We took the shuttle to the SS
Discovery, a sternwheeler (paddle boat) which has been run by the same family
for 3 generations. The grandson of John and Mary Binkley was the Captain of the
boat but many of the descendants work either on the boat or in the restaurants
and gift shops that form part of the Discovery experience. We met Captain Ryan
Binkley as we boarded the sternwheeler and the staff from the shops came out to
wave us goodbye. There are 3 million lakes in Alaska so many planes are sea
planes and we watched a demonstration of the usefulness of a sea plane which
can take off and land easily in rivers. Many are used by bush pilots who go to
the aid of people in need in remote areas. 1 in 60 Alaskans is licenced to fly.
We were paddling down the Chena
River which is famous because:
·
President and Mrs Regan stayed there in the
Binkley’s home while waiting for the Pope to arrive
·
Trailbreaker Kennels are on the banks of the
river. They were started by Susan Butcher who won the famous Iditarod dog race
4 times with the dogs she bred and trained. The race is a 1000 mile sled race
and is famous around the world. Susan died of breast cancer in 2006 but her
legacy continues with new trainers in the kennels. We saw a sled demonstration
and later we could pat the dogs. One was a very close relation of our Maxie. He
just wanted to sit and be patted on the head and around the neck. The dog’s
name was Madeye because he had 1 brown eye and one blue and brown eye. He has
run the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod races so he is used to train younger dogs
·
There is a use for sled dogs in Fairbanks
because, for 33 weeks of the year, the river is frozen and it becomes a road
and sled dog track for transport.
·
The Athabascan Indians have lived in this area
for 10,000 years and we saw examples of their subsistence lifestyle and current
young members of the tribe explained how the lifestyles changed once the white men
came during the gold rushes. We saw the tools they used, the clothes they wore,
examples of pelts, 4 caribou/reindeers (reindeers are domesticated caribou)
which were grazing in a pen, a stuffed moose and some bear skins. There are
about 780,000 caribou in Alaska and they migrate with the seasons.
·
Three species of salmon spawn in the Chena
River. The females lay up to 1500 eggs, the males fertilise the eggs and then
the males die. Pretty drastic but there must be lots to continue the breeding
process because they use a fish wheel to catch lots of fish at once as it is
“more efficient” than pole fishing.
After the cruise, we went by van
to a nearby town called “North Pole”. Yes, that is the name of the town. There
is a huge Santa Clause statue which must look fantastic when it is covered in
snow, a Santa Clause Lane, a Santa’s workshop and some huge candy canes on the
side of the road. We went inside the work shop and Neil sat on Santa’s chair to
have his photo taken. Inside the work shop, there were Christmas lights and
decorations everywhere. It was amazing. Santa’s sleigh was outside and the
reindeer were grazing in a paddock beside the work shop. However it was about
160 miles to the Arctic Circle so I think the one in Finland must be closer to
where the big man lives.
Tomorrow we take the dome train to
Denali National Park. We should see some animals on the way and even more the
next day when we spend a whole day touring the park.
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