Fairbanks

We have a 21 year old in our family.....Jessie celebrated her 21st birthday August 5th......I remember driving to Florida to meet her when she arrived in this world....
We are off to Fairbanks today......raining......quite sure Denali will not appear today.....so we are on down the road.  We have driven 5,476 miles in the coach....55 degrees

 Denali Mountain decides upon the weather in this area

 We only had a 25-30 % chance of seeing Denali on this trip

But we had a 95% chance of spotting a bear and we did

Denali Park Commercial Area

 Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

 Nenana Canyon with white water raft trips....with a dry suit

 Putting up netting to prevent rock slides

They have been having 45 minute delays

Coal mining area...what a change in scenery

 Tanana River with river barges....did we make a wrong turn

The people who live in northern Alaska live on the river systems

When they "come to town" they come to Fairbanks

Anchorage is known as "Alaska's Largest Village"

But its Fairbanks that truly has ties to the genuine Alaskan way of life

Saddi enjoying the view

We are staying at River's Edge RV Park....downtown Fairbanks

Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is one of the top attractions in Fairbanks.  This collection showcases more than 70 historically significant automobiles produced in the United States prior to World War II.

The oldest car .....1898

Almost every car displayed is maintained in operating condition
I want to drive this one

If you visit Fairbanks this is a MUST

A perfect setting for each car

One of my favorites

Fabulous vintage fashion collection follow the cars through time

The Captain could have stayed ALL DAY

Historic Alaskian photographs line the walls

Captain grilling dinner

Fairbanks is built along the Chena River

The University of Alaska Museum of the North is Alaska's most distinctive architectural landmark, a "must-see"

 What a building

 Welcome to our museum

 Grey Whale Skull

 Dinosaur display

 Blue Babe a 36,000-year-old steppe bison mummy

 Isn't this beautiful

 Alaska Outhouse

Alaska humor..... you think

 Looking for Denali....still hiding

Restored Blockhouse

As I said Fairbanks is built along the Chena River which flows through the heart of town.  Our site looks out at the river with lots of boats.....terrific current.....

The Chena flows into the Tanana River which flows into the Yukon....and connects Fairbanks to 42 isolated villages on the riverways of Alaska......

 Sternwheelers like this one once traveled the Yukon, Tanana and Chena Rivers

 Interesting building

 Take the Riverboat Discovery Tour

We liked the moose in their gift shop

 Wonder who lives here

half-day cruise and they are out

 The flowers are beautiful in Fairbanks

 Fairbanks is often the warmest town in Alaska during the summer

 Daylight hours in Fairbanks are significantly longer than in Achorage

Historical church on the Chena River

Steese Highway....headed north

Stopped to see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline up close

Prudhoe Bay to Valdez

Interesting

Saddi locked us out of the truck and while we were deciding which window to break
she got back in the front seat and unlocked the door

Elliott Highway....too many trees and the next town was 76 miles away

Being of sound mind and memory, notarized and returned to Illinois

We are in the final stages of selling the house and had to find someone to notarize the paperwork and someone to sign that we were in our right minds......and FedX the paperwork back to our attorney.....What a stay in Fairbanks......