North is Really Really North......Fairbanks

Recorded June 17th 2009


Well there I went and did it! Here it is nearly a week later and I’m just now making my next post. Boy I hope it has not all turned to mud in my head.

Here goes……
Waiting for mail in Tok cost us a couple of days. I guess ‘Second Day Mail’, in Tok means 4 days. It really did not matter because the weather turned south and as we waited for the rain to stop the mail finally arrived on Saturday. So without TV and with only intermittent internet service we were finally able to make use of some of the 60+ DVD’s Brad sent along in this “one horse town”.

Finally on Sunday the 14th with our mail biz taken care of and the weather clear we left for Fairbanks to catch up with the Moorhead’s who left the day before Saturday.

We made a couple of stops along the 220 mile drive to the northern most destination of our trip. The first stop was at a local meat & sausage plant who packages up smoked elk, buffalo, yak and reindeer. We tried all the samples and made our purchases then were on our way. They really good! The first half of the road was very good compared to our last travel day. We have seen no animals since the Yukon Territory. The road was only OK on the second half but the vistas were beautiful. We were definitely in the permafrost zone as all the pine trees were short little things and as we learned in our prior trip these trees are very old but their route systems can only penetrate 3 feet before they hit the permafrost

Our next stop was also a tour bus spot & and a reminder of our Holland America tour of 2006. Rika’s Roadhouse is a National Historical Site today from the late 1800’s that was run 12 months a year by a woman who lived into her 90’s. It is located midway between Tok & Fairbanks on Hwy 2. The site grew into a major travel stop & river/ferry crossing during the first half of the 20th century. Today the highway crosses on a major bridge & pipeline. Dozens of documents are displayed in the original sod roof cabin. Many out building cover several acres along the river in a picturesque location. The main house was built in the 20’s. The whole stopover was a pleasant step back in time.

As we approached Fairbanks we blew right through the town of the North Pole without stopping. Because I promised Garrett that I would put in a good word for him when we got to the North Pole, I decided that a txt would do the trick. It did the trick as I got a response that they got my message!

We arrived in Fairbanks, in the early afternoon to the sunshine and a few clouds. Fairbanks is a completely different climate then (200 mi south) Tok or (400+ mi west) Anchorage. The summer temps are in the 70’s & even into the 90’s which is a good 20 degrees warmer in the summer then its neighbors. However, the winter temps are in the -20 to -40 average! They say that Fairbanks can have a 100 degree temperature range..

Our RV Park, The River’s Edge, was the nicest one yet. No dust, right on the river, beautiful trees, nestled in a nice location. If it were not for the mosquitoes, it would have been perfect. But there have been mosquitoes in EVERY cubic foot of air space so far …..So they can not count…..except to make Billy nuts.

We met up with Bill & Linda Moorhead and were treated to a wonderful home made spaghetti dinner. Linda went to a lot of trouble and Bill took all the credit, as usual. We made big plans for the local attractions the next day. I can’t say enough about the Moorhead’s as traveling companions. They are so good to put up with up.

On Monday June the15, we took off for the El Dorado Gold Mine Tour where we toured the mine, learned all about a large mining operation and got a feel for how many zillion dollars were mined out of Alaska in about 20 years. Oh yes the highlight…We panned for gold…. Like in 2006 we took home a few dollars worth. It was a lot more fun then you would think. There really is a technique to it. You really grow to understand the whole gold fever thing.

After a quick stop to let the dog out & sneak a snack we were off to the Discovery Sternwheeler Tour. Boy are we tourists today! Seriously ……This was a really good tour the 4 decker sternwheeler tour co. is owned by the Beasley family, the same family that operated it during the early 20th Century. They have become great concessionaires as they also own the El Dorado Gold Mine Tour and are refurbishing Gold Dredge #8 which Bill & I visited 3 years ago.

The Sternwheeler Tour included lots of events not just a boat ride. I particularly enjoy the homes on the river & I took lot of pictures. They had a bush pilot demonstration, take off & land. We watched a complete demonstration of sled dog operation. It was operated by Susan Boutcher and her husband Dave Monson before her death from leukemia 3 years ago at age 56. Dave gave us a complete run down on their training method including the puppies. He concluded with the dogs pulling him on his ATV around the dirt track. Those dogs really love to run and at 20 to 25 mph! Their reward was to take a dip in the ice cold river upon their return.

The Sternwheeler continued up the Chena River greeting famous locals along the banks. The views on all sides were really breathtaking for this Californian! The main stop was at an authentic Athabascan Fish Camp. We were taken through the history of the Athabascan Indians who populated this region for thousands of years. We were guided by several young Athabascan women who are working to preserve their heritage.

This was not the end of our day oh no, no, no! Linda, our in house tour director has the research ability of god. More history and dinner was in store for us. The Pump House Restaurant was just that, in the early 1900’s it pumped the river water 400’ up the hill forcing the gold rich earth out of the mine where the miners could get to it. Most all the original equipment is still there. It was w beautiful interesting building and we had a delicious meal.

This is a nuts place! It’s really hard to get over. After dinner in a typical evening at 8:00 PM it’s bright & sunny like 4:00 in the afternoon. You may get involved in some project and the next thing you know it is 11:00 PM. Kids are still boating/jet skiing on the river & folks are dog walking. On the Summer Soloists, next week, June 21st Fairbanks has a midnight baseball game. It starts at 10:30 PM under natural light!

Our last day, all 23 plus hours of daylight, in Fairbanks anyway, is starting at the University of Alaska Museum. As Linda discovered it is top rated nationally. It is becoming quite clear that we will arrive home knowing much more about all things Alaskan then anything in the lower 48 never mind California. This was an amazing museum. To think that the Indians and everything there survived thousands of these below zero winters is truly beyond me. I have never experienced zero degrees. I look around at these sweet people I just can not imagine. The most memorable were the two films first was The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), second was the Winter. The Northern Lights are very famous but are only visible in the winter. The movie explained the tremendous electrical charge that develops creating the vibrant waves of color. The Winter film really helped diagram /explain the long days & nights.

From the University Museum which set high on a hill where on a clear day over 200 miles away 20,000 foot high Mt. McKinley (Denali) is said to be visible, we left for the The Howling Dog Saloon. We had to check out this local hangout. It can only be described by a So. Californian girl as an Alaskan equivalent to Cook’s Corker in south Orange County. It had bras hanging from a chandelier and dollar bills with notes on them stapled all over the ceiling. It was definitely a tough bar wa’na’be. They say you might meet people from any walk of life there. The part we liked best was the life sized cardboard image of Hillary with an unflattering stash and several notations posted on her body. They also are having a Summer Soloists event called Foodstock. It’s a jam session for bands with the price of admission being canned goods. We have stopped at several of this style bar along the way most seem to favor baseball caps on the ceiling. I think I like this one the best, at least so far.

We ended this our final Fairbanks day at Pioneer Park where they have lots of old town buildings & park grounds but they also due up a huge all you can eat halibut fish fry + salmon bake + prime rib night…every night of the week!

Tomorrow will take us to Denali.