Mish~*~Mosh~*~Marsh

Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Coral Princess Northbound Cruise and Land Tour Day 13

The Coral Princess Northbound Cruise and Land Tour

Gold Dredge 8 and Riverboat Discovery Tour

Our last early morning tour on the land cruise started with a short sleepy bus ride to the Alyeska Pipeline and Gold Dredge 8, where we learned about the pipeline, gold mining in various forms and even got to take a stab at gold panning before exiting through the gift shop.

Before getting to the gold dredge we received instruction on how to properly pan for gold and what to expect when sifting through our bag of dirt. And just like a summer youth soccer league, everybody was a winner, some panned more gold than others (I only managed to get about $8 worth of gold flakes while another woman on our tour panned $32 worth). It was definitely more fun than you imagine and shed a little more light on the strenuous life that men and women of the gold rush endured, aka it's hard work.

And then it was our turn. . .

Once we done panning for gold, eating complimentary cookies and looking through the gift shop, we hopped back on the train and eventually the bus. The next and final stop of the tour was at the Riverboat Discovery, where lunch was offered (I didn't get to have much, thanks to someone on the bus taking my seat I sat in the center back seat which made me unbearably car sick) and we got to hear Iditarod champion Lance Mackey talk about the trail and his experiences.

After looking through yet another gift shop we boarded the riverboat for a scenic cruise along the Chena River. Along the way a seaplane pilot talks to the boat and performed maneuvers, we stopped to see sled dogs in action and disembarked at the Chena Village to learn about Native American history, traditions and cultures.

After that we boarded the bus and made the short back to our hotel for relaxation and dinner.

A quick video highlight from the Riverboat Discovery cruise:

Unfortunately, I can't figure out to make this bigger and to display it in the full 1080p on command, so make sure to enlarge and select 1080p!

Next up, my last day in Alaska.

If you would like to see more photos from my time in Fairbanks, Alaska, click here.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Coral Princess Northbound Cruise and Land Tour Day 12

The Coral Princess Northbound Cruise and Land Tour

Bus Ride from Denali to Fairbanks

It was yet another early morning, this time though we were boarding a decidedly less interesting form of transportation, a coach bus, which would get us to our final Alaskan destination, Fairbanks. On the plus side I manage to spot more Dall Sheep from the bus and had my camera out and ready to shoot them on the mountainside before leaving Denali. Yes that's right, those little white specks on the mountainside are indeed Dall Sheep, one of the primary reasons for creating Denali National Park in 1917.

About half way through our drive to Fairbanks, the bus made an hour long pit stop in the small town of Nenana, where the locals host the Nenana ice classic. The ice classic is an event which started in 1917 that brings locals and tourists alike, together to predict to an exact time and date when the ice on the Nenana River will break apart in the spring.

Not wanting to stray terribly far, I walked along the beach with sand that seemed to have glitter in it, explored an abandoned Alaska Railroad train car and waved to local boaters as they cruised down the river. Then it was time to hop back on the bus to make our way to our final destination in our great Alaskan vacation.

After arriving in Fairbanks, we had the option to get out and have lunch while in the city proper. Unfortunately I didn't do too much research on Fairbanks beforehand to find out where and what the best places to see and eat at were, so after walking a few blocks we sat down at a Greek restaurant, quickly wolfed down our lunches and made it back to the bus that would take us to the hotel in time.

Unfortunately the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge is located just on the outskirts of anything interesting to see or do, but it is conveniently close to the airport, so it has that going for it. There are walking "trails" available, basically just a small loop that does have some neat small log cabins with bits of historical information plaques along the way. And unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of the room on this one, but did manage a couple of interior shots.

After walking the "trails" at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside lodge I thought I'd explore the hotel next next door and get a closer look at the plane that seemed to have crash landed on top of a sweets shop. While a cool looking building, the actual ice cream and sweets shop is a little bar inside the main lobby of the hotel next door, it still delivers on the tasty ice cream, but in a decidedly less interesting building.