Monday, September 6, 2021

 Monday, September 6, 2021

What another awesome day!! We woke up this morning to about 2 inches of fresh snow.  It beautifully coated all the hills and plant tops.  It made for a little cold potty break but was absolutely stunning.  We got a little slower start this morning by waking up at about 9:00 and not really getting moving around camp until 10.  I slept a little warmer last night.  Jeff made a delicious breakfast once again. 

A little before noon we decided we would go out and head toward Prudhoe Bay and fish and look for ptarmigan along the way. Unfortunately, the truck decided to die overnight. The truck we are renting has a limit on miles we can use, but at least we had a plan b in case we needed it.  They plugged the generator to the truck with things that looked like jumper cables but it was questionable if it was working.  We decided that if it didn’t work we would take our truck in for our tour this afternoon. We knew that Ryan and Ryan were going into Prudhoe Bay and would be able to pick up jumper cables for us.  So we decided to get in our truck to see if we could get a signal to call or text him to get the cables.  By pure luck, and maybe some good karma, Seth and Sam, our new neighbors, were driving about a mile away from camp.  We saw them, flagged them down, and luckily they had jumper cables.  We were able to jump the truck and were on the road about 1:00.  We headed right to Prudhoe Bay but had a little wiggle room in time in case we saw any ptarmigan.  

When we got to Prudhoe Bay we filled up with gas and waited for our tour.  

Our tour guide was Phil and I was shocked that we had a full tour of 13 people.  People were from Washington, California and Alaska. The people in the front two rows had to wear safety goggles in case a rock flew into the windshield from a passing truck. Phil told us facts as we drove. There are about 2000 people working up there right now. Each company has their own little area. A company named Halliburton has everything from a full cafeteria to a 122 person movie theater in their camp area.

We had to stop by security where they scanned our IDs and then we were off into the oil fields. It was about a 15 minute to the Arctic Ocean.  When we got to the dock, which wasn’t really a dock, more of an inlet where a dock(made of barrels) previously stood.  Phil offered towels to anyone who was going to go in and people were off into the ocean.  We had people in our group chat who stripped down to their swimming suits or boxers and went all the way down.  We got in but only to our knees.  And yes, it was cold! We stayed for about 20 minutes and then got back in the van to head out. 

On our way back from Prudhoe Bay we saw an Arctic Fox, muskox, swans, geese and lots of caribou.  The Arctic fox was still red and had a white tip on its tail.  Our plan was to go fishing and use our waders, but the spot they normally go had a truck looking at caribou so we couldn’t stop there.  We went another few miles down the road, got our waders on and took a little longer trek down to the river.  When we got there we realized that that part of the river was actually an offshoot and was incredibly shallow.  I liked it because we could go and wade in the water, but unfortunately, there were absolutely no fish there.  We walked up and down the river a little, but then decided to head back to the truck to find another spot.  As we were approaching the truck Ryan and Ryan drove by so we decided to head back to camp.  Although we were unsuccessful at ptarmigan or fishing today, it was still a blast.  I used my waders and got to walk about a mile to and from the river.  The scenery just can’t be beat.  

When we got to camp we got a fire going. The wind really picks up in our little camping area.  Ryan and Ryan stopped to look at some caribou along the way so we beat them back to camp.  In casual conversation last night I had mentioned to Ryan Dunbar about how I am not a hoodie fan,  but wish I would have brought a hoodie because it would have kept my neck warm. When he was up in Prudhoe he found a neck gaiter and purchased it for me. I thought that was incredibly thoughtful of him. Dinner tonight was chili, cheese, fruit cups and chips.  Sam and Seth joined us for a bit and more stories were swapped.  

Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in and we didn’t see the northern lights again.  I am crossing my fingers hard that the sky is clear tonight.