A barge unloading during the 2-month window of ice-free ocean.
The only way to get vehicles here is to put them on the barge. If you buy a new car in Seattle and have it shipped up here, the shipping costs more than the car itself... which isn't very practical. So the cheapest way to get a car/truck here is to drive it up to the North Slope and catch the barge going back south. Then it's only about $8,000 to get your car here.
With the cost of replacing vehicles in mind, you'd think that everyone would drive their cars gently. Nope! They drive those rigs like they were stolen - I mean, they really beat the holy hell out of them with a vengeance, almost like they're trying to destroy it. It boggles the mind.
The cars & trucks aren't the only things punished. The 4-wheelers & snowmachines take a brutal beating. The snowmachines sit out in the weather on the ground, just rotting away. I saw exactly 2 snowmachines covered up with the tracks lifted off the ground to prevent dry rot. The 4-wheelers are either shut off or are going full-throttle... there is no gentle driving.
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