Fairbanks Day 1

The Museum of the North yesterday was very well done and provided a lot of information about the natives of the region. They had a stuffed Brown Bear (Grizzly) at the museum and Mary posed for a photo with it.

Mary with Brown Bear

This morning we boarded the Discovery III paddle boat for a tour of the Chena River. The Binkley family had operated this tour service since 1950 and they really have their act together.

Discovery III

Before we left the dock a beaver came downstream with a mouth full of branches. They claimed that this was not a staged part of the tour but I'm not so sure.

Beaver

Shortly after leaving the dock we were presented with a float plane demonstration. The Super Cub on floats took off in front of us and then came back, landed and taxied around the boat so everyone could get a good look at it.

Piper Super Cub on Floats

Our next treat was a dog mushing demonstration presented by David Monson the husband of Susan Butcher four time winner of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race.

David Monson with Dogs

We turned around at the Tanana River where we got another bush plane demonstration. This time it was a Piper Super Cub landing and taking off from a sand bar.

Piper Super Cub on Sand Bar

Our finals stop was at Chena village an Athabascan native village that has been there for hundreds of years. We saw reindeer (the domesticated version of Caribou), more sled dog information and information of life in an Athabascan village.

Food and Hide Cache


Chena Village Post Office

They also modeled some Athabascan clothing by a local lady. The coat shown here was valued at over $16,000 and is absolutely beautiful.

Athabascan Coat

We also got another look at some Fireweed, which I mistakenly said in an earlier blog was the state flower of Alaska. It is actually the Provincial Flower of the Yukon Territories.

Fireweed

On our return trip to the dock we spotted the Pump House Restaurant sited in a restored pump house which pumped water to the gold mines in the early part of the last century.

Lunch at the Pump House on the Chena River

The weather was perfect today at about 80 degrees and a light breeze with a clear blue sky