Fairbanks Alaska

Stayed at a small lake just west of Tok, Moon Lake, and this morning (saying that is weird if it never really gets dark at night) drove to Delta Junction and the conclusion of the Alaska Highway built during the war. I walled into the Tourist Office to ask for my certificate for completing the journey of the whole Highway. I was wearing my 'Mile 0' hat and my Dawson Sweatshirt - still rainy and colder - and I didn't expect balloons from the ceiling and trumpets to announce my arrival, but something more than "Who's name would you like on the certificate?" and then just hand writing it on one of a stack of cards. Oh, Well!! I made it after all. 4400 miles from Oxnard, CA. Not bad.

After that it was a pleasant drive to Fairbanks, along the Tanana River Watershed.

Just a wide river basin stretching for miles

Now I am sure you know that summer up here is a time to work on the highways and at least patch and mend the frost heaves if nothing else. Today I stopped along the highway heading north by the flagman and being first in line he told me it would be about ten minutes before the pilot truck returned. Well, the pilot car returned and took us through a three mile section of road - no workers, no equipment, no road repair or even holes filled. But here I was waiting for the repair crews and nothing. Arrived at the end of the section, pilot truck pulls over and the other flagman waves me through. No more than 400 yards further up the road and another 'prepare to stop' sign followed by 'flagman ahead'. I never really sped up so I looked for the flagman. No flagman, but here were all the road crews working away with us cars just moving through on our own. Someone forget to tell the safety crew to re-position?? Weird.

Stopped briefly in North Pole, AK, mostly for gas and then on to Fairbanks and a place to stay for the night. I'll be here at the RV stop tonight and then move to a State Park near to town tomorrow and then head to Denali and hope to see Mt. McKinley.