Day
20 – 5-31-15 Sunday After some blueberry pancakes and Reindeer
Sausage for breakfast we called and got reservations at Gold Dredge
8, 7 miles North of Fairbanks. The narrator (who is a legislative
assistant in Juneau in the Winter) gave a very informative talk on
the Alaska Pipeline that we had to walk underneath before getting on
a small train to ride to where the dredge was located. One
interesting fact was when the pipeline was first started they had to
go underground with the pipeline in the seasonal migration routes of
the Caribou because they would not walk under it. It did not bother
the bear and other wildlife, in fact he said the bear use the
supports for a scratching post.
90%
of the operation of Alaskan Government budget including roads is paid
for by the proceeds from the oil that is pumped through the pipeline
from Prudhoe Bay, plus most people that live in Alaska get $1000 a
year from the fund and pay no sales tax or state income tax.
When
we got on the train there was a man singing and playing the guitar.
On the return trip he played the fiddle for awhile. The train stopped
a couple of times and the narrator got off and gave details about how
gold was mined from the area which was some of the richest in the
nation for gold production. When we got to the dredge we were given a
demonstration on panning for gold and then we were all given a poke
filled with gold rich dirt so we could pan gold ourselves. They had a
large covered area set up with benches and troughs of water where we
did the panning. Of course the pokes were seeded with gold but it was
still fun. I got $45 worth and Lena got $16 in her pan. They weight
it out for you to find out how much you got, then if you want they
will make you a necklace, earrings, magnet, etc. with the gold
enclosed in a clear window so the gold shows through. Of course Lena
got all the gold made into a pair of earrings.
They
had some really nice cookies of several varieties, hot coffee, hot
chocolate and water for a snack. The dredge was open for anyone that
wanted to go inside and check out all the levels of it. If you have
watched Gold Rush on TV you may have seen one that has just been put
back in operation in the Yukon Territory of Canada. It was very
interesting. The people that worked here in the Gold Rush Days worked
really hard.
This
was also a very well run tour, well worth the money. We used another
one of our Tour Saver coupons so we have already paid for the book in
the savings on just two tours. The book is $99 and has hundreds of
dollars worth of two for one coupons in it.
We
left and drove back into town and went to the Morris Thompson
Cultural & Visitors Center. There is an original homesteader's
cabin on the grounds that is one of the few remaining cabins of its
type and it is on the original location. They have preserved it and
there was a lady inside in period clothing talking about the cabin
and the lifestyle of that period. The exhibits inside the main
building were really nice. There were 3 movies playing about the
history of the people of Alaska. Most of the exhibits dealt with the
history of the native Alaskans. It was very well done. Then we
returned to the CG to eat before going back to town to attend a show
at the Palace Theater in Pioneer Park.
We
returned to the Pioneer Park to attend a humorous song and dance
musical show about the history of Fairbanks. We got there in time to
walk around part of the 44 acre park. The city has moved dozens of
the old buildings and cabin that were part of the frontier town in
the early 1900's to the park in order to preserve them. They are laid
out like an old town street would be and are now being used as small
businesses. Very well done. We may go back there tomorrow to spend
more time there. The show was great and very funny. There were four
actors and a piano player.
The
sun was out so bright as we were driving back to the campground at
10PM I had to lower the sun visor to keep the sun out of my eyes.
Sunset tonight is 12:03AM. The temperature has been in the upper 60's
and low 70's since we got here. The piano player told the audience
that Fairbanks has the biggest temperature differential of any city
on the continent. It has ranged from 99 to -60 degrees. We just
don't understand how some of the people stay warm in some of the
houses we have seen here. We have seen some really nice homes,
especially along the Chena River yesterday and we have seen some that
look like they would be cold in the Winter in North Carolina much
less here in Fairbanks Alaska with temperature dropping well below 0
degrees.
No comments:
Post a Comment