Arctic Glass: Day 2 - Errand in Deadhorse, AK

Today in the morning I spent time working on the computer, and catching up on a few things. But, in the afternoon I was able to tag along on a trip to Deadhorse, Alaska. The camp helicopter's battery was dead, and a new one had been shipped up to the tiny, primarily oil-company-servicing airport in Deadhorse. This is about as far north as you can get to the Arctic Sea by road and not trespass onto oil refinery property. Any further north you need to go by air. The trip is also all dirt road on the Dalton Highway, which actually comes to an end in Deadhorse. Dalton is really the only main "highway" through northern Alaska, so this is a pretty big deal. So, the helicopter pilot and I started up to Deadhorse.

From Toolik Field Station north to Deadhorse is about 130 miles...but at 50 mph, so it's a significant trip. The ride was definitely very scenic. The fog rolled in for the first part of the drive, but we managed to see a pack of caribou crossing the road.

For a while, the drive is pretty mountainous. There are even some strange-looking bluffs.

Eventually though, the landscape gets very flat, for a long time. There is also more and more water, ice, and snow as you get closer to Deadhorse.

Then, you arrive in Deadhorse, which is really nothing more than an oil rig camp. Everybody is there for one thing, and that is to work the rig. It's an area full of specialized machinery and grit. It's definitely a rough and harsh place to live and work. It boggles my mind that a few of these structures, which are not that impressive to look at, can supply so much energy. I mean, it's barely the size of a lighthouse.

It also boggles my mind that there is such a thing as "oil pride" as I call it. Like shirts with the pipeline and a polar bear on it. Oil pride paraphernalia was pretty much the only selection of souvenirs at the general store, which also had all of the other sundry items you might need.