June 7 - Fairbanks

FYI the fire we saw yesterday - The structure fire involved a shed, a trailer, a log home and an attached garage. All the structures were consumed. The cause of the blaze is believed to be an unattended fire in the yard which spread to the structures and the trees.

We also learned that the houses with lots of glass usually have multiple panes in the windows.

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Today we went to downtown Fairbanks.  There really isn't much to it.  In the plaza by the river we saw this great statue.

Nearby was a lady with her sled dogs giving a demonstration,  She said to save the dogs paws they all get shoes on when running a long distance.  What a job in itself.  She has run the Yukon Quest (1000 miles) and the Iditerod.

We then went to the Ice Museum where we saw a short film about the annual event and displays of ice art that are kept in a 20 degree environment.

Since 1989, Alaska has hosted the annual World Ice Art Championships. Nearly 100 sculptors come from around the world each year to sculpt large blocks of pristine natural ice sometimes referred to as "Arctic Diamonds."^[

At the end an artist gave us a demostration of ice carving.

By how it was lunch time so we went across the street to have a sandwich.  The waiter was hilarious and we met several people (Kansas, Kentucky) who were going to be joining a Princess Cruise that would end up in Vancouver.

After lunch we went back to the RV to get the girls to take them for a walk.  We went to Pioneer Park.  The park is set up exactly like a little town and most of the cabins are originals that have been brought in from around the city. For example:

Kitty Hensley's house was originally located at 932-Eighth Avenue. In 1914, Kitty’s friend Capt Smythe, a retired riverboat captain with excellent carpentry skills, remodeled the cabin using lumber from his sternwheeler that had been damaged during spring breakup.

The SS Nenana is the largest stern-wheeler ever built west of the Mississippi and the second largest wooden vessel in existence.

Another typical cabin and it's cache. The cache was used to store food, pelts, etc. and to keep it away from animals.

Many of the little cabins had small shops in them.

Wood Carvings Outside the Park

Well, now it's time to go get a few more groceries before we head toward Denali Park.  We'll be staying a few days in a BLM campground on the Denali Highway. I don't know if I'll have a cell signal there so if you don't hear anything for a few days, that will be why. We hope to do some fishing. We bought two state licenses ($145 each) and I bought a mosquito net to go over my hat, face and neck so I don't have mosquitoes buzzing in my ears.