One of the must see places around the Tok area is Chicken. A small gold rush town from back in the day. It boasts a population of 50 souls during summer and some 5 or even 6 at the most during the winter season. Kathie and I decided to take a day and go see what all the whoop-la was about. The road wasn't bad, some frost heaves but paved most of the way. Chicken is 80 miles from Tok and a very pleasant drive up thru the mountains. The town is indeed small and not a lot of businesses there. It does have a post office and an air strip which is important as the mail is delivered twice weekly, Tuesday and Friday. There was a general store that had the only flush toilets in town. It still has a gold dredge, not operating but several active mines are in the area. You can camp there, pan for gold or even visit the postmaster who will talk your ear off and give you all the information about her little town and the joys of living there. After spending the day, having lunch and buying a few trinkets in the shops we were headed back to Tok and a larger civilation.
No visit to Chicken is complete without having your picture taken in front of the giant chicken and reading the directional pole.
Notice the name, "Suck Egg Hollow, TN." I think I have been there, several times in fact, haha.
The post office was small. I went in to mail a postcard and was held captive by the postmaster who had to tell me everything I always wanted to know about Chicken. I bet between her and the Maytag repairman they never see anyone. All joking aside she was a very pleasant person and I enjoyed my visit with her.
Main street in downtown Chicken, AK.
The ceiling of the only bar in town was a place to hang your hat. From the looks of it they had the only hats in town. The bartender must have had a hat fetish. It made me feel claustrophobic and not wanting to breath as the hats were all covered with a layer of fine chicken dust.
Every year there is a Chicken Festival in June, on Fathers Day. They have a Bluegrass band and the entire town dresses up in chicken costumes. Notice the stage is portable and can be moved from location to location should the need arise.
The old gold dredge now stands idle and is one big bird house.
Before leaving I was able to find the chicken that lays the golden eggs.
Chicken airport and mail drop. Most all communities have a runway for small planes. There are no hospitals or doctors and if should the need arise, the sick or injured are flown out to the nearest hospital. Fairbanks is the closest to Chicken.
If should anyone ever ask, "have you heard of Chicken, AK?" You can tell them you have. Not a lot to crow about there but I guess it beats the heck out of being from Suck Egg Hollow, Tn.
Our stay in Tok wasn't all that exciting either. Not a lot to do there and not a lot of places to go, none that are close. We did venture down the highway towards Anchorage, just for a drive and to look around. We made a stop at a large lake that had hundreds of Trumpeter Swans that were nesting and feeding on the lake. (Lake Mentasta)
The Trumpeter Swans are beautiful but noisy. They honk all the time and when you have several hundred all honking at the same time, it's a very noisy place to be.
On the drive back we did see a cow moose feeding at a small lake. She paid us no mind as I stopped and backed up to get a good picture.
While in Tok we did venture over to the local grocery store. Three Bears Trading Company, it was a small grocery but well stocked. The prices were thru the ceiling. A small box of Splenda packets was over $6.00, a box of Raisin Bran Cereal was $5.50, a dozen eggs $5.00, bag of marshmallows $6.00. Meat was expensive as well. We bought only what we needed and not so much what we wanted.
Fuel is also a little on the high side. But not as bad as Canada, I think I was paying as much as $8.00 a gallon when traveling thru Canada. Propane in Alaska is $5.00 a gallon if not more.
As high as the cost of things are, the scenery is breathtaking and makes the cost well worth it.
On June the 2nd we packed up and left Tok, heading up the road to Fairbanks for a couple of weeks. The roads were good for the most parts, frost heaves are the curse of blacktop and even gravels give way to the ruts and humps that push up the ground and gives you a roller coaster ride. A lot of the bridges are on the small side, 15'4" wide with no shoulders. It's hardly enough room for two vehicles to pass. Pay attention and let the big trucks cross ahead of you and you're fine, if not your playing chicken and usually the smaller vehicle gets pushed aside.
