FAIRBANKS, Alaska (and more of DENALI)

Headed North to Fairbanks after stopping in for our second round of halibut and chips at the Denali Visitors Center's Marino Grill. We tried it our first day and weren't leaving Denali without having another helping. We planned a stop in Healy for gas, one of the two towns between Denali and Fairbanks. The town consisted of two gas stations (one with groceries) and no sign of anything else. We glanced up the turnoff to the Stampede Trail, made famous by Jon Krakauer's account of Chris McCandless's fateful summer living and dying in the abandoned bus that's become a pilgrimage for career wanderers, and continued North.

We didn't spend enough time to give Fairbanks a fair reading but on first blush it's your average sprawl U.S. town. A Princess cruise bus dropped off a load just as we arrived at the Chena River waterfront. They took their photos and were back on the bus within 15 minutes. Our perusal lasted longer only because I was in search of a restroom. We considered visiting the Ice Museum but the attendant left a "be right back" note on the door so we moved on. The tourism board may be pushing for a polishing as a new welcome center (not actually on any of the Fairbanks maps) is complete with a just-opened museum-quality exhibit of traditional Alaskan life through the changing seasons.

Fairbanks was so unpicturesque that I only came up with three photos to share. But don't despair, we spent the morning in Denali so take a walk back with us to the dog kennels. During the winter the park is patrolled by dogsled teams. The Alaska huskies take the summer off, cutting their daily food intake by half and do a little moonlighting showing visitors their amazing skills. After the park ranger gave us a little intro, barking mayhem commenced as every dog vied for a spot on the team. Once harnessed, off they bolted like Olympic sprinters. Invigorating to watch, and I imagine like a roller coaster to ride.

We took the Rock Creek trail 2.8 miles mostly uphill back to the visitors center and encountered the Alaska state bird, a ptarmigan, midway. With the "don't approach the wildlife" warning in mind, we watched from 8 feet for 10 minutes until she wandered into the woods. Our climb was rewarded with mountain and valley vistas that literally stopped us in our tracks, until the thought of that halibut nudged us forward.

After our brief rest in Fairbanks we pushed on another 60 miles to the Chena Hot Springs Resort (more on that in my next post). The "Dog Team Crossing" and shooting range signs with the backdrop of meandering moose along the way reminded us we'd reached "the last frontier."