Alaska 2011 - Chena Hot Springs/Fairbanks, Alaska

You will not want to miss this post and all of the pictures that we would like to share with you. We were very busy and enjoyed all of the outdoor adventures in this area of Alaska. This is what makes all of our travel quests so exciting and educational.

This portion of our trip was one of the highlights. We left Denali and headed to Chena Hot Springs, which is 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Prospectors started using this spring fed hot water bath to cure their aches and pains in 1905. In 1911, a trail was established from Fairbanks for mushers and the “Hot Springs Stage, which took 20 hours to get to the hot springs. The chemical content of the hot spring water makes this comparable to the famous springs at Carlsbad in Bohemia. Chena Hot Springs will continue to welcome people from all over the world to bathe in the curative powers of hot water.

We spent one night enjoying ourselves at the hot springs and then headed back to Fairbanks for three days. Along the way we got to see the Alaska Pipeline which was very exciting. Here we visited the University of Alaska “Museum of the North”, enjoyed the famous Pioneer Park “Salmon, Halibut, Cod, Prime Rib BBQ” dinner, toured the El Dorado Gold Mine, and traveled the Chena River on the Riverboat Discovery. At the El Dorado Gold Mine you travel by narrow gauge train through a working gold mine, explore historic drift mining in a permafrost tunnel, and pan for gold. In a very short period of time panning, Nancy and I were lucky enough to get $30 worth of “flower gold”.

We traveled down the Chena River in the Riverboat Discovery stopping by Iditarod Champion and Alaska Legend “Susan Butcher” and her family. Susan not only won the 1,100-mile Iditarod Dog Sled Race (1986, 1987, 1988, and 1990), but she is the only dug musher to summit Mt. McKinley with her dog team. Susan’s life was cut short on August 5, 2006 when leukemia claimed one of Alaska’s brightest stars. Her family (husband and two daughters) keep Susan's legacy alive. One daughter is preparing to compete in the 2012 Iditarod race. While on the river we also got to visit Chena Village, which was on the original site of an Athabascan Indian Village in the early 1900’s. These people still carry on their traditional hunting, fishing, and gardening ways. Today, the Alaskan "First Nation" communities still use the entire "catch" in a useful, functional, and practical manner. There leave NO WASTE!

The University of Alaska “Museum of the North” was spectacular. Exhibits focus on Alaska Native cultures, wildlife, geography, and history of each of Alaska’s five major geographic regions.

Below there are four (4) slideshows for your enjoyment. Each one has some great pictures to share with you. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we had fun!

CLICK HERE to watch the Chena Hot Springs and Alaska Pipeline slideshow.

CLICK HERE to watch the El Dorado Gold Mine and Pioneer Park slideshow.

CLICK HERE to watch the Riverboat Discovery (Susan Butcher's Kennel & Athabascan Village slideshow.

CLICK HERE to watch the “Museum of the North” slideshow.