The Fairbanks area
 Fairbanks in the yellow circle. |
 Our first tourist stop is here at the Ice Museum. |
 Each March, ice carving/sculpting competitors come from all over the world to compete in the Fairbanks Ice Carving event |
 Some of them are saved, and are included in this Ice Museum. |
 A carved Musk Ox. (The "Bison of the tundra") By the way, Musk Ox is available at a restaurant that we enjoyed. (No, we didn't try it.) |
 A cold slipper - would it fit Cinderella? |
 A very cold bear emerging from some ice pine trees |
 After the slide show depicting how the ice is cut, then shaped by the competitors, a demonstration (in a cold room of about 20 degrees) of carving is presented for us. |
 A little bit here... |
 ...and a little bit there... |
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 And it starts to take shape |
 He brushes off the ice bits & ice dust... |
 And he presents his ice snail for our enjoyment |
 We next visited and took a trip on the Discovery III, a paddlewheel boat, that took us on a very interesting, and well presented trip on the Chena River, that runs through Fairbanks. |
 We start down the river, for the first of several educational stops or slow-downs |
 At the first one, we see how a bush pilot takes off from a very short runway. There is one bush (piloted) plane for every 60 Alaska residents. Highest ratio of planes to residents in the US. |
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 Many float planes in this part of the world, servicing the residents (see below) |
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 We glided to a stop alongside the Trail Breaker Kennels and home of Susan Butcher, a four-time Iditarod winner |
 Normally, Susan Butcher, herself would come out to greet us, but she was, on the date of our visit, in a Seattle hospital with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). (She died on August 5, 2006). Fellow Iditarod Musher, Clint Warnke, put on a demonstration for us, by hooking up a team to a 4-wheeler (no engine), which is a way they give the dogs some summer exercise. |
 Here they go... |
 Off for a run around the lake |
 You can see them on the far side - flat out. |
 Coming around toward the home stretch... |
 Coming in toward the yard |
 In they come |
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 Some Caribou browsing alongside the river bank. |
 As we leave the clear Chena River, and join the glacier silted Tanana River, the difference is obvious. |
 Here we pass by a native Fish Camp. That is a fish wheel in the silted water which will catch the salmon as they swim upstream |
 Here we are shown the art of preparing/filleting a salmon for drying (See below), and then later smoking in the smoke hut, right behind her. |
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 Nothing to it - if you have a sharp knife - and know what you are doing |
 The Discovery III comes along shore so we can explore some native cultures. |
 A sod-roofed home |
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 Above & below - some protection from the elements while out hunting for Caribou |
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 A finely made dress from animal skins |
 This masterpiece (front: above, rear: below) was made by the lady on the far right |
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 We see some sled dogs close up |
 Modeling the foul weather gear |
 All you need for a life of comfort on the river. |
 Now a demonstration of the float planes take-off |
 up up, and.... |
 .... Away |
 We ease into our dock, just past the two smaller sternwheelers, Discovery I & II |
 The pontoons for the dock consist of surplus Alaska Pipeline sections. |
 Done for the day |
 At a very nice restaurant along the river - The Pump House. We recommend it. Where we can watch ... |
 ... a dinner cruise sternwheeler pass by down the river as we enjoy our meal. |
 During a visit to the University of Alaska - Fairbanks campus - museum, we see a delightful model of the traditional blanket toss used to help look for seals and whales. |
 At the museum, we also are able to see two Inuit natives demonstrate some of the activities that take place during the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, held every year in Fairbanks. These two young ladies were both 1st & 2nd place winners in their particular sport. By the way, the one in the air, is enrolled in Dartmouth this next fall, and will major in Medicine & Biology. |
 A trip to the El Dorado Gold Mine brings us by various mining equipment and methods of recovery. |
 Just shake some dirt around in a pan, and ..... |
 Look what you get? There is Gold In Them There Hills. |
 Of course if you are REALLY lucky !!!! |
 A real find - but not for us. |