Family Hunger Genealogy

© Copyright Todd Neel

9/9/2024 Monday –

Last night I camped at the trailhead for “Hidden Lake”, AK, which I had planned to hike one mile into this morning. My bear spray is definitely coming with me! But I woke up too early and it was still dark by the time I was ready to roll, so I packed up and went on down the road sans bear encounters on the trail. (Two factors contributed to the “no hike” decision: darkness and bear scat.)

So, it remained hidden from me.

I was able to catch a nap at a campground with these white swans feeding with ducks taking flight underneath this tree:

As I was driving, daylight brightened and the fall colors subtly developed like photo paper in a darkroom, faint at first, contrasting with the dark shadows, then more brilliant as the golden hour arrived.

Many Poplar and Aspen and Birch trees and various low bushes in the rolling foothills leading up to the tree line popped out, with a mix of evergreen sub-alpine fir and spruce. Close above the lower forests there were foothills to the mountains with no trees and only low shrubs as the high-altitude alpine environment then took over – this is called “tundra” up here. The permafrost under the topsoil makes it difficult for trees to establish deep root systems. The evergreens, mostly Black Spruce and White Spruce, appear stunted, growing only about a foot in height in a decade. Although they appear small, some of them may be 100 to 200 years old. These are sometimes called “drunken forests” as many of the evergreens are tipping because of shallow root systems in the poor soil above the permafrost.

There was a fresh dusting of new snow on the high peaks this morning, as the growing daylight exposes them.

With the light switch sliding up the dial, colors were becoming more vivid and I just had to stop to take pictures, sometimes in the middle of the road if there were no other vehicles around me. Even though it is fall, the insects soon swarmed around my face and began biting me. Aww, the famous Alaska mosquitos, but I was also visited by biting flies. (Later in the museums I was informed that my blood is now becoming part of the Alaska environment!)

I reached Delta Junction, AK, the western-most end of the Alaska Highway, which runs from Dawson Creek, BC (Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway) to Delta Junction, AK, 1,387 miles more or less (The original mile posts have been changed as there have been “improvements” on the highway since it was originally built).

At Delta Junction the Alaska Highway meets the TananaRiver. (You should look it up on Google Maps, especially the satellite view, or, go to Google Earth or one of many of the satellite view apps available on the Internet, and look up Delta Junction, Alaska and see the braided channels of the rivers in this area.

It has a very wide riverbed and many smaller tributaries braiding back and forth of shallow gray and/or milk-white-water meandering across it. This color comes either direct from glacier melt, or the sediment from previous glaciers are being washed down from the mountains and are in the valley riverbeds. The sediment is so thick that fish cannot breathe in these gray-colored rivers.

I arrived in North Pole, AK as I neared Fairbanks, searching for campsites. I had just passed Eielson Air Force Base on the right side of the highway where I could see long runways, hangars, about ten KC135 Tankers, and an AWACS plane. After I spent some time here I also saw fly overhead some groups of small Air Force fighter jets, maybe F-35’s. (When I get in cell phone range my phone pings with Breaking News, it is reported that U.S. Air Force fighter planes had been scrambling as Russian planes had been entering Alaska air space. Later on in this trip I had a phone call with my cousin, retired Air Force Major Jim Johnson, who says the military regularly plays a cat and mouse game up here.)

North Pole, AK is about 15 miles before Fairbanks, and I found a spot for camping at Chena River State Recreation Area. Several camp loops were closed for the season, but the last loop was still open with beautiful Poplar trees with yellow leaves gently falling like snow. I camped two nights here, for free, giving me a chance to re-group with some business to take care of in Fairbanks, like changing the oil in my truck. On my last day of camping here a Park Ranger came around and said that the next day workers were going to close this loop with concrete blocks, so I really lucked out!

Day 9 of 39 days on the road to Canada and Alaska.

I drove 322 miles today.