June 25-27, 2012: Fairbanks

June 25-27, 2012: Fairbanks

Everywhere we go we have been greeted warmly by Alaskans! While purchasing our tour saver book at Safeway the store manager told us of things to see and do north of town. The owner of the only rock shop in town entertained us with story after story, and of course we bought some rock. One of our guidebooks warns that some visitors find Alaskans standoffish but I think its probably the visitors that are standoffish themselves.
Anyway, our first order of businees was to go find a water pump for our fifth wheel. Arctic Rv was the first and only stop we needed. It was sixty dollars less then in Whitehorse, Canada, and it went in without any other trips to the parts store or hardware store, a first! Now we can boondock and dry camp without heating water for everyday chores and we can even use our shower. Maybe people will be even friendlier?
So of course our next stop was the Visitor Center, where we asked the location of any rock shops and the knowledgable staff there directed us to the Alaskan Prospector store, There we met Jim M. who not only entertained us with tales but sold us some gold ore, with visible gold, that we can form into cabachons and wrap in gold filled wire. We also bought some gold flake display pieces that can be made into pendants.
The next morning we got up early and headed to the Creamery Dairy and Birding Center. The purpose of the early start wasn't to fill up on ice cream but to walk the birding trails. The first birds we saw were sandhill cranes, their tops a brighter breeding season red then the color we are use to in Texas. A little futher tree swallows dominated as they swooped and ate the mosquitos, which seemed to become a little more numerous as we neared the trees.
Taking a left at the fork, we headed for the water ponds, hoping to pick up some new birds, but the closer we got the more the mosquitos descended on us like mad Shih-tzus swarm on a dropped piece of food. As we neared the first pond a duck flew away before we could even note much about its plumage.

A small brown grebe appeared on the surface and as we looked at it we both noticed a prominent white spot on its head. Renita and I both again thought grebe but when I turned to the grebe section it wasn't there, so I paged through the ducks.
Hmmm, white spot small roundish head, small duck, and a small bill. Oh my goodness it was a female harlequin duck! A new life bird for us and one we had hoped to see up north. We batted mosquitos away as we tried to see the drake but it never appeared.
Wrapping ourselves in the gore-tex raincoats the mosquitos continued to swarm, trying to bite through the fabric. Finally it was too much, it was like a commercial for mosquito lotion which of course we had forgotten in the truck.

Making a quick retreat we headed back to town. Renita had wanted to stop at several stores including one that fetaured local gold jewlery. We were suprised to meet another artist there whose speciality was silver chains and so we chatted and talked about our techniques.
The next store was a series of shops including one which had scrimshaw on mammoth ivory. The scrimshaw, artist John Majak, is the finest we have ever seen and we debated about buying a piece carved with a whooly mammoth,(four hundred and fifty dollars is a bit much for us). Returning fifteen minutes later we sadly watched as the store owner was handing the piece to another customer.
Returning home to our fifth wheel, we settled into the mundane as we headed to the laundramat and I went for propane and a much needed haircut. There are more stories there but I think I will have to wait till I meet you around the campfire, be sure to ask about the haircut in Fairbanks. Clear skies