Sunday, July 27, 2008
Fairbanks and the End of the Caravan
[Be sure to click on the photos for larger versions.]
This installment covers Tuesday (July 22) through Saturday (July 26). Note that this is the second post today, so be sure to read the blog entry below this one as well.
Tuesday was a short, sunny driving day from Denali to Fairbanks. En route we stopped at Nenana where we had lunch, visited the small railroad museum, and visited the small native museum. Nenana is the home of the annual lottery to pick the exact date and time that ice will break up in the Nenana River. A tower is erected on the river with a cable from its top attached to a clock on shore. When the ice breaks and the tower moves, the clock stops. The breakup is usually in April or May, and there may be 20 or more people who have selected the exact minute of the breakup and share the cash pool.
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This evening our group went to a salmon bake at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. The dinner included all-you-can-eat salad, prime rib, salmon, halibut and cod. After dinner we toured the park, including the aircraft museum. We then saw a show on Fairbanks history at the Palace Saloon in the park.
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On Wednesday morning we took a short bus tour of the city, then went to the El Dorado Gold Mile for a train ride, a presentation on the history of mining, a demonstration of panning for gold, and an opportunity to pan ourselves in a stream of warm water with a guarantee of at least eight flakes of gold. I got about 9 flakes, with a total market value (at $920 an ounce) of $3.
We skipped the afternoon bus trip to the Museum of the North, and spent afternoon running errands.
Thursday was a free day. After having a leaky valve stem replaced on one of our tires, Carol and I went shopping. At the Alaska Bowl Store, we saw workers mass producing bowls from Alaskan Birch.
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We then visited the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska. The museum has displays on the five different geographic areas in Alaska as well as an art gallery featuring both traditional and contemporary art.
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Later in the afternoon we went to see the new movie, Get Smart.
Friday was a sunny day. In the morning we went on the Riverboat Discovery tour in a sternwheeler up the Chena River. This is a very choreographed tour which has changed little since 2002, but it was still very entertaining. We watched a float plane take off and land by the side of the boat, saw a brief sled dog presentation, saw a number of nice riverfront homes, saw a fish smoking demonstration, and spent an hour on-shore where we saw a talk by a musher and brief presentations on three aspects of Athabascan culture.
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We also saw a campaign barge sailed up and down Alaska's river many years ago by a candidate for Governor.
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After the boat trip, Carol and I headed to North Pole, Alaska – about 15 miles south – for a little Christmas shopping. This evening we had a social hour and a farewell dinner at a restaurant adjacent to the RV park. After breakfast tomorrow, the caravan will be over and we will all head our separate ways.
The caravan ended Saturday morning with a full breakfast at a restaurant adjacent to the RV park. Many of the caravaners are returning via the Top of the World Highway and some of those (including us) will continue on the Cassiair Highway. We are traveling for the first part of the trip with four other couples who are planning short driving days and longer campground stays.
It was a pretty driving day – mostly sunny with a high in the low 70s for the second day in a row. We saw a couple of moose en route, and stopped for photos in Delta Junction, the official “end” of the Alaska Highway.
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We also got photos of the Alaska Pipeline where it has its own bridge across a river.
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We stopped for the night in Tok, staying at the same campground as we did on the way up. We had a social hour this evening with our traveling companions, and another caravan couple who drove a shorter day than they had planned. After dinner we went to an hour long singing show in the campground recreation hall. We enjoyed the singer, and bought his set of 3 CDs.
This installment covers Tuesday (July 22) through Saturday (July 26). Note that this is the second post today, so be sure to read the blog entry below this one as well.
Tuesday was a short, sunny driving day from Denali to Fairbanks. En route we stopped at Nenana where we had lunch, visited the small railroad museum, and visited the small native museum. Nenana is the home of the annual lottery to pick the exact date and time that ice will break up in the Nenana River. A tower is erected on the river with a cable from its top attached to a clock on shore. When the ice breaks and the tower moves, the clock stops. The breakup is usually in April or May, and there may be 20 or more people who have selected the exact minute of the breakup and share the cash pool.
.JPG)
This evening our group went to a salmon bake at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. The dinner included all-you-can-eat salad, prime rib, salmon, halibut and cod. After dinner we toured the park, including the aircraft museum. We then saw a show on Fairbanks history at the Palace Saloon in the park.
.JPG)
.JPG)
On Wednesday morning we took a short bus tour of the city, then went to the El Dorado Gold Mile for a train ride, a presentation on the history of mining, a demonstration of panning for gold, and an opportunity to pan ourselves in a stream of warm water with a guarantee of at least eight flakes of gold. I got about 9 flakes, with a total market value (at $920 an ounce) of $3.
We skipped the afternoon bus trip to the Museum of the North, and spent afternoon running errands.
Thursday was a free day. After having a leaky valve stem replaced on one of our tires, Carol and I went shopping. At the Alaska Bowl Store, we saw workers mass producing bowls from Alaskan Birch.
.JPG)
We then visited the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska. The museum has displays on the five different geographic areas in Alaska as well as an art gallery featuring both traditional and contemporary art.
.JPG)
Later in the afternoon we went to see the new movie, Get Smart.
Friday was a sunny day. In the morning we went on the Riverboat Discovery tour in a sternwheeler up the Chena River. This is a very choreographed tour which has changed little since 2002, but it was still very entertaining. We watched a float plane take off and land by the side of the boat, saw a brief sled dog presentation, saw a number of nice riverfront homes, saw a fish smoking demonstration, and spent an hour on-shore where we saw a talk by a musher and brief presentations on three aspects of Athabascan culture.
.JPG)
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We also saw a campaign barge sailed up and down Alaska's river many years ago by a candidate for Governor.
.JPG)
After the boat trip, Carol and I headed to North Pole, Alaska – about 15 miles south – for a little Christmas shopping. This evening we had a social hour and a farewell dinner at a restaurant adjacent to the RV park. After breakfast tomorrow, the caravan will be over and we will all head our separate ways.
The caravan ended Saturday morning with a full breakfast at a restaurant adjacent to the RV park. Many of the caravaners are returning via the Top of the World Highway and some of those (including us) will continue on the Cassiair Highway. We are traveling for the first part of the trip with four other couples who are planning short driving days and longer campground stays.
It was a pretty driving day – mostly sunny with a high in the low 70s for the second day in a row. We saw a couple of moose en route, and stopped for photos in Delta Junction, the official “end” of the Alaska Highway.
.JPG)
We also got photos of the Alaska Pipeline where it has its own bridge across a river.
.JPG)
We stopped for the night in Tok, staying at the same campground as we did on the way up. We had a social hour this evening with our traveling companions, and another caravan couple who drove a shorter day than they had planned. After dinner we went to an hour long singing show in the campground recreation hall. We enjoyed the singer, and bought his set of 3 CDs.
