Upper Chena River Paddle

At the Fairbanks Fairgrounds Campground, we met a couple of new paddling friends, Rudy & Teresa H, and also ran into our Model T friends from the Yukon, what a surprise!
As we got closer to the Chena, Kim was amused by this road sign, unique to Alaska!

Rudy & Teresa had us join them at the Upper Chena River Campground for an adventure on the River the next day.

Shortly after setting up our tent, I heard Kim screaming for us all to "come quick". She was pointing to a white object in the tree behind the tent proclaiming "it's a Snowy Owl".
Now this was truly a great "lifer" bird for us. On closer inspection, we found she was absolutely correct....the lifelike creature was certainly a Snowy!

Up early the next morning, we hit the beautiful River. As we floated leisurely along, Kim & I were remeinded of our many floats in southern Mississippi and central Florida. The waters here seemed so familiar.

Rudy & Teresa were zipping along in their long tandem, watching for me to snag the first fish (of course I had my rod!). It wasn't long before a frisky Artic Grayling jumped on the lure and was in the boat. The Chena is a "catch & release only" river, so this one along with some thirty others were quickly returned to play sport with another angler some other day.

A few spots reminded me of some of the fishing camps we'd see along the backwoods bayous of south Louisiana.

Other sites told the story of just how high & swift the waters can get on this narrow stream.....

All in all, a great day spent flaoting about 12 miles of the beautiful Upper Chena, another of Alaska's remote treasures.

Summer Solstice Festival

Fairbanks is the home of the largest Solstice Festival in the State. http://explorenorth.com/library/aktravel/bl-solstice.htm

So, we just had to attend, and stay up 'til the "midnight hour" to see what the sun would be doing... the festival was full of Alaskans out from the winter hibernation, enjoying the rides, crafts and food.

Kim found the jewelry and crafts of particular interest, while I just enjoyed eyeing the crowds that reminded me of Mardi Gras.

I had promised Kim a massage for her birthday on the 11th, and it just so happened that there was a booth to fulfill each & every desire. So, while she enjoyed the personal relaxation, I just went about the side streets and enjoyed more of the attractions

, and at least one vendor's product reminded me again of something you just might see in Louisiana:

One of the prime reasons for attending this event was the music lineup. With three stages going all afternoon, we sampled everything from country, to jazz, to rock, folk & bluegrass!

The group that stole the show was Cold Steel, a local carribian steel drum band that was terrific. We've heard many "steel" bands, but never one where the tenor & bass parts were the drums also. What a difference that makes.

You should have been there, it was so, so different & good! They played for almost an hour, and the crowd just loved 'um!

Check out the sample of their sound & jive at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNtdKidDII8

On the way back to the trailer, that "midnight hour" beckoned us to stop & take this shot of Mr. Sun still flying high over the low hills to the North (yes, North!).

and, when we arrived at the trailer at about 12:30AM, we had a toast to this interesting day, seeing first hand the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska!

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.

......

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...