Today was our last “tourist” day in Fairbanks. We headed to the University of Alaska in Fairbanks (UAF) and their renowned Museum of the North. It was chock full of all things Alaskan, including two short films on winter in Alaska and the Northern Lights. Both were excellent (though the Northern Lights one was a little on the technical side!). But maybe the most fun we had was watching Rosie learn how to use an Eskimo Yo-Yo!

I’m done!

But there were other interesting parts in the museum –




Looks like Gary, John and Rosie were done before the rest of us!
After a quick bite to eat, we drove over to the Georgeson Botanical Garden – also part of the UAF. I was busy practicing my macro shots – I just love those beautiful flowers!

From there we went to the Large Animal Research Station (also part of UAF) where they do research on the Muskox and the Caribou –

See those folks at the bottom of the picture? They paid the $10 each for a 45 minute tour of the facility. We enjoyed the picnic area, a couple of close by muskox

and the gift shop (we could have purchased a tuna fish size can of reindeer chunks in gravy. For $9.00. I’m sorry, but eewwwwwww).
We checked out a couple of local stores and then ended the day with a great little sundae.

A yummy day all around!

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Tomorrow (Saturday) I’ll be finishing up a sewing project for the camp while Gary works on getting his tools all packed up for our departure Saturday night. Then we’ll be doing all the laundry, getting our inside stuff all put away for travel. We pull out in the early evening to get close to the Fairbanks Airport where we’ll be picking Lara up in the very early hours of Sunday morning. From there – it’s Denali National Park for us!
I think there will be adventures ahead!

Around these parts the major roads go by name not number. Some are obvious – like the Chena Hot Springs Road which dead ends at (you guessed it) Chena Hot Springs. The Richardson starts in Valdez and goes to Fairbanks (and changes route numbers along the way at Delta Junction) and was named after General Wilds P. Richardson, first president of the Alaska Road Commission. Then there’s the Steese Highway (starts in Fairbanks and dead-ends at Circle (pop. 102)). Yesterday we took the Steese up to Fox (pop. 369), picked up the Elliott (151 miles of road that starts in Fox and goes to Manley Hot Springs – about ½ of it is paved) up to Livengood (we tried our best to find this town (pop. 25) but had no luck) where we got on the Dalton – which connects the Elliott to the city of Deadhorse, right on the Arctic Ocean.

The drive to Deadhorse and the Arctic Ocean (Prudhoe Bay) from Fairbanks is about 500 miles. As you can see by the dotted lines, it’s only about 25% paved and the steepest grade is 12%. Yes, 12% grade on gravel roads. It’s recommended that you bring TWO spare tires and ALWAYS give way to the trucks that barrel up and down that road. Oh, and once you get to Deadhorse you can’t actually get to the Arctic Ocean unless you are part of a tour ($40.00 each!). Although John and Rosie decided that they couldn’t come this far and not make it to the Arctic Ocean, the rest of us opted to do just part of the trip, and go as far as Arctic Circle (about 200 miles from Fairbanks). It sounds like their two day trip (6:30AM Friday to 12:00AM Saturday) was amazing – from the long grueling drive (but it was filled with wildlife and scenery that they will probably never have the opportunity to see again) to the fascinating tour of the oil community in Deadhorse (the longest anyone is allowed to work there at a stretch is 6 weeks, and then they have to return at least to Fairbanks or Anchorage for 2 weeks) to John actually putting his fingers in the Arctic Ocean (brrrrrrrrr). Our “little” drive to the Arctic Circle was just a taste of their adventure, but it suited us just fine.
We followed the same pipeline north –

We had our share of paved road –

More than our share of gravel/dirt road-

A good selection of 12% grades –

Gave way to some pretty big rigs coming and going-

Crossed the same Yukon River-

And saw some amazing scenery along the way (even though it was cloudly and rainy most of the day)–



(those are white wildflowers in those fields!)

