My Feet Dream of Wandering: An Expedition to Barrow Part I: Tales of the flight

A brief outline of a Noble Expedition to one of the farthest north cities in the world

Date of Expedition: Sunday, on the 8th day of the month of August in the year 2010
Destination: Barrow, Alaska
Approximate location: 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle and 1,300miles south of the North Pole
Exact Coordinates: Latitude 71* 17' 44" N, Longitude 156* 45' 59" W
Mode of transport: Piper-Navajo Chieftain, a trusty 10 person, twin-engine aircraft
Flight plan: Depart Fairbanks at 8 am. Fly to Coldfoot, Alaska to refuel plane in case there is no fuel available in Barrow, as is sometimes the case. Take 10 minute "tour" of Coldfoot (i.e. go to Cafe to use the restroom). Depart Coldfoot a bit after 9 am. Arrive in Barrow at approximately 11am.
Barrow itinerary: Uh...Walk around and see some stuff. Eat at Pepe's Mexican restaurant. Swim in Arctic Ocean.
Adventurers on this Noble Barrow Expedition: 1) Elizabeth Angeles, fellow co-worker at the great Northern Alaskan Tour Company, 2) Raul Angeles, her husband, and yours truly, 3) Rowan Beraza.

~*~

The flight to Barrow

Our expedition began with an excellent briefing by my co-worker Mike, who pointed out Barrow on the map and explained our route. He also told some jokes. He was allegedly lured to a teaching job in a rural Alaskan village by the promise that there was a beautiful woman behind every tree. Upon arrival to his new home in a remote location he was disappointed at the discovery that there were no trees and consequently a lack of attractive women. So he moved to Fairbanks.

The tea which accompanied our pre-departure briefing was also pleasant.

When the pilot was ready, Mike led us out on the tarmac and helped us board the plane.

Here's Bill asking us if we're ready to take off.

Hells yea we're ready!

Goodbye Fairbanks!

The University of Alaska Fairbanks

Along the way our pilot kept us informed of what we were passing over. This is the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which stretches the entire length of the state from Pump Station One in Prudhoe Bay all the way to Valdez 800 miles South and was built between 1975 and 1977. More than half the pipeline is above ground due to the prevalence of permafrost, which causes soil instability when it melts. The above ground sections are constructed in a zig-zag pattern, which our pilot jokingly explained was because the government had ordered too much pipe but didn't want to waste it. Of course the real reason has to do with the pipe's contracting and expanding with the extreme temperature changes that occur in Alaska. The zig-zag also allows for movement during the frequent earthquakes that shake Alaska.
Here you can see the pipeline as it exits an underground section.

This is one of the pump stations just out of Fairbanks.

A ways out of Fairbanks there is visual evidence of the record breaking forest fire year we had in 2004 which burned 26,142 kilometers squared (about 10,093 square miles). Apparently the smoke caused by these fires affected areas as far away as Houston, Texas. Most of the fires were caused by lightening and were fueled by a combination of draught and winds.

Forest fire fighters generally let fires burn themselves out naturally since most of Alaska is uninhabited and it's only a matter of time before fires are greeted by one of Alaska's ample water sources.

More burned area.

The mighty Yukon River.

Our stop in Coldfoot was quick. Here is the cafe featured on the T.V. series "Ice Road Truckers" which airs on the History channel.

I bought some gum and was entertained by the accompanying location appropriate fun fact.

How many friends would it take to heat an igloo to 61*F in 20 minutes when the external temperature is -50*F?

Goodbye Coldfoot! It's been swell but I've got a date with Barrow!!

Smoke from forest fires this year started to affect visibility.

So we flew higher above the clouds.

As we neared Barrow our pilot flew very low to the ground in the hopes that we would spot a herd of Caribou. We were not so lucky, but it was still cool.

As you can observe, the terrain once you get north of the Brooks Mountain Range changes quite a bit, becoming very flat. I'm not sure, but I think the specks of white are snow.