Day Sixteen: Fairbanks, AK

Today I decided to take it easy. Rather than looking up interesting things to do on the internet, I decided to talk with people. At the hostel in the morning, I met man who had been called the most cynical man in Fairbanks by the other hostelers. I think they were right because he painted a grim picture of tourism around Fairbanks. My goal was (and still is) to prove him wrong.

I left the hostel around around 8 AM, and drove rather aimlessly toward what I hoped was the city center. I saw a sign. The sign said "WE HAVE COOKIES." Now I love cookies, so of course I stopped. There I found the Bun on the Run.

From 630-2011

I found that the Bun had been serving baked goods out of a food truck here in Fairbanks for 23 years. I was very impressed. I may consider trying to open a baked goods truck in the future.

Next I drove around some more and wandered into the local Wal-Mart supercenter. I was curious about the price of things here in Fairbanks relative to back in Boston. Everything was more expensive than I remember from Boston. For example, the peaches I had been buying for $0.99/lb across the lower 48 were labelled $2.98/lb. A twelve pack of throwback Pepsi was $8! I got some peaches and a chocolate bar labelled "Uganda."

At the checkout counter, I asked the cashier if he would trust getting his hair cut at the Walmart, but he recommended another barber "right around the corner." He seemed very impressed with this barber, claiming that he "specialized" in cutting my hair, so I asked for directions. I tried to find Joe the barber without luck. I gave up after about half an hour and instead tried to find more oil for my car. I stopped by another sushi restaurant and had an "Alaska roll."

From 630-2011

This was good even though the sushi chef admitted that none of his fish came from Alaska. I now have access to all the oil I will need in Fairbanks and beyond though. There are no oil recycling businesses this far north, so all restaurants either throw their oil in the trash or give it away to people like me. This is another reason to like it here.

Turns out this sushi place was right across the street from some corn in buckets.

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I notice plants growing in buckets because I once grew a roof garden at MIT with 100 buckets. Also across the street was a 1974 Mercedes 240D for sale.

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I have been looking for a 1970ish 240D for about a month now, so this was a curious coincidence to say the least. Bucket corn and my dream car (well close anyway) in one place at once... Something was up.

Then I noticed a sign. It said "Just haircuts."

From 630-2011

This was Joe, I just knew it. I walked in, and sure enough, Joe was cutting hair. Joe is a 70ish, African-American from North Carolina. Joe owned the bucket corn and the 240D. Joe's shop was full of plants, some in buckets and some in pots.

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Joe also had Ron Paul DVD's on display.

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Joe's shop attracted an assortment of nice guys who called themselves "fixtures." They were mostly retirees who had earned pensions from years of government work. Joe was their age, but still working hard. One of the fixtures while working on a Sudoku puzzle, exclaimed his frustration. Joe laughed and said, "I hope to see the day that I get to work on a puzzle. I hope to see the day." Joe is a hard working entrepreneur. He let me wander around his car lot and greenhouse/garden after I got my hair cut. I was very impressed.

From 630-2011

From 630-2011

This would never have been possible in Boston. Land prices would limit Joe's shop to a quarter the size with no back or front yard. Here Joe has been able to develop his passions of gardening, barbering, and old cars all at once. This is what I call the authentic life.

Later that day while passing near this shop on the way to a junk yard that had been suggested by a fixture at Joe's shop, I saw a double rainbow:

From 630-2011

I went to the local "Action Auto Parts" junk yard to find an additional spare tire for a potential trip to Prudhoe Bay within the next couple days. I couldn't find a fit for my car, but I am going back tomorrow for a donut if I decide to go north. The road north is 500 miles and is mostly gravel. There is very little civilization along the route, so tires will be very hard to get. I will bring two spares if I go.

Right now it's 10:47 PM in Fairbanks, and the sky is almost as bright as it was at 10:47 AM. I'm off to find a hotel parking lot to sleep in.

