Alaskans are Independent

I am your typical Alaskan. Alaskan's are independent thinkers. We are opinionated but friendly. We seek adventure. We love the sun (of which there has been to little of this year). We get the job done. We are great drivers We have to be to drive on snow and ice 6 months of the year. Most people only get to visit but we are the luckiest people in the world to be able live in a beautiful place. Sometimes I feel like I get caught up in my daily grind and take my surroundings for granted and need to shake myself awake to appreciate where I am.

The last couple of days I haven't been blogging. The sun finally came out and like starving people everyone was outside biking, running, throwing frisbees, flying kites, walking dogs, rolling in the grass with babies, rollerblading, gardening. We were trying to fit an entire summers activity into one day. Today is a bonus day. I don't think we've had two days of sunshine in a row yet this summer. These are the kind of days that we look forward to when we are suffering through the long winter.

It's like working at Disneyland. Everyone around you is having fun but you have to work. Sometimes we just need to set work aside, and pretend we are on vacation, so we can enjoy what this state has to offer. Summer's short, it goes by in a blink, it's time to take a road trip and find more ways to appreciate this beautiful place.

Denali - The Great One

Most people that come up for their Alaskan experience feel that it's not complete until they've seen Mt McKinley.

There are a couple places along the road where, if it's a nice day, you can see the top of the mountain. If it's an especially nice day, and we have the time, we like to stop for lunch at the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. They are located at milepost 133 off the George Parks Highway. From their deck you can order lunch and get a fantastic view of not only Mt McKinley but quite a bit of the mountain range. The lodge is located in Denali State Park on the banks of the Chulitna River. I recommend the crab cakes.


You can sometimes spot wildlife along the road in this area. I've seen fox, moose, caribou and even Ptarmigan (Alaska's state bird)

Along this stretch of road we did see a caribou swimming across the river. Unfortunately, on this trip, we did not get a good Denali picture.

The Road to Nenana, Alaska

After leaving Fairbanks, just before we got to Nenana, we saw a moose standing chest deep in a pond near the road. She was happily plunging her head into the water doing some underwater eating. There must have been something very tasty growing under the water.

About an hour south of Fairbanks you cross a bridge and come to the town of Nenana, Alaska. It’s a small community of about 500 people and sits by both the Tanana River and the Nenana River.

The Tanana River is where the annual Nenana Ice Classic is held. Participants purchase tickets and make a guess as to when the ice will go out on the river. The residents of Nenana place a large tripod on the river. When the ice goes out it trips a clock. Winners must guess the exact month, date, hour, minute, am/pm. Tickets are sold throughout Alaska from February 1st through April 5th. In past years the ice has gone out as early as April 20^th and as late as May 20^th.

Some years there have been several winners, and like this year, just one winner. This year’s lucky winner walked away with $303,895.

There is one main road through town with shops and a few places to eat. There is RV parking in Nenana and also a few bed & breakfast establishments. There is a sign near the main road advertising one of them. It’s called Bed and Maybe Breakfast which is a true reflection of the easy going attitude of the average Alaskan.

Fairbanks to Nenana

Leaving Fairbanks it doesn't take very long before your smack in the middle of nowhere again. There is one thing about the road between Fairbanks and Anchorage...you become aware that Alaska has a lot of trees.

We once took an Alaska Railroad trip from Anchorage to Denali. One of the tourists on the trip kept saying "man there's a lot of trees" "Alaska sure has trees". We couldn't help but agree, and probably take them for granted. We were laughing about it the entire trip.

About 30 miles outside of Nenana there is a little place to stop. It's sits half way between Nenana and Fairbanks and it's owned by a skinny little guy named Dick. Google for their website if your looking for interesting gag gifts. I'd link to it but I'm trying to keep the blog at minimum at a PG rating. I don't know how long Dick's Inn has been there but the website says it's been there almost forever.

Golden Days Fairbanks Alaska 2008

Celebrating in the Golden Heart’’ July 14- 20, 2008

The Golden Days Celebration in Fairbanks lasts all week long. We were just there for Saturday’s festivities.

