Day 15- Denali

 June 26

We slept in today, kinda.  All this light kinda screws up a persons sleep rhythms.  Normally you start to get tired when it gets dark out.  But since it never does I feel wide awake at midnight.  I wake up about 8ish regardless.   The girls room came with black out curtains but mine are not.  They do a good job of blocking the light though.  But it takes a bit to fall asleep.

Today's agenda was whitewater rafting.  I had hoped to maybe do some fishing this morning but everyone was laying around and not moving.  Breakfast was smashed cinnamon rolls and pancakes.

We got to the place and got suited up.  We had to squeeze into dry suits.  It was about 80 today so it didn't take long to start sweating in it.   A quick bus ride got us to the drop point.  There was about 30 or so people for 3 rafts.  We got grouped with another family with 3 younger kids.  Everyone else was generally 20 years older than me.  

The section of river we were on was only had class I and II rapids.  We couldn't hit anything higher because we were not paddling.  All riders needed to be at least 13 to do the paddle ride.

We ended up being the lead boat because our captain thought the other two were ready to push off, but apparently they were taking longer to get situated than he thought.  We had a really great guy piloting our raft.  Summer didn't want to really get wet so her and I sat in the back.  Then it was Libby and Davan and the other family took the front two rows.  Unfortunately the front row gets wet the most so we didn't get a lot.  He did set the boat to hit some rapids broadside so we did get a little water on us.  At one point there was a section where we had a chance to jump overboard.  Everyone did except Summer.  The river is glacier fed so the water is around a constant 35 degrees.  It felt great on this hot day in those water tight suits.  

On the last section of rapids he turned the raft broadside to the side Summer was on.  I don't think he expected it to hit the rapid as hard as it did but it knocked her right off her seat.  Luckily she was all smiles and laughed about it.

After the ride we headed back to camp to have dinner.  We had smash burgers again.  So good!

After dinner Davan, Libby and I headed out to fish.  The campground owner told us of a small lake not far away.  I had grabbed the bear spray and what I thought was the bug spray.  Unfortunately I grabbed the sunscreen instead.  

The bugs were nasty out there.  Not just mosquitos but also these large gnats.  There was a pretty strong breeze and they had no problem hanging around us.   They would hover around our head and then all of a sudden in unison they would attack.

We had no luck fishing but we did see a family of swans.  They had a nest across the lake and had 4 young swans.  I also found something unexpected.  There was a large boulder jutting into the lake.  I walked down and stood on it.  Drilled and glued into the rock was a medallion.  It was from the US Coast & Geodetic Survey.  It's an Azimuth mark.  Stamped 1950.  There was also writing on what was either concrete or plaster of some kind.  It was half gone and hard to read.  I'm not sure what this is used for so I'll have to do some research when I have time later.  Still a pretty cool and unexpected find.

No concrete plans for tomorrow.  We might go to the Denali visitors center.  They have a dog sled team as well to visit.  Maybe try fishing again.  Hopefully I'll grab the bug spray can this time!

Day 14- Denali

June 25

 142 miles

2 hr 52 min drive time

20.5 gallons

Stayed at Cantwell RV Park

Davan and Libby stayed up til 6am in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.  They were very disappointed that it never really got dark.  I'm not sure what time it was when Summer got up but I woke up at one point and she was laying next to me.  

I woke everyone up about 9am and we hustled to get packed up on off to the Gold Dredge tour.  It was even more smokey than yesterday.  I had promised Starbucks this morning but we didn't have time.  In fact we made it with 5 minutes to spare.

It was ran by the same company that did the riverboat tour.  It was equally fun and informative.  The dredges were used to collect all the minor loose gold in the ground after the large pockets had been mined out.  Once the concentrated gold was removed the loose gold was not profitable to collect without mechanization.  After the train ride to the dredge we got a demonstration on how to pan for gold.  As we exited the train we were all give a poke bag and tried our hand at panning.  It took a minute to get the hang of it.  The staff was really helpful with any questions or tricks.  Since I was trying to do mine plus help the girls the host came and gave us a hand.  Libby had a dud bag with only three gold flakes so he got her a new one.  He bet her he could pan in 20 seconds or less.  

We collected our gold and went to get it weighed.  I had them dived my gold between the girls and they each ended up with roughly $20-$25 of gold each.  There were option to have the gold paced into jewelry.  Davan got a bracelet, Libby earrings and Summer a necklace.  After we were able to do a self guided tour of the dredge.  

Because we took so long panning and then having to wait to weigh and have our jewelry made I was one of the last people into the dredge.  The host was at the top available for questions.  Since it was just him and I up there we chatted a bit.  He gave me a compliment that really made my day.  He told me he was impressed with how attentive the girls seemed and that they were really great girls!

After the tour I owed the girls Starbucks so we headed back into Fairbanks.  Libby said she wanted to see Santa on the way in, but after she claimed she didn't want to anymore.

It was a short 2.5 hour ride to Denali.  We are actually staying just outside in Cantwell.   The campground we are staying at had really great reviews, is family owned and ran and just seemed a little quieter than being right in Denali.  So far I'm happy with our choice.

Tonight we are just chilling in the camper.  Some clouds just rolled in and we had a bit of rain.  

The campground owner said there is good Arctic Greyling fishing in the area so we are hoping to do a little of that in the morning and in the afternoon will be white water rafting.  I'm pretty excited for that.

Day 13- North Pole/Fairbanks

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.