Day Fifteen: Whitehorse, YT to Fairbanks, AK

During World War II the Whitehorse refinery supplied much of the fuel to power the American aircraft defending Alaska, but the refinery was shut down and moved to Edmonton long ago. Whitehorse is deep within the Yukon, and while there is lots of oil being pumped nearby, there are no refineries. All fuel has to be trucked in across the rough Alaska highway for hundreds of miles, so fuel is about 40% more expensive here (~5.66 USD/gallon) than in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton (~$4.00 USD/gallon). While this is not outrageously expensive, I am very cheap so I started trying to fill my tank with used cooking oil. Luckily the nice people at the Sakura Sushi restaurant had a huge stockpile and gave me enough oil to make it from Whitehorse all the way to Fairbanks.

Downtown Whitehorse:

From 629-2011

Exploring Whitehorse, I found the Klondike. The people of the Yukon are proud of their Klondike. Their license plates all feature the Klondike. I'm still not sure why, but I'll look into this.

From 629-2011

Again I found many friendly people in Whitehorse. While parked in a McDonald's at midnight, I was fiddling with my oil filter pump, and some nice teenagers wandered over and asked if I was using biodiesel. We talked for a while, and I asked how their families ended up being in such a remote location. They were children of pilots, miners, and oil workers. They all seemed intelligent and peaceful. I would be comfortable with my kids (if I had kids) hanging out with kids like these at midnight.

The border crossing into the U.S. was much easier than the crossing into Canada. The customs officers were still puzzled by my oil filtration setup, but seemed to believe everything I said, so I zoomed along after only five minutes of questions. Crossing the border into Alaska, everything changed. The pavement was much better quality, and the sun seemed to pop out immediately after driving through rain all morning. Traffic did not increase though.

From 629-2011

I met an interesting Dutch family in Tok, the first city I came to in Alaska. They were driving a beautiful 1980 Mercedes 911 outfitted as a motor home. This is truly the way to go motorhoming. American motorhomes and RV's don't stand a chance at offroad conditions, but the 911 can go almost anywhere the German army needs to go. If I ever want a motorhome, I will be converting a 911.

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Further up the road, I saw evidence of just how cold the winter in Alaska can be. Ice still remained in some dried riverbeds.

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I wandered down to one of these riverbeds to see what I could find.

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These rivers vary greatly in size as seasons change. As ice melts they flood over, leaving behind wood, rocks and silt. I was hoping for more (maybe some gold nuggets :), but this was enough.

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I arrived in Fairbanks and looked up a hostel, hoping to meet some interesting fellow travelers. I had great experiences with hostels in Africa, and I thought I could use a shower after six days without one. I got a bed in a dorm-style room, and ended up sleeping in my car. I had forgotten my earplugs, and the chorus of snoring was beyond belief. At least I got to shower and talk with some people. It's not worth another night though, I'm going back to the authentic life of sleeping in my car for now.

Days Thirteen and Fourteen: Edmonton, AB to Whitehorse, YT

The Alaska Highway is a lonely road. Perhaps that's one reason that everyone is so friendly along it.

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Perhaps everyone is just so excited that it's summer, that they can't help but interact with one another at any opportunity. I can't explain it, but I like it. I pulled out my camera at the beginning of the Alaska highway and immediately had two volunteers to take my photo, immediately!

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The days grew longer the farther north I went. The first sunset in Edmonton seemed slightly more prolonged than the last I had experienced in Helena, but I thought I might be imagining things. In Fort Lewis, BC the sky was cloudy at midnight but still slightly illuminated, and in Whitehorse the sky was fully lit when I went to sleep and also fully lit when I awoke, so I really don't know if there was any darkness in between!

I saw many beautiful scenes along the route through Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory. There were crystal clear lakes and streams.

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I stopped and pulled out my portable water filter along the way to get a sample of fluoride-free drinking water.

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The taste was unbeatable. Several animals agreed with me. I saw some wild sheep nearby.

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Also a baby moose. Very cute.

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The trip wasn't without drama though. At dusk (prolonged as it was) about a hour outside Fort Lewis, I heard a loud rumbling noise. I knew this sound... I pulled over to find a very flat, very damaged tire. It had several gaping holes, so my bike pump would not help me out of this one. I grabbed some nearby rocks to stop the car from rolling as a I jacked the car. This attracted the attention of a nearby swarm of mosquitoes.

