The Roller Coaster, James Dalton Highway, the Haul Road
Semi tractor trucks travel the perilous section of road on the Dalton Highway, or haul road, known as the Rollercoaster, a very steep descending hill. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400 f/5.6L IS, (340mm), 1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 800. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
For those of you familiar with the TV reality show, Ice Road Truckers, then you have heard them speak of this section of the James Dalton Highway know as the roller coaster. It makes a pretty radical descent, with an equal rise on the other side. It is not intrinsically dangerous, but if conditions are marginal, it certainly feels unlike most roads one would travel on in today’s age. Windy and snowy conditions can often make visibility marginal, and the truckers that drive this road use their CB radio to alert potential oncoming traffic of their presence.
