soon enough the tourists left and with the camera ready we striped off in the truck before dashing out for a few chilly photos. Thankfully no body saw us and I’ll never let Will put those ones online!
At 7pm we pulled into Coldfoot, popolation 10. Coldfoot is roughly half way along the Dalton at mile 174 (280km) and is one of only three places you can get fuel with the others being at the Yukon River crossing (at the very start) and in Deadhorse itself. We may have been following a pipeline that transports over 700,000 barrels of oil each day but that oil still has to be refined and then transported back to Alaska on tankers making it some of the most expensive gas in America at $4.80 per gallon (Still not bad by NZ prices which averages USD $6.15/Gal). We felt like one of the big boys fuelling up next to the huge rigs and famous Carlile trucks. But inside a sign on a table put us in our place by separating the ‘truckers’ eating area from the ‘public’. There is not much to Coldfoot other than the gas station, a few hardy individuals and some basic accommodation so we opted to continue on a little further.
An hour later we pulled into a rest area beside a frozen river. Scout was glad for the freedom and I cooked dinner while Will inspected what remained of our tyre that was just holding together. I don't think you would be able to camp there during the height of summer but we were the first tourists of the season so no one bothered us other than the roar of a few eighteen wheelers barrelling past in the late night daylight.
The next morning we got to work driving north again and soon passed a sad looking sign that marked what was once the northernmost spruce tree, at least it was until some guy cut it down. Now its just the most northern dead spruce tree. Around 11am we reached the notorious Atigun Pass. We didn’t have a radio to see what was coming the other way but what we could see was clear so we cautiously made our way up the steep curving incline. A rig passed us near the top on a straight section so there was no drama though we could see how there could be if either driver was at all complacent. At the top we were met with an endless view of snow covered mountains cut only by the black of the road and its grit sprayed shoulders. On the long straight that followed we passed a convoy of rigs hauling several portable buildings, they looked like a cumbersome load and we thanked our lucky stars that we didn’t meet them on the pass.
Later when the pipeline was close to the road we got out for a better look and were amazed to see how huge it was once you got near it. It really was a colossal piece of engineering, it was even able to handle movements of the earth by sitting on these huge sliders that allowed in some places over 2m of displacement. When we stopped we also had another look at our tyre which now had big chunks of rubber missing but was still inflated so we kept on driving.
Thirty minutes later near pump station 3 our tyre gave up the fight and blew out. It was a sound we had become all too accustomed too but we came to a nice controlled stop on the icy road and with no one around initiated the tyre change sequence. This being one of many flats we were pretty well practiced or so we thought… Will placed the jack and wound it up I then started breaking the nuts and screwing them off. I had two of the five off when suddenly the Dodge slid backwards and promptly rolled off the jack and came to a holt. No one was hurt and lucky the tyre was still on but the jack had slipped on the icy surface and had been crushed by the axel rendering it useless. We were now stuck there unable to change the tyre. When we saw to rigs coming our way without trailers we didn’t expect them to stop given they were probably on the clock but as our luck would have it they did stop and offered to lend us their jack. They were both men of few words but they helped us get the tyre changed using two jacks. We also had the Dodge fully chocked so it didn’t roll anywhere this time.
The road was soon a solid sheet of ice and we had a difficult time driving. We couldn’t use four wheel drive as the spare tyre was a slightly smaller diameter than the others so it aways tried to spin faster when they were all locked together making for a very unstable ride. So down to two wheel drive and almost no tread had us sliding around even at 40km/h. Then it happened; all in slow motion the wheels started sliding and refused to be corrected and we bumped off the road, somehow backwards, into the shallow snow filled ditch. I was furious at Will for losing control again but looking back there wasn’t much he could do about it. A Carlyle eighteen wheeler carrying a load of drill pipe saw it all unfold, stopped and amazingly offered to pull us out! Using our famous green tow strop he first attempted to pull us from his front but we couldn’t quite clear the ditch. The Dodge just dragged sideways on its belly. We decided to try a pull from behind and Will set to changing the tow points while I filmed. The ensuing traffic jam had 30 ton trucks locking their brakes up to stop in time even on the long stretch of road that gave you plenty of time to react. The pull from behind was eventually successful but looked horribly rough on our poor tires.
We were back in action and only a handful of miles away from Deadhorse but I wasn’t in the best mood. My nerves had been frayed by yet another misadventure in the Dodge and I took it out on Will. Thankfully Will pulled over before we got to Deadhorse and told me to pull my head in. I recomposed myself and the excitement started to build as we saw some clusters of portable buildings in the distance. Then before we knew it we had arrived in Deadhorse!
I almost forgot to look out the window so set was I on following the guidebook directions to the “Welcome To Deadhorse” sign outside the general store. We parked right in front of the sign at 7:38pm on Saturday the 19th of April! We took a breath and looked at each other in wonderment WE HAD MADE IT! With the camera rolling we jumped out, waved the NZ flag around, high fived, hugged, kissed, laughed, cried and covered each other in champagne in front of a few onlookers. We both felt on top of the world and we literally were!!!
