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Do you know what this is?
It's on display in the Museum of the North in Fairbanks
Can you find Beth?
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Tuesday was our last day in Fairbanks. It was a little rainy and chilly in the morning so we had to scrap our plans for a walk along the river. We had a couple of other things on the agenda before heading out of town. First up was the Museum of the North, which is located on the campus of the University of Alaska. Once again we used our Alaska Tour Saver booklet, which had a "buy one get one free" coupon. The museum was two floors with several sections per floor. The second floor was mainly an art gallery with some interesting art ranging from traditional to modern. None more interesting than the modern art piece which was a life size outhouse. Outhouses are more than a non-functioning novelty item for many folks up here. They are a necessity that is used on a daily basis. While the majority of Alaskan's have water and sewer in their homes, functioning outhouses are not uncommon. Back in the 90's a survey indicated that around 12% of Alaskan homes did not have indoor plumbing, therefore an outhouse was used for the dirty work. That percentage has dropped since then, but outhouses are still in use in Alaska more than in any other state (Kentucky and West Virginia were a distant second and third). Up here their use is mainly because of the difficulty in running and maintaining water and sewer lines in remote locations. Many of those in use around the state are customized by the owner(s). Some are even heated, which would be appreciated on a night when the temperature is down around forty below and you're feeling the call. So it was natural to have a large, very well decorated outhouse on display at the Museum of the North.
Here's a few photos of some genuine, working outhouses that can be found in Alaska
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| There she is! Sitting on the throne in the outhouse on display in the Museum of the North! |
The galleries on the first floor had a number of really interesting displays on the Athabaskan Indians and Alaska Wildlife, as well as the evolution of Alaska. The university and the museum itself sits high up on a bluff providing a great view of Fairbanks. With it's modern design, the museum is a work of art in and of itself. A couple of hours visit would be well worth your time.
Fairbanks
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We didn't dine at this fine establishment but I thought it was picture worthy!
The Northern Most Denny's in the World
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While in Fairbanks we were able to take in a couple of movies (Operation Finale & Searching) using our Movie Pass. Both were watchable but neither left a lasting impression. After our matinee movie I popped in some Dave Matthews tunes, pointed the car southward and we said goodbye to Fairbanks. The challenge with Fairbanks is that it's pretty far north, so it takes some time to get there. However, the drive is quite nice and there is plenty in the Fairbanks area to keep you busy for 2-3 days.
Our destination once we left Fairbanks was the Denali National Park area which was a little over two hours away. There aren't too many roads up here so options for different routes are limited. We didn't opt for the longer, different route so we drove to Denali on Highway 3, the same road we took from Wasilla to Fairbanks on Sunday.
One thing we noticed as we made our way back was just how much change there had been in the leaves and groundcover in two days. As I had mentioned previously, fall comes early up here. It also comes quickly. In 48 hours the leaves that were just starting to turn were now golden. The same was true with much of the ground cover, which was now various shades of red, yellow and purple. It was as if the transformation was happening right before our eyes as we drove along. Fall is a great time of year and it's a spectacular site to see up here.
While in the Denali area we're staying at the McKinley Creekside Cabins. It's a place we're familiar with from previous visits. It's located about 10 miles south of the Denali National Park entrance and a place I would highly recommend.
Before heading into the park yesterday we stopped at the visitors center to get some recommendations on hiking trails. Much to our surprise we ran into some friends inside. We had met a very nice young couple (David and Sophie) on the cruise a few weeks back. They are from New Zealand and traveling for a year. They've covered much of Europe, been across Canada and are now exploring Alaska before heading down the west coast of the US. When we said our goodbyes at the end of the cruise we jokingly said "we'll probably run into you sometime in the next week or two". Well, nine days after the cruise there they were in the visitors center! We talked for a bit and heard about their experiences camping in Seward, Palmer and now Denali. They even went to the Alaska State Fair. However they were there one day before us. They are now heading towards Fairbanks so the odds of seeing them again are slim, but who knows, stranger things have happened.
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Sophie, David and Beth
If you ever need a partner for Flag Trivia David's who you want on your team!
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We drove into the park as far as you can take a private vehicle (around 15 miles) and hiked the Savage River Trail. The name sounds somewhat intimidating but the hike was actually a pretty simple and scenic two miles. The flat, well used trail goes along the river bank for about a mile. Then you cross the river on a footbridge and return to the trailhead along the other river bank. Later on we hiked the Horseshoe Lakes trail which was a little longer and had a little bit of elevation change but still fairly easy. The lakes were crystal clear and the surface was as smooth as glass. As we walked along the shore we had the reflections of the surrounding mountains on the surface of the lake to our left and the actual mountains on the right.
We've got two more days in this area and plenty more to explore. Denali National Park is actually 141 square miles larger than the state of New Hampshire and only slightly smaller than Massachusetts. There's plenty to keep us occupied!
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| Merrily making her way along the Savage River Trail. You can see the return trail on the other side. |
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| Savage River Trail |
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| Savage River Trail Footbridge |
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| A sled dog in the national park hard at work. These are not sled racing dogs. They are used to patrol the park and in a winter will usually cover over 3,000 miles. |
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| Along the Hidden Lakes Trail |
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| A beaver dam on the corner of Hidden Lakes |
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| Hidden Lakes |
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| Blogger at work at the McKinley Creekside Cabins |
