Blogs from Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, North America - page 2

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North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks June 11th 2017

We assembled for breakfast, and already Mike was chowing down on his hot breakfast with eggs, sausage and hashed browns. We opted for the cold breakfast option (at a discounted price). We both had some cereal and some toast and I supplemented that with a Pepsi. Mike passed out the evaluation forms and envelope for us to rate him as a guide. He’d been kidding us during the trip that we could let him fill these out for him. Sharon scowled at me when I didn’t pick up on the fact that you were supposed to put both the evaluation form and the tip in the envelope. I finally picked up on what she was meaning; but, Mike had already stowed the envelopes. Sharon kept shooting me those, “Give it to him NOW” looks; but, I ... read more
Room in Deadhorse Camp
Room in Deadhorse Camp
Hallway in Deadhorse Camp

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks June 8th 2017

After a night of little rest and even less sleep I awoke with Sharon declaring “Eureka”! I thought that she’d discovered the motherload in Fairbanks; but, perhaps just as good, she’d found the Pike’s Waterfront Lodge and they had a room for us tonight. Our tour at Gold Dredge Number 8 had been moved back to 10:30AM so we were in no rush this morning; still, we wasted no time going out to breakfast. We used GoogleMaps to find the nearest Denny’s, and as it turned out, it was just around the corner where we discovered that this was the northernmost Denny’s. It was not particularly busy on this Thursday morning, and we had a seat by the window. I chose my normal eggs over medium breakfast; but, with jalapeno bacon breakfast, and it did have ... read more
John in front of the pipeline
Earl the Singing Conductor on the Gold Dredge Train
Example of mining on the side of the train

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks June 7th 2017

We had signed up for a private 4-Seasons van ride from Alyeska to Anchorage to catch the train to Fairbanks on the elevated dome car for scenic viewing and with meals included (breakfast, lunch and dinner to Fairbanks). 4-Seasons was the company that we had tried to contact to take us out to Alyeska; but, that driver never showed up. We were hoping that this driver would show up; and, that nothing would be held against us for giving up on that other driver. This driver was early and so we avoided the many anxieties one might otherwise happen when you get bogged down thinking “what if we miss the train”. The driver noted that it was high tide and we kept our eyes peeled in the event that we might sight a beluga whale; but, ... read more
View of Denali from the Train
View of Denali from the Train
Swans

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks June 5th 2017

A note on eating out!! I suspect we're tiring of Alaskan grub - last night we enjoyed a lovely Serbian meal (deep fried crepe for me) and tonight we were again lucky with a local Thai restaurant (green Thai curry pour moi). Another note: some Aussies we've met are doing an interesting trip tomorrow. They're flying up to the top of the "Ice Road Truckers" road and then driving back to here where it ends!! Sunday The day started with coffee and cake at our favourite coffee house in Denali!! After a last look at the scenery we jumped on our coach for the journey to Fairbanks. Weather was again tres bon, although we soon lost the stunning scenery of late and there were​ no cries of spotted wildlife. We've been upgraded to a suite at ... read more
IMG_20170605_003200

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks April 12th 2017

Just a short flight up from Anchorage lies the mysterious city of Fairbanks. This city is known as the gateway to the Aurora, and to Denali. At 64 degrees north latitude, it is known for sunsets and sunrises that last forever. Yet, for only about 35,000 residents, it garners more than its fair share of publicity. And it is less than 120 miles to the Arctic Circle. Why am I here? To see the famous Northern Lights. the Aurora Borealis, of course. The city is relatively new, having been founded in 1901 by Captain E.T. Barnette, while he was headed to Tanacross. He set up a trading post after meeting up with some gold prospectors. But the new settlement was named after a Republican senator from Indiana, Charles W. Fairbanks, later the 26th Vice-President on the ... read more
Downtown Fairbanks
Alaskan Highway

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks April 12th 2017

Auroras are natural light displays in the sky, usually seen at night, and particular to the polar regions. They occur in the ionosphere, and are called polar auroras. They are most commonly visible between 65 and 72 degrees north and south latitudes, which would place it in a ring just inside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. In the north, it is known as the Aurora Borealis, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, so named by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. The Aurora Borealis is also known as the northern lights, and is visible in the sky only from the Northern Hemisphere. The southern counterpart, the aurora australis, is visible only from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, and Australia. And Auroras can be observed from ... read more
Not far from the Yukon River
Galena

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks March 5th 2017

Seeing the Northern Lights has been our bucket list for a long time. So, I blame it on WOW airlines, as they kept sending us their $99 o/w fares to Iceland. Course that was from Boston and they failed to mention the $50 each way charge for any carry on item. So, 2 weeks ago with some random google searches, I learned Fairbanks was actually a much better chance to see them. And then Delta had some miles specials allowing us to travel for only 19k miles. Considering that just recently we had to pay 30k miles for our return from Orlando, that was a great deal. Of course, not the best connections as both flights were red eyes, but for a chance to see the Northern Lights, we'd do it. The Univ of Alaska has ... read more
So beautiful in its pristineness
Getting your mail must be a bit difficult!
chena hot springs

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks August 7th 2016

Alaska by Land for 7 Days DAY 6: Saturday - Denali/Fairbanks At 8.00am we departed Denali for Fairbanks driving 120 miles north. Along the way we stopped at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline. As there are earthquakes known in the area, the engineers designed a snake-like designed pipeline and rubber cushioning for the pipeline. The pipeline is 1200 km long, from north to southern Alaska. Alaskans gain individually from the oil which is drilled from their northern waters, receiving annual dividends from the profits from their oil industry. With the drop in oil prices, they are projecting their usual $2K+ may be greatly reduced. We arrived in Fairbanks, where we had a light lunch before going for a walk along the river which flowed through the middle of the town. The river was almost at flood level ... read more
Chena River cruise Fairbanks - check out the story how these 2 died (1)
Chena River cruise Fairbanks - check out the story how these 2 died (4)
Chena River cruise Fairbanks - the village (62)

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks August 4th 2016

3 Aug 2016: it rained all day on our short drive to Fairbanks. We stopped at North Pole to look at the building behind the large representation of Santa Claus. It was a store with all manner of decoration, swears hurts and Christmas paraphenalia. I I viewed it as a delay in getting to our destination but I did buy some fudge. We passed Ft Eielson (an AF bae) and entered Fairbanks, home to Ft Wainright (an Army base). After a little difficulty locating the River's Edge RV Park, we registered and settled in.The park is situated on the banks of the Chena River. It offers three levels of facilities so you may choose the amenities you need/prefer. It is an excellent place to stay while in the city. The best part is we are here ... read more
Russian Blockhouse
At the Park
Presidential Car

North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks July 24th 2016

Sorry, I know it’s been a while but we actually took some time off while we were in Fairbanks. Kind of a vacation away from our vacation. I got off the computer, did a little fishing, read a book, watched some TV (we had cable!!) and relaxed at the wonderful River’s Edge RV Resort. That’s not to say that we didn’t do everything in Fairbanks that we had planned but we ended up there for an extra four days because the Birch Lake Fam Camp, a military campground and our next stop, was closed due to personnel cutbacks. It all worked out though. Our first day in Fairbanks was Wayne and Ronda’s last day in Alaska and we joined them on the Riverboat Discovery Cruise on the Chena River. This cruise was a very well done ... read more
Old Bull vs Young Bull
Ronda has her eye on this jacket
Float Plane takes off next to tour boat




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