Day 5 - Fairbanks, Alaska

Saturday, August 29, 2009. This morning, we boarded the sternwheeler Discovery III, for a CRUISE on the Chena and Tanana Rivers with a stop at a recreated Chena Indian Village to learn about Athabascan native culture. Then to centre town Fairbanks for lunch and walking around town.  Later, we visited the UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA–FAIRBANKS MUSEUM.. We had our evening meal at the Alaska Salmon Bake and the all-you-can-eat buffet.  It was another great day.

From Denali to Fairbanks

Friday, Aug. 28, Day 4 of our tour, we traveled into the heart of Alaska to Fairbanks, where we enjoyed lunch at the historic Pump House restaurant on the banks of the Chena River and also stop at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline.

A fish wheel in Nenana, Alaska. Nenana is a small native village.

Sandhill Cranes flying overhead in Fairbanks, Alaska, Aug. 28, 2009.

Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese in a field near our hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska.  There were thousands of geese and cranes in the Fairbanks area.  All were very approachable.

A path in the woods near the field where the cranes and geese were feeding and resting.

Denali National Park - Aug. 27, 2009

We had a great day at the Denali National Park.  A beautiful day, one of the best 7 or 8 days of the whole tourist season weatherwise.  Only about 30% of the park visitors get to see Mount Denali (formerly Mount McKinley), the tallest peak on North America at over 20,000 ft.  We had a great sight of the mountain.

In this photo, snow covered Mount Denali appears in the clouds some 70 miles away.

Here, Mount Denali is still about 30 miles away.  This is as close to the mountain as we could get on our bus tour in the park.

Ted and Michelle at Mount Denali, Alaska.

We saw exciting wildlife including 8 Grizzly Bears, about 20 Dall Sheep, 2 Caribou, several Ptarmigans, a Golden Eagle, Falcons, and a number of Arctic Ground Squirrels, and I am sure some more species I cannot remember at this time.

Toklat Grizzly Bear

Caribou in Denali Park

Arctic Ground Squirrel in Denali Park

Michelle and Ted at a dinner theatre near the hotel.

A juvenile Golden Eagle in Denali Park.

Arriving in Alaska - Aug. 25, 2009

Landing in Anchorage, Alaska

Welcome to Alaska, at the airport

Ted and Michelle at the Iditarod Trail Race headquarters in Wasilla, Alaska.

Ted, the Musher?

Michelle with a Husky pup.

The Alaska Railroad.

Some of the sights along the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks.  We stopped about halfway, at the Denali National Park.

The Grande Denali Lodge is where we stayed, Aug. 26, 2009.

Another view of the Grande Denali Lodge.

Getting ready for Alaska and the Yukon

Our August 2009 tour of Alaska and the Yukon, the Globus Ultimate Alaska & The Yukon bus tour. We fly into Anchorage, Alaska on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 and return to Halifax, Nova Scotia on Sept. 6.

Overview: 13 days Anchorage to Anchorage.

Anchorage, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Dawson City, Whitehorse, Tok, Valdez.

"Discover the unique beauty of Alaska during this 13-day Regional Discovery holiday. Begin in Anchorage, and then visit the Iditarod Headquarters before boarding the historic Alaska Railroad for a scenic train journey to Denali National Park. Here, enjoy a guided tour of this spectacular wilderness. Next, travel to Fairbanks, where you cruise on the Chena and Tanana Rivers, visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks museum, and stop at the TransAlaska Oil Pipeline. Then head to Dawson City to see Diamond Tooth Gerties, Claim #1, a Gold Dredge, and the Danoja Zho Cultural Centre. In Whitehorse, visit the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, the SS Keno, and Uncommon Journeys dogsled facilities. Travel through rugged Kluane National Park en route to Tok, and then head to Valdez, where a cruise on Prince William Sound is the perfect ending to your Alaska holiday."