Loads from days past

Nov4

Here’s a gallery of photos of various loads Jack has hauled or encountered in his days of driving the Dalton. Click on the first one and scroll to the right.

Coming back from Prudhoe with a dozer.

Heading north with a dozer in the summertime, fueling up at Hilltop.

Hauling a crane.

Making room for a wide load climbing 3 Mile on the Dalton.

Chained up to start the trip from Hilltop going north (Jack was pushing)..

A Stryker, going to Anchorage.

A turbine in a box in Healy, going to Prudhoe.

Eighty foot pipe for a pipeline.

Who knows what’s in this mod going to Prudhoe.

A couple of cooling units in Glennallen after they were barged to Valdez.

The same kind of load, but turned around and very dirty. Fueling up in Coldfoot.

Not a very big loader but weight restrictions during break up resulted in this long trailer.

Somebody is being funny.

An insulated tank from Greer Welding.

Same load. This tank can sit on its end or on its side.

Pushing a big Volvo loader.

A mod, not covered with plastic.

The same mod – Jack is pushing it to Prudhoe.

Twelve wide trailer with mod going north.

The same trailer (with booster decked up) being pushed back to Fairbanks.

Fairbanks is saved by the dam…again!

Aug11

Recently Fairbanks and the surrounding areas have been getting a lot of rain. So when Jack and I visited the Chena Dam the other day the floodgates had been lowered in order to prevent high water from flowing downstream toward Fairbanks. This results in the river backing up into the reservoir area behind the dam but saves Fairbanks as it has many times since it was built almost 40 years ago.

Dermot Cole of Alaska Dispatch News wrote in 2014 when the floodgates were lowered then that Fairbanks’ “most effective flood insurance policy … takes the form of an unusual dam with four 30-ton gates that operate like giant garage doors, stemming the flow of high water when the river rises. The floodgates are one element in an extensive federal flood control project that cost a quarter-billion dollars by the time of its completion in 1979.”

Click on the first photo and scroll to the right to read the captions.

This is the reservoir (floodway) that is now filled because the floodgates were lowered.

A little bit of green is still above water.

That’s our rig in the parking lot where you can access the top of the levee.

This shows Jack standing on the 7 mile long “Moose Creek Dam,” the levee.

The floodgates are in the top right corner of this map. We were a mile or two away from them on what’s labeled here as the Moose Creek Dam, the long straight levee that leads to the Tanana River. Map from US Army Corps of Engineers.

Here are the floodgates.

Another map, also from the US Army Corps of Engineers website. It shows a more realistic perspective of the whole setup.

On the opposite bank there’s debris that’s been picked out of the water on the other side of the floodgates.

Looking toward Fairbanks.

This is a terrific area with tons of biking/walking trails, boat rentals, a beach, camping, etc. There are day use volunteer hosts who take care of this lovely place.

Not everyone gets to see the floodgates being used on such a beautiful day. We’d be willing to bet that most Fairbanksans haven’t even been here.

From top to bottom they say: “Tanana River 40 miles”, “Yukon River 250 miles” and “Spawning Grounds next 35 miles.” Kings actually run through here as well as chum salmon and you can view them from the floodgates when they finally get here from the ocean each summer. I love the artwork but the salmon look more like silvers and pinks than kings and chum. 🙂

Now we’re on the other side of the floodgates looking down to the reservoir.

Volunteers maintain this area for wildlife, cutting hay, putting up nest boxes, burning to keep the brush low.

Not all of the hay got moved before the flood.

The sign shows the high water mark which was in 1992, the only time overflow water made it all the way to the Tanana River.

This is the side of the Chena River floodgates where water is building up and you can see tons of debris that has to be picked out by the crane. They sometimes offer it to the public for firewood.

This dam handles water coming from 1500 square miles of drainage.

According to adn.com, Fairbanks used to flood every 5th spring or so and this was actually desired so that barges could make it farther upstream. Fairbanks was founded by PT Barnette when he was stranded because of low water and a year later he struck gold.

At the end of a walkway that juts into the floodway someone has placed a beautiful memorial bench to someone named Joyce.

For more info: a slideshow on the Army Corp website and this pamphlet for a little more in depth information.

Dalton Highway road construction – June 6 (3 of 3)

Jun14

Here are the last of the photos from when Jack was leaving Prudhoe Bay on June 6th. There’s more info on the captions. Click on the first one and scroll to the right.

The top is the berm that was created in hopes of keeping the river back and the gap underneath is from where water was flowing.

The remnant on top of the hole was snow pushed up into a berm to try to stop the water flow.

This is the west side of the road, not the Sag River to the east.

East side where the river is, still partly frozen.

A big chunk of grounded river ice in the background.

The Sag in the background.

Eroded road and the pipeline is buried right there.

Staged culverts, but not needed. Probably 40 feet long.

Those white broken pieces are foam board insulation used to prevent the ground ice from melting if it is exposed for some reason. They are now trash.

Another section of reconstructed road.

These concrete forms were originally used to weigh down the pipeline as it was laid, in the 1970s, so that it wouldn’t move or float away, but aren’t needed when the oil is flowing.

Here they’re being used as erosion control for the natural gas line that runs from Prudhoe to Pump Station 4.

Waiting as material gets laid.

Staged culverts, probably not needed.

A Kenworth logo on Jack’s steering wheel thrown in for good measure.

Dalton Highway road construction – June 6 (2 of 3)

Jun13

Here are more photos from when Jack was leaving Prudhoe on June 6th. There’s more info on the captions. Click on the first one and scroll to the right.