There are lots of Bald Eagles here, you see them everywhere.
This Bald Eagle flew escort, back and forth in front of us for several minutes. I slowed to avoid hitting it and finally it veered off and landed in a tree beside the roadway.
Our first stop was at Delta Junction and the official end to the Alaskan/Canadian Highway (ALCAN). This is where the highway ended in 1942 when it was being built. We pulled off the road to the historical mile post sign.
We arrived in Fairbanks early afternoon. Finding Ft. Wainwright was no problem and we made our way to the Famcamp (campground). I had called ahead and reserved a site prior to leaving Tok. As luck would have it, the accommodations that were promised were not to be had. We ended up with a postage stamp of a site right on the side of the road. The entire famcamp was in poor shape with little or no interest of making repairs or upkeep. It's another one of those perks that the retired military seem to be losing. After a week we departed and headed north to Chena Hot Springs.
Our campsite was so small that we couldn't extend the awning for fear of having it taken off by a passing vehicle, it would be hanging out in the roadway. It was even hard to stretch out in the chair, just no room.
The site that was promised and prepaid for was not to be this one. When I made the reservations and prepaid I was assigned a sight. That sight was given to someone else before I arrived and the outdoor center that manages the campground could care less.
The site above was the one reserved and prepaid for. A much larger site with plenty of privacy and lots of room. But that wasn't to be the case so we sucked it up and put up with it for a week. I think the problem is civilians running the show and they don't seem to care. It might also be the post commander as well. The campground is shrinking and sites being deleted. A new campground was being built but cancelled and left to be overtaken by the growth of vegetation. We drove thru the new sites and was puzzled as to why they would just abandon it after so much of it was completed. Budget cuts I guess!
The new campground would have been beautiful, large campsites, fire rings and access to the lake for fishing and boating.
Maybe the next post commander will finish the job, maybe it will just grown up and become consumed by nature. It's a causality of the lack of dollars given to the military. Training and upkeep of the fighting force must take priority over all else. Being a retired soldier I do understand, still I see all those tax dollars wasted.
While we were staying at Ft. Wainwright we took advantage of the commissary, post exchange, and even the barber shop for me. That last part I should have avoided. Never go to a military barber for a light trim, they don't know the concept. I ended up with a recruits haircut, peeled to the skin and not as much fuzz as a peach. I was a little on the upset side but then had a good laugh. What the hell, it's only hair and it will grow back. Until then I will just have a good excuse to wear a hat :) The diesel fuel prices are better on post, $3.98 a gallon. The food prices are a lot less, we stocked up, filling up every cabinet, box, truck bed and even filling our spare shoes with bread crumbs. We have enough food for several weeks, until we get to Anchorage and Ft. Richardson. We ventured out to eat at some of the local pubs, Inns or lodges. It's nice to get out and mingle with the locals, the folks here are very friendly and helpful. They don't know the meaning of stranger.
One of the attractions we visited was Pioneer Village, located in downtown Fairbanks. It's a setting of what Fairbanks was in the early days of growth. A lot of the buildings in the village were moved from the downtown area. A plaque or sign on the front of the structure will tell you of it's prior location and or use in the town of Fairbanks. Lots of history about the early years and growth of the second largest city in Alaska. We walked thru houses that once were part of city living or a business, train cars of importance and even a paddle wheel steam boat that hauled supply's and peoples to the region in the early days. I was interested in the many old steam engine equipment items and vehicles that helped to build an era and forge the gaps of progress.
A visitor to Fairbanks in the 40's would have walked down a street in town much like this one.
A typical house in Fairbanks during the early days, not a lot by todays standards but a wealth of comfort in the 40's. Of course the lighting and heating was by wood stove, fire place, lighting by lantern or candles. During the summer months, lighting wasn't needed as it never gets dark. I'll give you an example. I took a picture at 11:40 pm, notice the time on my watch and also the visibility for that time of night.
