Back to Civilization

We left Tok and headed north to Fairbanks with a couple of interesting stops along the way. The first stop was for lunch at Rika’s Roadhouse that has been in business since around 1910. It was a beautiful setting along the Tenana River with big grassy lawns leading down to the river. Our second stop was in North Pole, Alaska. As expected, it was a Christmas lover’s dream come true. The Santa House was full of every kind of Christmas themed anything imaginable (even Santa and real reindeer).

Our first full day in Fairbanks started out with a city overview tour. Spike had us all double up in our trucks and we played follow the leader around the city. Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska, but it really is small with a population of around 30,000. Still, it has many tourist attractions and it is home to the University of Alaska. Our most interesting stop was at a section of the Alaska Pipeline that runs from Prudhoe Bay all the way to Valdez (800 miles). Apparently,

the pipeline is Alaska’s number one tourist attraction.

Running through the middle of the city is the Chena River. So of course, we had to get out on the water again. This time it was on the Discovery, a riverboat reminiscent of those that moved freight and supplies along the many river systems in Alaska up until the 1950s. Although a bit touristy, it was still fun and informative. Later on in the evening, we were treated to a traditional Alaskan Salmon Bake (think Hawaiian luau minus the entertainment).

We had three days in Fairbanks. On one of those days, the two of us decided to take a drive (60 miles) to a well-known hot spring. And,

we were so glad we did! Chena Hot Springs Resort was beautiful and so relaxing. We spent the afternoon soaking in the large outdoor rock pool. It was warm and sunny and perfect. We even saw a moose on the way back to town.

After some much needed trailer TLC, we spent the latter part of our last day at a place called Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. It is a 2000-acre refuge located on the outskirts of Fairbanks. We decided to go there since it has many walking trails through different types of environments. And Creamer’s is the summer home of the sandhill crane. We were pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed the walking trails (especially the one that wound around in a birch forest) and watching the large population of summering cranes.