JULY 5-10: FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

DAY 37, JULY 5:  Worked on the blog in the morning and took a drive around town to locate some establishments I was interested in finding.  Picked up some items at the RVers shopping center; i.e. WalMart.  Had dinner at the Elks Lodge with some fellow campers and spent the evening talking with same.

Now for some overall impressions of the Alaska Highway 9 years later—The Highway is much improved over what it was during my trips in 2007 and 2008.  It is much like driving in the Lower 48 as far as road surfaces go, except where you run into the areas with the bad frost heaves.  The drive from Destruction Bay Lodge to the U.S./Canada border is still the hardest part (200 miles); however, the road from the border into Tok is much improved.  That stretch was being rebuilt when I was on it during the previous trips.  It still has some frost heaves but nothing like I remember.  You still need to be sure everything is secure in the coach (especially your drawers) and toad and drive for the local conditions, which in many cases means 50-55 mph for extended periods.  Which is fine—we make the trip to see the scenery, right?  Speaking of which, some people get bored with seeing “the same ole thing” so they don’t appreciate the long drive as much.  I hear the same thing from people who drive across South Dakota on I-90 and say it is boring because it is all the same.  I tell them they need to open their eyes and really look around.  I have driven that route in SD many dozens of times and I see new things each time I drive it!  The same is true of the trip up here.  It is a grand adventure on a truly grand scale!  There is something new to see all the time and around every curve.

I brought protective covers for the lights on the front of the coach and for the Jeep’s windshield; however, I have not yet used them on this trip.  Who knows, maybe I will have to use them before I get back in the Lower 48--I have them if I need them.  Rock chip report—two new small chips in the coach’s windshield.  No new ones in the Jeep.  (I really should knock on wood as I write this!)  The truck traffic diminishes dramatically after Whitehorse which helps the chip situation a lot, but I expect it will pick up as I approach Anchorage.

DAY 38, JULY 6:  I took the coach for an oil change/lube job in the morning.  Have to take care of the wheels!  Then, I took a drive out to Chena Hot Springs in the afternoon.  I had wanted to go there on previous trips but it didn’t work out.  I had heard tales about how rough the road is to get there—and the first 18 miles is one frost heave after another.  However, the road beyond that point is very good.  I walked around the resort and noticed a DC-6 cargo aircraft parked at the end of the runway cut through the brush.  A lot of old, rusting machinery is parked around the grounds and some ducks were taking advantage of the ponds.  The pool was nice!  The outdoor pool is for adults only and it was wonderful.  For this “tenderfoot”, I especially enjoyed the nice sandy bottom to walk on.  (Liard Hot Springs has a rocky bottom that is not “foot friendly” for people not used to going barefoot.)  The water was hot and it felt oh so good!  Three moose were spotted during the drive, two in the distance in ponds and the third was coming my way up the middle of the road when I first spotted her.

DC-6 WITH RUNWAY CUT THROUGH THE TREES
 AT CHENA HOT SPRINGS

THE OUTSIDE "ADULT" POOL



LOTS OF YOUNG DUCKS AROUND THE PONDS









A LEUCISTIC MALLARD? (THAT IS
MY BEST GUESS)

ONE OF 3 MOOSE SEEN ON THE DRIVE

FROST HEAVES AND SQUIGGLY WHITE LINES
(THE PICTURE DOESN'T DO THEM JUSTICE HERE!)

The temperature was warm today—it got up in the high 80s so I began to “thaw” out from the cooler temperatures of the past 3 weeks or so.  (I do like warm temps!)  Overall, after crossing into Canada from Idaho, the temperatures have ranged from the 60s to the low 70s during the day and from the upper 40s to the upper 50s at night.  Fairbanks, being in the Interior as they say, has weather very similar to the middle of the U.S. in the summer with warm temperatures that can approach and even exceed 90 degrees during the day.  They can get some pretty hefty thunderstorms, too!  As I move south towards Denali, Anchorage, and the Kenai Peninsula, temperatures will begin to fall.  (For my Canadian and European friends reading this, I apologize because I don’t know how to express these temperature ranges in degrees C.  You have all been in the U.S. quite a bit, so I am sure you know about what temperatures I am talking about.)

Fuel prices here in Fairbanks are running $2.879/gal. for regular gas and diesel is running 10 cents/ gal. cheaper.

DAY 39, July 7:  I worked around the motorhome in the morning, doing laundry, etc.  With that done, I checked out the new (to me) Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitor’s Center which opened in 2008.  This facility has representatives from several federal and state agencies available who can answer just about any question you can come up with regarding hunting/fishing, camping, sightseeing, dining, etc.  It is really a one-stop shop for answers.  After you have your questions answered and picked up all the literature you want/need, plan to spend an hour or two (or three like I did) in the cultural part of the center.  They have really done a wonderful job putting the exhibits together.  If you need to take a break and sit down for awhile, cultural programs are presented off and on through the day.  The emphasis seems to be on the Athabascans which are predominant here, as well as the gold rush era that brought more white settlers to the area.

DAY 40, JULY 8:  I went to the historic downtown area this morning to look around.  There are several newer hotels in town, some of which are right downtown.  They aren’t large—2 or 3 stories—and are the normal chain hotels we see on the Outside such as Candlewood Suites, etc.  I had lunch at Soapy Smith’s Pioneer Restaurant while I was there (a good crabcake sandwich sans bread for me) and picked up some really good fudge at The Fudge Pot. 

SOAPY SMITH'S PIONEER RESTAURANT

A lot of the area, other than the newer hotels and government buildings, was much the same as I remembered it. I strolled through the nice park near Soapy Smith's--a place I have visited on other occasions and have enjoyed just taking in the atmosphere, the views, and, of course, the history.  (And I found another geocache.)

"UNKNOWN FIRST FAMILY"
A SCULPTURE THAT CAME FROM THE PEOPLE. IT IS THEIR STATUTE.

THE "OTHER" END OF THE ROAD MARKER

OUTLETS SUCH AS THESE ARE FOUND AT VIRTUALLY ALL PARKING SPOTS AROUND TOWN--AND ALL LOCAL VEHICLES HAVE THE CORDS TO PLUG IN THE OUTLETS HANGING OUT FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLES!

This evening I took a drive out to Creamer’s Field to see what birds were around.  There were about three dozen sandhill cranes that will probably remain here all summer.  From there I took a drive on further west and picked up a couple of geocaches.  I had to step carefully at one geocache location because it was pretty obvious that moose like that area, too.  At least there were sure a lot of droppings on the ground!  For geocachers coming this way, load up your pocket queries.  There are a lot of caches here.

Someone asked me about camping reservations.  I typically will reserve sites over holidays and when I “have” to be somewhere on a schedule.  Right now, because it is the height of caravan season up here, many of the campgrounds are running full.  I tried to reserve a site for the Denali stay beginning on the 11^th at a place I like in the area; however, they will have 3 caravans there next week so nothing will be available.  I called another campground in that area and they can put me up for 2 nights, but I will have to move to a different site for the 3^rd night.  (Not unusual up here.)  I am holding out as long as I can to make reservations because I don’t like to be on a fixed schedule.  If you come up here as a group, or with more than just your own coach, it probably is best to schedule further out (make reservations) because there are more things to consider when traveling with people other than just yourself as I am doing.  If you really get in a bind, it is legal to camp in roadside pullouts as long as they aren’t posted prohibiting camping.  (I have been in a couple of really scenic ones in the past.)  At this point, as soon as I know my schedule for when I want to depart to the next stop, I will make an advance reservation, usually at least 3 days ahead of time.  I will continue this until the caravans let up in August.  Remember the slogan I wrote about earlier which keeps me out of trouble (sometimes)—“Flexibility, not senility!”  You just have to have it up here sometimes, along with a plan A, B, and C.

 DAY 40, JULY 9:  I took advantage of the free laundry facility here at the Elks Club in the morning.  In the afternoon, I spent several hours at my favorite museum here in Fairbanks—the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  In fact, I just about helped them close up!  I always learn a lot of new things when I tour this facility—and today was no exception.  However, one of my absolute favorite places there is The Place Where You Go To Listen.  It is a small room with a single wooden bench and you can look at a lit screen if you would like.  What you hear in this room, which is insulated from all outside noise, is the magnetic sounds of the aurora borealis (yes, it does continue during the day) and the rumbling of movements of the earth—simultaneously.  These sounds are piped into this room from all over Alaska via a computer network.  This is a very simplistic explanation of the room’s features but, trust me, if you come to Fairbanks you should experience it.  Fortunately, I was the only one in the room at the time so I could spend as much time as I wanted in the solitude of the place.

A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE "ROOM" AS YOU ENTER

The U of A Fairbanks campus is very modernistic and has some interesting architectural designs for its buildings.  It is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year.  From the campus, I headed to the airport to look around.  My what a large airplane boneyard it is!  Parts of DC-6, BE-18 and other vintage aircraft are parked all along the edge on the north side.  My guess is they are used as salvage to keep remaining aircraft flying.  The general aviation side didn’t have a similar boneyard but it had a few parked there, too.

DAY 41, JULY 10:  This is my last day in Fairbanks.  When I came here 10 years ago, I was planning to stay 3 or 4 days and ended up staying 10 days.  This year, I planned on 8 eight days, but now I wish I had a few more days.  But, then, I guess I should think about saving some things for a future trip.  Right?

 It rained softly much of the night and today.  Some of my day was spent doing errands such as picking up my mail at the Post Office, getting the coach ready to move on, picking up some food, pay bills, etc.  I took time this afternoon to visit the aviation museum at Pioneer Park—I didn’t see many changes since 2007; however, it is always interesting to study how aviation has evolved up here.  The salmon bake was open for business by the time I finished with the museum so I went and had a really good seafood and green salad dinner.  The vegetables were fresh, which was a real treat!  The business’ price has increased quite a bit since 2007, but the food was still good and it is still an all-you-can eat setup.

 A note about the people here in Fairbanks:  I can’t think of any place I have been where the people have been friendlier!  I will use my first trip to WalMart as an example.  (I think most of us can tell stories about our experiences at WalMart and other large box stores.)  My visit was at a time when shelves were being restocked so I ran into a lot of the employees as I went around the store.  EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM greeted me with a smile and a welcome!  It didn’t matter whether they were young teens at their first job or older, retired people earning some extra money, I was treated the same by everyone in the store.  My experience was the same at every place I went to in town!  What a refreshing experience!!!