North Pole to Delta Junction, Alaska – 30 August 2024

From Fairbanks we made our way to Delta Junction and the Delta State Recreation Center.

This State owned park, had only a couple of other RVs in it, being used mostly by visitors needing to overnight when travelling between Tok and Fairbanks. Just down from the campsite was a small grassed airstrip and also a helipad.

Across the highway was a Riverwalk trail so we were all able to stretch our legs along the trail which went along the Delta River and through a forested area. In the distance we could see the Alaska Range beyond. We were also able to see Mt. Hayes at the end of the road, which is 13,832 ft tall as well as Mt. Hayes and five other mountains, which remain snow covered year round.

We were still chasing Northern Lights and had heard that Delta Junction also offered good sightings. That evening around 11.30 pm we finally saw them. They were faint swirling lights in the sky but when you photographed them, the colours would come out. Derek and I stood on the airfield and took photos and then walked across the road to where the Riverwalk trail was and were able to get some good shots facing North. At last!!!

The following day we drove to the Big Delta State Historical Park which had an advertised Historic Rika’s Roadhouse and Restaurant. This used to be an important crossroad and place to stay for travellers, traders, and the military during the early days of the 20th century. Everything was closed but it was interesting walking around the buildings and peeping through the windows.

In the 1900s it took over a year for the military to send a message from Interior Alaska to their headquarters in Washington, DC. To speed up communications, they decided to build the Washington Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS) station complete with log cabins to house the soldiers that operated it. These were also located in the park.

From our viewpoint near the WAMCATS buildings, we were able to see Trans Alaska Pipeline suspended over the Delta river which was running alongside the park.