14 August, 1997

August 14, 1997

We left Toolik today and headed back North toDead Horse where it will be possible to clean up our cloths and sleep in a room at S. A. 10 tonight and tomorrow night. Jeremy and I drove up the highway until we reached the sites Sag 3 and 4. Meanwhile Jerry and Anna flew down by helocopter and reset the data loggers. We still have a computer problem, the clock and date function on the computer seems to loose time, but the loggers were reset and should run OK now.

We made another stop to install new loggers at about mile 51 and to probe the site. Then we continued on to Prudhoe Bay. We checked in at S. A. 10 and then went out to measure the depth of the active layer in the oil fields. In order to get to the site we had to passthrough a security checkpoint and present I. D. s before the truck could enter. The next stop was at another secutity site to pick up a radio for safety. Finally we were able to get out to the site and probe for active layer depth. While we worked we also kept an eye out for polar bears. They are sometimes around the area and we had no desire to meet one. We do carry some bear repellant which is a pepper spray the size of a small fire extinguisher. The tundra here is different than at Toolik. To begin with there is a more rolling ground at Toolik, in fact it reminds me of the great planes in its appearance. At Prudhoe the tundra is flat and low lying, no hills except for an occasional pingo, and there a lot

of bodies of water.

When we finished up it was time to back to S. A. 10 and eat, steak dinner with all the trimmings, and then do laundry for the first time in over a week and sleep in a bed for the night. As I understand it we will not be roughing it much anymore after we get to Point Barrow. I think we will be staying in a hotel for the most part.

Tomorrow Jerry flies out to Fairbanks and he will fly the rest of the way home thenext day. But first we have two small 100 x 100 m sites and a 1 x 1 km site to do. After we finish with the plots we get to have part of a day off to pack and clean up before we go to Barrow.

Well thats all its shower time and then to bed. We plan to head out by 7:30 am.