Fairbanks, Alaska

July 12. We waved goodbye to Denali and drove north to Fairbanks. We boondocked at the June Creek turnout at mm 269, a large turn-off. I walked the very narrow road down to the creek and (to my surprise), found a couple RV's tucked among the trees. There was a spot for our Roadtrek beside flowing creek but the mosquitoes were thick so we passed on the great spot. 

A, RV pulled in around 9 PM so we would have neighbors for the night. In the morning, we met the couple and learned they were from Belgium and full-timed for the past seven years. Jos was paralyzed and wheel chair bound so he designed and built their RV. Typical of many Europeon vehicles, it was built on a Mercedes diesel powered chassis. We got a tour. It was pretty basic but equipped with hand controls so Jos could drive and designed to handle his life style.

They told us about their son in law who was running from the northern most point in Alaska to the southern most point in South America to build awareness of those who cannot walk. With another runner, they are basically, running a marathon distance each day. They were currently somewhere along the Alaskan Highway in the Yukon Territory. 

We talked to a women who worked at Denali NP and was biking during her two days off. She camped in the bush overnight and shared her fear of maybe being seen as "bait" by a bear that might be along side the road. We filled her water bottles from our fresh water tanks and wished her well.

A fellow pulled into the rest area to use the rest room. He was pulling a trailer with an airplane and told me an oil line had broken during a flight. Fortunately, the pilot was able to make a safe landing. As they say, any landing that you can walk away from is a good one.

We made it to Fairbanks and as we did in Anchorage, stopped by the ice rink where our Bowling Green Falcons play the U of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks. As we walked in, we met a man who turned out the be the rink manager. We told him we were from BG and just wanted to take a peek at the rink. We shared a few hockey stories and he invited me to go on the ice so I walked to center ice for a view and take a couple photos. We also met Justin Woods, a defenseman for the Nanooks who was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer a couple years ago. After his treatments, Justin has been declared cancer free and was skating to prepare for the 2016/17 season. We hope to say hi to Justin when the Nanooks travel to BG in December.

Just down the road, we visited the Museum of the north. The museum is full of exhibits that tell the story of the forming of Alaska from the Bering Sea land bridge to the present day. We spent about three hours viewing the exhibits.

Tools of the early Alaskan people

Seal skin garments

We also visited Pioneer Park – a place with some historical exhibits but also a place with many shops.  Temperatures were in the mid 80's so the only purchase we made as an ice cream cone.

  

Main street has many art galleries and jewelry stores. Fortunately, there is a husband waiting area.

The President Harding car was a highlight. This was his car while traveling to a ceremony where he drove a golden spike the Alaskan Railroad. 

Open area for press conferences and group dinners.

The personal area included a fold down bed and a hidden sink.

 

And a toilet. Lift the cover to discover...well, use your imagination to figure out where the waste went!

It was a hot day (86 F) and we were pooped so we decided to search for our a place to spend the night. We checked the Fred Meyers store. The lot was packed so we drove over the Walmart. There were 30 or 40 RV's in the lot but we found a spot and settled in. 

With all the time we spent in the Fairbanks area, we boondocks at Walmart three nights. We repaid their generosity by restocking the cupboards and refrigerator. It was time for an oil change so the auto department was able to help us there too. As a nice touch, they cleaned the windshield and vacuumed the driver and passenger area carpets. Well done Walmart.

There are 30 - 40 RV's overnighting in the Walmart lot.

 Of course, we couldn't be this close to the North Pole without visiting our favorite elf and his reindeer. As it turns out, the North Pole less than 15 miles from Fairbanks. And yes...yes we met the old guy and I have to say he looks pretty darned good for a fellow of his age.

For those who have visited Bronner's in Frankenmuth, Michigan, Santa Clause Village is a smaller version of that great store.