Alaska Adventure

I have been driving for a couple of weeks now and I want to tell you an interesting story from that time. I was taking a bus full of tourists to Denali. We always take a break somewhere about half way there. This trip we were scheduled to stop at Tatlanika. I had been there once but not when driving, so I was stressed about missing it. When I saw the sign announcing the trading post, I turned into a driveway. As I turned a corner on the dirt rode, the back wheels off-tracked into a ditch and the bus leaned about 15 degrees to the side. That freaked us all out. I gradually pulled out to level ground but realized we were not at the right place. Instead we were at two story cabin that looked like it could use some repare. The only way I could see to get out, other than backing through the ditch, was to pull up next to the house and then use the yard to do a 90 degree back/ turn manuver. As I pulled up quite close to the house, a bearded man pulling on his suspenders appea...

My next shadowing was the combo Riverboat/Gold Dredge 8 tour. The sternwheel Riverboat Discovery III will hold 900 people. The tour included watching a seaplane take off and land, a demonstration from the kernel of the late Susan Butcher a four time Iditarod winner. and a visit to the replica of a native Athabascan village.            Salmon Smoking Bear, moose, and caribou hides The highlight of the gold dredge tour is panning for gold      The dredge

I went with a bunch of new drivers shadowing a driver taking tourists to Denali. I learned a great deal on the trip and saw some beautiful scenery.    I learned about Minto Flats with its trumpeter swans, geese, trophy pike, moose, and other wildlife including 150000 new hatchlings ducks each year. This is actually the Tanana Valley I learned about Ferry, Alaska where the residents moon the passenger train each 4th of July. The small town of Nenana also has a great history. It is where the two halves of the Alaskan Railroad met and President Harding came to drive the Golden spike. The rail bridge there is a marvel and the annual Nenana Ice Classic, where people bet on when the ice will break up, is still going strong. I hear April 31 is a popular bet. I learned about the coal mine near Healy with enough coal to run the whole US for 100 years. We passed where the young man from "Into the Wild" started his fateful journey. The skies were clear, the scene...

Our last day in the hotel was April 30th.  I am going to miss the free breakfast and maid service. Oh well a new adventure begins. Here is my new home. Tanana Valley Camp Grounds. Laura and I are going to be the camp hosts, so we get free services including hook ups for electricity, water, and sewer. The little building in the background is the camp office. The door is so short it must be for Hobbits. The bathrooms, showers, and laundry are right behind us. At work we are learning the routes around Fairbanks. Sunday we are going to Denali, so that should be fun. Hopefully I can get good pictures.