Deadhorse - end of the road

I finally made it! 

Checked into the Aurora hotel which is the newest of the accommodation on offer here.  400 rooms of which 90% are permanently reserved for oil workers.  The remainder are only made available to the public 7 days prior to arrival. 

Like all Deadhorse accommodation you have to take your shoes off or wear overbooties because this place has  BIG problem with mud.  Room was awesome for this part of the world and included all you can eat at the cafeteria. 

View from the room to Lake Colleen.

Glorious!!!


Workers here work 12 hours on 12 off for 2 weeks at a time then 2 weeks off.  Several confirmed they earned more working half a year than they would working a full time job down south doing anything else.  This schedule means they can have two people sharing a room and if their shifts are different they rarely see each other.

Food selection is pretty good but I wish I had been here for steak and salmon rather than Mexican theme!

Deadhorse is just full of stuff.  Giant machines,  pipes (lots of pipes) and all sorts of things. I do wonder what will happen when the oil field becomes uneconomic.  It will take quite an effort to remove years of accumulation all down the Haul Road.

Life up here is not completely devoid of humour.  A small forest "planted" by one company.

So I then took the tour to the Arctic ocean.  You have to book this in advance and get yourself approved to go into the restricted zone.  About 17 miles from Deadhorse and you get to the ocean shore. It was about 5C air temperation so the water didn't feel that cold.  Took the obligatory pic and then it was all over.  Anchorage to the arctic ocean!!

Saw a fox and lots of pipes along the way. The pipework around here is fascinating.

"Gas" as the Americans call it was only $5.65 a gallon.  This price is considered outrageous but tolerated considering where it is being sold.  This equates to $1.60 AUD per litre.  Not far off what we are paying in Australia!!

And so like mountain climbers who summit the excitement of the conquest is tempered by the knowledge you have to retrace your steps.  So I then begin the return trip.