From Chicken, we headed west to rejoin the Alaska Highway. Our next stop was Tok. Tok is a junction city. You can continue north to Fairbanks or turn west to Anchorage. In any case, after the drought of grocery stores and with usually a filthy rig, most people spend at least one night in Tok. This is a good place to get mail too, so we allowed two nights. Getting mail in Canada is chancy and can take a long time. Not a good plan. Ch
icken only gets mail delivery and pickup two times a week, so that is not a good choice either. Tok was also better for fuel than Chicken, which had been more than $4/gal for diesel.
We decided on Tok RV Village. As soon as we checked in, we got in line for the RV wash. While not free, you could take 45 minutes and they provided a bucket and long handle brush. We had a bigtime buildup on our taillights. The whole 5th wheel and truck was a mess. The $15 (based on length) was worth it.
We did pick up our 1/4 pound of free fudge at the All Alaska Gifts and Crafts Shop using our coupon from the Great Alaskan Tour Saver. Hey, we want to get our money's worth from our coupon book! Our mail was here; we stocked up at the grocery store and general store, which carried some health foods we like and we were on our way north.
A camping neighbor in Tok said he had seen 8 or 9 moose the evening before coming to Tok. We did see glimpses of a few. A mama moose was standing out on the side of the road, assessing the situation. As we approached, she fled into the woods.
When we got up there we caught a brief peek of her twin babies! The photo did not turn out.
Of course we stopped at Delta Junction, the official end of the Alaska Highway. The highway becomes the Richardson and continues on. The whole drive between Tok and Fairbanks is beautiful. The road is not in super condition but not horrible. That's probably relative! Yes, there are bumps, dips and frost heaves but no huge potholes to fall into- or at least we missed them.
Towards Fairbanks, the highway follows the Tanana, a wide braided river. We ate overlooking the valley at a pullout.
Coming into Fairbanks, you pass North Pole, Alaska. A huge Santa towers alongside Santa Claus House. We'll go back later for postcards for the younger grandkids and a couple of July birthday gifts.
Fairbanks has about 21 hours between sunrise and sunset. Sunset is around 12:30 a.m. and sunrise about 3:30 a.m. Of course, it is not totally dark that whole time either. We are east of Fairbanks at Riverview RV Park on the western edge of North Pole. It's an easy drive into Fairbanks, but not the noise and traffic of downtown. A couple we met in Teslin had recommended it. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Photos by George and Jaimie Bruzenak
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