Day 16-17 Golfing and Chena Hotsprings

A couple of light days doing fun stuff. First off, Craig has been wanting to golf and there is a course not too far (about half hour) from where we are staying. They say it's the most northern accredited 18 hole golf course. So here we go. Yes, I'm going with him although I don't golf so I'm just along for the ride.

First question, should we get a golf cart of walk. It looks like a nice course but I'm counting on getting some reading done so I vote for the cart and win. Boy oh boy was this a good decision. The top side of the course is beautiful but as soon as you head downhill, you are golfing in a bog. I've never seen so many water hazards in my life. It's been raining hard here and there are puddles and bogs everywhere. Even the cart path is a muddy mess at times.

Craig meets a couple of other gentlemen who are solo golfing and they team up for 18 holes. He had a good time with them. I was happy as a clam in the golf cart reading and occasionally watching them golf. For those who are interested, Craig hit a 96 (not too bad). They finished up just as it started raining - great timing.

Later that evening we drove up to the University of Alaska. What a beautiful campus. We are told that there is a great lookout point from which we should be able to see Denali. But we were warned that Denali is shy, often hiding behind the clouds and only about 30% of the people who visit this area get to see her. Sure enough, it was a scenic drive and a beautiful lookout over the Fairbanks valley but no sign of Denali or the other 3 mountains who hang out with her.

The next morning it looked from our vantage point like it might be a clearer day to see the mountains so we once again drove up to U Alaska and tried out luck at seeing Mount Denali. It was a clearer day and we were able to see Mount Deborah and Mount Hess to the east but no luck in seeing Denali to the south.

But it was a beautiful day in Fairbanks so we decided to head off to visit Chena Hotsprings. It is about 63 miles north of Fairbanks so we headed back out on the same highway that took us to the Arctic Circle but turned east after only a few miles. The road at first was nicely asphalted but like most roads we've run into, it was a roller coaster. We are told that this is from the road freezing in the winter and thawing in the summer and is called "frost heaves". Whatever it is, there is road maintenance going on everywhere and on this road, we were stopped several times to be escorted through areas that were being worked on.

The road at first was through a nice residential area. Then it became more forested the further we got away from the highway. We were surprised at one point by a moose that walked right out of the woods and crossed the road right in front of us. Craig had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting her and she seemed oblivious to our presence. We were so rattled that we didn't get out cameras out in time to take a picture.

Further on down the road, Craig spotted a moose in the woods and we were able that time to be able to watch him for a while and take some pictures.

Chena Hotsprings was the terminus of the road. We were surprised by that but found ourselves in their parking lot. The property is beautiful. It's a resort with lots of people staying there. It's reputation is as a great place to see the northern lights in the winter but it's also a great destination in the summer. In addition to the hot pool, they have horse back riding, a wildlife rehabilitation center and they have also built a heating/cooling and electrical system powered by the hot water. Recycling is also prevalent around the facility which we haven't seen in Alaska so far at all. They have a beautiful farm and grow their own veggies and beautiful flowers everywhere.

One highlight of the trip was visiting their ice museum. They support a couple of artists in residence who do ice sculpting. And they keep this large structure with lots of large ice sculptures cooled at all times to 20 degrees with their own cooling system - even when the temp in the summer gets up in the 80's! And in the winter, they host the Fairbanks ice sculpting annual contest.

At the entrance to the ice museum we were given heavy canvas jackets which kept us comfortable for the hour or so that we were inside. We looked at all the sculptures, enjoyed the lighting inside which is meant to simulate the northern lights and we had an appletini at the ice bar which is yes, made of ice. The chair was made of ice, the martini glass was made of ice and the bar stool was made out of ice. Too cool - literally!

The trip back to home base in Fairbanks was uneventful except for the fact that I drove back. That's the first driving I've done I think on this trip other than just to get coffee in the morning on those days when that's possible. Craig rocks the driving for the most part but he was tired and wanted to nap so I'm happy to say that I drove us back without any problem at all.

Life is good!!!

We enjoyed our appletini in the Ice Bar inside the Ice Museum.

Inside the ice museum - everything is made of ice.

Look carefully. Behind the people is an ice sculpture of full size horses and knights jousting.

