February 06, 2005
A big bull musk ox gives us a warning glance not to come any closer. Do they look like something the cavemen would eat, or what?
Blown across the tundra by the winds, snow snakes dance across the frozen roads.
The sun doesn’t last more than five hours here, and today it was obscured by snowy skies. Prudhoe Bay is actually a desert, because they receive only 7 inches of snowfall per year. But the snow blows in from across the Arctic tundra from thousands of miles away. The permafrost keeps melting snow from soaking into the earth in the summertime, so the changing of seasons brings about zillions of lakes, turning the tundra into a marshland. The marshland, in turn, creates a wonderful breeding ground for Alaska’s state bird, the mosquito…(The real state bird is the ptarmigan…)
Freezing in my tent as I type this, I almost wish I were still at the friendly Prudhoe Bay Hotel! Oh, but camping is FUN!
Photos by Nancy Olson
| Logbook for Feb. 6th, Day 464. | ||
|
Start: Deadhorse, Alaska Time: 2:00 p.m. N: 70* 12.025 W: 148* 27.463 |
Finish: Arctic Circle, Alaska Time: 8:30 p.m. N: 66* 33.363 W: 150* 48.641 | Mileage: 312 |
| Notes: Today the LONGITUDE final leg truly began, for today we started heading south from Prudhoe Bay. As we left our friends Clyde, Whitney, and Sarah at the Prudhoe Bay Hotel in Deadhorse, we were surprised and happy to see some caribou herds. They’re beautiful animals, but they are skittish and hard to get near. Photographing them without a zoom lens proved challenging. Later, we were lucky enough to see a herd of musk oxen. These prehistoric-looking beasts showed no fear as we tiptoed near enough to get some photos and video. The big bull oxen butted heads in a show of bravado. They were awesome! Oh, and, FYI, we saw moose number 16 today…and still counting… When we reached the world’s northernmost truckstop at Coldfoot, we stopped to watch the final quarter of the Superbowl. Yea, Pats! We also decided, since it is Luke’s last night with us, that we should allow him to experience camping in below-zero weather. So, we holed up at a pull-off at the Arctic Circle and popped the Hannibal tents in -15 weather with snow blowing down on us with blunt-force winds. We guess the winds are gusting to at least 40 mph. That brings the wind chill down a bit! Tomorrow, we have only around 200 miles to travel to Fairbanks. We hope to see you right here on this website then!The LONGITUDE final leg has finally begun, for today we began the drive south from Prudhoe Bay. As we left our friends Clyde, Whitney, and Sarah at the Prudhoe Bay Hotel in Deadhorse (unbelievable food!!), we were surprised and happy to see some caribou herds. They’re beautiful animals, but skittish, hard to approach, and photographing them without a zoom lens proved challenging. Later, we were lucky enough to see a herd of musk oxen. These prehistoric-looking beasts showed no fear as we tiptoed within 30 feet to get some photos and video. The big bull oxen butted heads in a show of bravado. They were awesome! Oh, and, FYI, we saw moose number 16 today…and still counting… When we reached the world’s northernmost truckstop at Coldfoot, we stopped to watch the final quarter of the Superbowl. Yea, Pats! We also decided that, since it is Luke’s last night with us, that we should allow him to experience camping in below-zero weather. So, we holed up at a pull-off and, as luck would have it, we camped on the line that delineates the Arctic Circle. Opening the Hannibal tents in –15-degree weather, with snow blowing down in blunt-force winds, we weathered quite a storm. The wind was gusting to at least 40 mph. That brings the chill down a bit! As I am typing this, my breath has fogged up the screen, and my pinky fingers have frozen solid. It’s actually pretty painful, so I’ll end now… We have only 200 miles to travel to Fairbanks. We hope to see you right here on this website then! (N.O.) | ||
Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.
