The trees were quite stubby in this area of the Alaska Highway.
Part of the Alaska Highway is built on permafrost. Traditional road-building caused the permafrost to melt, and the soil actually liquefied and subsided. When the soil re-froze, it expanded. The same freeze-thaw cycle happens again and again, causing the road to buckle and crack. Troughs also form, snaking their way through the road in every direction. It makes for a dangerous - and very uncomfortable - situation. Canada and the United States share responsibility for this part of the road and are working together to improve it. These vents are part of the Alaska Highway Permafrost Research Project.
You'll see several photos of this cyclist throughout our blog. We wish we could have met him and learned the story of his ride.
Swans in one of the many ponds along this stretch of the highway:
Lots of lines with old-style glass insulators:
A Pale Tiger Swallowtail at a rest stop along the way:
Strawberry Spinach, with grass growing through it:
More bicyclists:
The bridge over the Tok River:
We met Glenn Fenster a little after 5:00 in Tok when he rolled into Fast Eddy's Restaurant, where we happened to be eating. He began his journey in Miami and will complete it in a couple days in Anchorage. His son has epilepsy, and Glenn said he rides each year to bring attention to epilepsy one mile, one person at a time. Check out his website at destinymaker.org.
A helicopter flying over Fast Eddy's:
We stayed in the Tundra RV Park in Tok, surrounded by trees and wildflowers.
The rig was filthy after two days on rough roads. The dirt was like concrete on parts and had to be beaten off with a big stick.
Low-bush Cranberry (tiny plants, rising just a few inches above the ground):
POISONOUS! Elegant Camas, the first one we've seen:
Close-up of a lupine:
Close-up of the tall phase of the Pasque Flower:
Wild Rose buds:
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