The gap on the right between the tundra and the road used to be road.

This gravel was part of the old road.

The trench where the fiber optic cable is was eroded.

This is where the river normally is.

More wash out.

The mile marker had a rough time of it.

Old gravel, for the new road.

Gearing up for road “reconstruction”.

The start of the new gravel pit, for the new road job.

Equipment in front of the gravel pit.

The top is what’s left of the berm that was created a while ago and the gaps underneath are where the river was flowing.

You can see one of the trenches that were created in hopes of reigning in the river, in the background to the left.

The right side of the road has been eroded. More on the next post.

Dalton Highway, April 16th & 17th

Apr26

These photos are the last of the ones Jack took from when the road was in bad condition. It’s much improved now, to the point where Jack says there’s nothing to take photos of. When the melt starts up there though, who knows what will happen.

April 16th, Jack is heading out of Prudhoe. It was a cloudy morning.

The excavator is moving snow and slush away from the road to keep the water flowing to where they want it to go.

That’s all trucks waiting to get into Prudhoe.

This is the next day, heading back into Prudhoe.

These excavators are digging ditches and creating berms to hold the water back. Overflow from the Sag River has been harassing truckers and the State of Alaska for weeks before this.

Jack says this guy is scraping back the ice to find the road.

The delineator is about 5 feet tall so this shows how high the water got before it froze.

This photo is grainy, but you can see the left delineators showing a lot more than the others.

Heavy Equipment (one that floats!)

Apr20

Here are the rest of the photos from when Jack drove through the flooded area, the portion of the road that was recently closed because of the overflow of the Sag River onto the Dalton. There is a HUGE tracked vehicle that Jack says can float! I can’t see how that’s possible but supposedly, if it breaks through the ice, it won’t sink to the bottom of whatever it is on. In his case it’s a matter of a few feet to the ground. But it’s just hard to imagine either way.

Click on the first one and scroll to the right.

Jack is heading toward Prudhoe so the Sag River overflow is coming from the right.

This is the tracked vehicle that Jack says can float. He called it an excavator with float tracks but it probably has a specific name.

You can see multiple berms created by the excavators.

This plowing equipment is the State of Alaska’s – they are still there plowing the road. They take care of the road and the private contractors take care of the flooding.

Coming up on the line that is heading out of Prudhoe.

Jack is on the other side of the flooded area now. This is what the road is supposed to look like at this time of year.

Photos from the road closure, April 11th

Apr16

These photos are from when Jack was stuck at the road closure. He was waiting there 3 days to get unloaded. As you can see, it was a beautiful couple of days, albeit cold ones. The rigs in the distance are tractor-like vehicles on tracks with tanks to take the fuel Jack and the other truckers are hauling back to Prudhoe. The road is now open during the day. Click on the first and scroll to the right. More info on the captions.

Jack finds a high perch to get a better view of the offloading up ahead.

He said this photo was an accident but I thought it was interesting since it shows what he was standing on.

Jack took a panoramic shot which makes it look like the road is curved. It’s actually straight.

Jack and several other truckers waited there over 70 hours.

What a beautiful day! A cold one though, since it was only about 10 degrees and the wind was brisk.

These tankers were running back and forth to Prudhoe, transferring the fuel the trucks are carrying while the road was closed.

Jack says each of these tankers on the left carry about 2500 gallons. He carries 10,000 if he is full.

This one can carry 2500 each tank.

Jack was hoping this guy was coming to unload him but no, he must have been going to fill up some other vehicles and equipment down the road.

The Donjek River Bridge, Canada

Nov16

Some memories are dictated much by the weather. Storms, wind, rain, and very often, sun. Sometimes the sun falls just right, and the breeze is peaceful, and you’re in a good place. It might so happen that it’s 40 below, but some things can’t be helped.

This is my single favorite photo of Jack. It is November 2006. His face is a little stiff from the cold but the afternoon setting sun shows how much he enjoys this crazy job of taking big things to faraway places.

In this case he gets to bring bridge beams to the Donjek River in Yukon Territory, Canada.

The old bridge is behind Jack.

Jack actually helped haul the bridge beams in the summer and is now (November 2006) back in the winter to pick them up again and bring them down to the crane on the ice.

There are two cranes used to pick up the bridge beam. The yellow piece that is at the right in the photo above is hanging from the other crane which is behind the person taking the photo (Jack).

The trucks are awaiting another bridge beam to load.

This is the dolly used to haul the bridge beams.

Jack is wearing a face mask, but no gloves! No figure.

The arrow is pointing to the bridge beams already placed where they will forever stay.

Below is a Google Earth image of the Donjek River. You can see the new bridge and the old road leading up to the river but the old bridge has been dismantled and removed.

Have a great day!

Sign Post Forest & Fans

Oct12

One of the best places to stop along The Alaska Highway (aka “The Alcan”) is The Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada. Even back in the 70s it was a sight to behold but now it’s almost too much to take in: thousands upon thousands of license plates, signposts and pieces of metal or wood with the names of hometowns showing how far people have traveled to get there.

There was also some old heavy machinery that was used to build the Alcan.

That’s one big wrench!

And these are some fans we happened upon.

People are still adding to the Sign Post Forest. Hope you can make your way there someday and leave your own signpost. 🙂

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Dirty Truck!

Sep1

Hello again, sorry it’s been so long since we’ve posted. Life has been hectic. You would think that it would slow down a bit if you aren’t working, but that just means more things need to get done…!

Since Jack is taking some time off (he still works for Carlile) he had to clean out 2019 so it can be used by other drivers while he’s gone.