Fairbanks!

Just outside of Fairbanks is North Pole, Alaska...well, come on now, it's June, but everyone must stop here! The reindeer were a bit lazy today, but their antlers were growing like crazy & covered in velvet.

We did visit Santa's House while there, made a few purchases, of course and finished about half of our Christmas shopping (now that's getting an early start!).

Creamer's Field (was originally a dairy http://fairbanks-alaska.com/creamers-dairy.htm) is the hotspot in Fairbanks for birders, and since we were staying only a block away, it was first on the list for the next day.

The dairy was acquired by the State some years ago and transformed into a learning center for children and a wildlife refuge. It's a principal resting spot for migratory waterfowl, and we saw many ducks on the ponds there. It is also the summer home of hundreds of sandhill cranes, who put on quite a show for us overhead and on the ground!

We walked one of the many trails, and were surprised to learn that swallows will nest in what looked like bluebird boxes. The many beautiful iris blooms made us feel we were back in Louisiana....


Another real highlight in Fairbanks is the University Museum. http://www.uaf.edu/museum/
This place is a definite MUST if you ever find yourself in Fairbanks. It's loaded with cultural & historical artifacts, and some great representations of Alaskan art. We found the cultural exhit area very informative, with many examples of ancient carvings and tools.

Kim really enjoyed the intricate leather, fur and beadwork on the examples of clothing, while I just couldn't believe the detail and effort put into this fishing parka made totally out of the intestinal linings of walrus, which is completely waterproof once assembled!

As we strolled through the exhibits, Kim's curiosity was a bit taken by this incredible wooden "work of art", which resides in the backyard of many residents....got it?

Over in the Natural History section we found other finely crafted examples of woodwork, along with the largest Alaskan nugget on display (a whopping 19 ounces!).

The centerpiece of this area of exhibits is this incredible wooly mamouth skull and tusks, and the extra set of tusks, which are huge...

Walking back to the truck, we notice another fine example of local art, a huge totem pole next to the parking lot, greeting visitors who walk up from and adjacent area.

We Reach the End of the Alaska Highway!

A few miles further on the Taylor Highway and we were back on the famous Alaska Highway. Delta Jucntion (Highway 2) marks the end of the long drive up to Alaska. To sum it up, the road was much better than expected, great scenery and had a good bit of wildlife & birds along the way. Although long, there are things to do along the way and many interesting places to see and a few things to laugh at! Here was one of my personal favorites... can you see why?

Not too far down Highway 2, now headed for Fairbanks, we stop at the Rica's Roadhouse. Run by a single woman for almost 60 years, this landmark stands as a tribute to those days of harsh travel on trail & riverboat (the house is on the bakns of the Tanana). The house is in remarkable shape, and provides a convenient rest stop for many travelers still today.

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Shortly after reentering the Highway, we cross the Tanana, and get our first glimpse of the Alaska Pipeline. The pipeline today is surrounded by high fences and electronic surveillance, quite a change from my visit in 2000, I guess as a direct result of 911.

As the Tanana flows northward, it becomes a sprawling delta, quite a spectacular sight!

Our final stop along the way was at "The Knotty Shop" were we received a free ice cream and enjoyed the interesting art produced from the Black Spruce...

2nd Annual Chickenstock Bluegrass Festival!

Highlight of the visit to Chicken, was the Second Annual Chickenstock Bluegrass Fest. Hosted by Mike Busby & the great folks at Chicken Creek Outpost, the venue included performances by four local groups.


With the Kachemak Mining Corp. circa WWII truck (which certainly looked like it had been through at least one war) serving as the stage, and a Honda generator in back powering the sound, Steve Brown and the Bailers took the stage and provided some great bluegrass covers along with several new originals written by Steve.

With the crowd now warmed up, “Salty Gravy” followed with a rousing second set, highlighted by some great female vocals & harmony and nice leads taken by their fiddle & mandolin players.


The group triggered the dancing to start, many of the locals anxious to show the “Chicken Dance”, but little did we know that more on that would follow.

John Hicks, a native of Victoria, Texas came on solo doing a set of country favorites, followed by a couple of excellent originals. John had the honor of announcing the upcoming “Chickendales” which stirred interest in the crowd as to just exactly what this was all about?
Well, within minutes our question was answered, as the Chickendales themselves came out and taught us all the Chicken Dance. You can see the live version on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx_XtpV9BNg

Kim, Susie & I couldn’t miss the opportunity to pose with these now famous mascots!

The evening wouldn’t have been complete without the final set provided by “The Last Frontier”, led by local favorite Carl Hoffman….
all-in-all ,
Quite a great ending in CHICKEN, ALASKA!

Top of the World Highway to CHICKEN, ALASKA

On our way to the Ferry, we run across Dean & Reg once agaion to discover they had a fine trip up to Innuvik, only having to stop once to replace a transmission clutch band. They got on the Ferry ahead of us, and just watching it cross the Yukon was a treat….it reminded us so much of the Mississippi back home.



Once across we are on the famed “Top of the World” Highway that leads to the US border at “Border”. Although dirt (well every now & then there’s a trickle of gravel), it was pretty smooth and mostly free of heaves & potholes.
It wasn’t to long before we pass our Model T friends again, and ran ahead to the border. This view of the customs facility at the border confirms to us that this has to be the most remote crossing point in North America!

Arriving there, we were cordially greeted by an agent much more interested in our kayaks and travels than our passports, so we enjoyed a few minutes chat, and learned that this is the “vacation duty” spot for customs agents.

Ironically, the road on the US side (now called the Taylor Hwy) was far worse than it’s Canadian counterpart..interesting isn’t it??
So, now we come to the settlement of Border, a few old relics and a small store. We enjoyed the rustic charm of this place, everything was old fashioned with the exception of the generator humming out back…yep you’re hundreds of miles off the grid out here!




Just a little farther and we ARE in CHICKEN! Now what a name for a town, the story goes that the original founders wanted to name it after the Ptarmigan, but were uncertain as to the correct spelling. Well, the darn bird looks like a little Chicken, right? So, there you have it, straight from “official” sources. Now everything in Chicken is about Chickens (or Eggs)….





We also meet our friends Jess & Susie at the campground. Turns out they had traveled the Taylor "Highway" the day before in the rain. There jeep (which they tow behind a pickup camper) told the story of just how messy a dirt "Highway" in Alaska in the rain can be!

Before leaving I couldn’t pass up a visit to the airstrip, and sure‘nuf the Alaska special was there, a SuperCub wi
th tundra tires….