The ice bar - one of a kind I think!

If you want to spend the night, they have an ice room with an ice bed.

Grounds around the Chena Hotsprings.

Antler sculpture.

Very old caribou - he was all gray and skinny. In the animal rescue park at the hotsprings.

Beautiful flowers everywhere and I bought organic tomatoes and cucumbers from their garden to take back with us.

Look closely - there's a moose in the woods!

Craig golfs.

They spent a lot of time looking for balls in the woods and in the bogs but a good time was had by all!
 

Day 14 - Actic Circle

This is a bucket list item - step foot inside the Arctic Circle. And as usual, when we set out in the morning, we didn't really know what we were getting into. The road from Fairbanks heading towards the Arctic Circle is nice - two lane, paved. We stopped at a park through which runs the Alaska pipeline. It was interesting to see if up close and read the narrative panels about when it was built (40 years ago) and how it was built (some above ground to protect the permafrost and some above ground).

As we got back on the road, the conditions started to deteriorate. Not only did it start raining on and off (no surprise since it's rained every day that we've been in Alaska), but the road itself became a roller coaster ride. By the time we hit the sign announcing our turn to enter the Dalton Highway, the roads were wet and slick with mud. From there on, the road was occasionally paved but mostly dirt and very bumpy with huge potholes to dodge. Interestingly, the road followed the Alaska Pipeline as this is the road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay.

We almost turned around at this point. We were only 1/3 of the way to the Arctic Circle and it was getting pretty rough. We talked to another couple who had also stopped at the Dalton Highway sign and they said that they were going for it and of course, that's all Craig needed to hear. If they could do it, we could do it. So we kept going.

Lots of mountain passes including one that was so foggy that we could barely see the road in front of us. It was spooky and scary to be driving in a place that we were entirely unfamiliar with and not being able to see where we were going. But that didn't last long and soon we were back to rainy, muddy, terrible roads. We stopped at the Yukon River Crossing for a few minutes but other than that, we continued on. I could bore you with more of the same description of terrible, muddy roads but you get the gist.

Arriving at the Arctic Circle, we were happy there was a sign to mark it otherwise we wouldn't have known that we had accomplished our goal for the day. It was pouring so we took a quick picture and talked to some others who were also there including the couple who gave us the courage to keep going. The mosquitos and black bugs were ferocious and attacked us as soon as we got out of the car so we didn't stay around long.

Going back, it stopped raining at some point and was actually quite a nice (although bumpy) ride. We stopped to see some interesting rock formations (turned out to be lava that oozed up out of the earth, then froze and thawed for a couple of thousand years and all that's left is the granite) and we took a little interpretive walk in a area set up to identify the flowers and the types of rock.

Then back in the car and back to our RV in Fairbanks. Total time round trip mileage was 400 miles but they were slow at some points. Took us about 10 hours - not bad considering the road conditions.

We had to stop at Walmart as we entered town to buy car washing soap and a bucket. It seems that we are going to need them on this trip!

Check that one off the bucket list. Life is good!

Craig checks out the pipeline.

Welcome to the Dalton Hwy. Actually we took this picture on the way back when the car was covered with mud.
 

Rain and dirt roads are not a great combination.

Crossing the Yukon River on a wooden bridge.

Our view of the road through a muddy window.

The pipeline paralleled most of the road.

I had to laugh when I saw this sign. The whole darn 200 mile road was rough!

Foggy mountain top

Woo hoo - we made it!

Roadside stop at Granite outcropping with a nice interpretive walk up into the hills.

Craig looking for wildlife in the valley below. 

This is out of order but when we saw a semi coming in the other direction, we had to practically drive into the ditch on our side of the road to avoid their mud splash and flying rocks. They weren't slowed by the road conditions like we were and they flew past us in both directions!



Headwaters of either the Yukon River or the Chena River, I couldn't tell which but here is where the river starts collecting into ponds and then streams as it comes down out of the hills.

Day 13 Train to Denali Day 14 Fairbanks

Up and out early this morning to take the train to Denali. It's 4 hours each way by train and only takes about 2.5 hours to drive so the train meanders and roams and goes very slowly. This train, if we chose to ride it to the other end would end up in Anchorage and then Seward. We wanted to go down to Denali Park to check it out for our later arrival by rv so we chose a train trip along the rivers and by ways.

