20030810                       Open new window with today’s pictures.

August 10, 2003
Sunday


Start:   River's Edge RV Park, Fairbanks AK
End:     Tok RV Village, Tok AK
Miles:   215
Hi Temp: 83.8
Lo Temp: 47.3


The sun was up long before we were.  But we ate and unhooked the utilities in good time.  We were in a site that didn't have a good way out, so I had to hitch up to the trailer from one side to get around the sharp corner.

There was nearly no traffic as we left Fairbanks.  They must party late on Saturdays and stay in on Sundays - or maybe they all went out fishing.

We got onto the Richardson (AK-4) to go to Delta Junction; there, the Richardson turns south and goes to Valdez.  We continued from there on the Alaska Highway (AK-2) to Tok.

On the Richardson, the highway is four lanes out as far as Eielson AFB.  Then it goes to two lanes and starts winding a little to conform to the river next to it.  I got behind a little car that didn't want to proceed very quickly. I slowed to match his speed. Then he went around a bend and as I went around the bend I saw his brake lights come on and the moose in the road.

The moose appeared to be a yearling, but it was still much taller than that car. He stopped and the moose decided to run away, but he ran right down the road for a hundred yards at full gallop before he took off into the brush. A galloping young moose on pavement is a hilarious sight, if he’s running away from you; it’s all legs.

While still on the Richardson, we had a number of photo opportunities of the Tanana Valley and the Alaska Range to the south.  The mountains were fully snow-covered, as they reach 13 and 14 thousand feet.  Beautiful.  If we had done the Denali Highway trip we'd be on the other (south) side of those mountains and close to them.  Oh, well, next time.

After Delta Jct, we stopped at one of the pullouts and had lunch in the trailer. As we continued south, we noticed a lot of haze, probably caused by a fire somewhere.  Later, we found out the fire causing it has been burning at a low level since July 15; it's being watched but it's in the boondocks, so no action is required.

Back on the road, we rounded a bend and saw a big brown blob on the left shoulder. Dolores had her camera out and ready after the first one, so I slowed and she snapped pictures.  The moose got alarmed and went into the brush before Dolores could hand me the camera and I could shoot.  So, we have two shots of a distant moose. Maybe if we crop and re-size the pictures, they will be usable.

Later we noticed that the birch tree leaves are turning yellow already.  The fireweed pods have gone to fluff, so autumn is approaching here.

We came on into Tok, refueled at the discount station we used six weeks ago, and checked in at the campground we used six weeks ago.  We remarked that it was warm; the lady replied that it was 33 degrees here this morning, and that she's about to leave for the south. Her guess is that it will be a cold winter and come early, based on that it's been a cold year.

It was hot; over 80. The sun was beating down on us, so we got into our site and turned on the air conditioning. I know some of you are going to hoot and scoff, but we haven't seen this temperature in a while.

We read and did computer chores. Then we had a simple dinner in the trailer. 

Now we're going to settle, but we're setting the alarm for 1:00am to check to see if the Aurora Borealis is visible.  It was too bright in Fairbanks, maybe it will be about right here.