Saturday, September 12
We went to bed last night hoping the skies would stay clear and we would see the Northern Lights. We checked about 1:30am and we could see stars but no Aurora activity. Around 4am when we next checked it looked cloudy so we went back to sleep. At 7:30 when we woke up and opened the curtains it was snowing!
The beautiful ash berry tree near our room that was stunning in the previous days sunshine still looked great with a carpet of snow forming around it.
What a difference a day makes, but it added to our Alaskan experience as the wet snow turned drier and started to stay on the ground and blanket everything in white. The maximum temperature in Denali was only forecast to be 39F or 3C, but at least in Fairbanks where we were headed it was forecast to be 49F or 8C. In the higher parts of the journey the snow was getting heavier and making a lovely winter scene as we drove along the Parkes Highway.
The snow stopped as we descended into a valley and finally stopped as we pulled into Nenana, famous for the "ice drop" lottery as well as a check point for the Iditarod sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. The autumn colours looked fantastic, but even after a few days in central Alaska we can see that the leaves are fast disappearing from the trees.
It was then back into the snow as we climbed again, and then as we headed down into Fairbanks the rain had stopped and the sky looked brighter. We were taken direct to the Chena River where we enjoyed a good home style buffet lunch before boarding a riverboat for a tour along the River. As well as the ubiquitous gift shops and dining options, the building contained a "fridge" where happy tourists stepped into the minus 60 degrees temperature to experience what the depth of an Alaskan winter feels like - believe me the cold went straight through our clothes as we didn't realize we'd be doing anything as dumb as this. Luckily we were only in there long enough to get our picture taken and then pay for the photo to prove we did it!!
There were also some interesting displays, one being of 2 bull moose who locked horns and couldn't separate, so they were stuck together when the ice melted and fell into the River where they were preserved for the taxidermist to do his thing! The other was a memorial to Susan Butcher who won the Iditarod race 4 times, but died of cancer in 2006 - this was one of her race sleds.
We finally boarded our riverboat, the Discovery 3, and after leaving the dock were given a display of float plane flying by a local pilot who took off and landed right beside us. Next up was a "floating stop" beside the kennels kept by Susan Butcher's husband who was miked up so the guide on the boat could talk to him, ask questions, and we could all hear his commentary. It was fascinating to hear how they train the dogs for a big sled race and see an example of 10 of them pulling a converted ATV around his property at 20mph!
We journeyed further down the Chena River until we came to the junction with the Tanana River, and the autumn colours were again magnificent as the sun tried to break through.
As we turned around and headed back we made another stop at the Athabascan Indian Village simulation, where young Athabascan girls guided us around different aspects of village life, with a talk about their culture, their accommodations at the camp or out hunting, pelts of the animals they trapped, how they caught and smoked fish, the animals they hunted and the clothes they made - nothing went to waste! It was very interesting and really well done.
The fish trap and fish camp
Their huts and animal pelts
Some of their clothes
At the toot of the riverboat's whistle we re-boarded for the last leg back to the dock, and were happy to warm up again after spending an hour in the cold air, but it was well worth it. The next treat were samples of a delicious smoked salmon spread, as well as free coffee and donuts during the journey. From the dock we were driven to our hotel where we enjoyed some drinks before a light dinner and then an early night in anticipation of seeing the Northern Lights tonight!!
The Discovery 3, and blue sky to boot
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment