Valdez to Delta Junction and Fairbanks
Today is actually June 9 and I am posting from Harold's cousin's computer because we are having trouble finding wi-fi in Fairbanks. So there won't be any pictures for a while and this will probably be the last few entries for a couple of weeks.
6-3-06
We had a good drive from Valdez to Delta Junction. Some construction but actually some of the best roads we have found so far. Tonight we are in Delta Junction. Stopped at the information center and bought our t-shirts saying "I survived driving the Alaska Highway". Filled with gas $3.01/gallon and stopped at an RV park just down the road. No one here so like the people next to us, we just parked and hooked up and will pay when someone comes around. (Later we found out the lady was in her house the whole time but forgot to unlock and front door and didn't hear us knocking.) We could have gone farther, but were tired and had rain/snow for the past 50 miles. Left Valdez with scattered clouds, but warm and sunny. About 100 miles north of Valdez we took a little side trip (the guide said a trip NOT to miss). What a waste of time. Nothing there but a few old cabins. We did not get to the Kennicott mine because it was gravel road and we are trying to stay off of those. Besides we have to save something for our next trip up here!!
Saw some more beautiful country today. Every 30 miles or so it changes dramatically. No trees, then lots of trees and underbrush, then a few trees and no underbrush. Followed the pipeline all the way from Valdez. It is underground except where it might damage the permafrost then they put it above ground. In one place it was 13 feet above ground and another it was about a foot off the ground. At the information center there was a cross section of the pipe and the "pig" they send through it to check for imperfections and to clean out the dirt, etc. periodically. Actually there are two different kinds of pigs. One to check for imperfections and one to clean it out. Tomorrow we will go 83 miles to the city of North Pole and probably spend the night there. It is not actually the North Pole, but a place where they celebrate Christmas every day. Probably a tourist trap, but after all we are tourists.
6-4-06
Cold this morning - 36 degrees. Drove to Rika's Roadhouse and had breakfast. The eggs tasted like they were grown right there, although they came from Anchorage. The toast was home made sourdough and delicious so we bought a loaf for the road!! Our South Beach diet has pretty much gone out the window this trip!! Drove to the City of North Pole, through the snow showers. Thought that was appropriate since we are visiting the North Pole. A nice RV park and a LARGE gift store where we left some money. Called Harold's cousin in Fairbanks and she said to come on out. Which means we will be staying with them for a week, but they go to work and we go sight seeing and Shelley and I take turns making dinner (She loves to cook and does a WONDERFUL job) so hopefully we won't be too big of a burden.
6-5-06
Shelley's husband has Monday and Tuesday off so we visited with him some this morning then Harold and I went to the museum at the college. A beautiful building which they just renovated. We have been to a lot of museums about American Indian culture, but this is the first one about Native Alaskan culture. Many different things with all the masks, eye masks with little sits because of the bright sun on the ice and snow. All of the stuffed animals from this region. Also I didn't realize that Japan actually invaded the Aluetian Islands during WWII and captured some of the people and took them back to Japan basically as slaves. It was 2 years before we were able to get them back to Alaska and many of them had died. Tom has a boat and he has been getting it ready for his fishing trip to Chitna next week. He and Harold are taking the boat out this morning for a short trip to check it out while I go shopping and grocery shopping.
6-06-06 through 6-08-06
We have been having a ball in Fairbanks. They is a beautiful fountain with sculptures in the downtown area, Pioneer Park has an aircraft museum, a museum of old time stuff, and an old steam train plus many, many shops with mostly Alaskan made crafts. We have been to that Park a couple of times. We to the old theater in town and they show a movie about the ice sculpting competition in March then afterwards you can go into three different areas where there are lighted sculptures and we took pictures there.
Shelley and I stay up until 11 pm talking. We have never had a chance to visit on a one to one basis and it has been fun getting to know her. Wednesday afternoon my nephew took us to Fort Wainwright and we got a tour of where he works and even got to go on a Chinook helicopter (on the ground of course) which is what he flies. Then we went to their home and had a delicious dinner made by his wife. Again we have never visited with them one on and one and have really enjoyed getting to know them also. They are going to be in Anchorage when we are so we are meeting another nephew of mine and his wife there and the six of us will go out to dinner.
