So five tours down, four to go, meaning I'm past the halfway mark! The past weeks have been tremendous with endless excitement and some frustration along the way as well! This job really is learn as you go, but oh boy have I learned. A little over a month ago I headed to Fairbanks for a quick two day training session (considering I had not yet been to Fairbanks just yet), and shadowed a fellow TD Bruce to see how things were run up in the home of perpetual sunlight. We started off in the downtown area learning some history of the area and stopped by the visitor center for a really neat recap of the city itself and how it came to be.
Rivers connect our communities eh? I think so too. The Chena River in Fairbanks serves an essential role in the town infrastructure during the winter. Many residents will use the frozen river during the winter months for a more direct route than the roads have to offer. The roads are often very treacherous considering that temperatures can reach -60 F each and every year. This type of cold costs residents thousands of dollars in heating costs each and every year and reeks havoc on homes and structures. Almost every car is equipped with an engine block heater keeping the oil and engine warm while the vehicle is not running. All the local businesses parking lots have power outlets for each and every vehicle so they can plug in while they shop or work! Oh Alaska...
A snow machine carved out of ice! Every year Fairbanks has an ice carving competition in March and many of the pieces are kept frozen and put on display like this one here. The local community puts on many events, indoor and out, to keep moral high during the long, dark winter days.
One of the stops with our groups is an up close look at the trans-alaskan pipeline. Stretching for 800 miles, the pipeline has driven the Alaskan economy for years now. Half is built below ground, and the other half above due to the high quantities of perma-forst in the state (permanently frozen ground). It accounts for nearly 25% of all US oil and is still cranks out barrel after barrel to this day. It crosses three near vertical mountain passes and can move in four directions up to 18 inches in the event of a moderate to severe earthquake!
See those fan like things on the top of the support poles? Those act like radiators in your car and use a refrigerant to keep the ground frozen during the summer months to allow the least amount of shifting of the pipe as possible! The height of the pipe is also important to allow for animals migrational patterns throughout the state. Everything was brought into consideration.
This is a wonderful example of the beginnings of panning for gold. The sleuth box separates and distinguishes the large rocks from the small. This provides a concentrate of soil that is then panned with the hope of extracting gold. I have panned now five times and my collections are growing :-)
This video was taken from an 800 passenger shallow river sternwheeler. It shows a demonstration of a bush plane taking off in a very short distance at a very low speed. The riverboat cruise is the most authentic, and unbelievably informative tour I have been on thus far! Mad props to the Binkley Family who has truly ruled hospitality in Fairbanks for some time now.
Sternwheeler crankin' away!
From the riverboat, they do an amazing dog mushing demonstration where they even proceed to harness the dogs and have them pull a retrofitted 4-wheeler around a mile loop showing the power and ability of the Alaskan Husky. Pretty neat...
We hop off the boat for a quick bite and demonstration of an authentic Athabascan village where you learn everything from hunting, techniques on building, and how to keep warm in the frigid temps.
Still to this day, many dry there salmon just as seen above and then smoke it for hours on end. Quite a time consuming process but one that has a huge reward, fresh Alaskan Smoked King Salmon!
Flying ERA has truly been an experience as you can see here. My flight from Fairbanks back to Anchorage that evening was me and me alone! It was fun to watch the approach through the cockpit just as the pilots do!
Sunset just before midnight....land of the midnight sun.
My small infraction from climbing Flat Top Mountain late at night with Chris, Ro and Matt. Snow means slippage, hence the boo boo! I think everyone that night left with some sort of bloodshed, part of the experience.
Ted Stevens has many passenger itineraries, however they are most know for their massive cargo planes that fly in and out every day! This is a massive 747 full of items most likely from Asia or Australia. These planes come and go in huge numbers and we find ourselves often by the end of the runway watching takeoffs and landings galore.
A view of Denali and Foraker, with Hunter in the middle from a flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks!
Thought this deserved a photo...
Beautiful view of Mount McKinley (Denali) from the Mckinley
Denali (on the right) and Foraker (on the left) from the Cook Inlet in Anchorage! This only happens several times a year and is the exact view that Captain Cook first saw in 1776, the first white settler to view the mountain! From this view the mountain is about 150 - 175 miles away and still clearly visible! Gives ya an idea of the size.
These are the mud flats of the Cook Inlet with Mount Susitna in the background. Each day huge tides sweep in and out of Cook Inlet and hundreds of feet of mud are produced. People have lost their lives or been severely injured trying to walk out on these flats only to be sucked in. It is very similar in nature to quicksand. The green on the surface is an algae that grows only when the sun is strong and potent, considering it only has several hours to grow before the next tide comes and washes it over! The beaches are also laden with natural clay, thousands of pieces of driftwood and views of Beluga whales as they role by.
