polar bumble bees expedition day 11: arctic circle to white mtns

Day 11   Arctic Circle to White Mountains 7/8
We continued our southbound trek today, headed close to Fairbanks then veering northeast of the city along the Steese Highway to check out some previous collection sites of Bombus polaris at tundra sites in the White Mountains. On the way we stopped just north of Beaver Slide, a large hill on the Dalton, to collect bees on sweet clover while waiting for a huge oversized load to come down the hill on a trailer. The Dalton, while somewhat accessible to tourists with the right vehicle, is still primarily the haul road for equipment to get from Fairbanks to Deadhorse or construction sites along the highway. As such, sometimes we had to pull over to let large and/or fast semi trucks pass us, especially on muddy or pothole-filled sections of the road. We saw a number of motorcyclists and even bicyclists on the Dalton, but given the truck traffic I’d be hesitant to take on that road on a bike or motorcycle.
We stopped for delicious burgers and puppy cuddles (always) at Yukon River Camp, and saw a pair of moose (Michelle’s first!) as we continued southbound. We stopped for gas, snacks and internet (all the important things) before reaching the Dalton/Elliott – Steese intersection and heading east into the White Mountains. We camped at Cripple Creek Campground, collecting some bumble bees on fireweed and on two new-to-us species of Pyrola (Pyrolaceae, wintergreen family).