We boarded the Discovery II Riverboat this morning (Friday). It was a beautiful day, although brisk, enabling me to buy a cute jacket prior to the jaunt. The steamboat cruise was interesting. We went to a replica of a tribal community of the Athabascan tribe. The guides were college students that were raised in their tribal communities and were proud of their customs and methods of survival of their people. And they were charming. They described the intricate work on the clothing and the meaning behind the markings. We saw the training camp of a former Iditarod winner, Susan Butcher. The dogs were almost joyous as we watched a demonstration of the dogs pulling an improvised sled. A plane took off from the river next to us and landed, plants hid in the water as the boat passed, and we saw a contraption that the native people use to catch salmon. It is so effective that it can only be run at sanctioned times. Also, one of the guides, who is attending U of Alaska, said that although her parents do not have running water, they do have internet connection in their small cabin.
Ron wants to let you know that he had the best lasagna ever while we were in Fairbanks. The large coal burning energy source, Aurora Energy, pumps heat under the city because without it, pipes would burst electric wires freeze. The city has tubes that come out of the ground to discharge the heat. (They look like the tubes Olive Oyl would get stuck in on Bluto’s ship)…is that dated of a reference?
Everywhere you turn there are dead animals that are stuffed or bronzed. No live bears so far. The ride to Denali was beautiful. The hills and valleys are spectacular and vast. I mean, it just goes on and on and you don’t see many homes or towns. The leaves are just beginning to turn golden. Tomorrow (Saturday) we go into Denali Park to learn about the tundra (I wished I studied more in school). Also, we are meeting people my age now, but Ron still appears to be one of the youngest….poor fella.
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