Alaska By Sea

Someone once told me that to really see Alaska, it is important to view it from the land and from the sea.  We planned to take advantage of the sea views while traveling on the Alaska Marine Highway System in segments:

Skagway, AK to Juneau, AK (us + car/trailer) - about six hours with slow ferry

Juneau, AK to Sitka, AK (just us) - about four and one-half hours (fast ferry)

Sitka, AK to Juneau, AK (just us) - same as above

Juneau, AK to Prince Rupert, BC (us + car/trailer) - one day, ten hours

During this time, we traveled on the Malispino car ferry, the Fairweather fast ferry, and a twin of the Malispino, the Taku car ferry.  It takes some planning (I made the ferry arrangements last December), but we still agree it was worth it--both for not having to drive the entire highway again, but also to provide us with a different view of Alaska.  Our only regret is not being able to get off at more of the islands like Haines or Petersburg to see more of the Inside Passage towns.  This type of vacation depends on the ferry schedules as you are at their mercy, but it can be done.

We begin this leg of our journey in Skagway, AK.  We built in some buffer time in traveling from Valdez to Tok and then Tok to Skagway in case of road issues, but arrived in Skagway on July 12 on time.  Our RV park in Skagway, Garden City RV Park, was probably a rip-off at $36.50/night with GoodSam discount.  It did provide full hook-ups on mainly gravel sites (typical for AK and Northern CAN) and a laundry, but no cable, no Internet (both out of service), and a part-time person to oversee the campground.  There were at least one-half of the sites as rentals and seasonals in this park, but Skagway is mainly a seasonal type of town.  During the winter, it has about 250 people typically.  While we were there, it swelled to over 10,000 people because of the cruise ships (4 of them) in port at any given time.  In fact, the stores are provided with schedules of cruise ship dockings because of so many people coming into town.  We spent that particular "10,000 people in town" day with a park ranger, walking a nearby deserted town called Dyea, once a sister gold rush town to Skagway.  Our ranger saw recent bear activity, so that made for a fun walk in the woods--yippee!  Most cruise people try to complete a walking town tour, shop or see the sites in the short time they are in port, so the town can be crowded.  There are more fine jewelry stores per square inch than in any town we've seen yet--similar to St. Martin in the Caribbean, for example.  I enjoyed the quilt store with cross-stitch and the bookstore.  All three in-town museums are top-notch and worth the time.

Most of downtown Skagway is actually under federal park management and restoration except for one of the main attractions, the White Pass & Yukon Railway.  We did not take the train as we had driven over the same terrain through the White Summit Pass, but many people do.  Brad did a great job along the pass; I had no problem letting him get out of the car on his side for pictures from the summit.  There are so many adventure outfitters here that there were actually bikes taken to the summit for people to ride down the other side--unbelieveable as it was a high pass.  I can't believe that the miners had to transport one year's worth of food through the Klondike in order to be allowed to mine for gold.  So many died including thousands of horses that Dead Horse Gulch was named appropriately.  

Our activities while in Skagway included visiting all museums, shopping downtown, buying a gallon of milk for $6.09, and visiting nearby Dyea.  I thought Brad would have a heart attack about spending that much for a gallon of milk.  He obviously loves milk!  All in all a good visit to a touristy type of town with strong historical ties to the Klondike as a key entry point in the Gold Rush Days of 1898 and excellent tours from rangers (we took two of them) which explained much about the town and the Gold Rush.  They are still restoring buildings at this time, and it is a slow process.  One other interesting Skagway site was Jewell Gardens, once a farm in the valley which supplied produce and milk to the growing Skagway, now a garden and glass-blowing exhibition all created by a visionary owner and a nice respite from the crowded town.

After three days in Skagway, we were ready to see Alaska by sea.  We checked into the Alaska Marine Highway System at 5:30 a.m. to have our vehicle measurements verified.  We were aligned according to our point of departure, checked our tickets with the office, so we were lined up for Juneau.  Extra care was taken with our long vehicles to make sure we didn't drag on the ramp and that we were positioned to make turns inside the cardeck of the ferry.  Brad did a great job of maneuvering the truck and 30' Airstream with help from the ferry staff who were as concerned as he.  The trip from Skagway to Juneau with one stop at Haines took us from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  During that trip, we did spot whales doing something called "bubbling" where they blow air to trap the krill into the air bubbles, and then they scoop them up into their mouths.  There was a forest service ranger on-board who noted animal sightings and presented programs during the trip.  We did see seven humpback whales bubbling, which was very unusual.  You could count the spouts from from their blow holes and watch for seabirds hovering around them as well.  None did huge jumps out of the water, but we could see their whale tails.  We also saw lighthouses, a few eagles and a bear. 

