300AACTaco's Black '15 DCSB Alaskan Adventure Build

New Fairlead, need to get a Prolink now, maybe a flat link

 

Don't you love it when you take your truck to the dealer to have something fixed then they fuck something up? Then they tell you you'll have to wait a week for them to look at it... normally I would never take my truck to a Midas but the one here in Eagle River has excellent and reviews and my mom takes her car there so I'm gonna take my truck there monday and see what the issue is

In other news I also ordered a Factor 55 Flatlink

 

So here's my trip report for my recent trip to the Dalton Highway and beyond, it is somewhat long I will have high res pics as soon as my dad finishes editing them, in the mean time I have cell phone pics :

My goal for this trip was to make it to the Dalton Highway starting from Eagle River, Alaska, then go to the Arctic Circle, and turn around slightly past Atigun Pass. I didn't want to go all the way to Prudhoe Bay because in my opinion it's not worth the extra 5 hours of driving and 150 miles. And yes that's right, 5 hours for 150 miles. They have the last few miles blocked off to the public so you can't even access the Arctic Ocean without paying $70 for a tour, and Prudhoe Bay is just oil anyways, not much scenery after Atigun Pass. Driving the Dalton you can't expect to go faster than 35mph for 95% of it. There are some paved parts but for the majority they're far worse than the dirt. Anyways, we left Saturday morning from Eagle River at about 1:30pm. I went with my dad on this trip and took him along since he's big into photography. We stopped next in Denali National Park, and we were going to drive the first 13 miles of the road that you're able to access without a stupid miserable tour bus ride, but we went about 3 miles in and they had some park rangers blocking off the road. I guess due to recent bear attacks they had it blocked. In my opinion they shouldn't be blocking the road, despite the bear attacks, I'd just put up a sign that says enter at your risk. It's Alaska, there are bears everywhere. You should have bear spray and/or a firearm to protect yourself. I carry bear spray and a firearm, as I'd rather not kill the bear if possible but if it came to it you bet I'd defend myself. We were really bummed as we were hoping to just see some of the park at this awesome time of year but oh well. We turned around and headed back on the road, our next stop would be Fairbanks. We made it to Fairbanks at about 10pm, and I quickly discovered that there wasn't much in Fairbanks. At least from what I saw. No offense to anyone who lives there, I didn't get a chance to explore the whole city but from what I saw just driving through there was no real scenery, just hills, and some really sketchy people. Just sitting outside of the Walmart parking lot for 20 minutes to watch the truck and the stuff that we had in the bed was enough to see some very interesting things and people (on the way home from the trip when we stopped in Fairbanks again we almost got hit by a drunk driver). Of course Walmart anywhere can be a sketchy place.

Since it was getting late and we had been driving for about 8 hours we wanted to find a camp spot for the night, but we wanted to get the hell of Fairbanks lol, away from people. So we drove a little further along the Elliot Highway to a spot that a friend of mine recommended: Olnes Pond. It was about 20 miles past Fairbanks, and we got a nice spot by the pond. It was quiet and really pretty for just being a pond. Got the tent set up pretty quick and busted out the Coleman propane grill to make some burgers. We were pretty tired so we ate, enjoyed a cold beer, then hit the sack. We woke up at about 8am to rain and a bunch of mosquitoes congregated below the overhang of the tent. I quickly learned that I hated putting the tent away in the rain. This was the first time I had the CVT in rain and it stayed perfectly dry inside. After packing up we hit the road and eventually arrived at the start of the Dalton. It was raining pretty hard the whole way up the Dalton. We stopped at the fancy Dalton Highway sign and took some pictures. We would stop a few more times next to the pipeline and then at the Yukon River bridge. I was really amazed at how wide the river is, and the 700 meter bridge that spans across it has a driving surface made from timber planks. It was quite slick in the rain. We carried on from there until we reached No Name Creek, which was pretty funny because next to the No Name Creek sign there was also a much smaller sign next to it that read Joshua Creek. After driving for another 60 miles (which is a long time on the Dalton) we reached the Arctic Circle sign at mile 115.5. This was a huge goal for the trip! The rain somewhat cleared up by this point so we were able to get some decent pictures of my truck next to the sign. We met some people driving the Dalton in an RV, they were from Shanghai, China. Also met a guy on a BMW motorcycle, that had ridden up from New York City.

