Day 28
Tuesday, July 5
Fairbanks, Day 5

 
 





The Sun was shining and we had blue skies when we got up this morning. This is the first day in a long time that it didn't rain at least some. Today was also a free day - no scheduled activities. Jenna and Bet went to get a haircut and I did a couple of loads of laundry. It helps to push the start button on the dryer; otherwise the clothes don't dry. Just as I got the clothes back to the trailer Jenna called. She decided to get a color job along with the haircut so Bet left her there. I went to pick her up and got a haircut myself.

We ate a little lunch and went to the University of Alaska LARs - Large Animal Research Station.   They have musk ox and caribou on the 120 acre station. They study the animals for diet, development, and reproduction. They breed the animals there and they remain there their whole life. The musk ox is as old as the sabre-toothed tiger but it almost became extinct during the early 20th century. The only remaining herds were in Canada and Greenland.




 


Musk oxen were brought from Greenland to Alaska where they have been bred and herds have been re-established in the Arctic, Alaska, Russia and Norway. It was interesting to hear how they have adapted to life in the extreme cold. Their hair consists of two distinct coats - an outer coat that keeps out the wind and moisture and an inner coat that serves as an insulating coat to keep out the cold. The inner coat is discarded each spring and it is the most valuable - worth about $25 an ounce. A single sweater knitted from this yarn would cost about $1000. Females live 15-20 years and males live about 12 years. The difference is due to the heat butting the males do to each other while trying to establish dominance during mating season.





 

They showed us a skull from both a male and a female - the male's skull was much thicker and his horns were 4-5 times thicker than a females. The extra horn and skull helps protect them from the heavy head butting. The LARS had two baby musk ox that were born this spring and they have an orphan musk ox that came to them from the herd in the Arctic. They gain about 1 lb. each day.

Caribou and Reindeer are essentially the same animal. (The big difference is that reindeer can fly.) Actually reindeer are domesticated while caribou are not. It is illegal to own caribou, but you can own reindeer. (That's why Santa has reindeer.) They had 3 male caribou that came up to the fence to be fed. One was about 8 years old, one was 5 and the other was 1. Their antlers were in full velvet.




 

The guide told us that both male and female caribou have antlers, and that antlers signify status within the herd. The male's antlers fall off in the fall, but the female retains her antlers all winter. There was also a female caribou and a 2 month old baby. The baby gains about 1 lb. per day for the first 100 days. The female becomes dominate during the winter because they still have antlers. Therefore, they get more food during their pregnancy. When the male regrows his antlers starting in early spring, they grow about 1" each day.

After coming back to the trailer Robert and I worked on the front jack and hitched the trailer to the truck for tomorrow's trip. We took Lucy for a walk and some of our group were playing cornhole, so we stopped and visited and played a little bit. Dinner time came so Jenna fixed dirty rice, peas and sourdough bread. Pretty good eatin'. After dinner we took our chairs down to the river for a little sittin' time. About 20 of our group ended up down there for a little cussin' and discussin'. Before we knew it, it was 10:00 but the sun was still shining bright. It is only dark here about 3 hours each night. Tomorrow we head out for Denali. I'll let you know about that tomorrow. Til then - Happy Trails!!

Day 27
Monday, July 4
Fairbanks, Day 4


 

Happy 4th of July!! What a wonderful country we live in, and how fortunate are we to be able to visit such a wonderful place. Today was the first of two "free" days as nothing is planned by Adventure Caravans. Some of our party took an optional trip to the Arctic Circle. Some left at 4:15 this morning; others left at 6:00. Those leaving at 4:15 rode a van 8 hours up to the Arctic Circle and then flew back to Fairbanks. Those leaving at 6:00 rode a bus up and back. They won't be back until 11:00 tonight. We talked to Chris and Mary tonight at our potluck and Mary said she didn't think it was worth it. They paid a total of $900 to ride the van up and fly back. They didn't get to visit the Eskimo village as they were promised so they will get a couple of hundred back, but still, that is too much money. I will be interested to hear what the others had to say.