It's hard to imagine living in a place where the sun stays up for such long periods of each day. On an average it's 22 1/2 hours of light during the summer months. June the 21st marks the summer solstice and it won't get dark at all, the sun won't go down. The good news is every day after that it will lose 7 minutes of light a day, by October it will be just the reverse, 22 1/2 hours of darkness. Aren't you glad you don't live in Alaska in the winter?
Back to the Pioneer Village. Another building that caught my attention was this one.
In the interest of being able to give you the facts, I tried to get in to this building. But the door was locked and the red light not even a dull glow. The tugging of my shirttail was also a signal that I best not continue my search for facts. Long out of business but during it's reign it was a welcomed and accepted practice for the area and the miners. A poke of gold for a poke was most likely the transaction of the house. Those lady's and their money makers were in high demand. I best leave it there and move on to another topic.
There was another professional who's house would have been busy with the ills and pains of the times.
There were many such houses, now used as gift shops and other forms of merchants. One of the more historical was a train car. Beautiful but small inside.
This was a berth car used by one of our early presidents. Notice how small the room and how high the sleeping berth.
This was a car of the Alaskan Railroad. On July the 15th 1923 then President Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike signifying the completion of the railroad. This took place in Nenana, Alaska. Nenana is about 57 miles south of Fairbanks. Today it's the hub for the tug boat and barge traffic and shipping that traverses the many rivers in Alaska.
Another vessel of history is the paddle wheel steamer that hauled freight, passagners and goods up the Nenana river, also of the same name.
I spent a lot of time looking at the old steam shovels and tractors. A lot of early model antiques were scattered about.
A lot of the old equipment was being displayed as yard art.
There were some great places to eat at the park, after 5 pm. It seemed the restaurants didn't open until 5 pm. That's still early morning in a city that never sleeps.
As we were leaving I spotted Mrs Claus watching from an upstairs window. The Elf population was hard at work in the courtyard below, putting in long hours making all those toys that Santa would deliver in the up coming Christmas season. Explains why he lives in North Pole, Alaska.
The day ended with us circling the totem pole and going back to camp. It had been another fun filled day and we were tired. Not yet accustomed to staying up past our bed time.
The following day found us up at the crack of dawn, no wait a minute! That would be several hours after dawn. When it's light all the time you never know when you go to bed or when you get up. If your lucky you can get a couple hours of sleep with one eye closed while the other one try's to figure out where you are and how you got there.
We would be taking a cruise up the Chena River on Friday aboard the paddle ship Discovery. It was one of those rare pleasant days in Alaska. The tempts promised to be in the mid 60's. Any day in Alaska that's not raining is a good day. We had booked the afternoon cruise as so we'd have plenty of time both before and after for other events of interest. We arrived about an hour before the ship was to depart. We spent time in the gift shop and I enjoyed a scoop of ice cream. It was my favorite and only cost me three dollars. So I'm sure it was well worth the price.
Lance Mackey was also there with his winning dog sled and a puppy from his kennel. For $20.00 you could get your picture taken with him. He is the current Iditarod champion, winning in years 2007,8,9, and 10. He has the distinction of being the only winner to win four in a row. I didn't get my picture taken with him but did manage to get his picture.
Lance Mackey walking off the dock with a bottle of water in his left hand.
You can also buy a DVD all about Lance Mackey and his history and wins.
It was 2 pm and the ship was boarding. It promised to be a great four hours up the Chena River and back again. The cruise would take us to an Athabascan Indian village, displays of early life, traditions, and the way of life. Also a stop at Susan Butcher's dog kennel and training site. More about Susan later.
It was time to board and Kathie is all smiles. I always enjoy doing things with her, she seems so easily pleased. Like a child I see the wonderment and excitement in that big smile. When she's not smiling I'm always asking her if she's ok. I get concerned when the smile is gone from her face.
We got to watch an air show of sorts, with a small float plane that demonstrated water take offs and landings. He did this while chatting with our boat cruise narrator.
