The Cannamores in Alaska - Day 4
After our day in Denali, we got on the road again on Sunday, June 10, headed to Fairbanks. On the way, we got out of the super tall mountains and actually went through areas that looked more like the Appalachians. It was a new experience even for me and Barron, as we had never been to Fairbanks before.
Once we made it into the city, we went about 20 minutes more to the southwest to the town of North Pole. All of the streets have Christmas themed names, like Saint Nicholas Drive, and all of the light poles are painted in red and white, candy cane stripes. Even the local businesses go along with the theme. And, the main attraction, Santa Claus House is open year round with Santa himself being there to take pictures. My dad loved it!
Santa eventually got Barron to sit with him, but we didn't get a good shot of it. :(
We did get to visit Santa's reindeer outside at the stables, too. Mom was thrilled with the cooler temps here, especially after being in Houston heat just a few days earlier.
We headed back to Fairbanks and stopped in at Pioneer Park for a visit. It's an open air park with lots of museums that tell the history of Fairbanks and Alaska. We went into the Pioneer Museum, which has tons of artifacts from early settlers. We also wandered through the Tanana Valley Railroad Museum.
The riverboat Nenana was built by the Alaska Railroad in 1933 and ran along the Tanana and Yukon Rivers from 1933 to 1954.
We also got to walk in the Harding Car. Also known as the Denali Car, it was named after President Warren G. Harding after he rode in the car when he came to Alaska in 1923 to drive the Golden Spike into the Alaska Railroad. It's easy to see how swank it was for the time. It's still a very beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
Once we made it into the city, we went about 20 minutes more to the southwest to the town of North Pole. All of the streets have Christmas themed names, like Saint Nicholas Drive, and all of the light poles are painted in red and white, candy cane stripes. Even the local businesses go along with the theme. And, the main attraction, Santa Claus House is open year round with Santa himself being there to take pictures. My dad loved it!
Santa eventually got Barron to sit with him, but we didn't get a good shot of it. :(
We did get to visit Santa's reindeer outside at the stables, too. Mom was thrilled with the cooler temps here, especially after being in Houston heat just a few days earlier.
We headed back to Fairbanks and stopped in at Pioneer Park for a visit. It's an open air park with lots of museums that tell the history of Fairbanks and Alaska. We went into the Pioneer Museum, which has tons of artifacts from early settlers. We also wandered through the Tanana Valley Railroad Museum.
The riverboat Nenana was built by the Alaska Railroad in 1933 and ran along the Tanana and Yukon Rivers from 1933 to 1954.
We also got to walk in the Harding Car. Also known as the Denali Car, it was named after President Warren G. Harding after he rode in the car when he came to Alaska in 1923 to drive the Golden Spike into the Alaska Railroad. It's easy to see how swank it was for the time. It's still a very beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
The park was a fun experience and really educational. There were also an art gallery and lots of unique shops along the "streets" of the park. Barron and I wanted to ride the little railroad around the park, but we ran out of time. :)
We met up with my dear friend from college times, Jennifer, and her husband, Brian, for dinner at the Chena Pump House. It was very tasty, and we all ate like kings.
We stayed in another wonderful Air BnB spot. This time it was a triplex right on the Chena River in the middle of town. This was our view right from the back deck. We all had some wine when we got back from dinner and watched several people cruise by in their boats fishing.
It was a great visit to Fairbanks!
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