We slept late and just hung out around here this morning. I fixed breakfast of bacon and French toast - good! Then Robert and Bet went with us to run around a little. We went back to the Riverboat Discovery to exchange a T-shirt and sweatshirt the Jenna bought a couple of days ago. We spent about 45 minutes looking around their gift shop. No one was there but us and the help. The riverboat was gone with a load of passengers so we had the place all to ourselves. After that we went to a wooden bowl manufacturing plant. We had a coupon for a free planter, so naturally we had to go. We watched a man make a set of 3 bowls from a single piece of tree trunk. They cut a section of tree trunk in half. They mark the center of the half and then put it on a lathe. It cuts out the large bowl first, then the middle size and then the little bowl. The largest is about 12 inches and the smallest is about 5". They then kiln dry them for 6 days before sanding them smooth. Some are finished with a lacquer and others a left plain. They are beautiful bowls, but very expensive. A small individual salad bowl was $17 and the larger ones were up to $150. Needless to say, we only got the free planter. Everything was too expensive to buy.

We made a return trip to the North Pole and Santa's House. Jenna got a T-shirt and I got a sticker for the trailer. This place is a genuine tourist trap. T-shirts were relatively inexpensive, but everything else was unbelievable. We mailed all the grandkids, Evan, Izzy, Addie and CJ a post card that will be postmarked "Santa's Workshop, North Pole.

On our way back we stopped by Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. A community wide 4th of July Celebration was underway.
 
 

Fortunately we got a good parking spot and were able to walk right in. The U.S. Army Arctic Warrior Band was playing so we grabbed a seat and listened for a while.   As we were going to sit down, I heard someone say "How's everything in Texas today?" I looked to see who said it and saw a man and his wife from Abilene whom we met in Watson Lake a couple of weeks ago. We sat and visited with them for a long time while we listened to the band. We went to get something to eat and noticed that all the building had signs on them indicating where they came from in Fairbanks. I wonder what kind of "hostess" Miss Eva was? 
It seems that if they need to tear down a historical building in order to build something new, instead of tearing it down, they move it to Pioneer Park. 

The buildings are all old cabins or houses from around town. They are retro-fitted inside to be an ice-cream shop, a gift shop, etc. The whole celebration really looked like something out of the 4o's or 50's. The carousel was old as were the other rides and play areas. It was a very pleasant place to spend a little time.

We got back to the campground just in time for me to take a little power nap. I was supposed to help cook dinner tonight for the potluck. Dick and Bev Enderlien, two of our caravan folks, had their freezer go out a week or so back. It was full of steaks, pork chops and chicken. They farmed it all out to others who had room for it, and then volunteered to provide the meat for our potluck tonight. As I said earlier, about a dozen of our group had gone to the Arctic Circle so a potluck was organized for those left behind. We were supposed to start cooking about 5:15, but at 5:00 we had a "toad-strangler of a rainfall. Water completely encircled our trailer and many others. We waited until about 5:30 and the rain stopped. I cooked 9 big pork shops; Dick cooked 8 big steaks, and Don cooked a dozen chicken breast and a number of chicken legs. Everybody brought salads, vegetables or desserts and we had a wonderful meal.

Tomorrow is another "free" day. Jenna is going with Bet to get a haircut and I'll probably hang out here for a while. I report in tomorrow about what we found to get into. Until then - Happy Trails.

Day 26
Sunday, July 3
Fairbanks, Day 3

Today was another busy day in Fairbanks. We set the alarm for 7:00 and finally crawled out about 7:10 to get ready for another day of tours. The bus came around 9:00 and after drawing cards to determine seating we headed for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The University of Alaska has 3 campuses, one in Anchorage, one in Juneau, and this one in Fairbanks. The University of Alaska Fairbanks which has 28,000 enrolled specializes in engineering degrees. We went to the U. of A. Museum of the North.  This museum has a large art collection, a huge collection of animals that you would find in Alaska, displays showing about the cultures of Alaskan Indians, mining camps, and early pioneers. There is also an exhibit dealing with energy and the Alaska Pipeline. We also attended a movie about the Aurora Borealis - why it occurs, what makes it appear, when can it be seen etc.

In the area dealing with the animals in Alaska we were greeted by a 8'11' Kodiac Grizzly Bear.
 

He was standing on his back legs looking very fierce. They also had a Mastadon scull with its tusks, a humpback whales skeleton and the many birds and animals you would find in Alaska.

 

It was interesting. Upstairs in the art gallery was an Alaskan outhouse. It was for display only! It might be fine for summer, but I wouldn't want to try in during the winter months.

