After getting our rigs and ourselves settled into our campsites along the Chena River, we took a ride over to the University of Alaska – Fairbanks and spent several hours enjoying their Museum of the North. The museum, which sits on a hill overlooking Fairbanks, has exhibits on the geography, geology and the history of the people of Alaska. It is very well done, and also includes lots of art. Following the visit to the museum, several of us drove to the University’s Large Animal Research Station (LARS) and saw some of the musk oxen they are studying. 
They do research on sheep, musk ox, caribou, bears, and other large animals of the region. By the way, do you know the difference between caribou and reindeer? A reindeer is a domesticated caribou – that’s it!
The next day, Sunday, we did some shopping and sightseeing around town, then took a 3½ hour riverboat cruise on the Chena River. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far.
The boat’s narrator is an old radio guy, so he spoke well, and obviously, could talk forever. A float plane took off, then landed again, right beside the boat (it was a planned event).
We stopped on the river at the sled dog kennels of Susan Bucher, the four-time winner of the Iditarod race who lost her battle with leukemia about a year ago. Debbie & I had the pleasure of attending a talk she gave three years ago while we were on our Alaska cruise. Anyway, her husband and two daughters, ages 8 and 11, are carrying on her work of raising and training racing sled dogs.
David, the husband, told us about the dogs, then harnessed and drove a dog team around a training course at about 20 – 25 miles an hour. He was riding an ATV with the engine off, just using the brakes to keep control.
From there, we continued downriver to the confluence of the Chena and Tanana Rivers, where the pilot who demonstrated the float plane, landed another plane, this one equipped with ‘tundra tires’, on a river sandbar. Tundra tires are very large, but only carry about five pounds of air pressure, so they can land on soft ground. Following that demonstration, we stopped at an Athabaskan demonstration village. The Athabaskan people settled the interior of Alaska, and are not considered “Eskimos”. The Eskimos settled the coast of Alaska, from the Arctic Ocean to the Panhandle.
Our Athabaskan guides showed us how they catch salmon in ‘fish wheels’, then dry the salmon to use as food for their sled dogs in the winter. The dried salmon is high in nutrition but weighs very little, so a lot of food can be packed on the sleds. We also saw their shelters, learned more about sled dogs, saw how they make and decorate clothing, and viewed a reindeer exhibit. From there, it was back up the river to Fairbanks and our cozy camp.
The next day we trooped on down to the Post Office to retrieve the mail that was forwarded to us from home. Nothing real exciting in the mail, but it was good to get it, anyway. The guys took a kayak ride from downtown Fairbanks to our camp, about a five mile trip, getting home just in time for dinner. We saw many birds and a couple of beaver. After dinner, we drove Debbie & Diane upriver for a couple of miles so that they could kayak back to camp.
They saw a number of beaver, and a hen mallard with her flock of tiny ducklings.
They do research on sheep, musk ox, caribou, bears, and other large animals of the region. By the way, do you know the difference between caribou and reindeer? A reindeer is a domesticated caribou – that’s it!The next day, Sunday, we did some shopping and sightseeing around town, then took a 3½ hour riverboat cruise on the Chena River. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far.
The boat’s narrator is an old radio guy, so he spoke well, and obviously, could talk forever. A float plane took off, then landed again, right beside the boat (it was a planned event).
We stopped on the river at the sled dog kennels of Susan Bucher, the four-time winner of the Iditarod race who lost her battle with leukemia about a year ago. Debbie & I had the pleasure of attending a talk she gave three years ago while we were on our Alaska cruise. Anyway, her husband and two daughters, ages 8 and 11, are carrying on her work of raising and training racing sled dogs.
David, the husband, told us about the dogs, then harnessed and drove a dog team around a training course at about 20 – 25 miles an hour. He was riding an ATV with the engine off, just using the brakes to keep control.From there, we continued downriver to the confluence of the Chena and Tanana Rivers, where the pilot who demonstrated the float plane, landed another plane, this one equipped with ‘tundra tires’, on a river sandbar. Tundra tires are very large, but only carry about five pounds of air pressure, so they can land on soft ground. Following that demonstration, we stopped at an Athabaskan demonstration village. The Athabaskan people settled the interior of Alaska, and are not considered “Eskimos”. The Eskimos settled the coast of Alaska, from the Arctic Ocean to the Panhandle.
Our Athabaskan guides showed us how they catch salmon in ‘fish wheels’, then dry the salmon to use as food for their sled dogs in the winter. The dried salmon is high in nutrition but weighs very little, so a lot of food can be packed on the sleds. We also saw their shelters, learned more about sled dogs, saw how they make and decorate clothing, and viewed a reindeer exhibit. From there, it was back up the river to Fairbanks and our cozy camp.The next day we trooped on down to the Post Office to retrieve the mail that was forwarded to us from home. Nothing real exciting in the mail, but it was good to get it, anyway. The guys took a kayak ride from downtown Fairbanks to our camp, about a five mile trip, getting home just in time for dinner. We saw many birds and a couple of beaver. After dinner, we drove Debbie & Diane upriver for a couple of miles so that they could kayak back to camp.
They saw a number of beaver, and a hen mallard with her flock of tiny ducklings.Tuesday we decided we wanted popcorn for lunch, and where’s the best place for popcorn? At the movies, of course! We saw the new Indiana Jones movie, and enjoyed it immensely.
On Wednesday, Bob, Debbie and Tom took a trip in a small plane to the Arctic Circle and Point Barrow. That’s a story for our next posting.
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