Mike & Kris - Enjoying The Ride

We are now in the heart of the interior of Alaska. We left Tok and traveled a couple hundred miles to Fairbanks. There was so much to see and do. We started with a quick trip to North Pole, Alaska, so we could have a visit with Santa.

We made sure to put in a good word for our two little cuties and then spent some money on our own Christmas cheer.

When you start researching what to do in Fairbanks, two things come up on every page. One is the Discovery River Voyage up the Chena River and the second is a visit to Gold Dredge #8. So we signed up for both and really enjoyed our time.

The River Boat traveled up the Chena River while a narrator told us all about the river boat industry and its importance in the area. They stop along the way at the dog kennels of the family of Susan Butcher. It was named Trail Breaker Kennel.

Susan was the winner of four Iditarod sled dog races with her sled dogs. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is over 1100 miles long through Arctic blizzard conditions across the Alaska wilderness which tests the endurance of both mushers and dogs over the course of one to two weeks. We watched a short demonstration by the dogs and it was fun to see how excited they got to race.

The boat then stopped at a display of native peoples who inhabited the area. We saw the many furs of the different animals, an example of a fish wheel used to catch salmon, examples of the clothing they made (the coat in the picture would take about 8 months to make), and examples of the temporary houses or huts they would use. We even saw a few reindeer in the area.

Next we did the Gold Dredge #8 tour and also had fun! They talk about the gold rush in Fairbanks and how the Dredge worked but the best was yet to come.

We got our own bag of dirt and learned how to pan for gold. It was kinda hokie but super fun!

They weigh the gold for you after you’re done and tell you how much it’s worth. Mike got $36.00 worth and mine was $24.00. We made it into a bracelet and refrigerator magnet. At the end of the tour they gave a short presentation on the Alaska Pipeline which was interesting too.

Finally, we spent our last day with a quick trip to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. They have a research facility with a herd of muskox. We learned a lot about these creatures and I was amazed at how thick the fur is under their coat of hair. They harvest this fur and spin it into thread and then make hats and scarves with it. It is called qiviut and it is very expensive to buy. We also stopped by the visitor center and posed under the antler arch to end our stay.

We said goodbye to Fairbanks and headed south to Denali National Park and what a park it is! It is over 6 million acres that includes the tallest mountain in North America at 20,310 feet, Denali. They say that only 30% of the visitors to this park actually get to see the mountain because it is behind clouds most of the time. We were fortunate to have it out for us on 2 out the 3 days we were here. It also marks the start of our trip with our friends, Betsy and Marty. We had been talking about doing this trip together for years and we finally made it happen. We will be traveling together for the next 3 weeks and are excited to have someone to share it with.

Our first sunny day included a flightseeing tour of the mountain.

Oh my, it is impossible to say how awesome this trip is. The pictures are amazing and there is no other way to really understand the immenseness of this mountain. The pictures speak a thousand words on this one.

The next day we took a four hour bus ride on the only road in the park.

The bus driver does a great job of talking about the park, its beginnings, and its purpose. We also had the treat of seeing 3 different moose sightings, a couple of caribou, and some Dall sheep although they were far away.

Denali National Park is also the only national park with a dog sled team. They do a tour of their facility and we learned all about the dogs. They are used every winter by the rangers to bring supplies, offer help if needed, and to patrol the park.

On our last day we went on a hike with a ranger and learned more about the wildlife and plants and trees. Overall Denali was super impressive and a must see if you can get up here.