Monday, August 29, 2011

Good bye Denali

Nenana, Alaska – Monday, August 29, 2011

It’s time.  We’ve drug our feet and used up all our excuses.  We need to get going.  We’re dragging this morning because we were up until 3AM or so looking for the elusive Northern Lights.  As you read yesterday we had no luck seeing them.  So while we’re moving a little slower than normal, preparations are being made to leave.

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Another stop by the sani-dump is in order as we never know where we’ll end up for the next few nights.  One must be prepared with empty waste tanks and a full water tank.  We spent almost an hour giving the black water tank a thorough cleaning.  When you sit in one spot too long things tend to pile up.  So sometimes, a little extra effort goes into making sure the tank is really empty.

Parked by the Camp Store, thus having internet access, EJ spends about an hour catching up with duties on the computer.  Frank takes a nap trying to catch up on some missing sleep.

Slightly refreshed we head over the the Visitor Campus and one last bowl of chili from Morino’s.  We pick up a cup of Mocha espresso and head back to the RV.  It really is time to leave.

Our sights are set on the town of Nenana.  It’s a small town that is fortunate to have highway access, railroad access, and river access navigable to the Bering Sea.  Nenana is important because it receives oil by barge for 6 or 7 months of the year when the river isn’t frozen over and it’s the way outlying areas get their supplies.

Thinking that it will be cold again tonight, we opt for a campground with electric.  The last few mornings have been a contest to see which one of us would give in and get out of a nice warm bed, race through the freezing hallway to the thermostat and turn on the heater and race back to bed hoping it hadn’t lost too much body heat.  That way we can use the mattress warmer tonight. 

We get checked in and head out to go exploring.  First stop is a series of shops run by some of the Athabascans (indigenous people).

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Here’s what a cabbage looks like when it gets long hours of sun and can grow 6-7 months.

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The Taku Chief, a representative tugboat that plies the waters around Nenana.  And more winter transportation.

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A mural-in-process on the general store wall facing the main street. The Nenana Ice Classic is a BIG deal around here.  In 1917 a bunch of miners with nothing better to do in the winter, decided to bet on when the ice in the Tenana River would break up.  The pot that year was $800.  It has developed now to the point that a tripod is set on the frozen river during a 3 day festival in February. When the ice breaks, the tripod falls and that turns off the power to a clock thus recording the exact hour, minute, and second.  This year 22 people split the $338,062 pot.  EJ and I are placing our bets tomorrow.

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The milepost guide had an advertisement in it for a restaurant near Nenana that supposedly has the “Best Burgers in Alaska”. (We’ve only seen about a half dozen other similar claims across the state).  We decide to check this one out.  You can see they’re real proud of the place ‘cause it doesn’t even have a name on the restaurant.  Just a big blank sign.  Right after we were seated a guy came running into the dining room claiming he had just seen a moose.  Several people went outside to see if they could see it too.  Afterwards the guy said it could have been a really big dog, he didn’t get that good a look at it.

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Well now it’s critical that we get to Fairbanks.  You remember several days ago we showed a picture of all the black water tank lights lit up?  Well this is worse.  No more kitty litter!!

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BG Miles Today

70

BG Total Miles

7076

Eat Out total $

974.88

BG Total Fuel $

3827.34

Entertainment total $

550.88

Total Camping $

1162.03

E Miles Today

36

E Total Miles

2417

E Total Fuel $

505.62

Day # of Trip 90

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