Today we are going out to an information center about the pipeline so I better get going. Will write when I can.
6-3-06
We had a good drive from Valdez to Delta Junction. Some construction but actually some of the best roads we have found so far. Tonight we are in Delta Junction. Stopped at the information center and bought our t-shirts saying "I survived driving the Alaska Highway". Filled with gas $3.01/gallon and stopped at an RV park just down the road. No one here so like the people next to us, we just parked and hooked up and will pay when someone comes around. (Later we found out the lady was in her house the whole time but forgot to unlock and front door and didn't hear us knocking.) We could have gone farther, but were tired and had rain/snow for the past 50 miles. Left Valdez with scattered clouds, but warm and sunny. About 100 miles north of Valdez we took a little side trip (the guide said a trip NOT to miss). What a waste of time. Nothing there but a few old cabins. We did not get to the Kennicott mine because it was gravel road and we are trying to stay off of those. Besides we have to save something for our next trip up here!!
Saw some more beautiful country today. Every 30 miles or so it changes dramatically. No trees, then lots of trees and underbrush, then a few trees and no underbrush. Followed the pipeline all the way from Valdez. It is underground except where it might damage the permafrost then they put it above ground. In one place it was 13 feet above ground and another it was about a foot off the ground. At the information center there was a cross section of the pipe and the "pig" they send through it to check for imperfections and to clean out the dirt, etc. periodically. Actually there are two different kinds of pigs. One to check for imperfections and one to clean it out. Tomorrow we will go 83 miles to the city of North Pole and probably spend the night there. It is not actually the North Pole, but a place where they celebrate Christmas every day. Probably a tourist trap, but after all we are tourists.
6-4-06
Cold this morning - 36 degrees. Drove to Rika's Roadhouse and had breakfast. The eggs tasted like they were grown right there, although they came from Anchorage. The toast was home made sourdough and delicious so we bought a loaf for the road!! Our South Beach diet has pretty much gone out the window this trip!! Drove to the City of North Pole, through the snow showers. Thought that was appropriate since we are visiting the North Pole. A nice RV park and a LARGE gift store where we left some money. Called Harold's cousin in Fairbanks and she said to come on out. Which means we will be staying with them for a week, but they go to work and we go sight seeing and Shelley and I take turns making dinner (She loves to cook and does a WONDERFUL job) so hopefully we won't be too big of a burden.
6-5-06
Shelley's husband has Monday and Tuesday off so we visited with him some this morning then Harold and I went to the museum at the college. A beautiful building which they just renovated. We have been to a lot of museums about American Indian culture, but this is the first one about Native Alaskan culture. Many different things with all the masks, eye masks with little sits because of the bright sun on the ice and snow. All of the stuffed animals from this region. Also I didn't realize that Japan actually invaded the Aluetian Islands during WWII and captured some of the people and took them back to Japan basically as slaves. It was 2 years before we were able to get them back to Alaska and many of them had died. Tom has a boat and he has been getting it ready for his fishing trip to Chitna next week. He and Harold are taking the boat out this morning for a short trip to check it out while I go shopping and grocery shopping.
6-06-06 through 6-08-06
We have been having a ball in Fairbanks. They is a beautiful fountain with sculptures in the downtown area, Pioneer Park has an aircraft museum, a museum of old time stuff, and an old steam train plus many, many shops with mostly Alaskan made crafts. We have been to that Park a couple of times. We to the old theater in town and they show a movie about the ice sculpting competition in March then afterwards you can go into three different areas where there are lighted sculptures and we took pictures there.
Shelley and I stay up until 11 pm talking. We have never had a chance to visit on a one to one basis and it has been fun getting to know her. Wednesday afternoon my nephew took us to Fort Wainwright and we got a tour of where he works and even got to go on a Chinook helicopter (on the ground of course) which is what he flies. Then we went to their home and had a delicious dinner made by his wife. Again we have never visited with them one on and one and have really enjoyed getting to know them also. They are going to be in Anchorage when we are so we are meeting another nephew of mine and his wife there and the six of us will go out to dinner.
Today we are going out to an information center about the pipeline so I better get going. Will write when I can.
posted by Carol at
10:24 AM
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