Haul Road - Prudhoe Bay

If you're going to drive to Prudhoe Bay, "just getting there" had better be the only reward you seek, because there's not much else there to see or do. As you enter the area, you are greeted by immense compounds of machinery and equipment. This is, after all, really nothing but a working oil field, and they've got all the stuff there for it.

When we finally reached our accommodation at the Arctic Caribou Inn, Rob got out and moved to the middle of the parking lot to call his wife. I don't know, but I'm guessing the conversation was along the lines of, "Hi, honey. You'll never guess what my friend has gotten me into!"

He probably would have had an even better story if he'd waited until after he saw our room and then had dinner with the pipeline/oilfield workers. Burger night at the dormitory, yummy!

Early in the morning we got up and took the "tour" of Prudhoe Bay, the only way you can see it. Basically, you and a few other crazy visitors climb in a bus, drive past buildings and equipment, then dismount and stick your hand, toe, whatever in the arctic ocean. On the way back you pass the "forest" which is actually a nice bit of humor because there isn't a tree around for 200 miles!

I certainly can't say that Prudhoe Bay is one of the nicest or most interesting places I've been, but that was never the intention. I just wanted to get here, and I did!