Today, around noon, I arrived the “End of Alaska Highway” sign post located outside the Delta Junction visitor center. It has been 13 days and 2,707 miles driving since I left home on July 9th. Delta Junction is a quiet and unassuming town. There is nothing here suggests that traveler should celebrate their completion of traveling the famed Highway that was recognized as an International Historical Engineering Landmark. No celebration is quite alright with me since this trip is essentially a personal endeavor. I spent couple hours driving around the town. I lingered around did not want to leave too soon. Here is the end of Alaska Highway but is also the beginning of my visiting the State of Alaska. I felt like I was saying goodbye to a good old friend and hello to a new one.
I left Delta Junction 3 o’clock in the afternoon for Fairbanks, then would continue to Denali National Park in a day or so. While traveling Alaska Highway last couple of weeks I leant a practical lesson how to balance the flexibility and the necessity in mapping the trip. I would have a draft plan ahead of time for the next 2-3 days, then fine tune the daily plan before leaving the campground when I had gathered more information from local visitor center or other travelers. It worked out pretty well for me that way and I would continue using this strategy when visiting Alaska inland.
Arrived Tok last night and stayed at Sourdough Campground.
This Campground is famous for its homemade sourdough pancake breakfast and
reindeer sausage.
Tables are nicely decorated with various kinds of papers from old time.
This one was a company invoice from 1948.
All Alaska Gift Shop is a nice place to visit for souvenir made by native
Alaskan.
Visitors Center is resourceful too.
Caribou sighting on the way to Delta Junction.
Finally, after 14 days and couple a thousand miles travel, arrive Delta Junction - the end of Alaska Highway. The sign post in front of the visitors center still shows the historical mileage, 1422, the distance from Dawson Creek.
The sign in front of Delta Junction visitors center offers a brief history of the construction of Alaska Highway.
Delta Junction is also a passageway of Alaska pipeline. This is a interpretive sign of 3 different diameter pipelines.
Take a break at Birch Lake on the way to Fairbanks via Richardson Highway North.
Nice and quiet Birch lake under the mild sun.
Fairbanks' Famous Pioneer Park is admission free.
Pioneer Park is a 44 acres historical park. Here is the section of the park where pioneer style shops selling food and crafts.
More colorful shops.
It is nice to know that a decent Chinese named "Joe" was part of the Alaska's pioneer history.
Pioneer Park is the home of retired SS Nenana ("the lady of the river"), the second largest wooden vessel in existence.
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