← Valdez to Fairbanks · Denali →
September 15 — Fairbanks · ~25 mi
We arrived the night before on the Richardson Highway. Ice Museum, Creamer’s Field, the Museum of the North, Murphy Dome over the Tanana Valley.
September 16 — Arctic Circle · 194 mi one way · 12–14 h
We took the Dalton Highway north to 66°33′. Gravel, spruce thinning out, then the globe on the sign in the fog.
The Odyssey
That evening, on the drive back to Fairbanks, the car slid out and sank into the mud.
September 17 — North Pole · ~25 mi
We stopped at Santa Claus House, then rested.