We carried on until we got to Coldfoot and just topped off the gas. We brought 15 gallons of extra fuel, but we also took advantage of the far and few gas stations that we ran across. Gas at Coldfoot was $4.59 per gallon. Crazy. Coldfoot is a neat tiny little town, with 9 permanent residents. They also have the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center just across from the main town of Coldfoot so we stopped there too, neat place. We carried on from Coldfoot stopping again at a few awesome mountains to snap pictures as we got near Atigun Pass. The Dalton Highway isn't very scenic until you get near Atigun Pass and the Brooks Range. For the most part it's just hills. But Atigun Pass makes the whole trip worth it. Passing through it was something else. The road literally goes up a steep grade along a mountain. You are in the clouds. The way the sun peered through over the mountains was just breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it. Elevation 4,800ft, the highest drivable highway in Alaska. The mountains were extremely jagged and unforgiving. Driving through the whole pass took about 45 minutes. There was construction going on, they were laying a fiber optic line so the guys up at Prudhoe Bay and Deadhorse could get faster internet.

After passing through Atigun Pass we stopped at Galbraith Lake Campground, 30 miles further. It's not much of a campground, just has a bathroom, and a large gravel area leading to the lake. There were a few other vehicles there but they were super spaced out. Bad mistake camping here. When we set up camp and cooked dinner (around 12am, midnight) it was nice and clear out. A little chilly for sure, but that's super typical this time of year. But we awoke around 3am to a crazy wind and rain storm. If I had to guess, 50mph winds and pouring rain. I hadn't staked down the overhang of the tent so I got out and tied it to some rocks since it was flapping around. There was a super thick fog over us. I was worried that the RTT wouldn't hold in the wind, but surprisingly it did. I couldn't sleep because it was so loud with the wind and rain but the tent held. I maybe got 2 hours of sleep once 6am rolled around the storm let up. Note to self; don't camp in the open tundra, next to a body of water, just past the Brooks Range. After reading a guide we picked up from the visitor center in Coldfoot, I read that storms were super common past the Brooks Range. Too late to find that out. We got up at around 930am, and got the hell out of there taking advantage of the break in the storm. It was cold as balls, and really miserable putting tent away in rain and the cold. My dad started up the truck to get the heat going. It had to have been about 30 degrees out. My dad had actually set up his Nikon D4S on a tripod that night to capture a time lapse and it was crazy watching how fast the storm set in. I'll have to upload it.

Once we packed up we were turning around and heading back home. As we were leaving the campground we noticed two guys on motorcycles heading out of the campground too. We would meet up with them just a few minutes later as we found them on the side of the road. We rolled down the window and asked if they needed help. They asked if we had an air compressor. It was their lucky day. One of them had a flat in their rear tire and had already plugged it. But they needed air. So I busted out my ARB air compressor and hooked them up. Then they were on their way, and quickly got way ahead of us. Motorcylces can traverse the road much faster than cars since they're so narrow and only need a small line to travel through that's clear of potholes and washboard. We met up with them again in Coldfoot as they were leaving the little restaurant. And that's pretty much it. We decided to drive all throughout the night until we got home. We arrived back home at about 6am on Tuesday morning. So we reached Olnes Pond Saturday Night, and Galbraith Sunday night. Just to give you a timeline. The Dalton Highway is about 414 miles long and we turned around at about mile 275. 1400 mile trip, round trip.

 

bad ass my friend

 

Thanks man!

 

Great write up.. Looking forward to doing the same trip when I get home!

 

Thanks man! It's totally worth it! Just make sure you're prepared for the worst and you'll be fine on the road, those bikers I helped said that knowing we were behind them changed their outlook on the rest of their trip down the Dalton since they knew if they had any other problems we could help lol They were from Texas and rode all the way up here

 

That's an adventure a lot of people will never get a chance to do, thank you for sharing!! Can't wait to see more photos!!

 

No problem! When the higher resolution photos are done I'll be uploading them for sure!

 

Looks like a fun trip! I think I'm gonna do it in September? See any wildlife?

 

Not much besides arctic squirrels and Moose. I guess the caribou are a little while out, I'd expect some snow if doing it in September!

 

Hey who did you order your wheels through?

 

Initially through GTF but you can find them on Amazon and don't have to wait but a few days to receive them, plus you get free shipping.

 

Hmm good call

 

Great trip report and pics bro! I gotta say though... Paragraphs buddy... lol My eyes hurt.

 

Thanks man! And yeah lol now that I think about it I should split it up

 

Sounds like it was a great trip! Love the depiction of the Fairbanks populous; I guess you southerners just don't understand

Last December I drove my girlfriend to the Artic circle to see the aurora. We left at 20:00 and pretty much drove all night - fun experience on the "Ice Road". I would like to drive it in the summer though so I could appreciate the scenery.

 

I need to make time for that trip.

 

So awesome man! The trip looks amazing, as well as the truck!

 

Pelfrey HC I was waiting for finally came in!! Safe and sound from the boat ride over the pacific lol