If I Had My Life To Do Over & Leaving Fairbanks

On the way to the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum I immediately stopped when I saw this exhibit.

Ever since I was about 6 years old I've loved small planes.   I've really fantasized about being a small plane pilot here in Alaska or some other semi-remote area.   But...like many folks with big dreams, I never had the confidence to 'go for it'.   Didn't think I could do it.   And so I went into the corporate world..a "safer" option.

Lesson learned.   Every day is a new day and an opportunity to plan and live new dreams, eh?

Left Fairbanks a few days ago and returned to Tok for a few days.    BTW, the name "Tok" is pronounced like "toke"...as in "One toke over the line, sweet Jesus....".   Surely, you all remember THAT ode to enlightenment, eh?   

Lots of moose with their newborn along the highway.   I thought I might spy a moose or beaver here at this small lake, but no luck.  The water wasn't that cold either.  But see that approaching storm?   It deposited 4 inches of snow on the upper Dalton Hwy 3 days ago.   I'm luvin' it!

Yesterday (Thursday) I was up and ready for the next leg of the adventure: the Richardson Highway.   

From Tok to Delta Junciton to Fairbanks!

Wow.   It's Monday today and I see that my last post was on Friday.  I needed the break.   

Today I'm still in Fairbanks (3rd night).   Today I'll update this blog, decide where to go next and plan my "next adventure"!




After 4 nights at the cabin in Tok RV Village, I decided it was time to move on.   So off I took along the rest of the Alaska Highway, heading west. 

  First stop: Delta Junction where the Alaska Highway ends and the Richardson Highway begins:

 The scenery is beautiful, and some of the shops along the way were fun and creative.   This is the Knotty Shop.

 







Yesterday was a great day:


I started out at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, hoping to see cars from my favorite auto era: the 1940's.   Instead, the autos ranged from the first in the U.S. (1893 if I recall correctly) through 1936.   Lots of fun though, as the 75 cars where supplemented with music from the 1920's (my favorite era) and - for the ladies - an array of stunning dresses from the 1920's.  Despite there not being any autos from the 1940's, the music was well-known to me (Al Jolson, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, Josephine Baker, etc.).   I spent nearly 2 hours here:

1932 Cord to the left.

And a top of the line 1936 Packard to the right.

A row of cars in the photo below, left.   


And for the fashionistas, here are photos of some of the dresses from the 1920's:

 Then it was time to move on to the Museum Of The North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  Here I learned about the creation of Alaska through tectonic activity spanning millions of years; the history of human population of the state; all about a few men - and several remarkable women! - who forged the lure and legend of the state; and then current geologic and oceanic research.  Oh.  And a art gallery devoted to experiences in the Far North.   Awesome display!

Hey, Folks!    Yesterday (Thursday, July 24th) was a very long but amazing day!    I have only a few TV shows that I watch, but my very favorite is "Life Below Zero".   You can Google it from the National Geographic website or simply click on this link:  

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/life-below-zero/

My (current) life hero is Sue Aikins; one day I hope to fly to Kavik River Camp and meet her.   But another of the show's regulars are Kate and Andy Bassich.    They moved to Alaska years ago and live full-time on their homestead on the shores of the Yukon River, 30 miles upstream from Eagle, AK. Eagle is the first incorporated city in Alaska, about 8 miles from the Canadian border and 180 miles from Tok.

 

I left Tok at 9 a.m. for the long drive on - primarily - more gravel and potholed roads.   The only available stop was at the 120 mile-mark along the Taylor Highway at Chicken, and it's famous post office.

Chicken's year-round population is 3 (three).   It gets REALLY cold at this former mining community for a long time: minus 60F for days!   But the post mistress is one of the 3 who stay year-round!



And if you are on a world-search for communities with chicken -related names, just climb the town's hill to reference the Big Chicken (below, left):

But I digress!    After chatting up the locals for awhile, I realized: "Hey, you've got to get going!   You have a long, difficult and tire-threatening drive to Eagle.   Time to get going!"  So off I went...

Lots of gorgeous scenery along the way.   And if I'd stopped at each beautiful vista, I'd have not reached Eagle for hours!








  Heck, had I seen this sign at the onset, I'd have had second thoughts....but the road finally ended on Front Street, right on the banks of the Yukon!

The Visitor's Center is manned by 3 men from the Bureau of Land Management.   I spent nearly an hour there chatting with the men, and saw photos of the damage caused by the famous "Break Up" of 2009, a little more about Andy and Kate Bassich, and all about the "tire graveyard" (photo: below, left):

 Most of these tires were abandoned along the dirt-and-gravel highway that runs to Eagle.   Tourists have blowouts on this road, just as they do on the Dempster Hwy, and some of them are bad citizens, abandoning the tire on the road.  Over several years, the locals have picked them up and tossed them here.   Bad tourists.

 Oh!   Did anyone notice anything "fun" in the 2nd photo of the Visitor's Cener above?   What is it with me, dangerous roads...and storms that follow me???   Those are very ominous clouds, eh? 

 Perhaps one should not linger in Eagle b/c there's NOTHING here except a few families, a general store, an airstrip and the Visitor's Center.   Certainly no restaurant and no hotel!   LMAO.   

So, "Hello, again" to the long, remote and winding road back to Chicken, and from there, back to Tok!

 Along the way, I was stopped at a road construction site by a flag-person named, Gail.  While I waited for the pilot truck to come,we had an awesome discussion.   Turns out she's lived in Eagle for decades, knows the Bassich's and would have taken me to meet them had she been in town and knew I admired them (I'd have declined that invitation).   She also told me all about subsistence living and how really tough - and expensive! - it is.   All too shortly, the pilot truck came, and off I had to go!





     

  

Tok, Alaska - Kinda Like Home

When I was here in Alaska 2 years ago, I enjoyed my days here in Tok.   Like most of the places I've been, Tok is a very small town.   It's situated strategically between the Tanana River and the Alaska Range.   It's a cross-roads between or to: Valdez, Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Canadian Yukon.   

I stayed at the Tok RV Village 2 years ago, and they've now built cabins to go alongside the RV sites.  Bingo!   No brainer.   I signed on for a 2-night stay:

A view of the highway through town, with the Alaska Range in the background.

 
My one-room cabin, and my view as I step outside.   Trees, cool temperatures and RVers enjoying their journeys.   Couldn't get much better.

 Two RV caravans descended upon the park yesterday: Foretravel and Winnebago-Itasca.  The Foretravel RVs are huge, mostly in the 40-foot range.   The Winnebago-Itasca are more my style.   Of course I chatted up both RV groups.  LOL.  

Alaska Vistas & Chicken!

Folks back in Houston know of my love of all things Alaskan.   We can now add "all things Yukon" too.   

 
But here are a few vistas of Alaska just before I entered the famous town of Chicken, Alaska!





Chicken was founded in the late 1800's during the gold rush.  Gold is still found in the town, population of 17.   A post office was established, and that required that the town have a formal name.  The locals wanted to name their community "Ptarmigan" after the local poultry that survives quite well throughout the Far North.    

But no one could agree on the spelling of the name, so in exasperation they all agreed on the name: Chicken!   A chicken is close enough to a ptarmigan, eh?   The name stuck.   And so has the panning for gold.   It's still found in the area mountain streams, but not many tourists flock to this community.   Very remote.