After a great lunch at the Mayflower Chinese Restaurant we went to the Ice Museum. Every year during late February and March the city of Fairbanks holds an ice sculpturing contest. Ice sculptors from around the world come here at their own expense for the event. They receive free food and lodging if they are accepted to be in the contest. First they hold a small ice event. One sculptor has 2 1/2 days to sculpt a block of ice 4' x 6' x 8' into anything the wants to sculpt. Then teams of 4 have 5 1/2 days to sculpt up to 14 similarly sized blocks into a large sculpture. They design things that are 15-20 feet tall or long. They usually end up with up to 500 sculptures located around the downtown area. Those in the contest and clustered in a large park area and they charge $10 to get in to see them. At the end of March, they move some of the smaller sculptures into the Ice Museum where they are displayed for the next year; the rest are left to melt away. After watching a movie about how they cut the ice blocks, sculpt the ice into various figures, and run the contest and viewing area, we got to see the sculptures they had on display.

 

The rooms where they are displayed are kept at -20 degrees. We had a good time looking at the sculptures and posing behind and beside them.

We arrived back at the RV park around 3:30 for a little rest before our social at 6:30. Tonight we are having a gourmet appetizer potluck social. Everyone is asked to bring an appetizer and their favorite beverage. Since it is raining once again, we are having our social in a meeting room in the hotel next to the RV park. At 8:00, the Alaskan Ambassador to Country Music, Earl Hughes, is going to provide a short concert for us. 
 

He was named the Alaskan Ambassador of Country Music by Governor Sarah Palin. We saw and heard him yesterday when we were at the Eldorado gold mine. Earl and another guy played lots of old country music and recited some Robert Service poetry. It was an excellent way to end our day.

Tomorrow is a free day! Hooray!! Maybe we can sleep in a little. Some in our group are taking an optional flight tour to the Arctic Circle. They leave at 6:00 in the morning and don't return until 1:00 A.M. on Tuesday. To many hours for me!! We will probably sleep late, go to some places in Fairbanks we want to see and then go to Pioneer Park for a 4th of July celebration. Tomorrow night we are having a potluck for those who will be here. I'll report on tomorrow's events later. Til then - Happy Trails!

Day 25
Saturday, July 2
Fairbanks

The alarm went off at 6:00 this morning and I sure wanted to sleep a little longer, but we had a bus coming at 8:00 to pick us up and we couldn't sleep in even if we had wanted to. Boy, am I glad I got up and around and caught that bus. We went to the paddlewheeler the Discovery for a trip up the Chena River. It really didn't sound like to much to get excited about, but I was sure wrong.
 
 
 
After a little time wandering around their gift shop - that is an activity required at every stop - we boarded the Discover for our trip. The Discovery is a 4 deck paddlewheel riverboat that can accommodate up to 900 people. There were about 700 on our trip. Free homemade donuts and coffee awaited us as we boarded and took our seats. A member of the crew did a running commentary as we pulled away from the dock. He mentioned that many Alaskans have a plane as their 2nd car. Up and down the river on both sides were airplanes parked either in the water or in the driveway of many homes. Just then he said to look out the left side of the boat and a pontoon plane would be taking off, and sure enough he one came. He circled the area and came back in for a landing. As he was taking off he started talking to the guy doing the commentary. He told about how he learned to fly and why it is important for people in Alaska to have an airplane.


A little further down the river we stopped at a sleddog kennel.


 
 
 


The owner of the kennel, David Monson, came out and talked to us about how they train sleddogs. He had some puppies out at the river's edge and he talked about how he started training them when they were very young. He had a team of sleddogs hitched up to a 4-wheeler that didn't have an engine. He explained how they liked to run and how they followed the lead dog. Suddenly the dogs on the hitch started going crazy as did all the dogs in the kennels. They knew it was time to run. They took off pulling him on the 4-wheeler and they raced down the river, across a bridge, back up the river, across another bridge and back into the kennel yard. The whole time he was talking to us and telling why they ran so hard and how he always held them back a little until they were almost back home. This guy and his dogs have won the Yukon Quest dogsledding race 3 or 4 times. The Yukon Quest is a 1000 mile race from Dawson City to Fairbanks. Munson's wife, Susan Butcher, won the Iditarod race 4 times. She was known for her ability to train and race sleddogs. She died from leukemia a few years ago.

A little further down the river we reached the point where the Chena River runs into the Nenena River. The Nenena is the largest glacier fed river in the world. The water in the Chena was a dark brown while the water in the Chena looked like coffee with cream added. The difference in the color is due to the rock and dirt carried by the glacial water. The glaciers grind the rock and dirt into a fine flour like dust that colors the water. The Chena is colored by dirt from runoff from mountain snow as it melts.