On the larger ferries, the pace is smooth and slow.  Most people read, play cards, take pictures, walk around as there are outside decks around the ship, snack and watch movies if the ferry ride is long enough.  Brad and I also enjoy meeting people and learning about the area.  Many people who travel on the ferries are local, rather like traveling by COTA bus!  You can learn a great deal from the locals in Alaska.  We have decided they are the best tour guides.

We disembarked from the ferry in Juneau.  Even though it is Alaska's capital, it is not accessible by road over the icefields and mountains.  There are roads here, but they end at the mountain range.  Everyone comes by boat, seaplane, or Alaska air!  Juneau as a town isn't a big cruise draw like Skagway, but it has all of the typical capital buildings and is smaller than Columbus.  We found an RV park near the ferry terminal and Mendenhall Glacier called Spruce Grove RV Park.  At this park, they are willing to check on your RV in case you decide to travel to other Inside Passage towns, which we were doing.

Our first night in Juneau, we learned about a salmon and halibut bake on the other side of Juneau, so we set up camp and drove through Juneau to this out-of-the-way location.  We walked into a time-warp at the Thane Ore Mine and only two other people were there, but it was the best salmon and halibut we have had in Alaska.  This guy has been cooking there for close to 30 years, and it shows.  The locals all know about it, and they have some cruise ship diners, but we really enjoyed its location.  He also gave us a tip about seeing salmon run about 200 yards from the restaurant at Sheep Creek, so we took a look.  It was hard to see the water for all the salmon trying to run up Sheep Creek--amazing!  We found out that salmon are usually gone 1-5 years, depending upon the salmon type, and they return to spawn and die at the exact same place they entered the larger river/ocean.  They can travel from Alaska as far as the Baja and Japan, but they come back to die where they were hatched.  We also drove around Douglas Island across Gastineau Channel for nice views of Juneau.  The Mendenhall Glacier has a wonderful Visitor's Center and walking trail, so we took that in as well.  We had nice weather, so you do as much as possible when the weather is nice and sunny.

The next morning we headed to Sitka, Alaska, arriving at the ferry dock around 7 a.m., leaving our camper at Juneau at the campground and leaving our truck at the ferry terminal.  We boarded the fast ferry, Fairweather, as walk-ons and took an overnight bag to stay in a hotel near the city center.  We saw some beautiful lighthouses along the passage to Sitka.  What a neat little town!  We arrived around 12:30 p.m. and were about 5 miles from town at the ferry terminal.  For $12/each, we bought round-trip tickets on the Sitka bus, which took us (and everyone else) to downtown Sitka, bed-and-breakfasts, hotels, hostels, etc.  Since we didn't have a car, it was nice to have a downtown hotel room.  We booked one night at a Westmark, a typical Alaska hotel which is billed like an up-scale hotel, but in reality is more like a Holiday Inn, I suppose.  That is typical Alaska, and Sitka has an "old world" feel to it.  We had to come into town on a Saturday afternoon (many of Sitka's stores are closed on Sundays), so we hit the ground running after dropping luggage at the hotel.  The visitor center was hard to find, so we just started asking people where to go and what to see.  We started at one of the Sitka National Historic Park buildings--the Russian Bishop's House, which was really interesting.  The Russian Bishop's House is one of the few surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America. Imperial Russia was the dominant power in the North Pacific for over 125 years. Sitka (known as New Archangel at the time) was the Russian colonial capital. The Bishop's House was completed in 1842 and was the center of Russian Orthodox Church authority in a diocese that stretched from California to Siberian Kamchatka (Wikipedia).  The restoration of the building by the national park service was really beautiful--even the wallpaper was restored.  The extra $4/person to go on the narrated tour is definitely worth it, if you enjoy seeing old houses. 

We then walked about 6-7 blocks to the Totem Pole National Park, where we used our cell phones to learn about 11 totem poles in the park made by First Nation totem pole carvers.  With their striking designs and colors, totem poles are bold statements of the identities and stories of the people who carved them. A totem pole generally served one of four purposes.  

·         Crest poles give the ancestry of particular family.

·         History poles record the history of a clan.

·         Legend poles illustrate folklore or real life experiences.

·         Memorial poles commemorate a particular individual.

Totem poles did not stand along the park’s wooded trails until 1906.  Between 1901 and 1903, several Native leaders from villages in southeast Alaska agreed to donate poles to Alaska’s District Governor John G. Brady for the people of Alaska. After exhibiting the poles at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition, Governor Brady sent the poles to Sitka where they were erected in the “government park”. Over the years, replicas of some of the original totem poles have been carved as the original poles deteriorated. Many of the poles now standing along the park’s wooded trails are replicas of the originals collected by Governor Brady. The original totem poles that have survived are now conserved and exhibited in Totem Hall at the park visitor center (Wikipedia).

