Chapter 4
"Rise and shine!" came a singsong voice.
Tim groaned.
"Come on! The sun has been up for a while already! You're sleeping the day away!"
Tim groaned again.
"You're making a big mistake, McGee."
Then, before he could analyze what that might mean, he felt the impact of a heavy hotel pillow on his head.
He sat up quickly and got the pillow right in his face that time.
"Hey! Knock it off!"
Tony laughed and stopped hitting him with the pillow.
"Lots to do today, McGee. You can't keep lying around doing nothing. That's not what a road trip is all about. Gotta get out on the road."
Tim got up and stretched as he headed for the bathroom.
"Man, you're insufferable. Why did I want to come on a vacation with you, again?"
"Because you love my sparkling personality," Tony said.
"Whatever."
Tim went into the bathroom and worked on waking himself up. He hadn't realize how incredibly tired he was until he could sleep, knowing that he wasn't going to work the next day and that no one's life depended on his for the next little while. That was a nice feeling. He wouldn't trade what he was doing, but there was no doubt that it was a stressful occupation, and he should have taken some time off earlier than he was.
He got ready quickly and then came out. No more pillows came flying at him. They got all their gear and then went down to take advantage of the free breakfast before heading out for the Steese Highway.
The first place they stopped was at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewpoint. It was just a parking lot off the road. They parked and got out. Just a few steps brought them to the pipeline.
"Wow. So this is it, huh?" Tony said.
"Yeah."
"It's...smaller than I thought it would be. For some reason, I was thinking it was going to be this huge pipe, but...it's big, but not as big as I expected."
Tim smiled. "Does that mean you don't want to take a picture?"
"Are you kidding? This is totally picture-worthy! Go pose and then, you can take my picture by it."
"Sounds good."
Tim walked over right by the pipeline and raised his hands over his head. Tony took his photo and then they traded places. Tony acted like he was going to climb up the posts to the pipe, although he didn't actually leave the ground.
They took a few more pictures and then piled back into the truck and continued on. This wasn't their usual kind of road trip in that they would be going back to Fairbanks in the evening, but it was fun to stop whenever the mood struck them. They chose to stop at Cleary Summit and take more photos. They even faced south and tried to see Denali (Mt. McKinley). They took pictures in that direction, but the day wasn't really clear enough to discern the distant mountain.
"Hey! What's that over there?" Tony asked when they were back on the road.
"Buildings," Tim said.
"Yeah, I can see that, but what buildings?"
"I don't know, Tony. I've never been here before."
"Then, we're going to go and see them."
"Okay."
They pulled off once more and found themselves in the Chatanika Gold Camp, an old mining camp that had been converted into a museum. There was a lodge, restaurant and gift shop. Some of the buildings from the original camp as it had been built in 1925 were still standing. But the most interesting place was the derelict Dredge #3. It was a fascinating structure, still sitting in the water where it had been left more than 50 years ago.
"Man, I wish there was some way to go and get on it," Tony said.
"Let's not. That thing doesn't look very stable. I'd rather just take pictures."
"Killjoy."
"No. The killjoy would be when you ended our vacation early because you fell through rusted metal and drowned," Tim said.
"Yeah, yeah. I wasn't really serious anyway. Now, go and pose."
Tim did as instructed. After that they walked back to the lodge and went inside just to look around. There were only a few patrons there. The place was small and this probably wasn't the height of tourist season as yet.
"Hey, Tony! Come and look at this!"
Tony walked over to where Tim was pointing at...
"An outhouse?"
Tim grinned. "Wouldn't it be an in house? It's inside, after all."
"Oh, Tim, that's terrible," Tony groaned. "But what is this?"
"Chatanika Lodge Old Faithful," Tim read aloud.
"Part of the Chatanika Days Outhouse Race."
The unexpected voice caused both of them to turn around. An older man was grinning at them.
"Outhouse race?" Tim repeated.
"Yes, and it's exactly what it sounds like. Five-man teams. Four push and one rides the outhouse over a mile-long course."
"Where in the world did that come from?" Tony asked.
"It's tradition! ...but I don't know, other than that. Happens every year in March. They put skis on the bottom and push."
"Too bad we missed it," Tim said. "I can only imagine what that must look like."
The man grinned.
"You don't have to imagine it. You can see it on YouTube. Just look for the outhouse race. I can almost guarantee you won't find anything else like it."
