FAIRBANKS
No breakfast as the buffet starts later due to the weekend. I've arranged for our shuttle to the airport for 7:00 am which is when breakfast starts. Hopefully we'll have time to grab something at the airport. We arrive at the Ted Stevens International Airport around 8:00 am. Check in our bags is quick and easy. Time to stop at
Cinnabon for coffee and something to eat. I get a gooey berry cinnabon and Richard just wants coffee. Didn't make note of the bill but I think it was around $10 more or less. We are TSA prechecked so very easy check in except for when we go through the security line. The lady asks me what do I have in my carry on bag. I say souvenirs. She opens the bag and horrors-I packed the Ulu knife boxes in this bag. Of course it can't go through so I return to the check in counter to check this bag. Shame on me for this colossal goof!! Even with all this we are in time for the 8:45 am boarding. Our flight #2803 on Alaska Airlines leaves at 9:25 am. It will be a short flight-around an hour. We are up enjoying some nice scenery when all of a sudden it's time to prepare for landing.
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Getting our bags ready to be checked
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| Our flight is #2803 |
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Utterly delicious mixed berry cinnabon
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| Inside the airport |
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Boarding
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| Fairbanks Airport |
Fairbanks is known for the aurora/northern lights, gold rush history. It is the gateway to the Arctic. There is a lot to see and do in this city. www.explorefairbanks.com
I have arranged for a
rental car for the day from
Hertz. Cost $50.41. This is the start of our Holland America land/cruise. We will stay at the
WESTMARK FAIRBANKS-cost is unknown as it's part of the HAL bill. Easy to find from the airport. There's a good size parking lot. Upon check in we are directed to go to the travel center that deals with HAL. There's a packet for us but no information on our added
Arctic Circle Overnight Expedition. The girl calls
Northern Alaska Tour Company to find out our pick up time for tomorrow morning. Yikes-it's 4:45 am. Northern Alaska faxes over our information. We leave our bags as we want to get over to Gold Dredge #8 for the 1:45 pm tour. Not hard to find but is is a bit away from town. On the way we see a pull over for the
pipeline. It's got some great examples and information signs. Seeing this is free.
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| Driving from the Fairbanks airport to our hotel |
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| Our hotel where we leave our bags for check in later |
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| Stopping to see and learn about the pipeline |
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| Richard checking out the pipeline |
Fortunately we are in time for the tour.
Gold Dredge No. 8. Admission/cost is $39.95 pp. There is a narrow gauge replica of the Tanana Valley Railroad and we get in one of the front cars. Earl Hughes will provide entertainment/music/song. Our commentator is a gal who has a working claim. She is wearing lots of gold! Along this train ride we pass sites where workers show us how things work, etc. The dredge is quite a sight. Very formidable. We are all directed to an area of benches with a trough of water in the middle. We are each given a sack/poke. We are shown how to pan for gold and there are helpers to assist. If you want an additional poke it's $10. I'm having so much fun. I find gold. Richard finds gold. We're like little kids at Christmas. We each have a tube to put our gold flakes in. We go into the building/store to the weigh station. Richard has found $12 worth of gold and it's $6 for me. I decide to buy a locket to put our combined flakes in. This locket is 14k gold and costs $79.99 I also buy a silver/gold one for my step daughter for $69.99 Richard says this is where they make money. There are so many neat things to get to commemorate this experience. If I had more room I'd buy a paperweight but I refrain.
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| Earl Hughes provides the music |
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| We have seats in the 2nd car |
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Our commentator
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| One of the many demonstration sites along the way |
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| Our commentator demonstrates how this works as the train is stopped |
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| Gold Dredge #8 |
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| Explaining how the dredge works |
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Handing out the pokes
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| Panning for gold |
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| Richard is working hard |
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| I'm having so much fun! |
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I found gold!!
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| Going to get our gold weighed and assessed |
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| This is the container that holds my gold |
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| This is the 14k gold locket I bought to hold our $18 of gold that we panned |
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| Other buildings |
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| Old fashioned cash register |
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There are displays of things used in the past and on the history of the gold rush in Alaska
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Lots of cool items for sale
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| I love these paper weights! |
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| It seemed like a lot of folks were buying items to put their found gold in like the lockets and/or earrings |
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| Entertainment back too |
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| Back where we started |
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| Empty train passenger cars |
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| There's a talk about the pipeline at the end of our tour |
I really want to visit the
Museum of the North. It is part of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Not as easy to find as the gold dredge tour but we get there. Admission $17 pp which includes the 3 movies. The first film is at 5:00pm Dinosaurs. The 2nd is Dynamic Aurora at 6:00 pm. There is no showing of the 3rd film-Arctic Currents. Last showing was 4:00 pm. Each film/movie is 30 minutes long. The Dinosaur film was interesting and something I wasn't aware of-dinosaurs in Alaska's past. In between films I browse through the gift store area. I find a jacket that I love so I ask the girl to hold it for me. We watch the movie I came to see-about the Aurora. It is just like I expected. I wish I could see this display of the northern lights but it appears we are too early time wise to see them. Then we decide to spend time at the exhibits. This museum is much more than I thought it would be. It was fantastic. Wish I had more time here to really thoroughly read about all the displays. We drive back to our hotel and officially check in.
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| Museum of the North |
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Blue Babe
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Our room at the
WESTMARK FAIRBANKS is very nice. 2 double beds, mini kitchen with sink/microwave/mini fridge, coffee maker, table with 2 chairs. A large chair and a desk with a chair. 2 TVs. Dresser. Bathroom with tub, toiletries, and hair dryer. Not bad at all. Not fancy but clean and fine for us. Before heading out for
dinner I make arrangements with the front desk to leave all our luggage when we leave tomorrow for our
overnight Arctic Circle trip. We will return to this hotel on 8/11 for 1 more night.
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| Hotel entrance |
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| 2nd TV |
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| Kitchen area |
A drive all the way back to the area of the Gold Dredge #8. We are headed to
SILVER GULCH BREWING & BOTTLING COMPANY, America's most northern brewery. Nothing fancy. A big gray building. A neat store selling T shirts, caps, etc. I'll check it out later. I want to get a T shirt for my son-in-law who loves beer. Seated at a nice booth. We oder 2 pub salads, a bowl of beer/cheese soup, a bowl of beans/steak/and stout, a coffee, and a Coldfoot pilsner. Bill $34 with tip. The meal was a delight. Just perfect. On to the store. I find the perfect T shirt for Bill. A combo magnet/bottle opener. I'm almost done buying souvenirs for family and friends!!
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| Our car rental for the day-white Chevy Spark |
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