The Prudhoe Bay Experience

This is my second stint in Prudhoe Bay & I must say that it is better the second time around. Although, I am only spending one week a month up here, it is considered short compared to people working three weeks on and three weeks off. I actually have an employee that works six weeks on three weeks off!

As you can tell by the weather, it has been amazing. I know that soon enough everything will be frozen and white as cotton sheets hanging on a clothes line. The Dalton Highway is half gravel and half rough asphalt! Speed limit is 50 mph. I would not want to go faster, you will be off the road.

This sign is the first thing you see at the end of the Dalton Highway. Basic directions, but it will get you to a hotel or restaurant.

There is plenty of water around for the migrating birds, but be aware that if they decide to walk across the gravel road, you have to give them the right of way. In fact, all animals get the right of way and at any momment Caribou, Musk Ox or birds will cross or stop in the street. That is funny to see all the big rigs waiting for a herd of Caribou to cross.

Most people believe these animals are related to the Buffalo or Ox, but that is not true. They are most closely related to Sheep or goats. Musk Ox grow to a height of 4' and can weigh in excess of 700lbs.

The Musk Ox was almost hunted to extinction and since, have been managed to protect their highly prized fur which is soft, long and a great insulator.

As you can see in this photo, Caribou roam all over the Prudhoe Bay Area. From what people tell me, the only difference between a Reindeer and a Caribou is the Reindeer is domesticated for fur, milk, meat and "Santa Clause". I have tried a Caribou sausage and it was delicious. Both the male and female Caribou have antlers only the male grow them to massive size.

It is not uncommon to see them daily running across the road or deciding to stop and look at you for an hour or so.

This project you see in this photo is of the Liberty Pad oil rig which is the largest land based oil rig in the world. Currently it is being built and should be up and running by June or July 2011. This oil pad actually sits on the Arctic Ocean, but a gravel road was built out to the project because of the amount of material and equipment needed to build it year round. When you travel to the project, you actually drive across the Arctic Ocean which is amazing.

The last photo is our ride back from Liberty Pad to the Dead Horse area.

Soon the weather will change and all of this will be frozen over and trucks will drive across the frozen ocean to some of the island oil rigs. I will keep you posted and show some pictures when this happens.

More to follow!

One morning I convinced Nichole to take a ride with me up the Dalton Highway A.K.A. "The Ice Road". Although, there is no ice yet, it is still a dangerous road as the tractor/trailers fly down this road at 70 mph. The road is half gravel and the other half asphalt. I would rather it be all gravel as the asphalt is worn out and frost heaves can launch your rig into the air at any moment.

Our first stop provided little fishing opportunity, but we did manage to catch a Bald Eagle sitting atop a Spruce tree looking for dinner.

As you can see forest fires are common up here and they burn everything. I will say though that Alaska seems to allow for quick growth of the vegetation and the animals do come back quickly.

We picked a perfect day to explore this highway although, we made it to the Arctic Circle before we had to turn around and head home. It will actually take about twelve hours to drive from Fairbanks to Dead Horse Alaska. We made it sixty miles south of Cold Foot Alaska!

One day we will drive all the way and spend the night in a Dead Horse hotel which are actually not too bad for a small room.

My friend Darrell Carter convinced me that we needed to float the Chena River in his raft. Now as a kid, a raft was one of those Sevlor inflatable rafts that your parents bought for you at Bi-Mart or K-Mart. When I arrived at Darrell's house his raft was one of those white water river runners that you see guides using on the Mckenzie River in Oregon. This is the only way to float if you do not have a drift boat folks!

The Chena River was low and clear so we expected to catch the Grayling and were surprised to see the River full of Salmon too. The Kings were bright red and the Chum Salmon were in their full "Urban Cammo" colors coming up the river.

Darrell found this spectacular fish while chasing down the Arctic Grayling. It was immediately released, back to the river to finish spawning.

We floated about three miles of river and it took all day as the fishing was exceptional and we really did not want to leave the river.

Darrell has lived in Alaska his entire life and knows where the best honey holes for fishing are as well as the best areas to hunt.

After Tim Pritchard arrived up here, I managed to take him down the Alaska Highway to attempt some fly fishing. I would say that for someone who has never done this type of

fishing before he preformed admirably as you will see by the photos I have posted.

The sky was especially blue on this trip and the sun was shining, so at least we had the weather in our favor. There has not been many days that the sky has cooperated on the weekend.

Tim has really taken to fly fishing and these Arctic Grayling fight like wild Rainbows back home. They are amazing creatures and the blue colors on their bodies really shows well. Their dorsal fins stick up high in the water like a sharks fin and these fish sky out of the water when hooked. It is quite common to catch as many as twenty in one deep fishing hole.

Arctic Grayling are not too picky when it comes to the flies they will take. I have caught them on size #10 Royal Trude's all the way down to a size #20 Hare's Ear Nymph. I really think that the movement of the fly and whether or not the fish are feeding on top or on the bottom more than color and size does. The great thing about these fish are that on most of the rivers they are catch and release so they grow to above average sizes of 16" to 20" fish.

This is another Arctic Grayling that Tim caught and as you can see the size of the fish compared to the fly rod.

I will say that we caught our fair share of smaller fish too, but no one ever shows those photos! It is always the bigger fish as it makes a better picture to share.

There are many rivers to fish in Alaska and all one has to do is get off the road and explore. I walked up the Chitna River to explore the Arctic Grayling fishing and found the water to look just like blue Gatorade. Incredible places like this are rarely explored because there is ample fishing along side the road. But to really view Alaska you have to either walk in, fly in, or ride in. So far I have walked, but I have really only been here two months so I have plenty of time for the other! I also wanted a pistol or shotgun with me as it makes Nichole feel better about me fishing Alaska.

More to come!