Saturday, at noon, we left the house for the 162 mile drive to Circle Alaska - the end of the road on the Steese Highway. Until that moment, we weren't sure if we were going to go on the drive. The weather was less than desirable with cloudy skies and the threat of rain. We packed accordingly (rain gear, warm clothes, water, snacks, extra gas) and began the drive.

The Steese Highway is paved for 44 miles. After that, it goes to gravel and hard-packed dirt, but it's a well-maintained road with very little potholes or washboard (at least in the summer months). In the winter, the higher elevations can be closed by avalanche gates, preventing anyone from getting into - or out of - the small towns of Central and Circle. There are a number of wilderness hiking and canoe trails along the route, which are maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. This highway passes through the Chatanika River valley next to the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, by gold camps, over rolling hills of tundra, past wildlife, hot springs and finally to the mighty Yukon River - the largest river in Alaska.

Fairbanks is surrounded by rolling hills. The Steese Highway winds over those rolling hills. At Mile 57, U.S. Creek, there's an up close view of the famous Davidson Ditch - a series of ditches, siphons, and pipes once used to carry water from a small man-made dam on the Chatanika River to the working gold dredges of Fox and Chatanika. The Davidson Ditch cuts across the hillside of Poker Flat's middle range; it was 12 ft wide, 4 ft deep, and ran 83 miles, with another seven miles of 48-inch pipe. When it was built in 1925, it was one of the largest engineered projects in the world.

A well-maintained gravel road (US Creek Rd) goes into the White Mountains Recreation Area. The White Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses approximately one million acres. The newly leveled and graveled road leads to several campgrounds. Summer activities include gold panning, fishing, hiking and camping. Winter activities include snowmobiling, dog mushing, and cross-country skiing along scenic trails to remote cabins.

The road traverses rolling hills with sweeping vistas of the valley below. The views are breathtaking! Here are some photos from the beginning part of our drive, and the Davidson Ditch area.

Burn regrowth	Fireweed and burned trees	Burned trees and new growth	Views from White Mountains overlook
Road to the campgrounds	View of valley	Alpine wildflowers	Alpine ground cover
Ground cover	Steve & Me	"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

Steve and I didn't drive all the way into the campgrounds, because we still had more than a hundred miles to go to Circle (plus the return trip!) and it was already nearly 2pm. Instead, we turned around and got back on the Steese.

We pulled into several BLM campgrounds along the way to check out the campsites. While there, Steve dropped a line in the various lakes and rivers for a few minutes, while I wandered around with my camera.

When we reached Twelvemile Summit, we drove up the dirt road to the top, but the clouds were starting to roll in, so visibility wasn't the best. The next group of photos were taken after we left the Davidson Ditch area (mile 57) and continued on our way to Eagle Summit (mile 108).

Chatanika River	Steese Hwy Creek	Fireweed	Steese Hwy
Steese Hwy	Twelvemile Summit	Yellow Oxytrope	Alaska Cotton

When nature calls while you're out in the wilderness, the only facilities you'll find are outhouses. But I will say that we have some of the cleanest outhouses I've ever run into, and they're located in some gorgeous scenery too.

We crossed over Twelvemile Summit, 2,982 ft. Twelvemile Summit is located 12 miles from a group of mining claims on Birch Creek. From late July to mid-September, large herds of migrating caribou cross the highway between here and Eagle Summit. Unfortunately, we didn't see any wildlife at all - except for ground squirrels and snowshoe hares. It began to rain on us again.

Steese Highway

Steese Highway

Steese Highway Creek

Twenty-three miles later, we reached Eagle Summit (3624') - the highest of three summits on the highway. Around June 21, weather permitting, 24 hrs. of sunlight fall on this peak. Wild flowers grow in profusion here. This area was prospected for gold 2 years before the 1898 discovery of gold in the Dawson City region.

As you pull into the parking area, the first thing you see is an emergency shelter. These shelters are found in wilderness areas and provide a warm place to overnight. Inside, there is a cot and a wood stove.

Steve and I decided to hike to the top of Eagle Summit. As we made our way up the rocky alpine slope, the views became more and more spectacular.

It was a beautiful hike, with great scenery, but with 'not so great' gnats. The buggers swarmed us, and the more we panted and sweated, the heavier they got. In the photo at right, the dots on the picture are the bugs. We had to swing our jackets around to keep them off of our faces and out of our noses and mouths. It was just awful!

We did see many alpine wildflowers, and I took photos. I tried to identify as many as I could using my Alaska Wildflower book.

In the summer of 2004 (our second summer here in Alaska), we had some of the worst wildfires in history. The Taylor Complex fire burned more than a million acres of woodland. All together, we lost more than SIX MILLION acres of woodland to fires that summer. Air quality was so bad, that everyone was advised to wear a mask over their mouth and nose if they left the house. The smoke from the fires kept the heat low to the ground, which brought temperatures into the 90s. Since most homes here do not have air conditioning, and you couldn't open your windows because of the smoke and ash particles, it was a real nightmare. I don't think anyone will forget that summer. Especially the tourists who spent thousands of dollars to come here.

The area Steve and I were heading into was hard hit by the fires in 2004. When the fire was finally put out, all that remained were the charred remnants of birch and spruce trees. But, nature has a way of healing itself. Fed by rich nutrients, warm soil and abundant sunlight, many wildflowers mass flower after a fire.

