Good morning, my friends. We reached Fairbanks, Alaska, yesterday morning. As we left Delta Junction, I spotted the first barn I've seen in weeks!
With that introduction, I'll say the first place of interest on yesterday's drive was the Big Delta. There is a state historical park devoted to it, but it meant turning off the main road. All I got was the sign. Sorry for the blur. Bumpy road. In fact, the road was pretty bad on the way to Fairbanks with two stretches where we followed a pilot car.
Nevertheless, we saw the "big delta" as we crossed over the Tanana River Bridge. You can see where the Delta River comes in from the left side of the image below.
Here's what the Milepost tells us about this area.
Here's a little blurb about the boat launch and the pipeline.
As I walked back to the truck, I spotted this rustic structure we'd only just passed by. We were busy looking on the other side of the road for our pullout, and we missed seeing it as we drove in. Not sure what that is, but it appears abandoned.
A few miles down the road, the Milepost encouraged us to pull out for this stunning view of the mountains.
We've seen these growing all along the roadsides. My phone tells me they are Hedysarum boreale.
There were scads of wild roses blooming here...very fragrant wild roses. The fragrance was strong enough to overpower the smell of our diesel engine.
Just a little way down the road, we pulled out here. There's nothing but the sign to mark what was once here.
And here's what the Milepost tells us about the Air Force base.
Here's what the Milepost tells us. And speaking of the "high water mark," we'll probably find that in today's wanderings.
The Milepost calls this a dam. It was really more of a levee on both sides of this stretch of green. You can see it at the top one-third of the image below.
And we crossed the bridge just before reaching North Pole.
Here's what the Milepost tells us about North Pole.
And, well, they didn't attract any toy manufacturers, but they got their own McDonald's. It's practically the same thing.
Apple maps navigated us to the RV park. When we turned off the main road we were greeted by this Fred Meyer! Only my Pacific Northwest friends will appreciate the significance of finding a Fred Meyer in Alaska. For the rest of you, just know that Fred Meyer was a real man who started a chain of grocery stores. After his death, Kroger eventually took over the stores, but our Freddy's stores are very popular in the Pacific Northwest, and we do our grocery shopping there all the time when we're back home. There are two in Fairbanks, as it turns out.
So that brings me to today. Our planned activity for the day is to walk the Chena River Walk. I thought we'd have to drive downtown to find the beginning, but it turns out the end of the walk is right here at the RV park. So, we can start here and walk into downtown, snoop around, and then walk back. Sounds perfect, no?
We've heard from the weatherman that Fairbanks is under a "heat advisory" for the first time ever. Temperatures here have been hotter than the mid-80's we're currently experiencing, but this is the first time it's been this warm for an extended period of time. Of course, it gets much hotter than this in the lower 48, and we are veterans of three years of living in Phoenix. We aren't as distressed about the warmth as native Fairbanksians. ("Fairbanksians." I just made that up.)
We have some other indoor activities planned for tomorrow. For now, we'll stick with the river walk, and there should be a good bit of relaxation mixed in.
And I can't close without wishing a Happy Father's Day to all who celebrate!
Protestors, you made us proud yesterday. It was very uplifting seeing the millions who turned out all over the country and elsewhere in the world. For grins, here's a link with pictures to some of the best signs. You're welcome.
7 comments:
What amazed me about the protesters was that they showed up by the 1,000s in places where I didn't expect any. Fantastic job done by all, and peaceful :-)
Dorothy in W WA
Enjoy Fairbanks. I’m loving riding with you through that beautiful countryside. And thanks for the link to the signs. I liked the one held by the Marine veteran. One of my cousins said that her late father, a Marine, would have been horrified. Dot
Hope you got in a good walk and have lots of pictures to share today.
All the way to the North Pole, huh? Pretty cool! You have some nice views from your campground, too.
My morning coffee was most enjoyable today thanks to your post. Beautiful pictures of scenery and mileposts. I’m hoping to travel to New Brunswick in early July. I will take pictures and post on instagram.
Did you shop at Santa's house? Only 191 days until Christmas!
For sure you should stop at Santa's house - after all, you've been good all year, right?
Yes, I'm enjoying reading the blurbs from the Milepost so keep them coming!
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