RV-Dreams Journal

2019 Alaska Trip - Day 127 (Continued) - Alaska Sends Us Off With Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), Delta Junction, Alaska

Well, I posted our August 31 entry a little too soon. Around 10:30 p.m., our neighbor here in the campground at Clearwater State Recreation Area came by to let us know the Northern Lights were happening. We knew the possibility was good for tonight, but it was earlier than expected and we just weren't thinking about it at the time. We're so thankful he came over.

One of the main reasons we planned to end our Alaskan journey at the end of August and in the north was our hope to see the Northern Lights. We saw sort of a glow in Iceland last year but nothing like the photos you see of bright streaks of dancing colors.

We were beginning to think that all those amazing photos had been digitally enhanced. Well, let me tell you we spent two hours watching one of the most amazing things we've ever seen. The streaks are real. The bright colors are real. The dancing lights are real. Not all Northern Lights experiences are like that, but they do happen and tonight we were treated to it in person.

I had no idea how to photograph this phenomenon, so I just kept putting the camera on every setting I could think of and hoped. I certainly didn't get professional quality photos, but I got a good sampling of what we saw.

This was my first photo, and I was going to be pretty happy with that.

 

 

Then I got this light "tornado" going through the handle of the Big Dipper, Alaska's state flag symbol.

 

 

I didn't want to take time to set up a tripod and the camera was fussy about whether to take a photo in the darkness or not. But I found I could get something if I took a "night portrait" of something in the foreground.

 

 

I got out our loungers that we'd already packed away for tomorrow's move, and we sat out with blankets marveling at the spectacular show.

 

 

It was truly one of the most amazing things we'd ever seen as the lights danced, the brightness changed, and red and white and purple lights joined the dominant greens. It was truly jaw-dropping as I stood and spun 360 degrees with my mouth open .... and just repeating "Wow! This is unbelievable". It was so special it nearly brought us to tears, and the sight is impossible to describe in words or photos and do it justice.

After sitting for a few minutes and taking it all in, every once in awhile, I had to get up and just see if I could somehow get some kind of photo to document the experience.

 

 

These are handheld, long exposures - so blurry, but I didn't care at that point.

 

 

 

Using the Jeep as my foreground.

 

 

The lights faded for a short time, and then they returned. This shot is over the two campsites next to us.

 

 

After watching for an hour and a half and having seen what Linda described as lights that looked like strips of fabric blowing and waving in the wind, she called it a night.

I stayed out for another half-hour or so, and I got this one final photo before I joined her.

 

 

I was still pretty pumped up and couldn't go to sleep. I watched through our skylight, and went back outside around 2:00 a.m. to find the show was still in progress.

As if we hadn't already had our share of outstanding, fantastic, memorable Alaskan experiences, the Aurora Borealis was certainly the icing on the cake. WOW!!! 

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 127 - Paddling & Fishing The Delta Clearwater River, Delta Junction, Alaska

Since I didn't do it yesterday, I followed through this morning by cooking up a pound of bacon and making us some eggs for breakfast.

I repeated yesterday's warmer wardrobe and put on my waders. I launched the Sea Eagle and started paddling upriver here on the Delta Clearwater. Though there are no rapids of any kind, the current in this clear, spring-fed river is much faster than it looks.

I was able to paddle a little ways, before the current was just too swift. I got out and fished a little in a couple of different places, but the fish weren't rising to feed like they were yesterday afternoon. I fished next to a guide and his two guests, but they weren't catching anything either. So, I decided to continue upstream as far as a I could, either paddling or towing the kayak behind me as I walked in the fast, shallow sections.

I didn't get very far, but it was still serene and beautiful. I tied up the kayak for a few photos.

 

 

 

When it was too exhausting to paddle or tow, I just turned around and let the current take me back down toward the campground.

 

 

I had talked to some folks on our arrival day that have a motorboat, and they hinted they might take us and our boat up near the headwaters so we could float back down, but that never panned out, and I didn't pester them about it.

After two gorgeous days, today was overcast and a little cooler.

I kept looking for fish, but they still weren't rising yet. I decided to pull over in the same spot where I had some luck yesterday. After a while, the fish started feeding, one or two here and there at first.

I targeted one with the Adam's Parachute the fellow gave me yesterday, and sure enough I caught my first one of the day - a nice Arctic Grayling. You can see the size compared to my boot.

 

 

 

But like yesterday, it was one caught fish per fly. Slowly more fish started rising, and then it became a mayfly parade. Mayflies were floating by at a high rate and the fish weren't letting many get by. They had so much to eat, they got picky and ignored every fly I tried.

I paid close attention to the look of the mayflies, and noted how they floated with their wings sticking up. I dug through my flies again and found two in different colors that had that similar wings-up look. I wish I knew what they were called.

Yep, that did the trick. Second cast with one of those flies.

 

 

What a great fish, and he put up a nice fight.

 

 

Then, I carelessly snagged that fly in a tree and lost it. So, I put on the other fly that was the same except for the color. Sure enough, I caught another good-sized one.

 

 

 

I only caught the three today, but they were all bigger. The average Arctic Grayling is 10 - 16 inches, and a trophy one is considered to be 18 inches or more by some and over 20 inches by others. I didn't have a tape, but I think all of them today were at the upper end of the average scale and the first two may have been approaching trophy size.

At any rate, it was a successful day on the river, and I got what I came for here at Clearwater State Recreation Site.

Back at the rig, Linda was half way through her rug, and she ran the generator enough to keep our chest freezer full of fish in single digit temperatures. It was at 14 degrees this morning when we got up. Not bad.

She fixed a salad and cut up some avocado, while I threw some Sockeye fillets on the Blackstone.

After dinner, we deflated, cleaned, and packed up the kayak. And we loaded all our chairs and got ready for departure. 

Though we had considered staying here through Labor Day, we've decided to move on. It seems kind of fitting that we'll spend the last day of August in Alaska, and then move into Canada tomorrow on September 1.

So, other than our drive tomorrow, we're saying farewell to Alaska as we wrap up August. We've been in the state almost four months, and it has been an epic adventure as we hoped it would be. We'll be leaving with memories that will last the rest of our lifetimes.

But, our adventure isn't over in our minds until we leave Canada, and we're going to take three weeks, give or take a couple days, to do that. 

We'll be coming to your from the Yukon Territory tomorrow.

---

 

 

2019 Alaska Trip - Day 126 - Fishing The Delta Clearwater River, Delta Junction, Alaska

My plan was to get up early, cook some bacon and eggs, float around on the Delta Clearwater River in our Sea Eagle, and find a nice place to fish here at the Clearwater State Recreation Site.

Well, we slept in. And I got caught up in a book, so I didn't get out of bed until about 10:30. We do have 3G cell service here, and I needed to take care of a couple administrative items. Plus we checked in with family in Florida given that Hurricane Dorian was approaching. It was after 1:00 p.m. by the time I got outside.

I learned my lesson yesterday, so I put on an extra layer of clothes and doubled up my wool socks before slipping on my waders.

Linda is working on another locker-hooking rug, so she was content to stick around the campsite. But she did help me get the FastTrack down the hill where I launched and started paddling around.

I didn't paddle long, as I saw a channel just around the corner from our campsite where the fish were rising to feed on mayflies. I beached the boat, and got busy with the fly rod.

 

 

 

Now, I like to fly fish, but I don't do it that much, and I barely know enough to get by. I'm not an expert by any means, and my casting skills are suspect. But I have a decent collection of flies, and I know the phrase "match the hatch". That refers to trying to use flies that are as close in appearance as possible to the recent bug hatch which is feeding the fish at that moment.

Right now, the Grayling are feeding on the mayflies just floating downriver on the surface. My challenge was to find a "dry fly" (one that floats) that resembles a floating mayfly and to present it properly.

But first, against traditional wisdom, I tried my old trusty olive wooly bugger with a bead head. Got one - fish on!

 

 

 

I just love to watch these Grayling come up and attack a fly in clear water. Plus they are just such a beautiful fish, as I've mentioned before.

I continued with the wooly bugger, but caught no more. So, I kept trying different flies trying to mimic the mayflies. If nothing else, I think my wooly bugger (which is not a floating fly) was a fluke. The fish would only hit a floating dry fly after that, and once I caught one fish on a particular fly, no other fish would eat it.

I caught this small one.

 

 

Apparently I had a drop of water on the lens of my waterproof camera.

And then I got into a little pattern of hooking one and losing it, then hooking one and getting it in.

 

 

 

The later ones were a bit bigger - those are nice sized Arctic Grayling.

 

 

After trying a dozen or so flies, I finally found a tiny "elk hair caddis" in my collection. And that was the only fly I used that had multiple hits in succession, although I missed most of them. No matter, I was releasing them all anyway.

I landed five and lost at least that many and was a happy camper. As I was about to leave, a fellow from Fairbanks walked by and we chatted. He gave me an "Adam's parachute" fly to try. I tried it, but I got nothing more this afternoon. I'll try again tomorrow.

I shot a little video of the river before I left, but our signal here isn't good enough to upload it. Hopefully, I'll remember to do it later.

Back at the rig, we had leftovers for dinner, Linda continued work on her rug, and I did some reading before calling it a night.

Tomorrow may be identical to today, but I hope to get out a bit earlier.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 125 - Travel Day From Fairbanks To Clearwater State Recreation Site, Delta Junction, Alaska

With it being the Thursday before a three-day weekend (Labor Day), the plan was to leave around 10:00 a.m. and drive the 110 miles to the Clearwater State Recreation Site just outside Delta Junction.

Well, I have two medications that I take, and I realized last night that I didn't have enough of one of them to make it back to the Lower 48. And I was out of refills on the prescription. Sheesh.

I ordered it through Walgreens last night with a hopeful pick-up by 11:00 a.m.  With my doctor being four hours ahead on Eastern time, making this work would be a longshot. Well, between Walgreens and me calling the doctor's office and requesting a quick prescription, and then having to go to the farthest Walgreens in Fairbanks because the one near the RV park didn't have enough pills in stock, we got it done. But we didn't end up leaving Fairbanks until around 12:30.

It was a pretty day, and it was an uneventful drive. We entered the campground at Clearwater around 2:30. It's first come, first served and they have 17 sites with no hook-ups. Like many Alaska state park campgrounds, there is a hand pump for water, but there is no place to fill an RV. And there is no dump station. There are two sets of nice vault toilets.

 

 

Larger rigs could fit in several of the sites. It's $15/night.

We paid for three nights, although we may stay through the holiday weekend.

After unhitching the Jeep, I drove through the single loop to select a site. Only three sites were occupied, so we hadn't needed to worry about it being full. I saw a site I wanted, but it was occupied by a Class B. However, it looked like they might be leaving. In the meantime, we selected the best alternative site with good sun for the solar panels, Site 16.

