Head-on Collision on the Dalton

Nov23

As some of you have heard, there was a terrible accident on the Dalton Highway recently. Two trucks were in a head-on collision about 75 miles from Prudhoe Bay back in October. Jack arrived on the scene about an hour after it happened so he was able to document it for his bosses. We’re sharing the photos with you but please keep Jack McCahan in your thoughts as he is in serious condition still even after over a month.

Apparently Jack McCahan was able to crawl out of the burning wreck only a short time before it was engulfed in flames. Photos below show the burnt truck. It doesn’t even look like a truck anymore. Very scary.

(Click on one and scroll.)

: Jack approached from the Prudhoe side of the accident

: This is the top of the sleeper that was ripped off and burnt

: What’s left of the truck

: This is the wreckage from the other side

: Trucks are finally going through

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone and please always drive safely, whether you are a trucker or not.

Denali on a clear day

Nov22

Jack caught a view of Denali from his truck on a clear day, kind of a miracle!

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!

Jack’s driving the motor home this time…

Oct5

This year Jack took me and the motor home out for a quick weekend hunt. (It was really camping, not hunting, although Jack would have taken a shot if he came across one in an accessible area.) We really wish we had been able to get out a little more over the summer!

There is always next year…

Jack, taking a look

Sport, taking a look

A Western Star truck driving the Dalton Highway with the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in the background. Jack knew who the driver was, of course.

Jack’s wife, Judy (me), and our dog Sport.

Any idea what these are?

Jack on a pipeline access road.

Finally the sun starts to come out!

And we get to see the pipeline in the evening sun.

The beautiful Dalton Highway road sign at 1 mile.

Jack taking a look at the big trucks, but he’s driving a motor home this time…

Here are a few more photos if you are interested.

Have a wonderful autumn everyone!

Valdez Avalanche Photos

Jan25

A major avalanche happened very recently along the Richardson Highway, about 20 or so miles from Valdez. Below are photos Jack was able to acquire from a friend – taken by Alyeska (and we hope no copyright has been violated by posting them here).

You can see here where the snow has covered the highway and the river that runs alongside it:

Here is the same thing but farther away.

And the rest are from another angle, showing the pooling of river water that is covering a long stretch of the highway.

So needless to say the Richardson Highway is closed and people who live in Valdez can only get out of the town by water or air. Jack says the snow will be removed by loaders but that sure seems like a dangerous job…!

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Atigun Pass, after an avalanche

Dec25

Merry Christmas everyone!

The below two videos show Jack driving over Atigun Pass through an area of road the state has cleared a tunnel through after an avalanche.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MYzo645ffY

(You might have to click on the 2nd video if it doesn’t come up like the first one.)

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How does Jack stay warm? Part 2

Mar17

Another way Jack stays warm has to do with the generator in his truck that enables him to turn off the truck’s engine in the winter and not worry about the cab freezing or the engine not starting again. In fact, this generator is supposed to run at all times that the truck isn’t and keep the cab at room temperature or close to it. Unfortunately, reality is not quite that ideal. The generator sometimes breaks down and at those times Jack is forced to run the truck all night at any temperature below about 40 or 50 degrees (since even though Jack has an inner furnace, even he has a hard time sleeping when it’s below 50 degrees).

When I first learned that trucking companies run big trucks all the time during the winter, or at least used to before they got generators to keep the cab warm even when the truck was not running, I was shocked at the amount of fuel that must be needed on a daily basis throughout the winter. This is unfortunate, and it’s impressive that Carlile is one of the first trucking companies in Alaska to start using the generators in order to cut down on fuel use.

This 4KW generator runs on diesel which it draws from the truck’s fuel tank. It powers an electric heater under the bed in the cab and a fan blows heated air into the cab from there. On top of that, the generator serves another purpose: to circulate antifreeze through the truck’s engine in cold temperatures, preventing it from getting too cold to start. It’s a great deal and all big rigs driven up here should have them to cut down on fuel usage.

How does Jack stay warm out there? Part 1

Mar10

You know how some people just have an inner furnace that keeps them warm all the time? That’s Jack. At 40 or 50 below he’ll bundle up with Carhartt bibs, and a hat, or maybe a face mask. But 20 below, that’s just normal to him.

A reader, John Webb, asked “I was just wondering when Jack is out on the Dalton swapping cogs how does he keep warm at night sleeping in his truck and why does’nt he ever wear a serious coat/jacket/parka, I feel cold just watching him get out when he’s hitchin up to his next load.”

Jack might have an inner furnace, but even he can misgauge temperatures when wind is a factor. A few years ago at 20 above, Jack frostbit his ear. This was a serious miscalculation on his part, and it shows what even a minor breeze can result in when it’s still above zero. (You can see the blister on the outer part but if you notice, almost half of the ear is red and swollen.)

So this is serious stuff to miscalculate on and Jack paid the price this time.

He does wear a serious jacket at those colder temperatures but oftentimes if it’s just a quick jump outside to check the load before leaving, his long-sleeved shirt (over a T-shirt) is enough. You balance the hassle of getting out your coat, which could be buried in the back under your cooler or lunch or logbook, with how much cold you can handle on your short trip out into it.

As for how he stays warm at night in the truck, stay tuned!

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Trucking Through Fires 2004

Dec9

I just wanted to share with you this amazing photo Jack took in 2004 when wildfires were raging on the Dalton Highway. Trucks were still moving through but the air quality for drivers was terrible. Smoke combined with dusty dry conditions. This was a non-digital photo that I scanned and ran some enhancing on, to a surprisingly interesting effect.

The Alaska West truck has just driven out of heavy smoke and has a substantial dust trail (click photo to enlarge to proper size). Windy dry conditions exacerbated the fire intensity and level of destruction.

Wikipedia says about the 2004 Alaska fire season:

The 2004 Alaska fire season was the worst on record in terms of area burned by wildfires in the U.S. state of Alaska.^[1] Though fewer individual fires formed than in 1989 when almost 1,000 were recorded, more than 6,600,000 acres (27,000 km²) were burned by the approximately 700 fires that ignited. The largest of these fires was the Taylor Complex Fire, which encompassed 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km²) and was the largest fire in the United States from 1997 to 2007.^[2] The Boundary Fire, Wolf Creek Fire, Chatanika Fire, and a fire that enveloped the Trans-Alaska Pipeline also received notable attention from firefighting services and the media. All together 426 fires were started by humans and 215 were started by lightning.

Map from Wikipedia:

You can see how at least one fire burned right over the Dalton. Even Jack thinks it was a little scary to drive through these fires. You really can’t see the road but for a few feet… he says the drivers call it “driving by Braille”. 🙂

Thanks for reading! More wildfire photos to come.

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Back at Home in Alaska

Nov17

Jack and I are at home enjoying normal life again. We had a wonderful trip coming back, saw more wildlife and beautiful landscapes… gained hours but lost sunlight and warmth. And now we’re settled in for the winter.

The thousands of photos I took on our trip down south will enable us to revel in our great times for days to come. We’ll be sharing them with you over the next couple of months.

It was cloudy most of the way through Canada until the last day of our trip when we crossed over into Alaska. Clear and cold!

Jack bought a trailer and plow in Minnesota. The truck took a bit of a beating.

…a wonderful trip, but it’s good to see the Alaska Range again!

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The Jack Jessee Blog

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