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.

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!

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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Huge Wolf Track!

Feb23

Jack found this wolf track along the Dalton Highway the other day and put down a bill to compare size. It’s huge!

(When I looked at this I said “You used a 100 dollar bill???” Turns out, it was the most crisp bill in his wallet so he used it! Funny.)

The wolf track is much larger than I would have imagined. Our dog is pretty decent sized but his print would be about half that size!

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Not Canada-Bound At This Time

Jan26

Hello Everyone – It looks like Jack is not going to be on the next season of Ice Road Truckers. Who knows what the future holds, but for now it doesn’t look like he is involved in filming in Canada for next season . We’ll keep posting though, so stay tuned!

Here is Jack a few weeks ago packing down snow so I can get out of our driveway the next morning. It was really coming down!

(Just so you know, one of the pleasures of living in Alaska is seeing the landscape after a heavy snow…beautiful!)

Happy New Year from Jack & Judy!

Jan1

We love New Years here in Alaska because you can actually see the fireworks! (As opposed to the 4th of July. Plenty of people celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks but it’s not the same with the midnight sun lurking along the horizon.)

Best wishes for the New Year!

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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

Tag Archives: winter