While we didn’t see herds of caribou, we did have a little baby moose run beside us for a bit and then cross in front of us. (All the time thinking, I’m sure, “Mommy, Mommy, I’m on the wrong side of the road!!!”)

We also enjoyed some of the fine facilities along the way-

We made it to the Arctic Circle

(where we were able to take a quick picture before we were eaten alive by the skeeters!)
and home again all in one (long but good) day.

And Sunday after church, we washed the truck!

Hope your weekend was filled with adventure too!

After a productive morning of dusting, vacuuming and bathroom cleaning, Gary and I took off to Chena Hot Springs Resort - about 50 miles east of us. It was threatening thunder showers all day, but we had a nice ride through countryside that really reminded me of Vermont.

Here are the Hot Springs -

Somehow, once we got there, we just didn’t feel like paying $10.00 each to sit in giant hot tub. So we saved ourselves the money (and the need to put on those swimsuits) and checked out the ducklings in a nearby pond.

Have you ever seen ducklings swim half under the water?

Maybe they just aren’t strong enough to stay all the way above water?

Here are a couple of other shots from around the grounds -



The Model T of Snowmobiles!

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The wildflowers are bustin’ out all over up here. We’ve heard a lot about
Fireweed - a wildflower that is one of the first vegetations to appear after a forest fire. (It’s also the Provincial Flower of British Columbia.) I thought I spotted some today
but when I googled a picture of it, it didn’t quite match. Maybe they just aren’t open all the way yet? Whatever they are, they sure are purty!
Other beauties along the road (yes, I did make Gary stop so I could take these pictures!)

So, Saturday One – Chena Hot Springs -
Saturday Two – The Arctic Circle!

Man, I love these three day weekends!

Tonight, after a lovely dinner provided by our hosts, I loaded up with bug spray and took a little walk around the camp. I hadn’t checked out all the different areas and since the evening was so very lovely it seemed like a perfect opportunity. Want to come along?
This is where we are parked.

We’re very cozy (and close enough so I can yell at Rosie if I need to borrow a cup of sugar!). Jay and Naomi and Pete and Ellen are parked on the other side of this building (where we meet for devotions, break and games).

I took the pictures standing in the same place, so even though we aren’t all together, we are certainly all in the same neighborhood!
I hadn’t checked out the horse barn, so I wandered over that way.

Along with their horses (they have quite an equestrian program here)

they also have a petting zoo of sorts.

Busy place, that barn!
But, on with the walk-

This is the building where we ladies have been sewing. Once it’s finished it will be used as cabin space for campers. Right now it’s pretty cluttered with our sewing stuff as we’ve been working on curtains. (We’ve completed 17 pairs, with 9 more to go!).

I’m not sure who gets to sleep in the tent – maybe some of the summer staff?

The cabins and dining hall are down at the “lower camp” – just a short walk down the road,

But I thought I’d explore a path down to the lake


I had spotted something white high in one of those pine trees on the other side of the lake and thought it might be a bald eagle.

But alas….

It was just a seagull. I guess they get to make nests too!
Looking back from the observation deck you can see the dining hall (left) and another building.

It’s pretty scenic, but the permafrost does an amazing job each year of skewing the buildings and generally wreaking havoc with the roads and floors. The camp is hoping to move the camp center (mostly the dining hall) to up on the same level where the horse barn is. It’s a couple of years down the road, so meanwhile they’ve put up a “temporary” building to use for activities.

I think it’s working well for them!
But a walk around this camp didn’t only bring me to buildings and animals and Lake Li-Wa. (Here’s another lake shot I really like -)

But it also had a lovely selection of wildflowers along the way.

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Back up the hill….

And home.
A good walk, and a nice quiet evening.
The sun should be setting about 12:32AM today (and it comes up just two and a half hours later at 3:08AM). This daylight thing is pretty crazy!
Off to the dark bedroom!
g’night!