Fun in Fairbanks

Day 25    Saturday July 9, 2016                                                                                         Fairbanks, Alaska

242 miles           12.3 mpg                                         Chena River State Recreation Area (SRA), site 20

We have a laundry list of things to do in Fairbanks, including laundry.  Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska with 32,000 people.  For Alaska, that’s huge.  It has everything a big city has.  One of the three Walgreens is in Fairbanks. 

Headed on out without any idea where we would stay for the night.  At Delta Junction, the Alaska Highway ends and it becomes an extension of the Richardson Highway which starts in Valdez.  Also known as AK-2.  There is a monument in Delta Junction commemorating the end of the Alaska Highway but we missed it.  Will catch it on the way back.

Along the way we saw a moose and calf by the side of the road eating plants.  The calf was shy and ran into the woods when we stopped. 

The highway is scenic most of the way, always with mountains in view somewhere. 

We got to the Tanana River valley which the road follows for miles.  We could see the Alaska Range in the distance which were completely covered with snow.  Looked like the Himalayas.  Denali was also visible.   Attempted some pictures as shown below.

Tenana River valley

I think this is Denali.  I looked at the map and it was due south of where we were.

The Alaskan Range

Got a break with the sun and took this shot

About 10 miles east of Fairbanks is the town of North Pole, Alaska.  The famous tourist trap there is the Santa House.

Lots of people were gathered around outside.  We got to the door and there was a sign saying it was closed because they lost power.  Oh well.  We’ll be back this way in a couple of days.  Marsha wanted to send post cards from the North Pole to her nieces and nephews.  And, as always, buy a moose Christmas ornament.

We needed groceries but waited to get to a real grocery store.  We went to a Fred Meyer, Alaska’s premier grocery store and general merchandise, kind of like a Meijer in Michigan.  But we were blown away at the quality stuff and the abundance they had.  I thought Meijer was the best grocery store ever, but Fred Meyer is even better.  They are only in the real big cities (Alaska big cities).

After getting the groceries we figured we better find a place to stay.  It was getting late in the afternoon.  We went up the Steese Highway north of Fairbanks because there were several SRA and BLM campgrounds along there, but we started realizing we would be 40 or 50 miles outside the city.  We still had more to do in Fairbanks.  So we turned back and discovered the Chena River SRA within the city near the airport.  It was a beautiful campground and close to everything, but had a lot of traffic and airport noise. 

Chena River SRA, site 20

The one errand, and the most fun one, was to get me a real camera.  I have a Canon pocket camera, but it is challenged at times in different lighting and contrasts.  I did my research on Consumer Reports and opted for the Canon Rebel T6i SLR.  Marsha has a Canon 60D SLR.  Marsha found Alaska Camera in a strip mall not too far from us.  I bought the camera, an SD card, polarizing filter, and camera case. 

Our lenses will be interchangeable.  It came with an 18-55 mm lens.  I haven’t had an SLR since my Nikon FG20 film camera in the 80’s.  So expect to see higher quality photos.

Back at the campground I played with my new toy the rest of the evening.

Day 26   Sunday July 10, 2016                                                                                               Fairbanks, AK

No towing miles                                                                                                     Chena River SRA, day 2

On the first night at Chena River SRA, had some redneck Alaskan tent campers in a beat up van with a bratty kid screaming and wining all night.  Got very little sleep.  Someone else had a yappy dog barking all night.  Did not sleep after 02:30 AM.

Since we’re not traveling today, took the time to make a breakfast of sausage and eggs with English muffins. 

Packed up the clothes and went to the laundromat on a busy Sunday morning.  There was a guy in there wearing a Harley People for Trump T-shirt that we sat next to in Fast Eddie’s back in Tok.  It’s a small world, even in Alaska.  The laundromat was full of RVers and U of A students.  What a mix.  While I guarded the clothes, Marsha went to one of the three Walgreens in all of Alaska to fill a prescription. 

Came back to the campground to put the clean clothes away, then headed out for the Alaska Public Lands Visitor Center in downtown Fairbanks.  Got information on state recreation areas, BLM campgrounds, national forests, and fishing information.  The University of Alaska had a cultural exhibit there that we toured.

Back at camp, made lunch out of the leftover Thai food we bought in Tok.

Then on to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks campus.  Saw two movies there.  One about bowhead whales, and the other about Northern Lights.  There was also dioramas of Alaskan wildlife and cultural exhibits for clothing, tools, kayaks, artwork, etc. of the native peoples of Alaska. 

Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Here’s some dioramas:

9 foot brown bear guarding the exhibit hall

Musk Ox.  Was hoping to see one of these at Arctic Circle.

Wolverine

Lynx

Ptarmigan

This is the only eagle I've seen so far in Alaska!

Black bear.  Saw a lot of these in Canada.

Rainbow trout (steelhead)

King salmon

Salmon spawning

Dall sheep

Halibut with some native tools to catch them.

And some cultural stuff:

Back at campsite, starting grilling chicken breast and it really started raining hard.  Had to brave the elements in my L.L. Bean Gore-tex rain gear that I’ve had for years.  Just bragging.  Bought it at the L.L. Bean mothership in Freeport, ME.  But I digress.

Let’s digress again.  Firewood.

Firewood in Alaska is ridiculously expensive.  They have lots and lots of trees here.  But firewood here is $9.99 a bundle.  I saw it for $7.00 a bundle at the grocery store in Tok and freaked out.  In British Columbia it was $4.00 CAD for a bundle.  In Yukon government campgrounds it is provided free!  And it’s good stuff.  In the UP it’s $4.00 a bundle.  It’s hard to scrounge it up at the campsite.  I found some at a Fred Meyer gas station on sale for $4.29 a bundle.  They were small bundles, but the same ones they wanted $9.99 for in the store.  I grabbed four.  I think it’s cedar!  I’ll keep you posted on the firewood situation in Alaska.  They are ripping off the tourists.