Saturday, April 12, 2014

Driving To Alaska....Fairbanks


Continuing the Alaska road trip, after Denali, we headed for Fairbanks where we spent one night. It was cloudy and rainy and I guess that is why I didn't take any pictures there.  We had wanted to drive up the Dalton highway to Coldfoot, just north of the Arctic Circle. Dalton highway is not paved and about thirty miles into the 260 mile trip it started to pour down rain. Then lightening struck the road about 20 feet in front of us so we found a wide spot and pulled over to discuss our options. As soon as we stopped, thousands of tiny mosquitoes blackened our windshield and then started coming in through the dash air vents. We turned around and hightailed it out of there. I guess you could say we got cold feet.

Big Delta State Historical Park









Rika's Roadhouse at Big Delta Sate Historical Park







So we made our way to Taylor Highway and headed for Chicken, Alaska.  This road was not paved either but we found this place to spend the night and the next day was bright and sunny.




This is the town of Chicken. We learned that the founders wanted to name the place after the many ptarmigan that they found in the area but they didn't know how to spell it so they just named the town Chicken.  We camped here over night.








7 comments:

Kate said...

This must have been quite a trip; love the varied photos.

Sharon said...

There isn't much to Chicken Alaska, is there?

Lowell said...

Y'all got more fortitude and wherewithall than I'll ever have.

Don't you wonder why with those freezing cold winters, there are so many darn mosquitoes? Minnesota is the same way.

Looks like old truck lost a game of chicken. You could step from the town of Chicken right into an old western movie!

Great shots. Thanks for taking us along on your trip!

Mersad said...

Wonderful impressions of your trip.

Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography

William Kendall said...

Magnificent shots, even that vehicle long into decay.

I'd like to have a go at travelling up there myself, and have seen Chicken's name on the maps. So that's the reason for its name!

Randy said...

The little town of chicken is cute.

Thérèse said...

This first picture shows what winter can bring! An interesting episode for sure.