Leg #: 10 (Day 30-35)

Location: Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, AK

Mileage Driven leg/total: 794 / 5116 miles

Road Conditions:
• Variable. The road did continue to deteriorate as we headed north and west towards the Alaska border. Eventually the orange flags marking the frost heaves disappeared and there was just a sign saying “caution: rough road and frost heaves next 125 km” and we had to find the frequent frost heaves for ourselves. We drove slow and it was fine. We did see a Sprinter-based RV hit a frost heave at full speed and get all four wheels airborne. Can’t imagine there wasn’t damage to that vehicle. Half the people were driving our slow speed, but the others were going full-speed down these very rough paved/gravel/dirt roads. Interestingly, there were numerous (same?) people looking for new leaf springs when we arrived in Tok, AK. Hmmm….maybe speed and vehicle damage are connected 😃?
• There is no such thing as a smooth road in Alaska. They are all rough, bumpy, pot-holed and frost heaved even in the cities.

Weather: Weather has been surprisingly very warm with 80 high / 55 low. A bit more humidity than normal, per locals. Very lovely overall.

Tofu Status:
• All systems working. 🙂

Highlights:
• Wildlife Sightings: Moose with baby moose
• We were able to see Denali (20,310 ft) in all her glory from Fairbanks.
• We safely arrived in Alaska and this was my 50th state and Tony’s 49th state (damn you Delaware). We also drove the entire 1,387 miles of a the Alaska Canada Highway (Alcan) from Dawson Creek, British Columbia (Canada) to Delta Junction, AK.
• We had an amazing morning at the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs in Whitehorse, Yukon. A brand new facility with multiple hot springs saunas, steam rooms, cold plunge areas and meditation rooms. It was adults only, too. One of the best hot springs we have ever been, too.
• Visited a cool (pun intended) ice museum in Chena Hot Springs.
• We saw Santa 🎅 in North Pole, AK. Sometimes you just have to embrace the kitsch.
• Tony found an awesome bike 🚲 shop in Fairbanks that helped him with a minor bike adjustment. He spent time with locals and even took one of their fat bikes out for a spin.
• Fairbanks exceeded our expectations: especially the Museum of the North on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the peonies 🌼 at the Botanical Gardens, and Bus 🚌 142 (aka Magic Bus) currently under renovation by the university.
• We stayed at a great Harvest Host at the Fairbanks Community Garden and met awesome fellow gardeners, one who even gave us a fresh bag of produce they had just harvested.
• We are in non-stop daylight ☀️ currently where it stays light 24 hours a day. It is a bit of an adjustment but eye covers while sleeping have helped a lot.

Lowlights:
• When people tell you stories about mosquitos🦟in Alaska, believe them! They have been the worse we have ever seen. We made a rookie mistake and took a hike in a borreal forest without wearing mosquito repellent. The mosquitos feasted on us. No joke at any given time their were >50 mosquitos on each of our bodies.
• We drove the 60 mile frost-heave laden road out to Chena Hot Springs and we were very disappointed. The facility needs a massive infusion of capital for upgrades, repairs and TLC. It was kinda a dump. 🙁

Tiger (Provan) Sightings: Tony = 2, Tracey = 0

Next: Denali National Park (2 locations)