Well, we ended up staying in Tok an extra day and not leaving until yesterday. I think we both underestimated how tired we were from our trek through Canada. It was so much fun, but there was very little time for rest. We decided to be kind to ourselves and allow one more day before moving on.
Once we got on the road yesterday, though, the goal was Delta Junction and completion of the Alaska Highway! The drive was beautiful. There were views of rivers and the Alaska Range frequently along the route. And then at the end, much like at the beginning of the highway, there is a photo op with a sign that we couldn’t pass up. We can now officially say that we have completed the Alaska Highway. Many people will combine the Alaska Highway with other area highways so that they are only on portions of it, and that is what we intend to do on the way back at the end of the summer, but for our trek up, we drove every bumpy mile.
We are now on the Richardson Highway heading toward Fairbanks, but we are taking our time, and there honestly hasn’t been much exciting to write about. After splurging on a buffalo burger, a halibut sandwich, and some milk shakes in Delta Junction yesterday, we spent the night at Big Delta State Historic Park. Camping was, literally, in a dusty, gravel parking lot that saw a lot of traffic at all hours from people driving through to access the Tanana River. We chose this location because we had read that historic Rika’s Roadhouse on the property is a must-see. However, we didn’t get to see it – at least not the inside. The signs said it was open from 10:00-4:00 daily, but when we walked over at 10:30 this morning, it was not open. We hung around until 11, but still nothing, so we headed on down the road. There was a great view of the trans-Alaska Pipeline crossing the Tanana River from here, though, so at least all was not lost!
Tonight and tomorrow night we are camped in the River Park at Chena Lake Recreation Area just outside of North Pole, AK, along with about a bazillion really large, really hungry mosquitos. We haven’t explored much yet, but there are some nice hiking trails and bike trails here that we plan to try out tomorrow. And then, who knows…? We have lots of ideas for adventures to come in the next couple of weeks, but no firm plans yet, so you will have to check back in a few days to see what we decide.
Ride with us to complete the Alaska Highway in the video below:
Until next time!
It’s great that you did the full 1422 miles of the Alaska Highway! Not many people can say that.
What are you using to fend off the mosquitoes and how effective is it?
Well, we use spray repellent that contains Deet when it is absolutely necessary, but we both hate the stuff, so we use it sparingly. It works pretty well, if you coat yourself in it, but then you are sticky and smelly for the rest of the day. Otherwise, we have a Therma-cell mosquito repeller, citronella candles, and Off clip ons. They all help, but you can still expect to get some bites. We also have mosquito repelling bracelets that someone gave us that we haven’t tried yet. In most of the places we have been, the mosquitos are bearable. The last two nights, however, were absolutely horrendous. The worst part was that the mosquitos somehow found a way into the camper, so we couldn’t even go inside to escape them. I killed 20 inside the camper just this morning. Thankfully, we have moved on and they aren’t nearly as bad now!
I heard the mosquito was Alaska’s state bird! Ha! Just kidding. I know the mosquitoes in Wisc were big but it sounds like Alaska’s are even bigger. What do you use to prevent bites while hiking?
The mosquitos we experienced in our campground the last couple of days were unlike anything we have ever seen before. They were awful! We haven’t really done any hiking in areas where they are really bad yet, but when we do we will use a spray repellent with Deet. We hate the stuff because it makes you sticky and smelly, but it is about the only thing that works when you are moving around.