Thursday, Aug 6, we went to a dogsled demonstration in Denali Nat’l Park. In the winter, the park rangers utilize dog-power to travel and to haul things within the park. The roads that go deep into the park are not plowed out. The rangers are unable to rely upon snowmobiles or other engine powered vehicles in -30 to -40 degree temps, so, the Alaskan Huskies are the answer. They only use Alaskan Huskies, which are basically a mixed breed or mutts, as the ranger explained to me. It is not a breed that is recognized by any official kennel associations. The dogs are raised and trained by the rangers and they put in about 8 or 9 years of service. They then get adopted out to families or individuals that reside in colder climates and that will maintain a continued active lifestyle for the dog. Denali is the only national park that trains and employs the use of dogs for dogsledding.
I, (and several other women I talked to), went to the dogsled demo for more than one reason. We also went because we needed a dog fix. Before the actual demonstration, we were allowed to walk among the dogs and pet them. One lady and I were talking about our dogs that we had left at home, and she got so emotional she had to walk away (in tears). I (Len, too) miss my Dude (the dog)! We know he’s in capable, loving hands with his Grandma Betty (even if she does call him by another name, Rover, when we’re not around).
We left Denali Thursday afternoon and headed for smoky Fairbanks, a 125 mile drive. We had another slight problem with the trailer lights not working as we left Denali. This had to be addressed immediately because the visibility (we had heard), as you got closer to Fairbanks, was less than 100 feet in some spots. After some troubleshooting, and with the aid of a fellow traveler, Len discovered a fuse box underneath the hood of the new truck with a blown fuse. Back on the road to Fairbanks again with all our lights working, we encountered two separate intersections with fire trucks at the ready. We also saw many burnt up trees along the road. And, the closer we got to Fairbanks the denser the smoke got. We debated whether to stay in Fairbanks, but, it had rained all day there, so the air quality was better than it had been the day before. We decided to stay and set up camp on the Chena River. (Pic attached was taken at 6 p.m. on the road to Fairbanks. This was the worst stretch. It got better.)
Friday we went on a tour of an old gold mine that dated back to the early 1900’s. We even got to pan for gold. Granted, it wasn’t panning like the miners of old panned. We sat on benches and the water in the troughs was probably 80 degrees; whereas typical Alaskan streams run somewhere in the 30 degree range, even in the summer. (pic attached)
Friday afternoon we took a riverboat cruise up and down the Chena River. At one point the boat stopped at the home and kennels of the former Iditarod champion, Susan Butcher (the only woman to have won the Iditarod 4 times). Susan passed away a few years ago from leukemia, but her husband and her 2 daughters continue to train and race dogsled teams. The emcee on the boat chatted (via wireless microphones) with one of Susan’s daughters and then she did a dogsled demo with a team of their dogs. The dogs pulled a 4-wheeler (with the engine pulled out), rather than a sled. (pics attached)
The boat continued on down the river and made another stop at an “authentic native Indian/Eskimo fish camp”. Here everyone got off the boat and took a guided walking tour of an authentic Athabascan Indian village. They had live caribou here, an Alaskan Husky dog kennel, many authentic log cabins, a huge stuffed moose, and pelts of many wild animals: fox, grizzly bear, lynx, mink, wolf, and wolverine. The tour guide told us a story that we Michiganders appreciated hearing: the legend goes that when a grizzly bear and a wolverine meet up along the same path, the grizzly steps aside and lets the wolverine pass through. Go Blue!! :-) (pics attached)
After absorbing all this Alaskan culture, there was only one thing left to do: go have another delicious, Alaskan salmon dinner (which we did, of course)!
I, (and several other women I talked to), went to the dogsled demo for more than one reason. We also went because we needed a dog fix. Before the actual demonstration, we were allowed to walk among the dogs and pet them. One lady and I were talking about our dogs that we had left at home, and she got so emotional she had to walk away (in tears). I (Len, too) miss my Dude (the dog)! We know he’s in capable, loving hands with his Grandma Betty (even if she does call him by another name, Rover, when we’re not around).
We left Denali Thursday afternoon and headed for smoky Fairbanks, a 125 mile drive. We had another slight problem with the trailer lights not working as we left Denali. This had to be addressed immediately because the visibility (we had heard), as you got closer to Fairbanks, was less than 100 feet in some spots. After some troubleshooting, and with the aid of a fellow traveler, Len discovered a fuse box underneath the hood of the new truck with a blown fuse. Back on the road to Fairbanks again with all our lights working, we encountered two separate intersections with fire trucks at the ready. We also saw many burnt up trees along the road. And, the closer we got to Fairbanks the denser the smoke got. We debated whether to stay in Fairbanks, but, it had rained all day there, so the air quality was better than it had been the day before. We decided to stay and set up camp on the Chena River. (Pic attached was taken at 6 p.m. on the road to Fairbanks. This was the worst stretch. It got better.)
Friday we went on a tour of an old gold mine that dated back to the early 1900’s. We even got to pan for gold. Granted, it wasn’t panning like the miners of old panned. We sat on benches and the water in the troughs was probably 80 degrees; whereas typical Alaskan streams run somewhere in the 30 degree range, even in the summer. (pic attached)
Friday afternoon we took a riverboat cruise up and down the Chena River. At one point the boat stopped at the home and kennels of the former Iditarod champion, Susan Butcher (the only woman to have won the Iditarod 4 times). Susan passed away a few years ago from leukemia, but her husband and her 2 daughters continue to train and race dogsled teams. The emcee on the boat chatted (via wireless microphones) with one of Susan’s daughters and then she did a dogsled demo with a team of their dogs. The dogs pulled a 4-wheeler (with the engine pulled out), rather than a sled. (pics attached)
The boat continued on down the river and made another stop at an “authentic native Indian/Eskimo fish camp”. Here everyone got off the boat and took a guided walking tour of an authentic Athabascan Indian village. They had live caribou here, an Alaskan Husky dog kennel, many authentic log cabins, a huge stuffed moose, and pelts of many wild animals: fox, grizzly bear, lynx, mink, wolf, and wolverine. The tour guide told us a story that we Michiganders appreciated hearing: the legend goes that when a grizzly bear and a wolverine meet up along the same path, the grizzly steps aside and lets the wolverine pass through. Go Blue!! :-) (pics attached)
After absorbing all this Alaskan culture, there was only one thing left to do: go have another delicious, Alaskan salmon dinner (which we did, of course)!
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