June 27, 2012 - Fairbanks, AK - Rivers Edge Campground

It rained most of the night in Tok.  It stopped long enough for us to pack up and cut out.  It rained until 11 AM or so.  We stopped for lunch in North Pole, Alaska.  We mailed some post cards from a cheesy tourist place so they could be postmarked “North Pole”.  We me the riders from Penn at the restaurant where we had lunch.  We chatted for maybe 10 minutes.  They seem like really nice people.  Strange how we see the same people along the way.  We also saw the same guy we were camped next to last night.  Hey – there are only so many campgrounds and at the pace of travel, one is bound to see the same people.

Rivers Edge CG - Fairbanks, AK

The drive from Tok to Fairbanks was BORING.  The rain and clouds obscured any hint of a scenic drive.  We were told by a number of people the drive was great.  OK…OK…maybe we will have better luck next time.

 We had been a little concerned about the tread wear on the camper tires.  We had them replaced in Fairbanks, just to be on the safe side.  Once they were removed, I was shocked how uneven the wear was.  We will monitor them closely.  We suspect the road is a big influence in the wear.  We have been getting a clanking noise from the camper.  We can't pin down the source.  I have checked the rims when we stop to see if they are hot.  It doesn't seem to affect the camper and no obvious damage is visible.  We will keep an eye on it. 

A couple from Germany came over to inspect our camper.  We chatted maybe ½ hour.  They bought a fifth-wheel camper and pickup in Seattle, sight unseen.  They flew from Germany and are traveling around for three months.  They will drop it off at the dealership in Seattle when they are done, and one of the employees has agreed to sell the unit for them.  Sounds like a good deal, but it could be disastrous.  There are all sorts of creative ways to travel and minimize your costs.  Additionally, the man was a retired ophthalmologist.  He and Don had something in common. 

We wanted to get to the Artic Circle.  I had done some research and between that and taking to others returning south, we thought it might be possible.  However, our bikes were not the kind to make the trip.  I did some checking and found several car rental companies with vehicles worthy of the trip.  I was shocked to find that a one-day rental to the Artic Circle was $400.00, plus gas.  It is about a 320-mile round trip, over gravel, broken road and what-not.  That means a LONG day and close to $500.00 dollars.  There was also the option of renting a motorcycle each for $500.00 apiece, plus gas.  We talked it over and thought – NAH.

We looked for the end of the Alaskan Highway and couldn't find it.  We asked some people and they were clueless.  We looked at maps, etc. and found nothing.  We found out later the official end is in Delta Junctioin, which we blew right past.  We didn't even think about referring to the Mile Post book we had bought.  It had it all in there.

We will take in some of the sights around here then head up to Denali.  The weather is iffy, but we have to pay for the great weather we had for five days coming up here.