Again, bear were sighted in the park, so we were on our toes.  Finally, we returned to downtown and tried to shop at as many places as possible (OK, I did and Brad watched).  I was able to go to Abby's, which was a quilt, cross-stitch and knitting shop across from the Russian Orthodox Church.  The Church is right in the middle of the street and the roads go around it.  It reminded me of Annapolis, MD, with the church in the center.  We ate more fish and chips on the dock (by the way, excellent fish and chips are all made with Halibut fish and a beer batter of some type).  We'll never order fish and chips again without checking from what type of fish they are made!  On Sunday morning, we walked around town and took pictures from the 30 plus historic buildings and sites and saw a sign inviting all into the Russian Orthodox Church.  That was very interesting.  The language of the service was English, and the priests and cantors were going full tilt.  It was very orthodox, so we felt a little out of place, but we stayed for about 20-30 minutes until their official service started.  The gold icons and pictures were everywhere.  Sitka as a town is really a blend of three heritages--Russian, First Nation (Alaskan Indian), and American and dates back to the early 1800s. 

We returned around noon on the fast ferry to Juneau.  While on board, we met up with another couple from California.  She is a nurse mid-wife who has a special license in palliative care and he was retired from the CA Highway Department.  She took on an assignment to do two weeks of teaching here in Alaska and brought her sixth husband!  They asked if we knew pinochle, and we said no, but we were willing to learn.  We spent the next five hours learning pinochle and spent about 1 hour teaching them euchre.  It made the trip go fast, and we got a basic idea of the game. 

Today we spent taking in some sights in Juneau.  It starting raining yesterday and continued throughout the day today.  We saw Mendenhall already and it wasn't a great day to be outdoors, so we drove downtown, parked the truck for 50 cents/30 minutes, and decided to shop and see a salmon hatchery.  Good downtown restaurant was called The Hanger in the Wharf Shopping

Mall.  We took a tour of the McCauley Fish Hatchery and enjoyed learning about the salmon runs, breeding, types of salmon, and how they return to spawn.  It is a huge business in Alaska and very interesting.  The hatcheries are business non-profits, designed to bolster the fishing industry--commercial, sport, and subsistence.  And at the last minute, I was able to secure a seat for tomorrow at Chez Alaska, a cooking school here in Juneau.  The focus is on how to incorporate Alaska seafood into your cooking of course.  I hope to pick up some good recipes.  Brad is going to get the oil changed in the truck!  We'll stop at Subway to get lunches for the ferry (options are somewhat limited and expensive).  We're leaving Juneau tomorrow afternoon on the ferry to Prince Rupert--back to Canada!

More later!

Jane and Brad   

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Kenai Princess Lodge's Smoked Salmon Dip

Kenai Princess Lodge's Smoked Salmon Dip

2 lbs.	cream cheese, softened
1 lb.	goat cheese, softened
2 1/2 c.	heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1/2 c.	red onion, fine dice
3/4 c.	minced parsley
1 T.	minced garlic
1 tsp.	Tabasco sauce
2 T.	fresh minced dill
2 T.	capers, drained, rinsed and chopped
2 T.	lemon juice
1 lb.	smoked salmon, crumbled
To taste	salt and pepper

Thoroughly mix ingredients in a large bowl, taste seasoning and adjust if necessary. 

Homer & Seward & Valdez--Oh, My!

Over the past few days, we have investigated two towns in the Kenai Peninsula--Homer and Seward.  We left Palmer (near Anchorage) and traveled the Sterling Highway to our next camping spot--the Kenai Princess Lodge and RV Park.  There are about 23 sites at the base of the lodge, and any campers can use the services of the lodge as if they were staying there.  Princess Cruise Lines calls this their "Wilderness Lodge," as it sits on a hill overlooking the Kenai River and Lake at a small town called Cooper Landing and is at least an hour from the nearest town with major services.  The lodge has a nice restaurant, and I'll post a recipe from the dining room manager for Smoked Salmon Dip-yum!

The Kenai is all about fishing.  Period.  Whether the salmon are running or not, people are out on the river, on the lake, on the banks of the river, on the banks of the lake, wading in the river and putting those lines in the water!  We are currently in between salmon runs, but people are still fishing!  Brad spoke to a fisherman in the motorhome beside us, and he said that today the fishing was lousy, but they saw a lot of bear, including grizzlies.  When you are trying to get salmon up a river stream, what you are really doing is snagging the salmon, so no live bait is used--artificial bait called flies are used. 