Tim made a mental note to look it up when they got back to the hotel.
"I'll have to do that. Could you take our picture here?"
"Absolutely."
Tony and Tim stood on either side of the outhouse while the man snapped a photo. Then, it was back out to the truck and on their way once more.
They didn't stop much for the next hour or so. They weren't in a rush. For a while, it was even silent in the truck as they drove, both men content to look at the scenery of Alaska in late spring. It was almost strange that they were both so comfortable that the silence didn't bother them.
Of course, it wasn't completely silent. The pavement had ended and the gravel kept it from being really quiet. Still, they enjoyed the time. Unlike their previous road trips, this one was more introspective and less frenetic, and it showed in how they proceeded.
When they reached the highest point of the drive, Eagle Summit, Tony pulled over and they got out.
They took some pictures and then, they both stood in silence. Tim wasn't sure what Tony was thinking, but he felt something inside him that he couldn't even articulate.
"It's beautiful," he said, softly.
"Are you allowed to say that?" Tony asked. "That was way too..."
"Too what?" Tim asked.
"I don't know, but can you say it?"
"I think so," Tim said, smiling, but not looking away from the view. "It's not as green as it might be a little later in the year, but it's amazing. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. The closest was Yellowstone, but even that's a different kind of wild than this. It's really amazing."
"Going to move out here?"
"No. I don't want to live here, but visit... yeah. I'd come here again."
There was a long silence. Then, Tim took a deep breath of the Alaska air and turned to Tony.
"Ready to keep going?"
Tony nodded.
They got back in the car and continued on their way. They would stop as the mood took them, but overall, they didn't really make a stop until they got to the small community of Central.
"Well?" Tony said.
"Not very big, is it," Tim said.
"Hey, look!" Tony said, pointing ahead of them. "A museum!"
"Cool! It doesn't look open, though," Tim said. "There's no cars there."
"Well, let's try it, anyway."
"I'm game."
They drove to the building and parked. It seemed deserted.
"It opens after Memorial Day," Tim said, reading a sign. "We've missed it by a week."
"That figures," Tony said. "Oh, well. Let's take some pictures. We still have to get to Circle, anyway."
They walked around a little, taking photos and then it was back in the truck and more driving along the Steese Highway.
Finally, they reached Circle. It couldn't really be called a city. It was too small for that, but it was something, and what it was, was the end of the line. The Steese Highway ended here. In fact, there was even a sign.
"The end of the road," Tony read. "Perfect! You pose first. Then, me."
Tim walked over to the sign and posed. Then, they switched places. As they were headed back to the truck, someone else pulled over to the sign. A man rolled down his window and leaned out.
"You want to get a picture with both of you?" he asked.
"Sure!" Tony said. "That would be great!"
The man turned off his truck and walked over. He took the camera and snapped a few photos of the two of them on either side of the sign.
"Where you boys from?" he asked as he handed the camera back.
"D.C.," Tony said. "I'm Tony. This is Tim. It's our nearly annual road trip."
"Nearly?"
"Haven't always made it. Work and Tim got married not too long ago."
The man grinned. "And you're traveling with this guy instead of your wife?"
"She gets Christmas and New Year's," Tim said, smiling back.
"I'm Abe. She okay with that tradeoff?"
"If she wasn't, I wouldn't be here."
"Good answer."
"Are you from around here?" Tony asked.
"Yep."
"So...why is it called Circle?" Tim asked. "Are we on the Arctic Circle here?"
"Nope," Abe said, still smiling. "Lotta people think that, and that's why it's named what it is, but the Arctic Circle is about 50 miles further north."
"Oh," Tony said. "That's...disappointing."
"Is there any way we can get up there?"
"Not from here," Abe said, "but you can on the Dalton Highway, but you better be prepared for that road."
"What do you mean?" Tim asked.
"It's rough. Real rough. The road goes all the way up to the oil fields on the north coast of Alaska. It's mainly for the oil trucks, and they don't need the frills that wimpy cars do. It's almost all gravel. It's rutted. Real rutted, and you won't make much above 45 mph. And the trucks have right of way. Always. You see one coming, you get out of its way. Besides all that, this is Alaska. Especially at this time of year, the weather can change like that." He snapped his fingers. "If you go, make sure you have emergency gear with you, and an extra tank of gas might not go amiss."