The Golden Days Street Fair is in the downtown area. There was lots of food, things to buy and a fairly large crowd. There were games for the kidlets and you could buy your last minute ticket for the Duck Races here.

The Grand Parade. Fairbanks claims that it is the largest parade in Alaska. I imagine Anchorage could possibly be the only challenger and I can attest personally that Anchorage has never put on a parade that latest as long as this one. I was frankly surprised that anyone was watching it because in my opinion it seemed like everyone that lived in Fairbanks was in the parade! The claim they have over 100 entries which I certainly believe as we watched for over an hour with no end in sight.

The highlight of the weekend is the Rubber Duckie Race. It’s actually quite ridiculous. They number 6,000 rubber duckies, sell numbered tickets, and on race day, set those large yellow duckies loose on the Chena River. They float downstream, round a curve, and finally make the finish line at the Golden Heart Plaza just at the Cushman Street Bridge. People gathered along side the river and on the bridges just to catch a the first glimpse of the duckies as they made their way down river. There was cheering, and yelling. I have to admit that it doesn’t sound all that exciting but you do get caught up in it. I had purchased a couple of tickets and although the bridge was to crowded to get a good view we actually found a place along the river bank where we could see them coming around the bend.

I apologize for the quality of the video but it was taken with my HP iPaq cell phone.

Pikes Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks, Alaska

We just got back from spending the weekend up in Fairbanks. It's been so rainy and cold in Anchorage this entire summer that it was nice to get away to someplace warm and dry. Wait a minute...did you say warmer?? Yes. I know, you would normally consider Fairbanks to be colder then Anchorage, after all it's further north. However, in the summer the days are longer up there and it is warmer and dryer then it is in Anchorage.

We stayed at the Pikes Waterfront Lodge. It's very close to the airport and is right on the Chena River. Our room was on the third floor and overlooked the river. There were patio doors in the room that opened to a small deck we could walk out and enjoy the view.

The first thing you notice when you enter the lobby is the place just exudes comfort and warmth. The staff was friendly and welcomed us with a smile. The rooms were well appointed. We even had a big flat screen television. The room and hallways were quite at all times of the day. The blackout drapes were great. With the long summer days it's not dark for very long so the blackout drapes are an absolute must most places in Alaska but especially in Fairbanks.

There is so much sun in fact that Pikes Waterfront Lodge takes advantage of it by harnessing the solar power with solar panels on their roof.

The wifi in our room was functional but weak. We got a much stronger signal down in the lobby/study lounge/ gathering place. We did our computer work downstairs, at one of the tables in the gathering place, and shared an pecan ice cream.

The breakfast buffet had all the essentials. The hot was hot and the cold was cold. There was a good variety to choose from and it was quite tasty.

I would recommend Pikes Waterfront Lodge to anyone wanting a nice hotel with a warm welcoming staff and a nice Alaskan decor.

Six Week Bran Muffins

Store Batter in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. You can bake a fresh supply every day, if you like. Origin of recipe is unknown.

Ingredients

4 Cups Bran Flakes

2 Cups All-Bran Cereal

3 Cups Boiling Water

1 Cup Butter or Margarine

1 1/2C Granulated Sugar

1 ½ C packed brown sugar

4 eggs

4 Cups buttermilk

¼ C Molasses (optional)

5 Cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbl baking soda

1 Tb baking powder

1 teas salt

2 C raisins

36 – 48 Muffins

40 Minutes/15 Min Prep

1. In a large bowl combine cereals and boiling water.
2. Let stand.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Mix in buttermilk.
6. Add molasses (optional ingredient).
7. Stir in a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt and raisins.
8. Mix thoroughly.
9. Add to batter and stir well to combine ingredients.
10. Store in refrigerator.
11. No need to bake all at one time; it will keep for six weeks.
12. As required, fill greased muffin tin ¾ full. You may prefer paper liners.
13. Oven temperature 400 degrees F
14. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
15. Remove from pan after 5 minutes cooling.
16. Variation: Brans may be switched to use 2 Cups Bran Flakes and 4 Cups All-bran.
17. Or you may use natural bran to replace one of either cereal.