But then the Class B moved before we got set up, so we went back to Site 8, a pull-through with good sun and a short path down to the river.

 

 

 

 

 

After getting set up, I did my usual walk around.

This is the view of the river from below our site.

 

 

Downstream view.

 

 

There are a couple Clearwater Rivers in this area, so this one is known locally as the Delta Clearwater River. It's a short (only 20 miles) spring-fed river that empties into the Tanana River. It is, of course, crystal clear.

This is the picnic area river access.

 

 

 

There is a day-use parking area and a boat ramp.

 

 

Looking upriver from the boat ramp.

 

 

And this is the view downriver.

 

 

Unfortunately, most of the river runs through private land, so there are no take-outs for a nice, short float and there is no access at the headwaters to float to the park here. The state has a Delta Clearwater Float Guide, but it only shows putting in here at the park and then going all the way to the Tanana River and then paddling a mile and a half from the Tanana to Clearwater Lake (12 miles total) where there is a boat ramp OR paddling to the Tanana and then continuing on the Tanana to the Richardson Highway Bridge (28 miles total).

The Tanana is not a river to be taken lightly, so we weren't going to do either of those trips. However, we could paddle around in this general vicinity and perhaps paddle upriver a little bit.

So, I unpacked our Sea Eagle FastTrack and inflated it so that it would be ready to put in tomorrow.

I also got my fly rod ready to go as this river is known for its big Arctic Grayling. I was clued in on that way back when we were in Copper Center. I got a tip from another fishermen there.

At the south end of the campground, is the Clearwater Lodge.

 

 

It's mainly a restaurant and bar, but it has a few cabins, and six full hook-up RV sites above the river and three electric-only sites on the river. The have a laundry room and showers as well.

Everyone I talked to so far said a great fishing spot is behind the lodge in the river bend.

 

 

I watched as this fellow pulled in two nice Graylings.

 

 

That got me excited about the fishing.

Those folks were in the Class B from the campground. They are from Oregon and were very nice.

I hustled back to the rig and threw on my waders. I tried from this spot .....

 

 

for a little while as the sun sank behind the trees. I didn't have any luck and didn't stay long as the water is ice cold. I needed another pair of socks and a fleece shirt. My feet were freezing, so it was a good time to head home. Note to self for tomorrow.

Linda prepped a chicken sausage and veggie stir fry that I cooked up on the Blackstone.

Then it was a simple, relaxing evening until bedtime.

Tomorrow, I'll try my luck again on the river.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 124 - Travel Day From Chena River Wilderness To Fairbanks

Our next destination is the Clearwater State Recreation Site near Delta Junction where the Alaska Highway begins (or ends depending on which way you are going). It was only about a 150-mile trip, but at the last minute we decided to do an overnight in Fairbanks.

We took our time getting ready, and then we did our farewell hugs and handshakes with Rowdy & Missy. Their trail (aka "road") had dried out a bit in the last few days, but there were still big puddles and muddy areas.

I should have taken photos on our arrival day, but I took some today as I led Linda out in the Jeep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just imagine it being twice as bad as that when we arrived. We both were much more confident today.

Rowdy said the trail back was bone dry all summer, and then heavy rains went through in the days before we arrived. With the rock base, it doesn't drain, so it has to dry over time.

Again, it's not an official road, so Rowdy maintains it himself the best he can, and he's been dragging it the last few days to help much of it dry out.

So, if you come for a visit as a Boondockers Welcome guest (under 30 feet for RVs), just understand it's not a state or borough maintained road, and conditions can change quickly. But if we could make it, chances are you can, too.

And we're so glad we took the risk. We had a great time, and it wouldn't have been the same parked out by the road or down at Gabe's Boondock Camping.

Of course, our RV and Jeep are a little muddy, and that's one of the reasons we decided to stay in Fairbanks tonight. The expensive RV park in town, River's Edge Resort RV Park has a car/RV wash area in the park, and though we eschewed that option several days ago due to the price, we decided to bite the bullet today to have access to the wash and to get full hook-ups and do laundry before heading out for a series of campgrounds with no hook-ups.

After leaving Rowdy & Missy's place, there was a large, paved pull-out where we stopped and hitched up the Jeep. We had removed the tow bar from the motorhome for the drive in and out just to make sure it didn't drag or get covered in mud, so it took a couple minutes longer than usual to re-install the tow bar before hitching.

Shortly after we were back driving, there was a cow moose along the road moving at a trot after a small motorhome had stopped for a look. For a moment, we were concerned it would run out in front of us, but it stayed put long enough for us to safely pass.

Farther down Chena Hot Springs Road, about half way to Fairbanks, there was another cow with a large calf.

 

 

As we approached, they immediately made a right turn and sloshed through the marsh into the woods.

Soon we were on the last twenty miles of horrible bacon-like pavement on the Chena Hot Springs Road, and we were relieved when that was over.

We made it to River's Edge and they had plenty of spots open. It's a well known park in Fairbanks for hosting many of the RV caravans that come through each summer, and it's often full. But not today.

They assigned us Site C-12, and with our Good Sam discount, it was only $54 instead of $60 for 30 amps. They do have 50-amp sites for $65, and many campgrounds and RV parks in Alaska don't have a 50-amp option. 

One thing I've come to like in Alaska is the fact that they have no state sales tax, and it's nice when the price is the price. The towns are allowed to charge a tax, but most of the time we haven't paid one, and it always makes me look at my receipts as I've been conditioned to expect to pay 6% -10% more.

Rather than park, we went to the RV wash. There is no bay, just an outdoor concrete pad with a drain, and it's a coin-operated pressure wash and soap brush just like a do-it-yourself car wash. But that was okay and did the trick - because Linda went so slow on Rowdy's trail, it wasn't too bad..

I washed the rig while Linda got a couple loads of laundry going.

Then we parked in our site, and I got the utilities hooked up while Linda set up the inside. Then I returned to wash the much dirtier Jeep.

Whew, with that out of the way, I dumped tanks and filled our fresh water tank so we'd be ready to go in the morning. Then I grabbed the camera to document our stay as I always try to do.

We had a pull-through site with trees, ....

 

 

 

and we were just a couple empty sites over from the Chena River.

 

 

If the park were full, you'd be quite close to your neighbors, but we didn't have that issue for tonight.

There was a little green space with picnic tables along the river, .....

 

 

 

so it was a nice setting although the park is near the airport and there was quite a bit of plane noise and road noise.

I walked along the river and past the fence that separates their lodge and the riverfront cottages from the RV park all the way to the end at their restaurant, Chena's Alaskan Grill. They were between lunch and dinner service, but the outdoor deck looking inviting.

 

 

 

Well, it looked inviting except that it's located next to a bridge over the river, and the current bridge construction noise eliminated the ambiance.

The restaurant menu looks enticing, and I would say it's probably fine dining for Alaska with some hefty, but not outrageous prices. If staying at River's Edge Resort, however, you get a 15% discount.

For us, we'd already spent enough on the campsite, the vehicle washes, and laundry, so we settled for our leftover Keto pizza and were quite happy with that.

After taking advantage of our great Verizon 4G signal for the remainder of the evening, we called it a night.

Linda is a little concerned about getting a campsite without reservations on Labor Day weekend, so we hope to leave early tomorrow and snag one of the 17 sites at Clearwater State Recreation Site. Stay tuned to see how that turns out.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 123 - Chena Hot Springs & Ice Museum

Today, I really concentrated on getting our Denali National Park posts finished up while Linda and Missy crafted and started a jigsaw puzzle.

Rowdy gave me a ride up to Chena Hot Springs Resort where I got two tickets for the 7:00 p.m. Aurora Ice Museum tour.

Linda & I remember the resort was featured on some show many years ago for its Ice Hotel. Well, the hotel was discontinued and replaced with the Ice Museum. Our plan was to do the evening tour and then soak in the hot springs afterwards.

Back at the cabin, Rowdy and Linda worked on putting together a couple of pizzas - one Keto style and one not. Linda replicated the dough she made last night for bread. Close to 6:00 p.m. our Keto pizza mounded with toppings, including Alaska salmon, was ready.

 

 

They had also used Linda's Ninja Foodi to dehydrate the tomatoes.

It was our first pizza on this trip since we adopted Keto living, and it was delicious. It was a small pizza, but we still had leftovers. We just aren't eating as much as we used to due to the filling foods. In the past there would have been nothing left, and I probably could have and would have eaten it by myself given the opportunity.

 

With our early dinner taken care of, we bundled up and headed to the resort for our tour. The Ice Museum stays at 25 degrees inside, and though they loan you parkas, you need to dress warm and bring your own hat and gloves.

The website says to be at the Activities Center fifteen minutes prior to your tour, but they told us in person to show up five minutes before. We were early and waited around inside with others.

 

 

I had prepaid our $15/person admission fee and an additional $15 for Linda to have an apple martini in an ice glass during the tour.

Let's start with the bad impressions, and then we'll get to the good parts.

We hoped to have a small group on a Tuesday night, but there were about 40 people. Our "guide" put on a headset and led us over to the museum which, from the outside, looks a bit cheesy.

 

 

 

Having dealt with the "guide" earlier, my expectations were low. I was both surprised and disappointed he was leading the tour.

Okay, so he split us up into two groups because you first go into a small vestibule where you select and put on the loaner parkas before entering the main part of the building, the cold part. The vestibule wasn't big enough for everyone. After the first group got their parkas, they were herded into the museum while the rest of us were ushered into the vestibule. I took this photo on the way out when there was no chaos and most of the parkas had been re-hung.

 

 

My advice is to bring your own coat because they may not have your size or you may not be able to grab your size, and I'm not sure how often they are washed (definitely not between each tour, and from the smell of some them, I doubt they wash them daily).

Once everyone was in the Ice Museum, the guide lost all control. There were so many people and everyone was wandering around looking at the ice sculptures and taking selfies while he tried to provide some explanation. He didn't lead us through the small museum; he just talked for a few minutes, pointed out some highlights, and then we all explored on our own. I missed at least half of what he said. That was it - that was the "tour".

In reviews I read from earlier this month, people indicated they first watched a twenty minute video - "the experience starts with a 20 minute video on ice carving and its historical and cultural presence in Alaska." Nope, didn't see that. Then they had twenty minutes viewing the ice sculptures and the reviewers said they slid down an ice slide on sleds. Nope, that wasn't even mentioned nor did we see an ice slide. And then they indicated they were treated to a ten minute ice carving demonstration at the end. Nope, didn't get that either, and we really would have liked to have seen that.

On our "tour", we walked around and looked at the ice sculptures and took photos until our guide turned into the bartender and started serving Apple-tinis at the Aurora Ice Bar. Then he let people out of the museum in groups as they were ready. You couldn't just leave on your own, you had to be let out - I suppose that's so nobody carelessly leaves the door open and the museum melts.

 

So, let's now focus on the good parts with photos. I'll do a little tour for you.

On the left as you walk in is the ice sculptors studio.

 

 

Steve & Heather Brice of Brice & Brice Ice Sculptures are world class ice carvers and it is a privilege to see their work. Check out their website - there is a short video of Heather making a martini glass out of a block of ice, and some of their other work outside the Ice Museum is amazing. It would have been nice to see them in action in person, but we understand they can't be there for every single tour five times a day every day, but I would recommend verifying whether or not there will be a demonstration before booking your tour.

This is the view as you walk in under an ice block wall that separates the studio from the rest of the museum.

 

 

Yes, even the chandeliers are ice.

The dark lighting and the changing colors of the lights add to the experience. If it were all just bright white lights, it would have seemed bland. However, the darkness and changing colors made it very difficult to take pictures.

The ice sculptures are an eclectic mix. This one was on the left immediately past the sculptors studio.

 

 

Just past her was this one.

 

 

It would have been nice if these pieces of art would have had some type of plaque indicating the name of the piece, when it was carved, how long it took to complete, the carver's name, and perhaps a short description of the inspiration. Then, maybe it would feel more like a museum.

As it was, it was, as I mentioned before, it was an eclectic collection without a theme or flow.

Next was an ice staircase (left side of photo below) that was roped off and then a pair of jousting knights on horseback.

 

 

 

 

Again, there is no question the sculptures are impressive. The Brices have won numerous ice sculpting world championships.

Next to the knights was an ice leopard between pillars with dragons on top.

 

 

 

Next was an open section with a podium surrounded by ice pedestals with ice balls on them. This was clearly an area designed to host weddings.

 

 

This is a view to the left from the podium, .....

 

 

and this is looking to the right.

 

 

The centerpiece of the museum is the Aurora Ice Bar across from the jousting knights and the leopard.

 

 

The bar is ice as are the fur-covered bar stools, ....

 

 

 

and that, of course, is where they serve the Apple-tinis.

To the right of the bar, up a couple steps, is an ice table with four more bar stools.

 

 

Linda sat at the end of the bar and waited patiently as the bartender/guide made his way around.

 

 

Finally, it was her turn as he poured two bottles into an ice glass.

 

 

Sitting at the ice bar on fur-covered stools is something we remembered from the TV show we saw about the place many years ago, so Linda fulfilled her desire to partake in that little ritual.

 

 

She said the Apple-tini was actually very good, and she agree with the guy beside her that said "All drinks should be served this way".

Though you are supposed to order your apple martini when you get your tickets so they know how many glasses to make, they tend to have extras as some folks decide to join in once they are inside the museum at the bar. Your $15 is actually $10 for the drink and $5 for the glass. You can get a refill for $10.

While Linda was enjoying her drink, more people had left, so I wandered around to get some more photos.

On the left side of the bar, is an ice polar bear.

 

 

And to the left of it is an igloo that you can go in.

 

 

Inside the igloo is an ice xylophone that you can play.

 

 

The back of the building has an ice archway with more pedestals and colored ice balls that are aligned along the hallway that leads to four "bedrooms".

 

 

View from the end of the hall looking back out.

 

 

Though it's not an ice "hotel", you can still spend the night in the museum for a mere $600/night. I'm pretty sure that's what I heard our guide say, although there is absolutely no mention of this option on the resort's website.

One room had some folks feeling romantic in it, so I didn't interrupt. But I took photos of the other three rooms so you can let the resort know which you prefer when you make your reservation to stay the night.

 

 

 

I would go with the polar bear bed with the Alaska state flag symbol, the Big Dipper, in one of the post balls.

 

 

You have to admit that's pretty cool, no pun intended.

 

So there you have it. That's the Ice Museum. And here are my final thoughts about that part of our evening.

The so-called "tour" was quite lame, and apparently we got short-changed on that.

But the ice sculptures were impressive and the Ice Museum is a unique experience. If you can appreciate the work that goes into the ice sculptures and the technology it takes to keep a building like that at 25 degrees year round in an area of Alaska that gets hotter than most other parts during the summer, then the Ice Museum is worthwhile. Otherwise, you will likely consider it a tourist trap. 

My initial expectation all along was "tourist trap", and the quality of the tour, or lack thereof, didn't help. But in the end, after most people had left and we had more time and room to check things out and take pictures, I softened. It was much better with just a few people in there so we could take our time and really appreciate what we were seeing.

I'd say it was worth the $15/person. However, I certainly wouldn't drive over a 100 miles round-trip from Fairbanks just for the Ice Museum alone. If it were presented better and you were guaranteed a smaller group and an ice carving demonstration, then maybe. Of course, if you are going to Chena Hot Springs Resort anyway, I'd recommend seeing the Ice Museum. It is unique.

 

After the Ice Museum, we put Linda's ice martini glass in the cooler in our Jeep and grabbed our swimming suits and towels. While we were there, we decided to experience the hot springs, and you can get a day pass for $15/person ($13 if you are 60 and over), a little steep, but not over the top.

We paid our fee and got change from the change machine so we could get a coin-operated locker with a key in the locker room. We went to our separate locker rooms to get changed and shower before entering the pool.

They have an indoor warm pool (average 90 degrees) with indoor hot tubs, but that's where all the kids hang out because no one under 18 is allowed in the outdoor hot springs pool (average 106 degrees).

 

 

 

There is a covered walkway to the rock pool, so we hung our towels there and went down the ramp into the water. It was pretty crowded, but it felt great.

 

 

There was a fine gravel bottom that was easy on the feet. Linda said it was like aquarium rocks.

Our only complaint was there were very few places to sit. You pretty much either had to stand or climb up on the rocks. There were some seats right next to the entry ramp railing, but other than that there was no place to sit and stay submerged.

A nice feature was the cool water sprinkler that made it feel like you were standing in the rain. 

 

 

You could move under it and cool off without having to get out of the water, and everyone eventually gravitated there.

 

 

By the way, there is also an outdoor patio with an adults-only hot tub, but we didn't try it.

 

 

The water in the rock pool was quite relaxing, but it didn't take long for me to get bored. People watching at a hot springs is entertaining for only so long.

We stayed longer than some, and not as long as others, but it was enough.

 

Chena Hot Springs Resort is kind of a strange place. It is a mixture of modern technology and 80s summer camp. It's not an opulent "resort", but it seems to satisfy the needs of its guests.

It's dedicated to renewable energy and 100% of the resort's electricity is geothermal power created on-site (they offer free daily geothermal renewable energy tours). The Ice Museum is kept cold by a huge energy-efficient absorption chiller, which is similar to the technology used by RV refrigerators just on a much larger scale. And they are experimenting with other renewable energy ideas.

But with all that focus on modern energy technology, it seems the facilities could benefit from some updating. Perhaps that is underway as a new entrance to the lodge is under construction.

 

Anyway, that was our touristy evening. Hopefully, our write-up may help in your decision if you are tossing around a visit or stay at Chena Hot Springs Resort.

 

Back at the cabin, we decided to forgo the evening campfire and called it an early night. After time in the hot springs, we weren't going to be awake long.

So, this was our last night at Rowdy & Missy's place. We'll say our goodbyes in the morning, and then we'll be on to the next part of our journey - heading back toward the Lower 48. This was as far north as we're going. We have just a few days left in Alaska, but we'll have about three weeks to explore more of Canada on the way south.

Until next time.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 122 - Crafts, Gabe's Boondock Camping, Fishing & More

So, this morning I tried to get a few Journal entries posted while Linda and Missy worked on stringing some mobiles.

 

 

Linda's mobile included all items she's found on the beaches in Alaska. She's got driftwood, shells, rusty stuff, rocks, glass, and even the remnants of a fishing lure.

 

 

Later in the day, we headed over to the little campground Missy manages - Gabe's Boondock Camping. They also have a Facebook page here: Gabe's Boondock Camping Facebook Page.

As soon as Rowdy and I pulled up in his truck, we saw a moose on the edge of the pond.

 

 

 

 

Well, that's one perk of camping here.

Another is the fishing. The pond has some nice fish in it. It's "catch and release only", .....

 

 

but it's fun to step outside your rig and do a little bank fishing.

It wasn't long before we were catching some small Grayling.

 

 

 

The water along the bank was clear, and if a Grayling swam by, all you had to do was present it with something to eat. I was using flies on my fly rod, and they went after my fly every time - didn't matter what it was.

Then, Rowdy caught a huge Rainbow Trout while the moose was still feeding on the other side of the pond.

 

 

 

A little while later, I caught a nice Rainbow myself.

 

 

We had a good time bringing in some fish for a couple of hours.

For lunch, we took a break and had some sausages they cooked on their RoadPro 12-volt stove (aka Trucker's Lunchbox). That's a cool little device to have while traveling.

Gabe's Boondock Camping is less than two miles from the Chena Hot Springs Resort. And though the resort has a campground of its own without hook-ups, Gabe's is a great alternative if the resort campground is full or their few big rig sites are taken. The resort campground is first come, first served and you can't make reservations, so Gabe's allows you to make the 56-mile trip without worrying about not having a place to stay. Plus, Gabe's has full sun exposure for those with solar while the resort spots are wooded.

Eventually, we returned to the cabin where I donned my waders and went to the river to do more fishing. I caught my biggest Grayling yet, but I didn't have my camera with me and no one else was around. That was another beautiful fish, and I wish I had it documented.

Linda and Missy were experimenting in the kitchen. Linda has been talking up our Keto eating habits, and Missy was telling us how much she likes bread.

So, Linda found a Keto bread recipe, and while she was making bread, she also made a batch of Keto chocolate chip cookies. Both were quite good. We can only have one piece of bread or one cookie a day to keep our carbs down, but those were good substitutes.

We donated salmon for dinner but, unfortunately, Rowdy has developed some type of salmon allergy, so he had to go with an alternative. The salmon was delicious, and we had a little bit leftover.

Linda decided to use her new Keto recipes and turn the bread into a Keto pizza dough. Missy chimed in that Rowdy makes an awesome pizza, so the menu for tomorrow night was set.

After dinner, we went out for our usual music and campfire. But tonight we had a little cornhole tournament. Missy got out their lighted cornhole boards, and we had a little girls vs guys challenge. At regulation distance, I didn't think Linda would be able to compete, but she did well. Not well enough to beat us, but it was closer than I expected.

We ended the evening staying warm around the campfire and finishing off the leftover blueberry mousse from last night. Another fine day of friends just hanging out and having a good time.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 121 - Angel Rocks Loop Hike & More

It got down to the upper 20s overnight, but with our late night last night, we didn't get out of bed until it was above freezing.

Eventually, I got out the Blackstone and cooked Rowdy and me some bacon and eggs. He had some smoked lamb bacon that I cooked up as well. I'd never had lamb bacon before, but it was quite tasty.

After a bit, Rowdy & I loaded up in the Jeep and drove a few miles west to the Angel Rocks trailhead at around mile marker 50 on the Chena Hot Springs Road. Angel Rocks is a popular hike, and you can do either a 2.4-mile out-and-back or a 3.5 mile loop or an 8-mile hike all the way to Chena Hot Springs Resort or a 16-mile hike to the resort and back.

We were going to do the 3.5-mile loop with a 900-foot elevation gain. After paying the $5 parking fee, we headed out.

 

 

 

The trail was flat for a bit as it ran along another section of the North Fork of the Chena River.

 

 

Eventually, we came to a boardwalk section.

 

 

At the boardwalk, we noticed a trail coming in on the left and, though it wasn't signed, we assumed it was the return of the loop.

From the boardwalk, we could see the first rock outcroppings and pillars.

 

 

 

From the end of the boardwalk it was an uphill climb. The views were great from each set of rocks.

 

 

 

I had Rowdy trying hiking poles for the first time, and he had some struggles with the straps at first.

 

 

We started to climb up on top of one of the rocks, but neither of us were up for a silly injury, so we aborted than mission.

 

 

There were plenty of other views that were less risky.

 

 

 

 

 

After admiring the scenery from several vantage points, we came to the intersection where right take you to the resort and left continues the loop. 

 

 

 

Rowdy said as many times as they've hiked to Angel Rocks, they've always done an out-and-back and didn't even know there was a loop. So, it would be a new experience for both of us.

More views.

 

 

 

And Rowdy, being quite familiar with the whole area, pointed out landmarks, roads, and trails.

 

 

It had turned into a gorgeous day.

 

 

I did climb a little for these shots.

 

 

 

The trail seemed to have fairly new little yellow directional signs to help follow the path. There were lots of trails up around each set of rocks, so the markers were helpful in staying on the main trail.

 

 

 

 

Though the parking lot was pretty full, everyone was pretty well spread out, and there was almost no one on the return side of the loop.

After descending through the forest - a few sections were a bit steep on the trip down - we came to a lovely clear water pond that existed due to a beaver dam.

 

 

 

As we suspected, our path took us back to the main trail at the boardwalk. And after the easy walk back along the river on the dirt trail, our hike was complete.

 

 

That was a great little hike, and I'm glad Rowdy suggested it. I can also see why it's popular.

Back at the cabin, Linda and Missy were crafting. Linda finished one of her locker-hooking rugs, and showed Missy how to do it. The technique uses strips of fabric and Missy took the sheets off the bed in their travel trailer to give her starting fabric.

Tomorrow, they're going to work on stringing some mobiles with driftwood and other items.

Also, this afternoon they had some folks from Louisiana coming in as Boondockers Welcome guests. They had a Class B and had just been up the Dalton Highway, so they had no qualms about the road.

While Rowdy was getting them settled in, I went back to the river with my fly rod and managed to catch another beautiful Arctic Grayling.

 

 

 

Soon, it was time for dinner. It was another team effort as Rowdy grilled some chicken and I roasted some brussel sprouts on the Blackstone. Another delicious meal, and roasted brussel sprouts are starting to move up the list of vegetables I'll eat without too much protest.

Then it was another night around the campfire. Linda paused to make us a blueberry mousse from what was left of our fresh blueberries added to some Missy had.

After a shower in the cute little shower room with the clear roof, I called it a night as I didn't want to get smoky again and the Northern Lights forecast wasn't good for this evening.

Once again, we've been lucky with the weather, and it was another fine day with Rowdy and Missy.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 120 - Hanging With Friends In The Chena River Wilderness

After yesterday's rain, today was beautiful. This is a shot out Rowdy & Missy's drive past their little greenhouse and garden.

 

 

Later, Rowdy and I hiked up the mountain to make sure the satellite internet dish and cable were doing okay. It was a steep little hike.

 

 

All was well, so we climbed on up to some rocks above ....

 

 

and looked down toward his cabins.

 

 

 

After that little jaunt, it was time to do some fishing.

It took me a while to get a fly rod ready, but eventually I put on my waders and we headed down to the fishing hole. The water was deeper than usual, but downriver a little I noticed some fish surfacing to feed. 

I changed flies to better represent what they were feeding on and used a "dry fly" to float on the surface. Soon, I caught a nice Arctic Grayling.

 

 

That's Missy in the background holding on to their dog, Bailey, who loves fishing and will snatch your fish if she's not held in check.

The Graylings are such nice fish, and it's a thrill to watch them attack a fly. I quickly got it back in the water and removed the hook to let it swim off.

 

 

A little later, I caught a bigger one.

 

 

What a beautiful fish.

 

 

I only caught the two, but I was quite happy with that.

After fishing, Linda and Rowdy teamed up on the slabs of ribs we brought.

 

 

Tonight was dinner by the river.

 

 

Oh, and after dinner, we were getting in the hot tub. Missy started putting wood to the fire this morning, and it was getting up to temperature.

 

 

We climbed into the hot tub and enjoyed the hot water and the sound of the river. If that weren't enough, a moose crossed the river upstream. 

 

 

Wow.

For the next few hours, we alternated between the hot tub and the campfire.

 

 

It was a clear, cold night, and we were so hoping to see Northern Lights. Alas, we stayed up until about 1:30 a.m., but it was not to be.

Still, it was a special day along the North Fork of the Chena River.

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2019 Alaska Trip - Day 119 - Travel To The Chena River Wilderness For A Few Days With Friends

One of the touristy things to do when visiting Fairbanks is to make a trip out to the Chena Hot Springs. It located at the end of the 56-mile Chena Hot Springs Road.

Well, our friends Rowdy & Missy, fellow RVers, have a cabin and a few acres in the woods out in that direction, and we've been planning to visit them since the early stages of preparing for our Alaska journey. 

With only about 60 miles to go, we didn't start early plus we stopped at Walmart where Linda had to pick up a couple things while I fueled up the RV and topped off our propane. We would be parking without hook-ups for a few days, so we wanted to make sure we were fully prepared.

Rowdy told us the first 20 miles of the Chena Hot Springs Road is terrible with frost heaves, so Linda took it easy. He was right - it was really bad for a house on wheels. But after we got through some bridge construction, the rest of the trip was nice.

We were meeting Rowdy at a little spot around mile marker 55. We had options for where we were going to camp, so the plan was to evaluate and go from there.

Well, it started raining right at mile marker 50, so it looked like we were going to get a little wet.

We turned into Gabe's Boondock Camping right at mile marker 55. It's a new dry camping campground in part of gravel pit that sits on a pond.

It's a self-pay campground and the sites have picnic tables and firepits with free firewood. There is a pavilion and barbecues for group outings. And Missy is managing the place for the owners since it's not far from their place.

So, that was one option. We parked there and then loaded into Rowdy's truck to explore options 2 & 3. You see, their cabin is a half-mile back what they call a "trail" - it's not an official "road". And due to recent rains, the trail was a mess and Rowdy recommended that we not bring the RV all the way back. So, option 2 was to come in on the trail but park in an opening near the road but not visible from the road.

Then we proceeded to option 3. If we were brave enough and willing, we could drive the RV all the way in on the narrow, muddy trail through the huge puddles filled with water. Had it not been raining, I would have taken pictures. And had Rowdy not vouched for the hard rock surface under the mud, there is no way we would have ever considered taking our rig in there.

We made it to the cabin and Rowdy showed us where he would park us if we decided to take the chance. Their lovely cabin sits on a bend in the North Fork of the Chena River, and we both wanted to be back in that setting. Linda & I ruled out option 2, and were leaning toward option 3.

Eventually, after chatting with Rowdy & Missy at the cabin for a while, the rain stopped. And we decided to drive the RV back the full half-mile. After all, it was only a half-mile, we had all the time in the world, Rowdy was very confident we wouldn't get stuck, and if we did, he could pull us out with his tractor.

We went back to the gravel pit, and we unhitched the Jeep. We'd return for it later.

Linda was going to drive and Rowdy and I were going to walk alongside in the worst areas. But once we got on the trail with the RV, Linda & I both determined it wasn't as bad as it looked and there was no need to walk in the mud. There were two rather tight turns, but those weren't a problem. With our low clearance, we did hit one rock near the door, but we made it back to the cabin much quicker than any of us expected.

Rowdy had us back in next to their guest cabin and we were all set. We could stay in the RV or in the guest cabin.

  

 

Now, keep in mind that we're off-grid. There are no toilet facilities in the guest cabin or the main cabin. There is just an outhouse, which happened to be close to our RV.

 

 

It's a very nice outhouse, mind you, but in the middle of the night we decided we'd use our own bathroom.

 

 

For power, Rowdy runs a 3000-watt generator all day. And he allowed us to plug in an extension cord for our chest freezer. Any other power we needed we could get from our batteries and inverter and our spot was open to the sun for solar. Of course, we have our own generator if necessary.

Once we got settled, we got a tour.

This is their fishing hole in the bend of the river.

 

 

Looking downriver - apparently, the river is quite a bit higher than normal.

 

 

And this is the view of their cabin from the fishing hole.

 

 

Back up next to the main cabin is this nice firepit on the river.

 

 

Next to that is a wood-heated hot tub.

 

 

And in the background of the above photo is a sauna, with an attached shower room.

 

 

So, you might begin to see why we wanted our RV back there.

If that weren't enough, they have satellite internet that we can log into to keep up with email, upload photos, and make postings. There is no cell service out here, so that was an unexpected bonus.

 

Now, for those that aren't personal friends, you can still enjoy the serenity of their place if you are a member of Boondocker's Welcome, a membership site where RVers with property host other RVers. Rowdy & Missy have listing as a host site called The True Alaska.

In addition, they recently built a small "river cabin" that they plan to list on the HipCamp website in the future. And they have plans to have a couple of tent camping sites later on as well.

 

That's pretty much it for the introduction to our home for the next few days.

Now, for dinner, Rowdy planned to cook some caribou backstrap on his pellet grill. He killed his first caribou about a week earlier, so tonight we were going to have a sample.

Well, it was going to be a little more complicated than just the caribou meat. It was going to be caribou stuffed with a cream cheese, spinach, onion, and mushroom filling .... wrapped in bacon. 

We have photos.

 

 

 

 

After it cooked on the grill, he put it in the broiler to crisp up the bacon, and this was the result.

 

 

And yes, in fact, it was every bit as good as it looked. The combination was fantastic.

After the wonderful dinner, we began the nightly routine of having a campfire in that big ol' firepit.

We listened to music and set out amongst the many colored solar lights. And, since bears are an issue from time to time, we kept an eye on the edge of the darkness and hoped the motion-sensing lights and music would deter any curious visitors.

Yeah, I think we're gonna like it here.

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