One of the most historical landmarks, however, lies just across the road from the Delta Junction Visitor's Center, and that is the Sullivan Roadhouse. Because the Richardson Highway follows one of the oldest Alaskan trails, many, many roadhouses were built about 10 miles apart from the late 1800s until the Alaska Railroad was completed in the 1920s. Mainly during the winter, people from the interior wanting to reach Valdez to travel by ship, travelled over the ice using "stages" or big sleds. They could travel about 10 miles per day, so roadhouses were constructed about 10 miles apart on the route. A roadhouse was like an inn, providing hot meals and a bed. The Sullivan Roadhouse was actually moved from another location to Delta Junction, because it originally was west of town 40-50 miles, near a swampy area. It was found very much intact because its owner, Mr. Sullivan, had built the roof with sod as was the custom. However, he added a second layer of tin roof above the sod, which kept the moisture from decaying the roadhouse from the top down. We also stopped several miles out of Delta Junction to visit a second roadhouse, called Rika Roadhouse. This roadhouse is now a state park and has a beautiful location right beside the Tanana River.
Moving on to Fairbanks, we drove the Richardson Highway about 98 miles to Fairbanks. Our campground was actually located in North Pole, AK. When we reached the River's Edge RV Park, we did our laundry to the tune of $2/load to wash and $2/load to dry. They provided a key to the laundry for $5 as a deposit. When the key was returned, we were refunded our $5. We believe this was because there were several hikers walking through the camp at all hours, probably because it was on or near a trail or maybe a hostel was up the road. Perhaps the hikers wanted to use the free laundry?Our time in Fairbanks was very busy and full of activity. The weather was overcast and raining, but if you have been to Alaska, you know the sun doesn't always shine. We first reserved two spots on the El Dorado Mining Train attraction. Now, that may sound hokey, but it was really very well done, we learned a lot, and of course panned for gold. This was a working mine, providing entertainment, a train ride, an explanation of how gold is mined, and a gift shop with free cookies and coffee! We felt this was worth it. We did not get to see Pioneer Park, which also has a great deal of history to it. Those of you who have been to Alaska before might remember it as Alaskaland. We'll add that to our list of what to see when we return.
Following the mine tour, we decided to go downtown and find the Visitor's Center, a new structure which is on the river. It follows in the tradition of the Canadian Visitor's Centers, which are marvelous structures, creatively built, with movies about the area, cultural museums, and visitor information. The roads in Fairbanks were all under construction, so finding this took much more time than originally planned. We asked our questions, looked around, and then drove to the University of Alaska--Museum of the North. This is a must see. We purchased tickets with headphone commentary and made our way around the museum. It is a true treasure. There are so many First Nation exhibits and fine examples of the various animals found around the state. The exhibit everyone seemed to like was the giant grizzly (or brown) bear, which are now considered the same species, according to the signage. We spent over 4 hours there and could have spent longer. We also found the botanical gardens, where giant vegetables are known to grow. With there being light here during the summer months of about 22 hours in Fairbanks this time of year, you can imagine what that does to the growing season for plants. Brad saw that sunset was around 12:13 a.m. and sunrise was about 3:06 a.m. that day. It really doesn't get dark at all even during the night hours.The next morning, Brad and I decided to split up, so we rented a car for me while Brad took the truck. He wanted to drive to the Arctic Circle, and I wanted to go to the North Pole. Brad got up around 2:30 a.m., left the trailer at 3 a.m. (remember it is light outside), and drove to the Arctic Circle. It is Mile 115 of the Dalton Highway, which takes off from the Elliott Highway north of Fairbanks. So many people, travelers and locals, said to not take that road as it was too rough on the vehicles. However, Brad said it wasn't any worse than what we drove from Whitehorse, YT, to Tok, AK. One key to remember, though, is that there are very limited services. There is one gas opportunity at Mile 56 at the Yukon River Crossing. Another scenic overlook to the pipeline at Mile 86 at Finger Mountain, but other than that, you are on your own. He returned to the camper at 11:03 a.m., just in time to pack up and move to Denali National Park. While Brad was driving to the Arctic Circle, I took the car about 10 miles back to the North Pole, and shopped at Santaland, a small shop reminding me of Frankenmuth, MI. Santaland has been at the North Pole since 1952, when a couple built a house which neighbors joked looked like something Santa Claus would build. That started a family tradition that still keeps families coming back to visit, shop, eat, and pet reindeer. Their slow season is now, but the shop was filled with people and no tour bus in sight. They obviously have a following.
We left Fairbanks after hearing Reveille wafting through the campground. Fairbanks is home to Eielson Air Force Base (visible from the Richardson Highway) and Fort Wainwright Army Base. Next stop: Denali National Park.
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