Alaska, Canada and NYC Day 4

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Up early and over to the bar/diner for breakfast. Meant to be on the road at 0700 but kitchen a bit slow so breakfast ended up in take away containers - not bad for some but a bit difficult for the bacon and egg eaters (not me on that case......).

Get to Wiseman and meet Jack - our tour expert of things remote and wild... He explains the ways of the old time Alaskan pioneers and how they lived and existed in the cold winters (-50 to -70 F). He then explains how he gets ready for winter himself by growing potatoes then harvesting and storing in his cellar which will last until the next summer along with a few other root veggies (carrots, onions). He also hunts animals and stores them for the winter as well. Real character. Told us how they had to bury his mother a few months ago - took 2 - 3 days to dig the grave - had to build a huge bonfire to melt the permafrost then dig, then burn, etc....

Finally on the road south again - bit more boring as it was raining. Hard to see wildlife today. Get to the arctic circle and do the ceremony of actually crossing the circle - Mike lays down a red carpet with a white dotted line in the middle and you walk across the arctic circle. Job done and a certificate to boot......

Eventually get to the outer suburbs of Fairbanks and drop Pat at his house (meet the family) and say farewells (was good to have him on board with real life stories of working on the oil fields, pipeline construction, etc...).

Drop the girls off at their hotel and finally get dropped at our hotel. Farewells to Mike and Izzy (with appropriate tips to Mike and a small tip to Izzy as well for her assistance and fun during the trip).

Bags and into the room. Laundry needs to be done so into the hotel laundry and off to get something to eat. Order a drink and look at the menu. Finally order food only to be told the kitchen shut 2 minutes ago.. Not happy - we can order off late night menu which has a lot less options. Make noises to batman who apologises but can't change the situation.

Eat and finish laundry, re-pack bags for the next bit and then off to sleep..

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