I had heard that the mosquitoes in Alaska were fierce, but I hadn't expected this. They swarmed like bees around me, and had I not still smelled of sulfur from the hot springs in Thermopolis, I'm sure I would have been dinner for dozens of them. Luckily I was only bitten once during the whole time I was changing the tire even though I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. When all was done and the trunk full of vegetable oil and filters was repacked, I got back in my car to discover another legion of mosquitoes had found their way through my cracked windows. I don't like killing things, but I had to get rid of them somehow. I swatted like crazy until they were all dead. My car is still littered with their bodies. I need a vacuum.

I can't blame the mosquitoes for hanging out there though. There is plenty of stagnant water and wildlife, and on top of it all, the air is clean and often sweet smelling. There is no need for air fresheners along the Alaska highway. The smell of fresh pine or wildflowers is just a cracked window away.

From 629-2011

In addition to wildflowers, I also found some wild strawberries. Now my mother always told me not to eat strange berries, but my mother wasn't on the Alaska highway yesterday so she couldn't stop me. I had to try the little berries. They tasted so good like pure strawberry concentrate, only natural, so I had to eat some more. I saved some and am attempting to dry them so that I can plant the seeds later.

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Day Twelve: Helena, MT to Edmonton, AB

There is a certain respect among the people who have made it this far north. Wherever I go people acknowledge my existence. Some smile, others say hello, some people even start conversations, or at least participate when I attempt to start them. This is much different than in Boston, and I have been enjoying it.

Today I started out from Helena. It was very early and no one was outside at the time, but I took some photos at the state capitol and around the town. I even noticed a Ron Paul 2008 bumper sticker (just like mine). This was a pleasant surprise.

From 627-2011

From 627-2011

From there I drove to Glacier National Park. Several trails that I wanted to take were closed due to grizzly bears in the area, but I was able to get some nice photos anyway.

From 627-2011

From 627-2011

From 627-2011

From 627-2011

Glacier National Park is just a few miles from the US/Canada border. I drove up to the border checkpoint thinking I would have a few questions and then be sent on my way, just like all the other times I've been through Canada. This time was different. I'm not sure why, but the border agents searched every inch of my car, even taking apart the upholstery in the trunk. The border agents were puzzled by my vegetable oil filtration setup and accompanying wiring. They were also curious about my previous visit to Egypt and my reasons for never doing drugs.

I suppose they're accustomed to speaking with people who are less suspicious (and interesting), because they kept asking me questions and searching through my stuff (including my two laptop computers) for more than an hour. Anyway I was very nice to them so hopefully I won't have to repeat this.

From there I drove through Calgary to Edmonton. I didn't think that such large cities existed this far north, but both cities seemed to be booming. Ongoing construction of new housing was seen in several places. I arrived in downtown Edmonton to find a very pleasant atmosphere. There were no bums. The people walking around the state capitol were young and fit. Some were playing music just for fun without asking for money or attention. Others were break dancing again just for fun. There were no imposing police. Instead the one police car I saw was labelled "peace officer." I like it here.

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Day Eleven: Jackson, WY to Helena, MT

Today I drove through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks on the way to Montana. This was my first time to see either of these parks. I saw the Old Faithful Geyser, some waterfalls, and several beautiful mountains. Some photos are posted below.

I am getting good at time delay photos:

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This was called the heart spring:

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The mountains of the Grand Teton National Park:

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I saw this display of antlers and thought it was pretty gruesome until I read that Elk shed their antlers every year. These antlers are supposedly gathered by boy scouts every year, and the gate to the park in Jackson is decorated with them.

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Some bison had a parade along the road in Yellowstone. This caused a huge traffic delay for the people on the other side of the road wasn't so bad for me.

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This is called "Lower Falls."

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I started the day with an excellent chocolate chip cookie at The Bunnery in Jackson. Other than that, I have mostly been living on peaches since they're easy to find on sale for $0.99/lb. To prepare for the mountainous drive through Yellowstone, I changed my oil. I brought several gallons of diesel motor oil with me, as I will likely have to change my oil again before the end of this trip. My odometer registered 268,000 miles today. To prevent overheating on 10% grades, I have been turning on my heater at max heat with the windows open. This makes a huge difference in the engine oil temperature.