I have never missed flying and piloting my own plane as much as I have these last few weeks. There are as many planes here as cars, it seems that everyone has one. I still have my license and am in good health. Maybe I will think about the next few years and the possibility of flying again. It's still in my blood. Perhaps it's just that inner boy wanting to get out and run wild again haha. Let me get my head out of the sky and back on board this boat where my butt seems to be at the moment :)
Our first stop was at the kennel and training grounds at the late Susan Butcher's place on the river. Susan won the Iditarod in years 1986,7,8 and 90. She retired in 1998 and died of Leukemia in 2006. Survived by her husband and two young daughters, who still own and operate the kennel and training of the dogs. We were introduced to Laura Allaway who is training to be a musher, Laura is said to be running in the 2015 event.
Laura explained the importance of handling and talking to the pups from day one. These tiny ones are held from day one and are always in the arms of the trainer. The mother dog's job is to feed and nourish the pups, the trainer becomes everything else to the tiny hopeful. Sled dogs are bred to be champions. During their life they will run over 40,000 miles. During the summer season they are trained with a four wheeler, minus the engine. These animals are all powerful and ready to run at a moments notice.
Laura puts the dogs in harness and takes them for a run around the property, pulling her on the four wheeler After their run the dogs all raced for the river to cool off.
Watch for Laura in the 2015 sled dog race, it's all the way with Allaway in 2015. She should be among the local favorites. You can connect with her on Facebook.
The second stop was at the Indian village. The captain slipped the big boat into a makeshift dock of sorts. We all got off and headed for the village to learn as much as we could in the short time we had. The group numbered about 500 so we were divided into two groups. We learned about furs
and what it took to make a $20,000.00 fur coat. How to process salmon and which ones are feed to the dogs and which are for human consumption. How to store game during the winter months and the importance of a good woman who's job was to chew the fat and tan the hides, only teasing about that last part :)
The beads and pattern of this $20,000.00 coat tells much about the area of the maker. It's how the tribes are able to tell who made the garment as well as it tells a story about the tribe. That coat weighs about 15 pounds and is made from many different animals.
I even showed off my manliness by petting this BIG Bull Moose. Look at the size of that rack, one swipe and I'd be down for the count. I had two things in my favor, first I was a good 10 feet from that critter and second he was stuffed already and didn't have the guts to charge. I would have put him on my American Express but couldn't find a suitcase large enough to hold such a beast. But I got this picture and boy the tales I'll be able to tell.
There was much more to the village and my time with the blog is already on overload, still we have lots more to talk about. There were cabins we explored, furs we picked up and touched. Even Laura brought some of her dog team for the folks to pet and fuss over. It was dinner time and I promised my wife a night out. Once back on dry land we headed for the Chena Pump House, a great place to sit and eat while watching the river traffic.
The following day was Saturday and another fun filled day was on the schedule. Today we'd be gold panning and looking for that big strike. You can't go to Alaska and not pan for gold, it's just not civilized. So with lots of daylight we headed off in the direction of Gold Dredge # 8 for a fun filled afternoon. On our way we made a stop to look at the liquid gold of Alaska. The oil pipeline that stretches from the northern most slope above the Artic Circle, Prudhoe Bay to Valdez on the southern shore line. It runs the length of the entire state.
After a few facts about the pipeline we continued our quest for the rock gold that still is so abundant in Alaska. We arrived at the Gold Dredge site and loaded an open train car to reach our final destination. We were early as usual and were entertained by a fellow who claimed to be a cousin to the late Johnny Cash. Maybe he was but then again a tourist will believe anything they are told. He was dressed in black and had a good tale to tell. The train ride was about 15 minutes or less with this old sourdough telling us the history of the Dredge and facts about that type of mining.