I almost forgot to look out the window so set was I on following the guidebook directions to the “Welcome To Deadhorse” sign outside the general store. We parked right in front of the sign at 7:38pm on Saturday the 19th of April! We took a breath and looked at each other in wonderment WE HAD MADE IT! With the camera rolling we jumped out, waved the NZ flag around, high fived, hugged, kissed, laughed, cried and covered each other in champagne in front of a few onlookers. We both felt on top of the world and we literally were!!!
It had taken us 499 days and 75,000 km, 100s of break downs, +38°C to -20°C, from Argentina to Alaska and a dog in-between but we had made it through 124 degrees of latitude!
After we calmed down a bit we went to check out what the general store had to offer. The girl at the counter was super friendly and we got the feeling she would have told you anything if you talked to her long enough! She gave us the low down on the place and the wifi password, she even told us where to park overnight so that we could still get wifi in the Dodge. She lead an interesting life doing month on month off flying in from Texas. Her job in Alaska seemed to consist of taking orders for chewing tobacco and other luxury items for the oil field workers. There was also a well stocked souvenirs section and I picked up a pair of “Trans-Alaska Pipeline” sweat pants while Will opted for a Deadhorse t-shirt the same as the sign. Next on the agenda was to see how much further we could drive. We were well aware that you couldn’t drive all the way to the ocean as the road is permanently closed to private vehicles due to security concerns. There was a tour you could do but it was a bit expensive and possibly wasn’t even running that time of year. However we did make it all the way to the barrier arm and snapped a quick photo before retreating.
Later we filled up with gas again this time a crazy $5.51/Gal and then it was time for dinner. I had ambitious plans for a celebratory meal including streaky bacon, steamed sweet corn, instant mash potato and gravy with a side of fresh bread. It took a while to make outside in the numbing cold but was totally worth it accompanied with what was left of the champagne. It was 10pm and we had just hopped in the Dodge for the evening when Will checked the Yellowbrick and saw that my parents had sent us a message of congratulations. It meant a lot to us to know that both of our parents had been right there following us on the tracker for those final few hours.
Before we set out the next morning we went for a leisurely drive around all the six or seven roads that make up Deadhorse. Will posed for photos with some of the huge specialised equipment like the giant articulated tractor on tracks, the massive mobile land rigs, and the funny little pod vehicles on fat slick tires. At 12:30 we started on the long road home. I was taking it easy in the drivers seat on the way back and six hours went by before we made it to the Atigun Pass. As we approached the down hill side of the pass we saw an overturned eighteen wheeler on the sharp bend. With no traffic in sight we stopped for a closer inspection and soon realised that it was one of the rigs we had passed yesterday hauling the portable buildings. The portable building was now a destroyed pile of rubbish at the bottom of the hill. We took a few photos and curious had a look inside the cabin of the rig before moving on. Twilight approached around 8pm and we started seeing a few animals out grazing so we had to keep our eyes peeled for any near the side of the road. Back in Coldfoot we went inside for a hot dinner and a well deserved beer. Secretly we were hoping we would meet some truckers but the place was quiet until just as we were leaving a trio of truckers came in and we chatted with them about the overturned rig. One guy explained that it wasn’t the drivers fault, that the load was very unstable and caught a lot of wind. They said the driver had his doubts about transporting it but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Apparently the truck was being righted as we spoke and would be all cleaned up in a few hours. With daylight still on our side we drove on until 11pm then pulled into an elevated rest stop and set up camp.
By lunchtime on Monday we had officially conquered the Dalton Highway and were back on real deal pavement. Leaving the Dalton Will spotted a pipeline inspection helicopter out to make its weekly flyover of the pipeline. Sections of the pipeline are also routinely inspected on foot and via vehicle as well as having mechanical ‘pigs’ sent internally through the line to preform a variety of checks. We arrived back at the DeCorso’s cabin that afternoon and discovered that the cabin was already booked for that evening. We were a little sad but could hardly complain as we had already managed three free stays with the DeCorso’s so we said our good byes to the family and thanked them for their hospitality. Then we loaded up the Dodge with all of our stuff we had left there and then headed into town to see what we could find. Will and I went round in circles for a while about what was best to do. Should we sleep in the car and just shower and wash our clothes at the laundromat or should we fork out for a motel? In the end we stayed at a Super 8 Motel where for $79 we had a nice clean room, washing machines down the hallway, wifi and a free breakfast. We smuggled Scout in the back door past the security cameras and put on three loads of washing then enjoyed lovely hot showers without having to worry about emptying the water tank. Will went out and grabbed takeout for dinner before we Skype called each of our families to tell them about our top of the world adventure and that we were back safe and sound.
We woke up early the next morning so as not to miss the free breakfast, then we orderly packed up the very full but clean Dodge and set about finding another tire to replace the one that had failed. Will bartered with a guy at a place we found through google and soon enough we had another well used mismatched tyre to get us back on the road. We didn’t bother replacing the jack given the sad state of the Dodge. We didn’t like our chances of selling it and thought it would end up as scrap metal in a few weeks.
All we had to do now was drive 5,000km to LA in twelve days SURE!
Rochelle & Will
All we had to do now was drive 5,000km to LA in twelve days SURE!
Rochelle & Will