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Showing posts with the label Tanana River

Train-ing to Denali

  Goldstar Service with Alaska Railroad Taking the train to Denali is one of the best ways to enjoy the Alaskan landscape. The trip from Fairbanks to Denali takes four hours and riding in premium class with its glass dome ceiling certainly adds to the total experience. There’s also an outdoor platform if you wish to take pictures with the glass windows out of the way. Goldstar service also includes breakfast if you leave early in the morning and two complimentary drinks. There’s a bar conveniently located in your car. And a guide who talks about the views and the few towns you see along the way. Your luggage is checked through to your hotel. On the way back to Fairbanks, I opted for an Adventure Class seat which is about half the price of the Goldstar seat. There is no glass dome ceiling but the windows are large and clean and the cleaning service stops at each car every half hour or so to clean the restrooms and empty the trash bin. There’s one downside to this train journey. While my

By Sternwheeler on the Chena River

Sternwheeler Riverboat This three-hour leisurely cruise on the Chena River was one of the best experiences I had in Fairbanks. As our riverboat slowly made its way to the confluence with the Tanana River, I witnessed how life on the river evolved from the subsistence lifestyle of the nomadic Athabascan Indians to the arrival of riverboats that brought the villagers their supplies and correspondence which was replaced by sled dogs during the winter months when the river was frozen to the red-hot housing market by the Chena River today. There’s much to learn as the 100-mile long Chena River continues its journey through time and place. A bush pilot expertly lands his float plane on the Chena River. Bush pilots deliver supplies to remote villages and are also used for tourism purposes. At the Trail Breaker Kennel and home of the late Iditarod four-time champion, Susan Butcher, we had the chance to see a dog mushing demonstration and get up close with some of the huskies at the Athabascan