We arrived at the gold camp and was given a poke of dirt. We'd learn how to pan, wash and separate the ore from the gravel, rock and dirt. Kathie hit pay dirt, mine wasn't much to brag about. Between the two of us we walked away with a value of $22.00. We didn't hit the mother load but did get into the color. I think there was a claim jumper on my site. I went to the bathroom and left my partner to work the claim. When I got back my gold was missing so was my partner. I caught up with here at the local assay office. She gave me a quick lesson in community property :)
On Monday we moved from Ft. Wainwright and headed north towards Chena Hot Springs. We camped out on a gravel bar for a few days, it was right beside the rivers edge. We boondocked for the next three days, isolated and pretty much alone. It was a great time to relax and just enjoy the sights of nature. We maintained a fire daily by picking up the drift wood that was so abundant along the river banks.
Kathie enjoys a glass of wine on the banks of the Chena River.
We had a great campsite on the banks of the Chena.
I showed off my boy scout skill, baking potatoes' buried in the hot coals and baking chicken and pork chops atop the coals.
We moved up to Chena Hot Springs for fresh water and to dump our holding tanks. We camped out at the campground which was just a place to park. We did enjoy the lodge meals and took time to enjoy a couple of the events like swimming in the waters of the sulfur hot spring and touring the Ice Palace.
The road actually ends at Chena Hot Springs. It does have an airstrip and lots of locals fly in for a swim and dinner.
The waters of the hot springs are 105 degrees and is a welcomed relief on a cool day. I could have stayed in that water all day, but the ice house was something to see as well.
The Ice Palace is kept at a comfortable 20 degrees.
Parka's are provided and boy do you need them.
Everything inside is made of ice. Taking pictures without flash shows all the different colors captured by reflections.
There is even an ice bar where you can enjoy a appletini, served in an ice glass.
Kathie and I enjoy a drink in an ice glass.
My wife was smart and brought along her gloves. My hands were numb by the time we finished the tour.
If your adventurous, there is a polar bear ice bed.
The sculptors who do the carvings are world class and hold 15 gold metals for ice carving.
We said good-bye to the ice princess and headed out into the warmth of the 45 degree morning air.
I knew it was time to go when my every thought was to go joy riding in one of those planes.
We left civilization and headed back into the wilds of boondocking. For the next three days we'd again be on the bank of the Chena River. I took time to do a little gardening and cut away some of the brush so as to have a better view of the waters. It was Father's Day weekend and the river had lots of traffic. From our perch we could watch the rafters as they floated down the swift currents and white waters of the river. We had hoped for some animals but none showed up, not the four legged type that is. I think I do better dealing with animals than I do with some people.
Two days after we left this area it flooded from two days of hard and constant rain.
The current flows at about 10 knots down this waterway. Great for rafting with the family, friends or just by yourself.
This lady didn't need anyone to show her the ropes. All alone on the river with no one around. That's the true Alaskan spirit.
We had a front row seat to all the action and spoke to all those who passed by.
"If your not the lead dog, the scenery never changes." I like that saying, pretty much says it all.
The clouds and earth work in conjunction in Alaska to put on a show like no other. Always changing, always something different.
The closest you will come to a sunset this time of year is when the sun sinks behind the tree tops. It never goes down, just circles around you.
After our tanks were full and we were low on water we headed back to Fairbanks. It was time to do laundry and resupply our food stores and fill up the fuel tanks. Diesel was less than four dollars a gallon, price was coming down. The gas prices were also less that four bucks for regular, used for our generator. We cleaned up ourselves and did what was needed and on the following day headed towards Mt. McKinley in the pouring rain. The weather had turned wet and would remain so for the next couple of days. With low clouds and heavy rains we are waiting for conditions to clear. Holding in place 30 miles north of the McKinley Park.
Here is the next contest: Our last blog, Gnome to Alaska (part 5) I made a mistake reporting the Day or Date of events as they were happening in our travels. Find that mistake and be the first to report it to me via e-mail and win $100.00. ( dutcheyl@aol.com ) You have one week from todays date. Good luck and read slow, it should be plain to you :)
Until our next blog, hugs from Dutch and Kathie somewhere in the wilds of Alaska.
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