Prudhoe.
So No4 took us to Deadhorse. Cool.
We had heard the public road ended there and that you had to either ride a bus to Prudhoe and the ocean or ask for very special permisson from BP petroleum to drive your own car up.
Since we didn’t have such a special status after all our chances of getting permission were slim so, we… Yes… We did the tourist thing. We rode the bus…
But it turned out to be more enjoyable than we had thought.
In fact, it’s interesting and instructive. We learn a bit about the drilling process and that, in Prudhoe, there’s no off shore drilling. All drilling is made on pads or existing ground.
Interesting tid bit: Permafrost here lays only inches below ground surface and may be as thick as 2000 feet (600m). If you want to dig, leave your shovel behind and bring a dynamite stick!
The one thing that is most amazing about this place is how nature (wildlife) cohabits with oil field operations.We’ve seen a red fox who had just caught a fish:
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A few white swans: (I had no idea swans could live this far north. Land ends here remember?)
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A whole slough of Canadians geese (these ones right on the road):
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We also come up to a couple of caribou across the road from the “bus terminal” and, cherry on the sunday, using the binoculars, we get to see, in the far distance, a female polar bear with her two cubs on a tiny island just off the BP drilling site.
Polar bears weren’t even on the wish list but: Polar bear watching: Check !
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So where does this little bus ride take us in the end?
Yessss, THE ARCTIC OCEAN:
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Don’t ask me how cold the water is… I know exactly how cold it is: IT’S STUPID COLD !
But, this is the beginning of the trip, so we had to touch the water to officialize it !
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Some of the most spectacular scenery pics so far coming soon but for now…
Everything you wanted to know about this trip so far but couldn’t dare to ask:
Stats:
Day: 30 (27 driving and 7 repairing in Edmonton)
Fights: 32
Total kms: 8417 (5230 miles)
Avrg kms/day driving: 365 (227miles)
Highest temp in cab: 40*C (104*F)
Lowest temp in camper: 4*C (39.4*F)
People in bus to Prudhoe: 17
Clowns who dipped feet in ice cold water: 2
Motels: 0
Nights on a campground (where we had to pay): 16
Cost: $210
Flats: 1
Cost to repair: 0 ($16 for patches)
Breakdowns on No4: 1 (And a major one too! By the way, we are still talking with the shop responsible for the mess. We’ll keep you posted…)
Cost to repair: $1,800 (ouch.)
Restaurants: $360
Diesel: $1480
The most expensive: $1,70.8/L à Dawson city
The least expensive: $1,18.9/L à Edmonton, Ab.
In Prudhoe Bay: $1,46.9/L (Same as Québec!!)
Grocery: $830
Misc: (like mosquito repellent, etc…): $411
Total costs: $5091
Wildlife-o-meter:
Seen to date:
Black bears: 12
Buffalos: 15
Moose: 5
Rabbit: 1
Beavers: 2
Grizzlies: 3
Caribou: 10
MuskOx: 8
Red foxes: 2
Swans: 5
Canadian geese: Sloughs
Polar bears: 3
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The route.
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Stay tuned…
Ride in tours