More typically, midsummer temperatures here reach into the 40s or low 50s. Only during rare heat waves does the temperature reach 70 or above. We reach Deadhorse at midafternoon. The support town for Prudhoe Bay's oil field operations, this is where both locals and visitors eat, sleep, and recreate. There's not much to do or see unless you have a passion for industrial complexes yet Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay have earned a spot on Alaska's packaged-tour circuit.
Buses arrive here daily and tourists can stay overnight in one of three boxlike hotels.
One large group a mix of bulls, cows, and calves crosses the road, single file, within 200 feet of our car. We're still three miles from the Arctic Ocean, but for us Deadhorse is the end of the road. Independent travelers aren't allowed to pass through the oilfields to reach the ocean, supposedly for reasons of security and visitor safety. Our tour guide, Bobbi, tells us that Prudhoe Bay encompasses 350 square miles, has nine main drilling pads with 36 to 42 rigs per pad, and is being worked by 11 companies. There's more, but I begin to lose interest.