2015 - Trip Report - North to Alaska
North to Alaska
June 21 - 26, 2015
by Homer Meek
Andrea had a horse show to judge in Palmer, AK so she set up this trip for the two of us. Flew to Anchorage, Fairbanks, then to Deadhorse, on Prudhoe Bay, with a side flight to Barrow, AK. I had hoped to visit the memorial to Will Rogers and Wiley Post at Barrow, but it was too far from the airport. I had, as a child, spoken to Rogers in the year before his 1935 death.
The return trip from the Arctic Ocean was by van, with most of the gravel road within sight of the pipeline, then an overnight stop in Coldfoot, AK.
I had thought the pipeline was as straight as possible, but it has lots of curves to allow for expansion. At each support, the pipe is free to move side to side on teflon bearings, and the curves allow that.
I left LAX at 7pm, and we flew into darkness, then on the NW course to Anchorage, the sun rose again in the west. Of course, at Deadhorse it was all sun all the time. A great, fun trip.
