Flight
Above
The Arctic Circle!
Leo & Nancy Ready To Go!
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. In 2012, it is the parallel of latitude that runs 66° 33′ 44″ (or 66.5622°) north of the Equator.
The region north of this circle is known as the Arctic, and the zone just to the south is called the Northern Temperate Zone. The equivalent polar circle in the Southern Hemisphere is called the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle is the southernmost latitude in the Northern Hemisphere at which the sun can remain continuously above or below the horizon for 24 hours (at the June solstice and December solstice respectively). North of the Arctic Circle, the sun is above the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year (and therefore visible at midnight) and below the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year (and therefore not visible at noon). On the Arctic Circle those events occur, in principle, exactly once per year, at the June and December solstices, respectively. However, in practice, because of atmospheric refraction and mirages, and because the sun appears as a disk and not a point, part of the midnight sun may be seen on the night of the northern summer solstice up to about 50′ (90 km (56 mi)) south of the Arctic Circle; similarly, on the day of the northern winter solstice, part of the sun may be seen up to about 50′ north of the Arctic Circle. That is true at sea level; those limits increase with elevation above sea level, although in mountainous regions there is often no direct view of the true horizon.
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed. It directly depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of 2° over a 40,000-year period, notably due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. The Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 15 m (49 ft) per year; see Circle of latitude for more information.
Sonny Enjoying The View!
It Was a Beautiful Day to Fly!
Heading North!
Proof That We Just Crossed the Arctic Circle!
Brooks Mountain Range!
Amazing Ride When The Mountains Become Higher Then You Are!
Birds Eye View Of The Alaskan Pipeline!
Zig Zags to Allow for Expansion!
Coldfoot is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 10 at the 2010 census.
Coldfoot primarily serves as a truck stop on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. North of Coldfoot, there are no services for 240 miles (400 km), until Deadhorse. It has a restaurant and a small number of overnight accommodations (converted pipeline construction camp quarters). Bus tours along the highway typically take two days with passengers spending the night in Coldfoot. The BLM, USFWS, and NPS jointly staff a small visitor center during the summer. The Coldfoot truck stop was founded by Iditarod champion Dick Mackey who started his operation by selling hamburgers out of a converted school bus. Truckers helped build the existing truck stop and cafe. The Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) has a Camp (Maintenaince Station) in Coldfoot.
The town was originally a mining camp named Slate Creek, and around 1900 got its present name when prospectors going up the nearby Middle Fork Koyukuk River would get "cold feet" and turn around. In 1902 Coldfoot had two roadhouses, two stores, seven saloons, and a gambling house. A post office operated from 1902 to 1912, then reopened in 1984.
Coldfoot Airport, on the west side of the Dalton Highway, consists of a 4,000-foot (1220 m) gravel strip.
Coldfoot has been featured on the third and fourth seasons of Ice Road Truckers, a Canadian reality television series airing on the History Channel. The show, which dramatizes trucking on the Dalton Highway, often features truckers transporting equipment to the oil companies located in or around the Prudhoe Bay area.
Runway in Coldfoot!
Our Pilot, Aura & Leo, Nancy & Sonny
We Had a Great Flight!
The Airport!
No Restricted Access Here!
Just Don't Walk In Front Of A Plane!
Geri & Dennis
Arriving in Second Plane.
Hi Geri!
On The Ground
Dennis, Pilot and Geri!
The Plane Left.
We Returned By a Van!
Alaska State Trooper Mode of Transportation!
Sign Posted on Post Office Door!
Aura & Leo - At The post Office!
The Inn!
Old Original Building!
Behind the Inn Were Sled Dogs!
Typical Alaskan Sled Dog!
Start of The LONG Ride Back!
We Had To Pull Over
To Let This OVERSIZE Load Get By Us!!
Now This Is An OVERSIZE Load!
Only Inches to Spare!
Alaskan Pipeline Pump Station!
I Think We Saw Almost The Entire Length of the Pipeline!
The Arctic Circle
This Time on the Ground!
Aura, Leo, Dennis, Geri, Nancy, Sonny & Myself
The Scenery Was Beautiful!
Caribou!
Yukon River Camp provides lodging, dining, & activities at the Yukon River Bridge along the Dalton Highway. This is a seasonal operation providing services from mid-May to late-September. Their sign says - Give us a call to determine if we're going to be open when you plan to travel!
Painting at Front Door.
To Commemorate the Time a Bear Broke In!
Leo & Aura at the Yukon River Bridge!
We Saw The Pipeline UP CLOSE!
This was about 10:30 pm!!
Geri & Dennis!
And So Ends Another Day!!!
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