Soon afterwards my van began to lose power and slow down. But there was no cell-phone reception, no road shoulder to pull off on, so I kept going, slower and slower. Then I spotted a gravel side road - I pulled off and the van stalled, dead.

I hiked up the gravel road a mile to Pump Station Number 7 on the Alaska Pipeline. They let me use their phone and I called the auto club. Luckily I have long-distance towing insurance. So I ended up traveling the last 56 miles (90 km) back to Fairbanks in a tow truck.

It could have been much worse, with almost 800 miles (1300 km) of lonely road behind me.