Day Ten: Rapid City, SD to Jackson Hole, WY

In 2008 I received a christmas card from Dick Cheney. Although I despise him and was angry that he had somehow got my address, the card included a beautiful photograph of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and I was motivated to see it for myself. So today I embarked on a mountainous journey to Jackson Hole from Rapid City. I wasn't sure my car would be able to climb the steep mountain passages. It never has been very strong on hills. This is common for diesel engines in my experience. While I did see at least one car overheating and/or on fire along the way, my car survived! This served as a good trial for the Alcan highway that I will be following to Alaska soon.

My first stop along the way was Thermopolis, WY, where I visited the state bath house there.

From 624-2011

That photo probably caused my mother, who is snooping on this blog, to be very concerned. No I don't make a habit of visiting bath houses. This one is located on the site of a large natural hot spring. Having not showered in quite a while, this was a great opportunity to absorb some minerals, swim around and freshen up. The odor of the spring is pungent, a mixture of hydrogen sulfide and other semi-noxious gases, but I was assured it's good for me. I do believe this is true for at least I know now that no parasites will be attracted to my skin for the next few days. I have already been in the vicinity of a swarm of mosquitos and none dared bite me.

From there I progressed toward Jackson Hole through a series of mountains and a large valley which seemed to be flooding due to snow melting above. I took several nice photos along the way.

From 624-2011

From 624-2011

The valley was flooding. The roads looked in danger of being flooded in some places. Also some homes had sandbags ready to hold back the water.

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From 624-2011

Here my hair is in the same shape as the mountain peak. Synchronicity?

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Day Nine: Merriman, NE to Rapid City, SD

This morning my friend Broden showed me around his ranch in Merriman, NE. I got to distribute salt licks to two separate herds and take some photos in the process. I was impressed to find that many wooden fence posts on the ranch had been standing for 70-80 years. Broden explained that this was made possible by the use of chemicals which are now forbidden by the EPA. Substitute substances only protect posts for 10 years or so. I was especially impressed by Broden's railroad tie fence. Broden recycled the wood from an abandoned railroad nearby. Below there is a photo of this fence and of Broden and I together.

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From 621-623

From there I left for the Badlands National Park. The soil in this whole area is very sandy. Surrounding the Badlands, grass has grown to cover this sand and hold it together to prevent erosion, but in the Badlands grass hasn't been able to grow. Erosion has carried away several layers of sand revealing the beautiful underlying formations in many places.

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I also went to an abandoned ICBM silo near Wall, SD. I was surprised at how unhidden the place seemed. I took a photo through the glass door covering the missile.

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From there I drove to Mount Rushmore near Rapid City, SD. I am personally not a fan of Theodore Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln, but it's a beautiful work of art all the same. I got a t-shirt there and took some photos.

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Days Seven and Eight: Jasper, AL to Merriman, NE

On Tuesday I left Alabama and I have arrived in northern Nebraska. I am visiting a friend from the Buchanan presidential campaign on his cattle ranch here. I will upload photos when I get to a wifi spot later today or tomorrow. My planned update in Iowa didn't work out due to flooding along the Missouri river. All rest stops with wifi were closed closed unfortunately.

Update: I rushed to get to Council Bluffs, so there was little time for photos along the way. I did get a photo of the Memphis pyramid. I think there's a casino inside.

On the way into Iowa, I found that the Missouri River had been flooding. This caused interstate 29 to be completely closed for hundreds of miles. I took a detour onto smaller backroads, which took extra time. When I arrived in Council Bluffs I was able to get to one of the highest points in the city, the Lewis and Clark Monument. Lewis and Clark visited the area and named the city Council Bluffs after meeting with a council of Indians there. Anyway I got a photo of some flooding that caused I29 and other roads to be closed.

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From 621-623

I also toured the new Union Pacific Railroad museum, which recently moved from Omaha to Council Bluffs, the eastern terminus of the old rail line. The museum offered a picture of life in the area during the early 20th century even though most exhibits involved railroads or railcars in some way. I was amazed by the rail bridges that were built out of timber. One photo of a photo is below. I wonder if any of these bridges are still standing. I'd like to see one if so.

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