Day 27: Fairbanks, Alaska

FIRST  FULL  DAY  IN  FAIRBANKS

First we bussed to fictional town that was to resemble a town around the late 1890’s and the time of the gold rush.  The façade looked real enough, but the inside was an array of interesting items presented for the tourists and visitors.  Also inside was a cafeteria which we would visit as a group for lunch.

Fairbanks Alaska Discovery Town

Then, we boarded the paddle wheeler DISCOVERY III.   Off we set to view the Chena River, one of the many rivers that crisscross this area and served as the principal transportation modes back then.  This was actually built for this area and is an actual paddle wheeler (no propeller), with a flat bottom and a draft of only 39 inches when fully loaded.

Discovery III

Down river, we went past the home of Susan Butcher, an internationally known sled dog musher and multiple winner of the Iditarod.  Susan passed away in 2006 but her family still resides in the house and raises sled dogs.  A new litter of puppies were playing on the lawn. 

As we proceeded down the Chena, we passed a village which represented that which original inhabitants would have lived in when they came to the river’s edge to reap a harvest of salmon. 

Chena Village

Every member of the tribe had a job to do.  While some caught the fish, others cleaned the catch while some prepared the fish for drying.  Then the fish would be smoked in primitive huts to preserve them as this provided some of the food for the remainder of the year.  In addition to the meat, other parts which would normally be thrown out, would be used to make fish stew and fish head soup.

After we got back to the dock, it was lunch time and then off to Dredge #8.  This was a demonstration of how gold was commercially mined and prepared for sale.  We also learned how individuals panned for gold hoping to find their fortune and come out of the Alaska Wild with enough wealth to sustain them in a lifestyle that the miners could only dream of.  Unfortunately, few achieved that goal.

Our group was probably more successful.  Each person was given a sack of dirt, sand and stone.  After the pain staking process of separating the debris from the gold flakes, some of our group struck it rich coming away with as much as $31.00 in gold.  It may not have paid for the trip but it provided a lot of fun.

Panning for Gold

Next, it was off to a section of the Alaska pipeline.  At its peak, it carried 1.2 million gallons of crude per day from the oil fields in Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez.  Today, it’s carrying about half that amount.  We learned how much of the pipeline is above ground to protect the permafrost while the remainder is buried beneath of ground. 

Alaska Pipeline

Collecting our riches - - - and the prizes that were purchased in the general store - - - we boarded the bus for the trip back to the campground and the end of another great day.

 Submitted by: Rig # 6

Chris, Daune & Sebastian