Fairbanks, Alaska

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In the morning it was off to a working gold mine, the El Dorado for a tour and some more gold panning. Everyone was guaranteed to find gold (if you didn’t find at least 8 flakes they gave you some). Tony found the most in his pay dirt but I only found a small amount. We combined our huge find and took it to the weigh station for valuation. Our combined gold totalled $17.50 - WOW that should help with the retirement funds....hehehe. I gathered the flakes and had them mounted inside a gold locket on sale for $59 – I’m sure they make a lot more money from this than from any gold they find at this mine. There was a gold nugget on display (I forget what it weighed) that was valued at $60,000 and I got to play touchy-feely with it. It felt like any other old lump of metal – still kinda nice to have in ones hands, even for a brief moment.

Lunch was at Gold Dredge Number 8 – an old barge that dredged the river in the 50’s grabbing up all the gold tailings that had washed to the bottom of the river. We had miner’s stew (yuk) with biscuits (scones) and iced tea (unsweetened) served in a jar with a handle. This meal was filling but rather bland and not very nice but one had to experience it and get a taste of what the miners used to eat every single day during the gold strike years.

In the afternoon we went on a sternwheeler cruise up and down the river. Before the boat left I visited the gift shop and got a chance to meet (insert name here) who was champion 3 years in a row of the Iditarod 1000 mile dog sled race. I got to pet his lead sled dog as well as cuddle one of his young sled dog puppies. I had my photo taken with him and his dogs and get his autograph – a nice souvenir of Alaska.

Our riverboat the Discovery III. It cruised up river where we saw some luxury houses along the riverbank – amazing how anyone would choose to live here, especially since the weather here in winter can get down to -50 Fahrenheit and is pitch black throughout winter. Then again, they do get to look at Aurora Borealis all the time. We stopped at a native fish camp where young Athabascan natives gave informative talks on their culture and life in the village. There were also demonstrations of salmon catching and smoking of the fish to use as dog food. On the way back down river we stopped at the home of the late Susan <insert name here> first female winner of the Iditarod who then went on to win it another 3 times. Her husband and children still breed racing sled dogs and gave a demonstration of the fast racing dogs pulling an ATV (all terrain vehicle).
End of another great day in Alaska. Next stop Beaver Creek.

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