From where we are staying at Cooper Landing, we drove the Sterling Highway about 2.5 hours southwest to Homer, AK, at the end of the Kenai.  We drove through a small community called Anchor Point, whose claim to fame is that the Sterling Highway's most western point of any highway in North America goes through their town.  Homer has a small downtown area, but is really better known for something called "the Homer Spit," which is a small piece of land jutting out into a body of water where one side is salt water and the other is fresh water.  The tides come in and out of land areas, and there is a place called the fishing hole where halibut are caught at 200 to 400 pounds.  On the spit, there were motorhomes and campers everywhere, backed up to the ocean and bay.  When the tide is out, they rest; when the tide is in, they fish.  While in Homer, we toured the Pratt Museum and the Island and Oceans Federal Research Center. 

Another day we drove from Cooper Landing to Seward, AK, about 1 hour from our campsite.  About 10 miles from Seward, we stopped at Exit Glacier.  It was named because in 1968 a group of climbers were on the Harding Icefield, and they were trying to find a way to Seward after missing a boat connection.  That location seemed a good one to "exit" the Icefield.  Brad and I hiked the 2.6 mile round-trip to the face of the glacier.  It was very cool temperature-wise.  Blue ice as well as all the rocks and materials glaciers collect was visible.  An interesting note is that they have tracked the glaciers receding and have signs posted where the glacier began in 1815.  There is no doubt that this glacier is receding at an accelerating rate in the past 20-30 years.  Glaciers are moving ice with waterfalls and glacier silt coming under and out of the glacier, so it is obvious you can see it melting.  From Exit Glacier, we traveled on to Seward, which seems more of a port town with shops and museums.  There is a wonderful harbor and boats of all sizes were in port.  The Alaska Train also has a terminus there.  There weren't the individual fishermen everywhere like in Homer, but there were several fishing charters for hire to fish on the Sound. 

Leaving the Kenai Peninsula, we headed to our final seaside town--Valdez.  We are staying at Eagle's Rest RV Park.  Along the way to Valdez, we started passing bicycles somewhere in the area of Sheep Mountain on the Glenn Highway.  The further along we went, the more bicycles we saw.  We arrived at the Eagle's Rest RV Park on the outskirts of Valdez and found out that the Fireweed 400 bicycle marathon was occurring the weekend we were there.  By the evening, our campground was packed full of cyclists and their tents and their families, and their RVs!  It was a crowded camp!

Along the Richardson Highway from Glenellen to Valdez, we stopped at what may be our favorite National Park in Alaska--Wrangell - St. Elias National Park.  There is a very nice visitor's center near Copper River that is really worth a stop.  The park actually has the highest coastal mountain range in North America with many high peaks (only Mt. McKinley is higher).  Brad would like to fly over the park the next time we are in Alaska.  There is great potential here, but it is difficult to get into the park very far at this time.  The park was authorized in 1980, so it is very new and beautiful as well as being the largest U.S. national park.

During our drive to Valdez, we drove over Thompson Pass and through Keystone Canyon, both extremely scenic.  The town of Valdez is an ice-free port, so it serves as a transportation hub for ferries, freight, and oil.  The town was actually moved four miles from its original location in 1969 because of the 1964 earthquake damage.  The museums are excellent in Valdez and worth a stop.  Animals abound in the bay off Dayville Road and include sea lions and bald eagles.  We did not see any bear (black nor grizzly), but they often come near the fish hatchery for fast food we are told by the locals.

We enjoyed each of these Alaskan seaside towns--Homer, Seward, and Valdez.  We both agree that Valdez is our favorite of the three. 

We arrived back in Tok on July 10 and now feel we are headed back home via ferry as much as possible!

Jane and Brad

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Denali "The Great One"

The Athabascan people who inhabit the area around the mountain refer to the peak as Dinale or Denali ("the high one" or "the great one").  In the late 1890s, a gold prospector named it "McKinley" as political support for then president William McKinley.  The Alaska Board of Geographic Names changed the name of the mountain to Denali, which is how it is referred to locally.  However, a 1975 request by the Alaska state legislature to the United States Board of Geographic Names to do the same was blocked by Ohio congressman, Ralph Regula, whose district includes McKinley's hometown. Members of the Ohio congressional delegation continue to protect the McKinley name, blocking attempts by the Alaska congressional delegation to get the Board of Geographic Names to change it to Denali. Thus, "Denali" is correct according to the Alaska state Board, while "McKinley" is correct according to the national Board.  (This paragraph was taken from the Internet and tour guide presentations.)

For many visitors to Alaska, seeing Mt. McKinley at Denali National Park and Preserve is a highlight of their travels.  Visitors coming here see the tallest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet, see many different types of animals in the park and preserve, and often experience the McKinley Explorer, a train with rooftop visibility to see the mountains.  Of course, our experience was a little different, but still worthwhile.  What's new!

The three days we spent in and around Denali were cloudy and rainy.  No "Great One" was visible any of the days.  We found out that Mt. McKinley is usually visible about 68 days/year.  We will add that to our list for next time.  We took the Denali National Park's Natural History 4-5 hour bus tour into the park with one of the best guides we have experienced; yet no animals other than birds showed themselves in the 4-5 hour trip.  We had more moose and bear clearly visible in the side ditches of the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to Tok!  Thank heavens there were lots of wildflowers in bloom!

Although I had already seen Mt. McKinley over 25 years ago, Brad had yet to see it.  Our final day, we stopped at Talkeetna Air Taxi to see if flying was possible and viewing the summit above the clouds was any better.  They weren't flying that day at all because of the poor visibility and weather conditions.  We spent the afternoon in Talkeetna hoping for better weather.  What we got, however, was a feel for Talkeetna the town, which is a base for mountain climbers from around the world to Mt. McKinley.  It has a great national park office where climbers sign in and out, has great pizza at Mountain High Pizza and great chocolate at Talkeetna Chocolate Corner.  You can tell what we spent the day doing!

We did have a nice time at Cantwell RV campground, about 20 miles south of Denali where we stayed.  The campground owners hosted a sled dog presentation by Mike Santos, originally from Massachusetts, who owns Wolf Den's Kennel and races Alaskan sled dogs full time.  He has about 80 dogs, and they aren't Huskies, they are Alaskan sled dogs.  The puppies were adorable, and we enjoyed listening to his hilarious tales of training the dogs and running them daily (can you imagine exercising 80 dogs?)  His real calling should be as a stand-up comic.  

From Denali, we drove the Parks Highway to Palmer, AK, where we camped at Homestead RV Park over the 4th of July weekend.  When we arrived at the campground, they did not have our reservation, but they went ahead and made a space for us near the office where Internet was great.  We were in a handicapped spot and near the laundry, too.  It worked out fine for us.

We spent July 3 taking a six hour Prince William Sound Wilderness Explorer Glacier cruise.  We took lots of pictures of receding glaciers, including Portage Glacier.  The scenery was lovely, and the one-way tunnel at Whittier is an experience.  We loved the drive around Turnagin Arm south of Anchorage and will travel there again July 5 as we move on to the Kenai Peninsula near Cooper's Landing.  We spent July 4 at the Palmer, AK, musk ox farm (started by John Teal), which was really interesting and of all things, got the laundry done!  Ah, life on the road…isn't it great?

Jane and Brad

PS:  In Alaska, everything stays open for the 4th of July typically and fireworks aren't a big deal.  We didn't hear any firecrackers go off ($300 fine in Alaska) nor did we see any city fireworks because it is too light outside.  They do have lots of parades and picnics in the area.  Some towns do fireworks around midnight or later as that is the time it is the darkest.

Also… Notes to our camping friends….

We have tried both telephone and Internet reservations for campgrounds.  On this trip we have found over and over that having a direct telephone conversation with the campground person works the best.  If they don't answer, leave a cell number for return call.  Many have different people working the desk, checking Internet, etc., so there are fewer mistakes and complications if you simply give this information over the phone:

travel trailer, fifth-wheel, tent

pull-through or back-in sites (back-ins are cheaper overall by about $2-3/night)
20 or 30 or 50 amp electrical
full-hookups or W/E only or dry camping
day arriving
# of nights staying
some places have a gate that closes at a certain time--be off the road prior to 7 p.m. if possible
key to RR or key to laundry?  Some require a deposit for the key.
some have pay showers, have lots of U.S. and CAN quarters
credit card information - VISA or M/C - most don't take AmEx or Discovercard, especially CAN
Internet is not dependable most places, especially out of major cities


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Alaska History Revealed

After a great stop in Tok, AK, we traveled the last bit of the Alaska Highway to Delta Junction.  At Delta Junction, the Alaska Highway comes to an abrupt "T" at the Visitor's Center.  The Richardson Highway takes over, running from Fairbanks through Delta Junction to Valdez, on the coast.  The Visitor's Center has an end marker for the Alaska Highway, a $1 certificate that is the official evidence that you have driven the Alaska Highway, and other tourist items for sale. 

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.

Jane and Brad

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