Adventure in Fairbanks…

I was able to do a tour of the local Pioneer Park and then visit downtown, so the following pictures are from my two visits to the park and during my bike ride into town. I found the bike path along the river to be interesting too. And the town itself is small enough that you can easily tour downtown in an hour. The population of the town is 32,000 and the surrounding area has a population of 56,000, which accounts for the WalMart, Sam’s Club, Fred Meyer stores (2!), etc. And they also get up to 425,000 summer visitors. It’s an interesting place with lots of things to do. When my brother gets here next week, we’ll be taking a van ride up to the arctic circle just to say we’ve been there. It’s $90 (but I’m free since I work here at the park and it’s complimentary), takes all day and late into the night and has plenty to see and do along the way. We could also take a bush plane up to the circle and then a van back but that starts at $285 so we’ll probably just take the van.

Then there are hot springs all around the area, river rafting or canoeing, animal watching, etc., etc. I’ve been to lot’s of places in the last three years but I’ve got to say that this place really is a tourists mecca, but it doesn’t seem crowded at all. And I’ve met people from all over the world here so I guess the word is out.

I’m planning on staying here for the entire winter and expect to take thousands of beautiful pictures of snow and winter fun and ice sculptures as they are created here in the park in February and March. I’ve reached an agreement with the staff and they are happy to put me up for the 8 months I’ll be here. And pay me a salary. The park itself closes on Sept. 15th, and doesn’t get busy again until November so that gives me lots of time to roam around and look at the sites…albeit with poor weather, but, so what.

Then in February, it’s gets real busy and thick with artists from all over the world. And on Feb. 26th, the kids park opens with lots of kid sized sculptures just for them. Designed to be climbed on and played in for hours. I’ll be taking pictures of all these things for you guys when it happens. Then the single block ice art for the grown ups is finished by Feb. 29th. And the double block follows shortly. The major sculptures are finished on March 9th.

Meanwhile, I’ve just arrived in Fairbanks (in Blog time), got settled into a RV park within 250 yards of Pioneer park, and the next morning I jumped on my bike and rode over there. Here are a few pictures:

These buildings are all original as far as I know. They were built during and shortly after the gold rush so the flavor is 1880’s and into the 1920’s. Nearly all of them were moved here in the ’70s and ’80s when this land was donated by the strip mining company that owned the land.

Here’s one of many log cabins built by original pioneers:

This paddlewheel plied the river for many decades, bringing many gold hunters up river:

It’s drydocked for the rest of it’s life, you can tour the thing if you want:

This train car was used by one of our presidents back in the 1800’s to come up and visit (or something like that):

Another shot of the paddlewheel:

There’s the train that runs around the park…it’s touted as being the most northerly steam engine still in operation:

One pioneers cabin, built very early during the gold rush:

Here’s where they stored their food to keep it away from vermin and beasts:

Then this is the home of a local lawyer, the kitchen reminded me of when I was a kid, the winter we spent in a log cabin in the mountains of Montana. Lot’s of fun for us, not so much for our folks:

These following pictures are all of that same house, it’s a museum now, but real people lived and died here, the addition was added after the lawyer that owned it married. I think he became a judge or something:

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The park has tons of flowers. The people that live here are so sick of winter when spring arrives that they go nuts and put flowers everywhere:





Some of restored equipment that was used way back when:

One of the few two story buildings, this one was a bath house. The original floors and staircase are still used:

A shot of some more flowers just outside the museum:

And in the museum, an old vehicle used in parades for decades: