Deadhorse, AK

So this is a second post for this day because it deserves a post all its own!

When traveling through Alaska, particularly by car, The Milepost is touted as “the bible of North Country travel since 1949”. It provides mile-by-mile descriptions of all major highways and roads in Alaska and northwestern Canada; detailed information on all major destinations and how-to help for various modes of transportation.

We were familiar with it from previous trips and bought a copy for this trip, especially to use on the Dalton Highway. Entries show the mile post area and then the information.

So, all of that background to share this with you.

Dalton Highway – Milepost 354.6 some general information is shared about this area and then the book says “Porcupine and Central Arctic caribou herds migrate through this area on their way to and from their calving grounds.”

Do you see that? Porcupine herds!!! I am beyond excited! Can you even imagine? Herds of porcupine! I can see them now… wobbling their way across the road, I have so many questions! Is it time now for them to be migrating? Can we possibly be that lucky? Will we be able to see them from very far away? How many porcupines constitute a herd? 10? 100? More?!?!?! I can **********tain my excitement as I search for them over the next few miles.

There are discussions, there are jokes, there are visions of porcupines dancing in our heads! At some point, LJ catches on to what I’m saying and talking about with Sara.

And then it happens… he destroys my dreams. My hopes are squashed. My excitement is… shattered. Porcupine herd refers to the name of a caribou herd… the name comes from their calving grounds, which in this case was the Porcupine River. There is no herd of porcupine to look forward to. I am crushed.

My ignorance of porcupines becomes quite the source of laughter and jokes over the next several days. One video may even depict Sara and I reenacting a herd of porcupine coming over a ridge (for a price that video may be available for download).

So even though my disappointment was palpable, we made the best of it and now, this little fella sits on my desk to remind me of fun times on the Dalton!