Our Road Trip to Fairbanks

Last Monday the 12th., Tamiko invited me to go with her and two friends to Fairbanks which is about 130 miles north of here. Katie works in the retail supply storeroom and her supervisor lent her the use of her SUV for the trip. Now that's what I call a nice supervisor! Katie works at the bigger lodge, The Chalet which is eight miles up the road and two miles North of the Denali Park Road. The Chalet is located at the business center of the area we unofficially call "Glitter Gulch". Aptly named because it is home to sever large resorts, restaurants, gift shops, and most if not all of the local tour excursions. 

Also along was Arline who is my suite mate, which means we share a shower and toilet between our two rooms. I recently moved from having a roommate and sharing the bathroom with two other guys on the other side. Just moved over to my new private digs with a desk no less about a week ago. The first thing I told Arline is that we would get along fine just as long as she didn't pee on the floor, to which she quickly replied that she had some bathroom issues but that she didn't think that was one of them. Arline works at making us breakfast and sometimes eggs to order in the morning in the Employee Dinning Room, commonly referred to as the EDR.

So the stage is set, me and three wild and crazy women, well two anyway, Tamiko said it was two girls not three. So, my excuse is that I'm not to blame for any of the wild and crazy sh@t that happened, "I was just along for the ride".

Add about an hour to the trip due to road construction.  

 

It's been such a rare, dry and warm season here which has resulted in lots of fires in the north. There's a lot of smoke around Fairbanks and sometimes it blows down to us obscuring the views in Denali.

While Katie and Arline went to see the new release of "Percy Jackson and the Sea Monsters", Tamiko and I went downtown to visit the Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center then had lunch at a thai restaurant. 

 

Look at all the pollen on the leaf. 

 

 

 Give credit where credit is due. Way to go Jimmy!

The Alaska-Siberia Airway -- 1942-1945

This monuent commemorates the flights of American planes from the continental United States via Alaska to Siberia, as authorized by the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, an act to promote the defense of the United States.  Between 1942 and 1945, pilots flew the Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease Airway to deliver nearly 8,000 warplanes half way around the world, traversing more than than 12 time zones from Great Falls, Montana to the Russian warfronts.  Much of the route lay over remote and roadless wilderness where pilots made their way in stages from the safety of one hastily built airfield to the next.

Very interesting, I never knew that but the funniest thing happened when the tour group was about to leave we were sanding with viewing the monument with, when I noticed some thing strange. If you look at the pilots hand you can see that some one put a cell phone in it. Too funny!

For my friends Melody and David back home, a tribute to the Rotary Club of Fairbanks. 

 The Alaska  Pipe Line. Tamiko really wanted to see it. I on the other hand agree with Paula who saw it about a week ago said, "What an I say, it's a big pipe".

Typical of most all the cars around here, they have engine heaters for the winter cold. 

One of the road side stores along the highway.

So your thinking, hay Dan where's all the wild and crazy sh@t you told us about? The girls had to stop to get a picture in front of this place called "Skinny Dick's Half Way Inn". 

This is the inside of the front door. Perhaps a hint of the inside is like. Could this be a theme? 

This little pug was camped outside the front door I was told he came with the establishment when the original owner sold it ten years ago. 

A pretty old guy, check out his nail. 

 

Didn't get the shirt but the waitress showed us the hidden message. 

 

There was only three people in the bar that afternoon but they were having a good time like it was 1999.This guy, with his girlfriend tried out the fake boobs.  

And this is only Monday afternoon, can you imaging what this place is like on a Friday or Saturday night!

Some of the poster around the bar, but only the ones I can share.

That's what she said. 

Now that's a squirrel with nuts. 

  

And then there was the drunk guy who met us as we walked up and offered to help take our picture in front of the place. Poor guy almost fell down the hill in the process, but what a happy friendly guy he was. So long Skinny Dick's. 

The long slow Alaskan sunset. Taken at 7:00 PM

What can ya say, at least they're honest about it.

 The Nenana train station and museum.

This plaque reads, 

"First Presidential Visit

President Warren G. Harding First

US President To Visit Alaska

Traveled Here to Pound the First Golden

Spike Signaling the Completion of the

Alaskan Railroad from Tidewater to

the Interior on July 15th. 1923."

This beautiful old log cabin church near by in Nenana.

The community center and meeting hall of the native tribe. 

Squeezing every last bit out of the day possible our last stop was at a little bar restaurant called "Blue Sky". The kitchen was against the wall opposite the bar, they served us one of the best rib eye steaks I've ever had. This iguana was there pet.  

A neat beer poster. 

 

We got back to the lodge about 11:00, enough time to unload the car of all the stuff we bought and go to bed. For me it was, beer, wine, trail snacks, ibuprofen, a bowel to use for gold panning, and of course a popcorn maker.