Exploring Fairbanks, Alaska
The sign above the Trans Alaska oil pipeline interpretive site says “Canada my ass, it’s Alaska’s Gas!” – that’s one of the slogans used by the Alaskan Independence Party. It refers to the current controversy about building a natural gas pipeline down the Alaska Highway, which will require paying Canada for acccess and property rights. This photo was shot at our first stop on the tour, at 9:25 a.m.
Our next stop was Dredge #8, which concludes with gold panning (this photo was taken at 11:00 a.m.). The quality of the guides there varies a lot, but this year she was excellent.
The couple on the left in the next photo, Alasdair and Marie, had received word that their son was extremely ill in Australia, but carried on with little hint that anything was wrong. On the day we drove to Anchorage we got word that he had died – I don’t deal with death well, and couldn’t even come up with any words to express my sadness about it (they, of course, flew home on the next available flight). One of the aspects of long tours that I’ve always enjoyed is the connection that develops with many of the people you travel with. At times like this, it doesn’t feel like such a good thing.
The Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been highly rated for many, many years. A few weeks ago, a huge new wing opened, and it is simply stunning. This photo was taken in the upper-level Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery at 1:10 p.m. – I could easily spend 2 hours at the museum, and 3 would be better, making the $10 admission very good value. The Gallery of Alaska on the main level among is displays the state’s largest public gold collection and many stuffed animals including the world’s only Ice-Age Steppe Bison mummy.
The feature excursion of our Fairbanks day was the Riverboat Discovery cruise down the Chena and Tanana Rivers.
Shortly after leaving the dock, a demonstration of bush plane flying is presented – it used to be a modified Piper Super Cub on wheels, but since he crashed into the river beside the boat a couple of years ago, another pilot with this float-equipped 1951 Piper PA-18-125 is performing. This photo, shot at 2:15 p.m., also shows some of the very large homes being built on the hill above the Chena River.
A fairly lengthy stop is made at the riverside kennel of Iditarod veteran Susan Butcher. She is extremely sick with leukemia, and her husband Dave Monson is at her bedside, so another musher (whose name I’ve haven’t discovered yet) took over the presentation. This photo was shot during his introduction at 2:35 p.m. (update – Susan Butcher died on Aug 5, 2006)
Huskies raring to take the musher for a ride, at 2:41 p.m.!
Another stop is made at a fish camp, where Dixie Alexander describes traditional Athabaskan Indian fishing. Then its on to the Chena Indian Village, where everybody disembarks from the boat and attends talks about mushing, hunting and trapping, Native clothing, and traditional shelters. The whole cruise is very professional, well worth the $46.75 price tag – this was about the 20th time I’ve been on it (at least once a year).
About The Author