"No gas stations?"
"Three between Fairbanks and the end of the road. That's not very many, especially spread out over more than 400 miles. You'll cover about half that to get to the Arctic Circle. No cell service, either."
Tim wasn't sure about that kind of trip. It sounded a lot more dangerous than the one they'd been on today.
"Still, it looks like you've got a good truck for it, and if you're not stupid and be careful, it's worth seeing once. There's even a little spot to stop and take pictures right at the Arctic Circle. Beautiful country up that way, too."
"Thanks!" Tony said.
Tim could tell that Tony wasn't at all put off by the risks. Abe continued to chat a little longer.
"While you're here, you should take some time at the Yukon River. You can see it just back there, but it's worth looking at. You made it to the end of the road, might as well see what there is to see before you head back."
"We definitely will do that. Anything else to see here?"
"Well, not a whole lot. If you're not camping or watching the Northern Lights, it's a pretty small area. A lot of people put in or take out here, but you don't look like you're rafting."
"Nope."
"Didn't think so."
"Beautiful, though," Tim said.
"It is that. I never regretted moving here."
They parted ways, and Tony and Tim drove to get a better view of the Yukon River. It was a large river, and here, by Circle, it had separated into large tributaries that wouldn't come back together for hundreds of miles. All in all, what they could see was amazing and they took a lot of pictures before refueling and heading back toward Fairbanks. Tony had done most of the driving on the way there, so Tim was driving on the way back.
It was quiet at first, but then, Tony wasn't distracted by the view as much as Tim had been.
"You're not sure about going to the Arctic Circle, are you," he said.
"I don't know, Tony. That sounds like a lot more risk than we usually take on these things. I don't want us getting into trouble we can't get out of."
"I don't, either," Tony said, "but it's the Arctic Circle! I'm not suggesting that we drive all the way up to the northern tip of Alaska."
"Only because you know we don't have the time," Tim said.
Tony grinned. "Well, yeah, but I'm not going to suggest that we go any further than the Arctic Circle. We'll do what he said. Extra gas, emergency gear. We'll be ready for whatever might happen."
"You really want to go up there, don't you," Tim said.
"Yeah. I do."
Tim thought about it for a few seconds. It wasn't that he didn't want to go. It was just that he was a little nervous about the road being as bad as Abe had seemed to imply it was.
"If we damage this truck, we'll have a huge fine to pay," he said.
"I'll pay it," Tony said, instantly.
"I'll want that in writing."
"Aw, don't you trust me?" he asked.
Tim smiled a little. "Not about money."
"I'm hurt!"
"I think you'll get over it."
"I will if you agree to go up to the Arctic Circle, tomorrow."
Tim took a breath and thought about it.
"Okay. Let's do it."
"Excellent! Now, don't get us in an accident driving back to Fairbanks."
"Ha ha. Very funny."
The one nice thing was that there was only one road. No risk of getting lost. With the slow, bumpy road, it took them nearly five hours to drive back. Tim was a much more conservative and cautious driver than Tony. Still, they got back to Fairbanks without any problems. They filled up the truck and then got some supplies for the next day. Tim insisted that they be prepared with food and water. When they told the checker at the grocery store what their plan was, she recommended that they also get an air pump for the tires, just in case. The truck itself came with a spare, but it was always better to be prepared, she said. Tim agreed and bought a small hand pump, although Tony thought it was overkill. Then, with a quick stop to get dinner, they headed back to the hotel.
Tim was relieved to get back with no problems. He lay down on the bed and enjoyed the feeling of no bumps and no movement.
"Well?" Tony asked.
"It was fun," Tim said. "I really liked it."
"Good. Tomorrow will be even better."
"Even bumpier, I'm sure. I guess it'll be an experience."
"That's what it's all about," Tony said. "I get the shower first!"
Tim just gestured and lay back on the bed. He debated whether or not he'd tell Delilah about tomorrow. Actually, maybe he'd just drop her a quick email or something. He didn't want her to worry, and she would. Particularly when just the road could be dangerous, let alone the fact that they'd be completely out of contact.
Well, tomorrow would come soon enough and it was time to sleep and get ready for it. While they hadn't done anything really strenuous, bumpy roads were tiring.
Tony showered and then Tim showered, and they went to sleep quickly.
