May 15, 2015 -- opening of the tourist season

Knik River, near Palmer Alaska, looking west toward Knik Arm of Cook Inlet.


The lobby of the Fairbanks Westmark was crowded with tourists who arrived on Thursday, waiting for their buses to take them to see the gold-panning, river boats, dog sled rides, and all of the other delights that the city offers to its visitors. As we drove south, tour bus after tour bus was heading north. When we went past Denali Park on the way home to Anchorage, the parking lots that were empty on Tuesday afternoon bustled with tourists and buses. And once in Anchorage, tourists strolled everywhere downtown, parka-ed against the strong south wind and gray skies. I didn't get photos for most of these assertions, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Before we left Fairbanks this morning we stopped by the old (built in 1904) Immaculate Conception Church on the north bank of the Chena River near downtown. It's small, charming, and has a very Alaskan story behind how it was moved across the river in the winter of 1911-1912 from its original location on the south bank.

Angel window, in the church's choir loft.


Our drive back down the Parks Highway was uneventful -- sunny in Fairbanks, and until we got close to Anchorage when it turned gray and windy.

So green in Fairbanks --

Green growing up in the Minto Flats South fire area (burned in 2009).

Just hinting at green in the mountains near Denali Park (railroad bridge on the hillside; Nenana River not visible in the foreground).

Not quite spring at the north end of Denali State Park, and the road to the View area was closed still.

At Denali View South, no Denali -- so we were very fortunate on Tuesday to have seen it. Of course, this view is spectacular on its own.

This is what we found in Wasilla at 5:30 on a spring Friday evening. It could be Seattle.

Flats along the Glenn Highway just north of Eklutna.

The Golden Heart City -- May 14, 2015

It's a long way to Fairbanks from just about anywhere except the city of North Pole. The furthest distance shown on the post on one of the other sides was 10,200 miles to Capetown, South Africa.

We had an hour to walk around and look at houses this evening. Fairbanks has many more of its little log homes downtown than Anchorage does.

They are set on good-sized lots, and surrounded by white birch trees.

This one was boarded up, as were several others. The "pieced-together" style showed up a number of places.

Part logs, a pieced-together house on a different block.

Many of the homes in the downtown area had plants out,or gardens, greenhouses or plant shelters.

Few of the raised garden bed had plants in them, but this one had plenty of plants on its edges.

 The Falcon Joslin historic house.

Mr. Joslin was a lawyer who came to Alaska for the Gold Rush. He built the house for his family in 1904-1905. He was president of the Tanana Valley Railroad for a while, but left for Seattle in 1916 just before the railroad declared bankruptcy. Didn't look like any one was living there at the moment.

Well-lived-in, and plenty of living going on outside too.

A chunk of petrified wood in a yard - don't know if this is Alaskan or not.

Chena River, looking upstream.

A Cadillac that made it up to Fairbanks, but may not make it back out.

Last year's berries, and this year's leaves and flower stalks.

The May-day trees are beginning to bloom -- most fragrant.

Fairbanks -- May 13, 2015

Chena River in Fairbanks on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Heat Wave! Anchorageites don't know how to deal with sun and 72 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 77 degrees.

We're here for the annual Alaska Bar Association and Judges' Conference -- well, I am, and Jim is exploring Fairbanks on his own.

The conference opened at 8:30 a.m. with a pair of pipers from the Fairbanks Red Hackle Pipe Band. Bar President Geoff Wildridge (behind the table on the stage) said that the Bar intended to keep up the pace with a jam fest this evening, and more music throughout the conference.

After an excellent set of morning programs, Constitutional Convention delegate Vic Fisher  (left) and Retired Justice Bud Carpeneti talked about Alaska's merit selection system for judicial selection and retention. It was a privilege that not enough Alaska citizens have, to hear two such articulate and knowledgeable people talk based on the facts and their personal experiences about why Alaska has one of the best set of judges anywhere.


At the afternoon break we got a chance to explore bits of old Fairbanks.

A Farmall tractor from the 1930s?

We have no idea what this is, but at the moment it appears more decorative than functional.

Last season's rosehips; this year's leaves.

Jim wants one. After he chatted with the guy briefly about the car, the driver roared off down the street with his unmuffled engine reverberating through the hot sunny afternoon.

A dog that wanted to come out and play, or so he said.

 

A house with solar panels on the roof - several plywood-boarded windows and ditto for the front door. Some of the houses in the area seem to have seen better days, and others are well-kept and trim. This area of Fairbanks feels like 1950s Midwest with wood frame houses from the era, sidewalks, straight streets set out in a grid. Instead of maples, the trees are white birches and other northern species

One evening event was a reception at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center near the Chena River. It features the plane flown by Episcopal Bishop William Gordon Jr. all around the state (his son, Bill Gordon, served on the Alaska Judicial Council and is now on the Alaska Bar Board of Governors). The small planes always seem so tiny for such a huge state.

Dinner for the judges was at Gambardella's. When we arrived, the on-site gardener was busily potting flowers and arranging them around a fountain -- "so the judges can enjoy them," she said.

An establishment just down the street from our hotel.

Also in the neighborhood. Note that the left section of the house is logs, painted white, and the roof on that section is different from the roof on the front section. Jim especially liked the slated window to the right hand side of the house.

Ducks walking across the bridge over the Chena that carries two lanes of traffic each way. One wants to say, as the cars screech to a stop, "Fly! Why are you walking when you can fly?" They must have their reasons.


I didn't get a chance to post photos on the blog last night, so am including a few from yesterday's drive up the Parks Highway.

Seen in the Starbucks parking lot in Wasilla (yes, Wasilla has a stand-alone Starbucks drive-in and coffeeshop). Are the crutches related to the sports car?

One of the bridges over the Nenana River.

Rain clouds overhead, and rainbow to the east.

Denali, The Great One, from the South end of Denali State Park.

Denali's neighbors to the west, which I like almost better than Denali.