The original train tracks were laid between 1904 and 1915 and like most everything of this kind in Alaska, it was a result of the gold rush although there was lots of silver and coal mining going on at the same time. At the time it was a critical link for the communities along the way and even today, some who live off the grid and have no roads to their homes depend on the railroad to pick them up and take them to town for supplies and medical care.

It was a great day with 8 hours on the train and 4 hours in Denali. Truthfully we were so turned around when we got to Denali that we didn't get to see and do much except go to the visitor center (which was great) and take a shuttle into "town" where the hotels and tours are located but we did secure a spot for our rv for next week when we get there to stay for a week or so and we got the lay of the land so we should hit the ground running when we come back. We actually saw lots of moose and caribou as the train was rolling along but none of our pictures turned out well enough to post them.

Back in Fairbanks, the next day we did a whole lot of nothing. Laundry, cleaning and reorganizing the rv, grocery shopping. It was nice to have an unscheduled day to take care of essentials.

We did visit the city of Northpole. Those of you who know my mother (Mary "Bluebelle" Brown, 88 years old next week), know that she has some short term memory deficits. She is loveable and sweet as can be but ever since we told her we were doing this long trip to Alaska, she has been saying that we have to go see Santa at the Northpole. She did a lot of traveling with her Eastern Star friends and although she can't remember a lot, the Northpole stuck in her head and she has told us at least 100 times that we need to go there. So to fulfill her wish, we did go to the Northpole which was only about 20 minutes away from our rv park.

It was a hoot! Honestly it is a glorified gift shop with a few reindeer in the parking lot and the whole town (very small) has a Christmas theme to it. We got a little off track because we were headed down Candy Cane Lane, thinking that had to be the right way until we noticed that we were passing Mistletoe Lane and Santa Street. It turned out that it was centered just off the highway where we had seen the giant Santa. Ho ho - Merry Christmas in July everyone!!!

The Alaska Railroad. We rode from Fairbanks to Denali Park.

Clouds and trees reflected in a large glacier pond.

Mountans and rivers. It looks like snow in the mountains but it's actually clouds.

Craig takes a picture of me taking a picture!

Evidence of flooding. We are told that usually these sandbars in the middle of the river are actually the beach. All that water between the sandbars and the shore is flooded land.
 

The train on a curve. The bridge above is the road over the Tenana River.

Railroad crossing.

The view from the dome car.

Northpole Alaska

Day 12 Chicken to Fairbanks + Northpole

Up early to get back on this gawd-awful road. But just as we were leaving, I saw something that cracked me up and got us in a good mood. See the picture below of "Chicken Stock" - Chicken's take on Woodstock. These people know how to have a good time.

Thankfully the road back to Hwy 1 (which is now actually Hwy 2 - see the map in pictures below) was pretty short. It was pretty ugly too but it was dry and we were well rested so it was do-able.

Hitting Hwy 2 was a blessing. Back to asphalt roads and good conditions. First stop in Tok was to get the RV and the car washed off. Oh my gosh, they were filthy from the last couple of days.

Then a very easy drive into Anchorage. I saw a moose in the trees on the side of the road and took a picture which looks like just trees on the side of the road. I swear there is a moose in there - somewhere!

We stopped just beyond Northpole and just outside of Fairbanks. Too tired to take on any more miles tonight but happy to find an rv park by the Chena River. We listened to the park poet in residence give a presentation on famous Alaska poetry and also some of his original writing. He was very entertaining and silly. Just what we needed!

The next 5 days or so we will hang out in and around Fairbanks and see all the sights. For tonight though, we just are so happy to be off the road and in a place where we can stay for a few days without moving the rv. We will just unhook the car for side trips and come back to home base each night. Woo hoo - life is good!

Chicken Alaska's take on Woodstock - Chicken Stock of course!

Map of Alaska and Yukon Territory - we are doing the figure 8 (or Angel Wings) route with lots of side trips.
 

I swear there is a moose that just ran into those woods!

