Another clear, sunny day with
forecasted high in the 80’s in Fairbanks, and plenty warm at the Denali Lodge
already. With the early bag pickup, we
figured we’d get a good breakfast and then just repair to the main lodge until
bus time. Good plan, as service at the
main restaurant was … well, just about absent.
When the table team was in sight they were friendly but mostly they were
gone. Very odd, we were glad we weren’t
on a tight timeline. We did have time to
notice that the railroad we’d taken up to Talkeetna was running across the
bluffs on the far side of the river. Eggs,
bacon & reindeer sausage with a nice buttermilk biscuit – pretty good eats,
once we got them. And we were privy to
the fact that a bear had been roaming the grounds very early, as the restaurant
staff starts things up at 5A and saw him moving from building to building,
including the music hall where we’d dined our first night here. Glad WE didn’t run into him!
One reason we tried to build in time
was to try to print boarding passes, and we feared a big wait for the local PC’s. As it happened, we found one available
immediately BUT … you had to answer a lengthy questionnaire before you could go
about your business. Bad day to ask (see
above) but I got it done and ultimately got my boarding passes – pleasant surprise,
printed on one piece of paper! I also
paid my bag fee, and though we were beginning to close in on bus-departure-time,
managed to get Angie done as well.
Printed out her receipt and gave thanks that at least THIS time one of
the airline confirmation codes was actually recognized.
Up to the main level, where there was
an impressive variety and quantity of seating in a pleasant, open
environment. As we moved outside to
enjoy the air, a lady came up to me and told me that I had given her COURAGE –
she had brought mostly sandals but it had been cooler, and she wanted to wear
socks. Her husband had told her that was
strictly forbidden … but I had on (beautifuly hand-knit) socks, so she knew it
had to be OK. Well … happy to help!
The bus was right on time, though there
was a bit of a delay … we were to be entirely full, including 5-across on the
wide rearmost seat. But the poor gentleman
who went back there came forward again, reporting that a lady had told he she’d
“be squished if he sat there.” Off he
and his wife go, hurried consultation between the driver, the dispatcher, and
then up to THREE additional Princess folks.
Somehow they whistled up a pair of seats on the coach ahead of us (did
you know that a coach has a loo, where a mere bus does not?) and off we went.
There were no advertised stops between
Denali Lodge and Fairbanks, but a few occurred anyway. We noticed that gas stations were few and far
between (just one between the two towns!), and passed a number of local sights
(Skinny Dick’s Halfway Inn, anyone?).
There was a rest stop in a hamlet that seemed to exist entirely on the
sales of sodas and candy, as the handcrafts that were offered were at
stratospheric prices. Onward to a major
overlook with a panoramic view of the valley below (where Fairbanks is) as well
as the snowy ranges in the distance, including a final glimpse at Ms. Denali
herself.
As we approached Fairbanks, we passed
the local U of A which is the only university to operate a rocket-launch
pad. Who knew? We were reminded that one in 60 Alaskans is a
licensed pilot, an important skill in a primarily-roadless environment.
We were a little startled to learn that
we’d be delivered directly to the “riverboat tour.” We certainly had intended to take it, as it’s
included in the tour bundle, but this seemed a little pushy (or we’re getting
tired). Rather than indulge in “miner’s
stew” we sampled some mighty good ice cream, and perused the gift shop. Happily we were pretty well shopped out
already.
Soon we were in queue to board the
boat. While it was a very warm day, we
didn’t want to sit in the sun so we took front-row seats on the lower,
glass-enclosed level. It was really
quite fun as the helm was several levels up so we enjoyed an unobstructed view.
The boat was a true paddle-wheeler, and
had been built-to-order by a gentleman whose 4th and 5th
generation descendants were now running the business. Originally he had run freight up and down the
river before the railroad and some limited trucking improved that delivery
system. Fairbanks is home to some
serious dog-mushers, and in fact this year’s Iditarod started there due to lack
of snow further south. We were treated
to a presentation by a woman who breeds and runs the dogs and who’s finished
that big race; she carries the mantle of Susan Butcher, who won the race three
consecutive times and established a new school of thought on training &
handling the dogs. (Sadly, Susan passed
away several years ago.) It was
interesting – and encouraging – to hear how the dogs are socialized, picked for
specific spots on the team, and exercised to keep their “born to run” instincts
sharp and happy.
Off we went downstream, where we saw
the confluence of this meltwater-nourished river with a glacier-fed and silty
river. Turning around, we stopped at a
reconstructed Athabascan village, with native interpreters to acquaint us with
Native living both before and after contact with European explorers. As with the young lady at Denali National
Park and Preserve, these are high school kids who were very professional in
their presentations to our large group.
There was some free time, so we went
off to see the dogs and their handler up a little closer. The first thing was the lady looked sharp at
Angie’s t-shirt (a UWM logo) and asked if she was from Milwaukee. “Yes..”
“WHERE in Milwaukee, I’m from Whitefish Bay!” Well, go figure – the Bay is the very next
suburb north of Shorewood, where I lived until recently and Angie still
does. Small world!
Much too soon, the boat’s whistle told
us it was time to re-board. The dog
handler was power-boating back upstream and well-tested to outrun her charges,
who were chasing up the riverbank at top speed.
We were treated to a salmon-and-creamcheese spread which was truly
delicious … but we weren’t prepared to meet the price to bring the salmon home
to you. Sorry!
Back on the bus, we were missing two
persons who some folks could identify by name.
Turns out they’d succumbed to the blandishments of the ice-cream stand;
they received a hearty round of applause when they boarded quickly. The airport time-and-temperature sign showed
89* … a few minutes earlier the driver had seen it saying 91*. The heat is due in part to Fairbanks being a
mere 460 feet above sea level, nestled as it is in this broad valley.
Again we were pre-checked into the
hotel, and found our room without incident.
We were DELIGHTED to discover that we could check our large suitcases
this evening and not have to wrestle them in the morning. It took some doing to untangle the fact that
we had already paid the fee (the fact that I had printed Angie’s receipt led to
the solution, and my defensive double-payment -- the first person didn't know how to find proof of payment without a receipt -- was refunded thank goodness!). We need to be on the 4:30A shuttle to the
airport; though it’s a short trip there, we don’t want to get entangled and be
late for the plane.
Tomorrow you may receive a coda … I
have a scary-long list of little things I’ve not worked into these notes as
yet. But know we have had the time of
our lives; despite that, we’re looking forward to being back in accustomed
domestic surroundings. We’ll talk with
you soon!
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