6-30-2013 Fairbanks Paddleboat Ride

Today was a little laid back. We have reservations for the Paddleboat Discovery excursion at 2:30, so we had some time to work on the blog and try to get caught up. It’s a little more challenging than one might think.  It’s taking the time to remember all the things you did yesterday. Our days have been pretty busy, so by the time we get to the motorhome have a few toddies and fix dinner, we are exhausted. You get up early in the morning to start the process all over again.

As we write this we are still a couple of days behind.  So hopefully we will be current soon.  We have received many favorable comments regarding the blog and we sincerely appreciate that.  It really drives us to put a lot of effort behind what we write and the pictures we select. There are many pictures that have not made it into the blog and we haven’t even gotten to the videos.  We have really enjoyed doing the blog and hope you enjoy reading it.  Sharon has always wanted to do a daily journal so this may be the closest we get.

Enough of the mushy stuff and back to the Paddleboat.  This excursion takes you up the Chena River and you get to hear about the history of the area and the Athabascan Indians. There are many beautiful homes along the river side.

This is an older one.  They told us we could tell because the poles out the front are very long for hanging the moose, caribou, bears or whatever their kill during the hunt had been. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the paddleboat up river until it intersected with the Tanana. The Tanana River is a glacial river.  When the two rivers meet you can clearly see the difference in the color of the water.  The glacial river is a very distinct whitest/gray color.  This is due to all of the finely ground up rock and minerals, called the glacial flour, that are deposited from the glacier. The Chena River is dark brownish color.   When they come together is looks like water and oil mixing. It is fascinating to see.

This is also a recreation area for the folks of the Fairbanks, with many boats, jet skies and airplanes, yes airplanes. The bush planes are a very integral part of life in Alaska. There are so many areas that the only way to get there is by plane.  During the trip up river we watched a bush pilot take off and land on the river.  It was exhilarating to watch.  Being an old pilot myself, I thought that it would be fun to give it a try. But then again, I enjoy life and it would most likely be a disaster in the making if I got behind the controls.

We also stopped at a sled dog training facility and got to watch how they train the sled dogs. Some of these dogs are in training for the Iditarod.  The facility was once run by Susan Butcher. Some of you might remember that she was the first women to win the Iditarod.  She not only was the first women to win, but she won it 4 times.  Unfortunately her life was shortened by leukemia.  She was a hero from Fairbanks.  Everyone loved Susan and she gave the city of Fairbanks a great since of pride. We also heard the story of her famous dog named Granite. Not many people gave Granite much of a chance on being a good sled dog, but she took Granite and trained him to be world class.  She won three Iditarod races in a row with Granite as the lead dog, a feat that’s not been repeated in the history of the Iditarod.

Our last stop on the riverboat ride (someone should write a song Rollin’ on the River) was at the Athabascan Indian village. We disembarked from the boat and went to several demonstrations, where they show how life was for the Athabascan people.  It was very interesting and informative.  Those of you who know Bob and how well he likes sitting and watching scripted demonstrations, know if he says it’s interesting that it was.

   

This is a typical fish camp along the river.  First they dry the fish and then smoke it.  Each of their dogs eats a fish a day, much less all the members of the tribe, so it takes a lot of fish to last them through the winter.

This winter coat took six months working 5 to 6 hours a day to make.

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a local pub, Pikes, on the way back to the motorhome and enjoyed a few beers.

When we arrived back at the motorhome we were sitting outside and this gentleman comes by and strikes up a conversation with us, which happens a lot in RV parks.  He noticed that we were from Texas and that always stirs up the crowd.  There are tee shirts up here that show Texas inside the state of Alaska with the caption “Ain’t Texas Cute”.  He had also lived in Texas so we had a pleasant conversation.  He came up to file some gold claims in the local area.  It was very interesting listening to his story and we enjoyed visiting with him.  Bob was ready to join his outfit!