Out on the town with some beautiful girls. Live, Laugh, Love
The locals of Ferry, AK mooing the train on July 4th! The town of Ferry has a north and south end, connected only by an Alaskan Railway Bridge. The town used to cross the bridge often until the railroad deemed it too dangerous, putting a huge wrench in the engine of Ferry considering it was essential to get to both parts of town. They put nails in the bridge to deter foot traffic, however the locals threw down plywood and kept using it. Now the railroad has put in a guard to deter foot traffic. So now, on the fourth of July the residents all gather and moon the train to express their discontent to the Alaska Railroad!
This moose gave me quite the scare on a run while at the Denali Princess Lodge! I was in the zone, with headphones in and she came out of nowhere! I spooked her, she spooked me. She then backed up, laid down and seemed to go back into her own world. Interesting none the less!
Flight-seeing in Denali National Park! Me and Kristin get the luxury of doing all of the optional excursions for free. With this said, we both were in Denali together and decided to go on a flight! Beautiful is an understatement and I only wish I could post all of the photos. The flight started out lush and green and ended icy and harsh! Amazing transition over just a short 45 minute flight.
Kristin at the nose!
Stuck me in the back...
Flying over polychrome pass, one of the most beautiful and interesting parts along the Park road leading into the center of the park.
Massive glaciers...glacial ice covers about 5% of the state! A huge amount of ice, almost unfathomable!
This portion of the glacier is 1300 feet deep, solid ice, moving slowly down the valley that it's carving out!
Beautiful fire burning at the Copper River Princess Lodge in the middle of July! You gotta love Alaska!
The Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge! About two hours from Anchorage, this property is in the center of the Kenai Peninsula on the beautiful Kenai River. This place is hugely popular for camping and fishing in the summer, as well as a large, outgoing population of brown and black bear. Many Alaskans come here to go "dip-netting." It's pretty much as simple as it sounds, you dip your net in the river, and come out with a fish! This time of year the salmon are running and fish in the area are prevalent!
Each room is suite style with sitting area, King size bed, outdoor lanai and wood-burning stove for heat.
View from my back deck. Talk about a great place to read a book or just look and listen.
The Kenai River
What my evenings consisted of...
Another view of the mud flats in Anchorage. More and more beautiful each time I see them...
Epic photo at sunset with Mount Susitna (sleeping lady) in the background! These are what the mud flats look like once their covered in water after a high tide. Me and Chris wander down the coastal trail and the flats for hours as the scenery does a complete 180 in just a few hours time.
Moose Bloody Mary!!! Can you see it?
I've been working a ton, therefore I deserved this Burberry Swiss made watch :-)
Experiencing -50 F was, well, painful! It hurt to even breathe! Something to say I've tried though, more power to the residents of Fairbanks who deal with that often each and every year.
My Sourdough Cabin while at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. The hotel was oversold, therefore they put me down the hill in this "quant" sourdough cabin. It served its purpose although I doubt I'll have to be down there again. This was the cabin I was in during a nearly magnitude six earthquake early in the morning. The place shook and rattled, but came out still standing!
Beautiful view of the Alaskan Railroad from the back of a Princess Rail Car. Each view gets better and better... This was a view just after an earthquake that morning. After a substantial earthquake the tracks are inspected in the rare event that damage was done often causing delays on the rail system.
Miss Joyce from my last tour was definitely one of the favorites. She was a firecracker and knew how to let loose and have a good time!
Chris driving me around as usual! On the way to lunch with some great people at Moose's Tooth!
Our farewell bash for the girls. Ro is heading to Texas for sometime and Mary is moving to Colorado! We will all meet again without a doubt!
Kristin and I were bored, so we decided to hit up the Anchorage Museum considering we get in for free through Princess! I was actually pleasantly surprised and intrigued by many of the things I learned.
Me trying to be artistic...ha!
Kristin is quite the pro at planking!!!
Walking downtown Anchorage...
The most amazing flowers you will ever see! This has got to be ten inches in diameter and the city is littered with them!
Can you see my bee friend?
A trappers cabin in the middle of downtown Anchorage! Beautiful flowers...
Chris and I back at the house...fun times!
Bye Mary :-( I'll see you in Colorado!
The usual hang out crew. It will be missed!
Even Ro in the back managed to get airborne! Love jumping photos...
Bruce, our tried and trusted means of transportation!
The past several weeks have been extremely busy, hence the lack of a new blog update! Four more tours to go with some time off, means some downtown time is in the future...hallelujah! I've also made an investment in a beautiful new camera, therefore, many new photos will ensue! The iphone is great, but not the most professional of photo takers! An update sooner than later :-)
