If it was 'Friday, It was Fairbanks

We loaded onto our bus coach for the day at eight a.m. ready to “do” Fairbanks. Our guide/driver for the day was a petite dark haired woman named Toni who has been living here for thirty years. She chatted away as we headed to the paddlewheel boat on the Chena River. After her description of Fairbanks’ winter weather, we can better appreciate North Florida.

The sun came out and the morning on the river was both pleasurable and enlightening with sightings of numerous ducks and a bald eagle. We learned how the Athabascan Indians live and how their lives have changed down through the years. We saw a float plane take off and land. We watched an Iditarod winner run his dogs, and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful log homes along the river as the three decked riverboat took us downriver and back.

We got off the boat at the Chena Village where two young Athabascan women described their way of life in the sub-artic. We watched one of the young women prepare a salmon for drying. They showed us how hides were softened and tanned and then made into clothing. She modeled a beautiful handmade fur parka. We saw several examples of old cabins and an older style tent made of hides. Sled dogs were frolicking in a pen, and the garden was thriving . Once again we marveled at the beautiful flowers that seem to be getting in all the blooming they can before the frosts arrive.

After we reboarded the sternwheeler, we were treated to samples of smoked salmon as we headed back to Fairbanks where we rejoined Toni for our ride to lunch at an old gold dredge where we had a lunch of miner’s stew and biscuits served family style. After lunch we got a quick tour of the old dredge which they quit using in 1958.

Our next stop, the El Dorado Gold Mine, was a lot of fun. We were taught how to pan for gold and then did it. When we were through, Klep and I came out okay with forty-two dollars worth of gold dust between us. Klep had the 2.2 grains of gold put into earrings for me. We also enjoyed the homemade cookies they put out for us. Another delightful part of this stop was the short ride on the railroad through one of the old mining tunnels where we got a chance to see what the permafrost looks like underground. The conductor or the little train was an accomplished musician who sang some Johnny Cash numbers on the way in and played the fiddle for us on the way back to the bus.

Our last stop on the tour was a viewing location of the Alaska Pipeline which is a really, really big pipe and is really, really long. Klep was impressed.

We “debussed” at our hotel at five and rested before walking over to a delightful little Italian restaurant, Gambardella’s Pasta Bella, where we enjoyed salad’s and delicious small veggie pizzas.

We hiked back to the Westmark and called it a day.