Yuck - this is one very dirty car after being towed on the "Top of the World" highway!

This sign cracked me up because every road we have been on for the past few days (and from what I understand every road in Fairbanks and north) is awful and like riding on a roller coaster. "Dips" are to be expected at every turn so why the sign here?
 

Day 11 - Dawson City to Chicken via Top of the World Highway

 

Wow – what a day. It was a thrill a minute from beginning to end. After spending the night with Diamond-Tooth Gertie (or rather in her parking lot), we had breakfast in the RV and then drove around town seeing a last few places of interest before heading off to the ferry. It seems that the only way to get across the Yukon River and headed up the “Top of the World” highway is to take a very small ferry across the swift-moving river. We were told to expect a big line but actually when we got there, we were the first in line for the next ferry. They run about every 20 minutes so it was all good.

Getting on the ferry was a thrill. Evidently they are very used to accommodating very large loads and RV’s with tow vehicles are nothing to them. However it is a big deal to the driver who has to follow their instructions to the “t” and get properly loaded onto the very small ferry. Craig did a great job and the crossing was flawless except that it was freaking me out that there was water lapping over the front of the ferry the whole time we were on it.

As soon as we got across on the ferry, we realized that the roads on this side of the river are considerably worse than those on the other side. Dirt roads were the new norm. It was raining lightly when we started so that wasn’t too much of a factor but the huge bumps, holes and dips in the pavement were. Craig quickly ascertained that top speed was 30 and on uphills going to be more like 20. Very little traffic however since we left a little later in the morning rather than first thing so that was good.

Everywhere there were spectacular views and terrible roads with nail biting hills and curves. We had thought that we were going to have an easy drive of just around 110 miles but oh my gosh, those miles were very long, slow and hard. It took almost 6 hours to do those miles. And Craig, who never takes a break from driving but always wants to get from here to there in the least possible time, took several breaks during the day to relieve the intensity of being behind the wheel.

When we got to the top of the “Top of the World Hwy”, we stopped, crossed the highway and walked up a hill where there is a large pile of rocks someone placed to mark the spot. It was so cold and windy we could hardly climb to the top and stand there. There wasn’t anyone around to take our picture so we had to take pictures of each other.

Side note to my family: The coat that I am wearing in the picture below  is Auntie Phyllis’ rain coat. She wore it to Alaska on their trips and when she passed away, I got to keep it. I was happy to have it today because it was warm but also because I got to take her with me to the “Top of the World”.

We crossed into the US at a tiny customs building and enjoyed a few miles of beautiful asphalted road on the US side. Unfortunately it didn’t last long and we were soon back on what felt like goat paths skirting hills with sheer drop offs. Seriously. It’s not a joke. There were signs everywhere that said “soft shoulder” and “rough road”. Duh – we were ever so grateful to make it in one piece although the rv and the car were dirtier than all get out!

Loading onto the teeny tiny ferry across the Yukon River.

Everywhere bad highways and beautiful vistas.

Hills and valleys, curves and dips and the long and winding road ahead.

We didn't have a lot of rain but when it did rain, the road became a slick mess.

Looking out over the great beyond. Craig said "it just keeps going and going".

More of the same. The scenery was so spectacular that it really made up for the poor road conditions.

We made it to the summit of the "Top of the Road Highway". It was so cold and windy.

A stop along the way. Even the clouds are beautiful!

Oops - the stair won't go up. Craig tried to work on it mid trip but it wasn't cooperating. Luckily by the end of the day whatever was wrong (he thinks a rock stuck in it) had worked itself out.

Welcome to Chicken, AK. We have never been so glad to get off the road!

This is a gold dredge. It made a lot of people very rich. The man who brought it to this rv park as an attraction is still actively mining on a claim he owns on Chicken Creek. Fascinating story!

We ended the day sooner than we had planned at the closest rv park we could find but it turned out to be a good thing. The first town we came to on the other side of the highway was Chicken, AK. It’s a hoot! The town is full of chicken-themed decorations and gift shops. We had a good evening there including getting a tour of a non-working gold dredge that the owner had moved to this site as a tourist attraction. As you already know, we are easily entertained and this was a fun way to end the day. Life is good!