We went back down the river a ways and an Athabaska Indian girl showed us how her ancestors caught, processed, dried and cured Salmon. She cleaned and filayed a Chum salmon. She said the Chum Salmon is used for dog food and the other species are used for human consumption. They caught the fish in a large rotating basket contraption that turns with the river's current. Fish are caught in the basket, fall into a chute and slide into a box on the side. They dry the fish after cleaning it.

 
 
 
 
The riverboat pulled into a dock and all 700 people unload into an Athabascan Indian Village. We were divided into three groups and guided to different areas for a presentation. The first presentation showed how the Athabascan's built their shelters. There was an example of a permanent home, a trapper's shack and a storage building for meat and other foods. She also showed us examples of the different animals they trapped and told how each was used for different clothing and other needs.



We then rotated to the 2nd station in the village and saw examples of the temporary shelters they used when they were hunting or on the move. She showed us a baby carrier and told how they constructed it. Also they had snowshoes and other hunting items. On the 3rd rotation we learned about the large animals they hunted and how they hunted them. They had grizzly bear, moose, and caribou hides hanging up front. The guide explained how they processed the hides and the various uses for them. She showed us different clothing items and explained how they were made. One of the girls wore a parka that was made from several different kinds of fur. The whole program was to help us understand the Indian's culture and how they survived in this harsh environment. It was an excellent program and we all enjoyed the whole cruise very much.

As we were going to the 2nd rotation, I told Jenna to sit next to two ladies wearing green jackets. I went to take a picture of some caribou and Jenna began talking to the women. One of them asked where we were from and Jenna told her Corsicana. She said, "My daughter teaches in Corsicana." When Jenna asked her where she replied, "Collins Middle School." Jenna said, "My husband was the principal there for 26 years." we couldn't believe it! It turned out that her daughter is Monique Morgan. She came to Collins the year after I left. What a small world we live in!

 
 
 
After we returned to the dock we loaded our bus and went to the Pumphouse Restaurant. The Pumphouse is a National Historical Site because back in the 30's it pumped water to a dredge used to mine gold. They used the water to wash the gold out of the dirt and rock and into a sluice. We had a great lunch of soup, sandwiches, Alaskan Rock fish, chicken, vegetables and apple/rhubard cobbler with whipped cream.

We returned to the RV park for a short dog walking break and then reloaded the bus for a trip to the Eldorado Gold Mine. On the way we stopped at a point where the Alaska Pipeline is above ground. Our bus driver explained how the pipeline zig-zags across 800 miles of Alaska from Barrow to Valdez. A "pig" was on display and a cutaway section of the pipe so that we could see how they clean the inside of the pipeline. He also explained how they prevent the permafrost from thawing from the heat generated by the pipeline. Thawing the permafrost would allow the pipeline supports to sink into the ground causing the pipeline to be damaged.


We reloaded the bus and went to the Eldorado Mine. Once we arrived, we loaded a train that took us up to the mine. On the way they had examples of different mining techniques used in Alaska. First was a tunnel and an explanation of how they found gold underground in a mine shaft. Next was panning for gold in a stream, and the final technique was dredging. A guy went from one type of mining to the next and demonstrated how each worked. We finally reached the mine and went around behind the building to rows of benches along a long sluice. Another "miner" showed how they would dump dirt and rock into a pile at the head of the sluice; then, they opened a flume that released a torrent of water into the pile of dirt and rock washing it down the sluice box. The bottom of the box was lined with metal grating on top of a burlap pad that caught the gold and separated it from the larger dirt and rock. The grating was remove and the burlap was picked up to be panned in order to find the gold. Just as they released the water from the flume, it started to pour down rain. Three or four guys got into the sluice box and started panning for gold. We didn't stay to see the results, but others in our group said they found gold.

 
 
 
 

As we left that site we went into a large covered building with benches on either side of several troughs of water. They handed each of us a bag of dirt and we sat on the benches and panned for gold. Gold mining is a very labor intensive job - panning is the final step and it is very tedious. We worked and worked and thought we had found gold only to be told that that what we found was not gold. More panning and some final help from the kids working there revealed several gold flakes in each of our pans. We scooped it into a little plastic tube and took it in to be weighed. I don't know how much we had in our two vials, but it was worth $27.50. You could have your "gold" put into a locket, and many people did just that. We chose to save our $$ and bring our gold home in the vial they gave us.

A long rainy bus ride brought us back to the RV park. We are worn out after such a busy day, but it was all fun, entertaining, and informative. Tomorrow we go to The University of Alaska for a tour of some museums and then we go to an Ice Museum. I'll let you know tomorrow what we found. Til then, Happy Trails!!

