June 24
I awoke to the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof. There is something so calming about rain while in a camper. Because the walls and roof are thin the sound is amplified. I really like lying in bed in the camper during a rain storm.
Although maybe not so much when we want to get out and do all the things. It quickly stopped and I laid there and looked up activities for the day. The area has so much to do.
I finally decided that we would visit Santa’s House in the morning and booked a river cruise with Riverboat Discovery for the afternoon.
I let everyone rest until 10 or so. We might not see everything by lazing around, but it’s no fun to always be on the go from one thing to the next.
When we finally left the camper the air was a haze from the smoke of forest fires about 60 miles away. I had read that thick smoke might be a possibility if there were fires near so I brought a few N95 masks from work in case we wanted to be outside but not have to limit ourselves due to smoke. I decided it was not thick enough that we needed them so left them in the camper. It did clear up in the afternoon.
We were finally off to Santa’s House. Of course we had to play Christmas music on the way! We were all in great spirits when we arrived.
It’s nothing more than a giant Christmas gift shop with photo op’s. Still, we had a great time just looking around! We picked out gifts for family and got ourselves a few personalized Christmas ornaments. Sadly Santa was tending to the reindeer today. Depending on our schedule tomorrow we might have to swing by and see the big guy.
After getting drive through at McDonald’s we were off for our river cruise.
The company was started in 1898, two years younger than Burget Mill, to build and operate riverboats to carry miners and freight along the Chena River during the gold rush. Later in the 1950’s they adapted to the times and began offering riverboat cruises. They converted the fright boats to carry passengers. Although now powered by modern diesel engines, the paddlewheel still provided propulsion. It was pretty cool considering most paddlewheel boats just have the paddle turning as decoration.
There was also a stop at Trail Beaker Kennel, home of Susan Butcher, the late four-time Iditarod champion. They spoke of how the dogs are raised and trained as well as a quick mushing demonstration.
After we turned around we made a stop at a replica of a traditional Athabascan Village who were the native people in the Chena/Fairbanks region. We were guided by people of Athabascan decent. where they told us what daily life was for their ancestors. A few even still live and work a semi-traditional Athabascan lifestyle with their extended family.
It was a really fun and engaging stop and the girls seemed genuinely interested.
Overall, the river cruise was exceptional. It lasted roughly 4 hours and I didn’t hear a single, I’m bord or when will we be back. That’s a win in my book!
Afterwards, I dropped the girls off at the camper so I could run to the grocery store and to get propane for the camper. As the guy was filling the propane here comes a moose out of the bushes, walks around the lot for a minute and back in the bushes. The guy glanced at it like it was nothing more than a stray dog out looking for a snack!
We had been recommended a Chinese place for dinner and surprisingly the girls wanted to go. They are closed Monday’s. They still wanted Chinese so I started googling places to go. Most had mixed reviews although one place had nothing but 5 stars. Yes, Noodles. It offered traditional Thai food as well as Chinese and Vietnamese offerings. They even had an Americanized menu for those that didn’t want Oriental food.
As we walked in, the owner greeted us from behind the counter telling us to sit anywhere. It was almost felt like he was greeting us like you would greet family. It’s hard to explain. It was just the tone of his voice and his gestures that made you feel that way. Several times he stopped over to check on us. He remarked that we had a tour of food with me having Thai, Davan and Libby, Chinese and Summer, American.
The girls were getting a bit hangry at this point, so it took some difficulty getting them to choose something to eat despite wanting to go. Finally, Davan and Libby settled on Basil chicken stir-fry. Summer had a burger and fries, and I had beef wanton soup.
This was the real deal. I was worried the girls would not like the food but they surprised me. Even the American food was on point. It wasn’t just an afterthought; this was not some McDonald’s style barley beef patty. It was a large patty on a fresh made bun, all the toppings and a house made mayo blend sauce. It even had large, premium fries as a side.
Kind of a funny moment when Summer knocked her cup of ketchup off the table. They might make messes at home and leave them for me but when out they are fairly respectful and will at least attempt to clean their messes. Summer quickly grabbed napkins and kneeled to try and wipe up the mess. All of sudden I hear the owner saying in his broken English while gesturing at one of the waitresses to get over to us, No No, you don’t clean, you are my guest, we clean, you enjoy meal.
Of course, as we were leaving, we were treated feeling as you would say goodbye to family. I highly recommend going to Yes, Noodles if you’re in the area. It was not a cheap meal, but it was well worth what we paid.
After getting back to the camper I cleaned up a bit while the girls did whatever. After I came out to the deck to write this and invited the girls to come have s’mores with me. There is a fire ban however the campground provides propane fire tables. So we all had a s’more.
Tomorrow I am hoping we can get going early enough to tour a gold dredge. We would have to be there by 10:30 so I have not pre-bought tickets. However, we were told tonight would have strong Northern Light's. The girls wanted to see them but told them if it even got dark enough to see them it would be about 2 am. The three of them are determined to stay up to see them. Normally I wouldn't but it's vacation and a good bonding time for the three of them. they are sitting riverside at the fireable hanging out. If we don't make it to the Dredge we will will have more opportunity's to learn about the gold rush in Dawson City.
Whenever we are ready to leave, we are headed for Cantwell were we will be for 4 nights exploring Denali and the surrounding area. It will be our longest stay to date and will be nice to not have to hook up and move for a while.
No comments:
Post a Comment