When we came around a bend on the highway, a brilliant magenta hillside appeared in the distance. The color was absolutely breathtaking and continued up the entire side of the hill. Neither of us had ever seen anything so striking before. We could only stand in silence, as our eyes took in the glorious sight before us.

We spent at least 30 minutes at that hillside, even walking up into the tall flowers so that we could look across the plumes and out onto the surrounding landscape. We saw white fireweed too - not as common. The stark contrast of the brilliant magenta against the black bark of the burned trees was magnificent. The photos above don't do it justice, as there is no way to adequately catch the acres and acres of color. Where once only black and charred ground existed, life had returned.

Reluctantly, we left the colorful hillside behind, and continued on the final leg of our journey to Circle. We still had about 35 miles to go and it was already nearly 6pm.

However, before we reached Circle, we passed through the small town of Central. Central is a mining town and the cash economy in Central (pop. 134) comes from Central's seasonal support for mining operations. Summer tourists en route to Circle Hot Springs use local services and visit the Circle District Museum. Subsistence and recreational activities provide food sources for year-round residents. The one school is attended by 20 students.

Central is a stopping point for the mushers during the Yukon Quest. They eat, sleep, feed their dogs, and have their dogs checked by a veterinarian, before continuing the 1000+ mile race.

The final stretch of highway took us through mostly wooded areas. The rain came down heavier and the skies got darker. It was nearly 7pm when we finally arrived in Circle (once known as Circle City) and the end of the road at the Yukon River.

The town of Circle encompasses 5 sq. miles of land and 1 sq. mile of water. Circle has a continental subarctic climate, characterized by seasonal extremes in temperature. Winters are long and harsh, summers warm and short. Summer temperatures range from 65 to 72, winter temperatures can range from -71 to 0. The Yukon is ice-free from mid-June through mid-October. Tourists and recreational enthusiasts come through seasonally.

The History:

With the discovery of gold in nearby Preacher Creek, Circle (also known as Circle City) was established in 1893 as a supply point for goods shipped up the Yukon River and then overland to the gold mining camps. Early miners believed the town was located on the Arctic Circle, and named it Circle. By 1896, before the Klondike gold rush, Circle was the largest mining town on the Yukon, earning the nickname "The biggest log cabin city in the world", with a population of 700. It boasted an Alaska Commercial Company store, eight or ten dance halls, an opera house, a well-stocked library, 28 saloons, a school, a hospital, and an Episcopal Church. Log cabins stretched out for nearly a mile and a half along the river front. It had its own newspaper, the Yukon Press, and a number of residential U.S. government officials, including a commissioner, marshal, customs inspector, tax collector and postmaster. Captain Wilds P Richardson, 8th Infantry, commanded all military forces in Alaska and was stationed in Circle along with 80 men and several officers. Jack McQuestron bought his Trading Post and several warehouses in 1897. He supplied miners and trappers in the area with all they needed, including food, tools and clothing.

Circle was virtually emptied after gold discoveries in the Klondike and Nome near the end of the 19th century. A few hearty miners stayed on in the Birch Creek area, and Circle became a small, stable community that supplied miners in the nearby Mastodon, Mammoth, Deadwood and Circle Creeks. Most of the main part of town became a family owned farm that produced its own vegetables, meat, milk, cheese and eggs. Flour, sugar, salt and other staples came by barge, once in the summer. The family farmhouse still stands today, in front of the trading post and is commonly known as the "Rasmussen House", as it was built in 1909 by Nels Rasmussen. The floods of the 30's and 40's destroyed the opera house where Alexander Pantanges had performed. McQuestron's store, warehouses, saloons, the hospital and the church were also destroyed by heavy snowfall or burned for firewood.

The People:

Circle has a population of 86 permanent residents, (as of December, 1998). Some persons live in the community only during summer months. 86.3% of the population are Alaska Natives. A federally recognized tribe is located in the community. The population of Circle is predominantly Athabascan, but there are several non-Native families. Most homes haul treated well water from the washeteria/fire station or the school. There is one school located in the community, attended by 29 students. The village has a small hospital facility, Circle Health Clinic, a trading post, and post office. Two of the residents hold commercial fishing permits. Almost all residents are involved in subsistence. Salmon, freshwater fish, moose and bear are the major sources of meat. Trapping and making of handicrafts contribute to family incomes. Barges deliver goods by the Yukon River during summer. Residents use ATVs, snowmobiles and dog sleds for recreation and subsistence activities.

We didn't even get out of the truck to take photos. The rain was coming down in buckets. We managed to grab a few photos of the sign (for proof that we had made it!) and the Yukon River. Then we turned around and headed back to Fairbanks - another 161 miles.

On the way back to Fairbanks, we again hit rain, lightning, thunder, and dark clouds. Periodically, the sun would find an opening in the clouds and a bright beam would illuminate the ground below. Even the rainclouds were beautiful! And then... about an hour outside of Fairbanks, the rain stopped, the clouds started to blow off, and a beautiful rainbow appeared. What a perfect end to a perfect day! We drove the rest of the way under blue skies and arrived home at 11pm. Thank goodness for the long days of summer to light our way all the way home.

I am so glad that we decided to take this drive. There's nothing like exploring the wide open spaces of Alaska.