Day 24
Friday, July 1
On the road to Fairbanks

It was raining this morning when I got up. So much for all the clean RV's and vehicles. I guess a little rain didn't mess them up too much. We got around and left the park about 9:00 on our way to Fairbanks. It is 206 miles and the road was very good - thank goodness. I've had enough of terrible roads. We drove about 80 miles to the Delta Sausage and Meat Market where we bought some Elk summer Sausage and two freshly cut rib-eye steaks. They had a sample trey with Elk, Buffalo, Beef summer sausage and some Teriaki (sp) meat sticks. They also had a honey mustard dip and some raspberry bar-b-que sauce. Um um was it good - so I got a bottle of both. We'll have the summer sausage and cheese for lunch when we are on the road. The steaks are for one of our days in Fairbanks. We are having a pot-luck on the 4th of July so we won't be eating them then. One of the couples have a freezer on their motorhome, and their freezer went out yesterday. They went around at social tonight and tallied everyone who will be here on the 4th. Some are going on excursion and will be gone all day. They are offering steak, chicken, or pork chops to everyone who sticks around here on the 4th - so I guess we will be cooking out on the 4th too.

We reached the end of the Alaska Highway when we got to Delta Junction. The road divides there with one road going to Fairbanks and the other going to Anchorage.


 

They had two mosquito sculptures there that adequately represented the mosquitoes we have been dealing with. Their are millions of them in Alaska and they are huge.

 

We also picked up some hat pins and a few other souveniers. It is hard to believe that we have driven all 1542 miles of the Alaska Highway. When we crossed the Robertson River we saw a lot of ice still on the river.

Hard to believe it's July 1 and ice is still there. We also saw part of the Alaska Pipeline as it was crossing the river.

 


We are probably going to see more especially when we get to Valdez.

About 70 more miles down the road we came to Rika's Roadhouse. This was the sight of an old farm that served as an inn or roadhouse for travelers back in the early 20th century. There was a barn that showed how to keep your animals warm in -40 degree weather, a sod-roofed log cabin that is a museum, the original farmhouse, a garden, and a restaurant.

 
 
 
 
 

 
We decided to have lunch while we were there. We shared a sandwich and each had a bowl of crab/corn soup. Jenna had cheesecake and I had strawberry/rhubarb pie with ice-cream on top. It was delicious! Rika's Roadhouse was a very peaceful place with large well manicured yards and lots of trees and good food along the river. I enjoyed just walking the grounds and looking at the big baskets of flowers they had hanging everywhere.

Still further toward Fairbanks we stopped at the Knotty Store - not an Adult toy store - a gift shop with unique Alaskan made gifts. We got a magnet and a sticker for the trailer - we were big spenders. They gave you free ice cream if you brought in your Milepost book, but we were so full from lunch that we passed on the ice-cream.




























12 miles later we came to the North Pole and made a stop to see Santa. TO get there we had to go around 3 roundabouts within 3 blocks. It was a little tricky pulling the 5th wheel, but we got there in one piece. 
 

Balley wanted to know why Julia was crying earlier today and he hoped she had not been bad. He said he had been keeping tabs or her and so far she is still on the "good list." Zoot told us that he really likes how Lily is treating her brother Cooper. He is sure that she will stay on the good list too. Jenna sat on Santa's knee and talked to him about Lily, Julia, and Cooper. He signed a book for them and asked her to tell them to continue being good.

 

A short drive later we arrived at the River View RV park on the Chena River in Fairbanks. We quickly set things up and went to social. Again we swapped lies and stories about our adventure today. Ken made announcements about tomorrow and we left to do laundry and get dinner going. After that lunch I don't think I need too much dinner!

By the way, I talked to a guy from Ontario while we were at the North Pole. He said they had been following us for a few days but lost us when we took the Top of the World Highway. It seems they got a late start and got to the border about 20 minutes after 6:00 P.M. The border closes at 6:00 P.M. and they had a choice: turn around and drive 68 miles back to Dawson City and hope to find a campsite, or drive back 10 miles to the Top of the World rest area. They chose the latter and found 10 other RV's who were in the same boat. They all dry-camped there, built a big bonfire, and had a party. I guess good things can come out of bad circumstances.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day. We leave on a bus tour at 8:00 A.M. and don't return until 5:45 P.M. I think it will be a terrific day! I'll tell you about it next time. Til then - Happy Trails!