Fairbanks and the Interior

In order to reach the "Last Frontier", we caught the Aurora Flagstop train from Anchorage ro Fairbanks, which runs just once a week in winter, and takes roughly 12 hours. I say "roughly", because the "Flagstop" refers to the fact that anyone living along the rail line can stop the train by placing a flag a 1/4 mile down the track. For a lot of the inhabitants, the railway is their lifeline, and they depend on it to get in and out of their remote bush hideaways. For many though, just the opportunity to read a newspaper (thrown skilfully by the train conductor as the train zips by at 60 mph) is as close as they wish to get to civilisation.

Here, Dave and Carolyn finally get a chance to relax now that the trip is underway. In the background are Jo Getchen, Howard and Kathy Williams, and in front Anne Finch, Mona, and Mike.

Here's yet another of those "train going round a bend" shots that tends to turn up a lot in my Mongolia travelogue. The mountain in the background is Mt McKinley, which at 20,320 feet (6194 m) is thr highest mountain in the USA. It may look pretty benign, but if you look closely, you can see snow (and maybe a climber or two) being ripped off by the strong winds which lash the summit. We were apparently very lucky to get such a clear view of Mt McKinley as the train passed through the Denali National Park; hence, the numerous stops we made to capture that "Kodak moment".

On our first morning in Fairbanks, we went to check out the start of the World Ice Art Championships. The things these ice sculptors can do with one or more blocks of clear ice, a chainsaw, and a syringe of water to act as "glue" are simply amazing.

Winged creatures from mythology seem to be a popular theme.

As impressive as some of these sculptures are, they take on a whole new beauty at night when illuminated. King of the Jungle took 2nd place in the "Realistic" category.

This one is entitled Vision of the Musical Box.

Believe it or not, this piece Thor is carved from one single block of ice!

Since we were most of the way there, we thought we'd go on and visit the North Pole. Strangely, you get there by driving south out of Fairbanks, and it even has its own Post Office, and (of course) a McDonalds. Here, Carolyn, Dave, Lisa Mazzuca, and Howard have just sent off their postcards. Should arrive sometime around Christmas.

Guess who lives at the North Pole? Santa Claus of course, and this is his house. Here you can buy Christmas ornaments ranging from the traditional, to the surreal (a B2 Stealth bomber to hang on your Christmas tree?). Don't forget to order that Letter from Santa Claus, or you can even purchase your very own piece of the North Pole!

One of the other major tourist attractions in the Fairbanks area is the opportunity to get up close and personal to the Trans Alaska Pipeline. Of course, you don't want to get too close as the big, scary sign says. The Trans Alaska Pipeline is 800 miles long, running from the north slope oil fields to the port of Valdez, and was built in just 26 months at a cost of $8 billion.

Unfortunately, like most American cities, Fairbanks suffers badly from light pollution, which is a pity considering its prime viewing location for the aurora. After spending a couple of days in Fairbanks, we drove about an hour northeast to a place called Chena Hot Springs Resort. We could have flown in instead, landing on their very own ice runway.

As the name implies, Chena Hot Springs offers you the opportunity to soak most of your body in a geothermally-heated outdoor pool, while keeping your head out in the freezing-cold air. Quite an invigorating experience, but a great way to relax after a long evening spent craning one's neck watching the aurora.

One of the few disappointments on the trip was the lack of wildlife on display (in the case of Alaska's official state bird, the mosquito, this was probably a blessing!). We could tell from the tracks, and other evidence, that the bears, moose, and wolves were out there somewhere. Here, Dave takes an unhealthy amount of interest in moose droppings, while Kathy looks on disapprovingly...

In Alaska, they warn you to always make sure to plug your car's radiator and engine block heater into sockets provided in car parks, but I guess some people just don't listen.

Of course, one can't go to Alaska and not try dog-sledding (well you can, if you come to the USA with Australian dollars, better known in financial circles as the "Pacific Peso"). Fortunately, through Barnaby and Anne Finch we got to meet a German named Olaf, who lives just outside Fairbanks and runs his own dog team (when he's not building log cabins)...

...who took a group of us out for a cramped and bumpy, but thrilling ride through the forest...

...across a frozen lake...

...and home again. "Mushers", as they are called, are a breed apart. The dogs are pretty amazing too.

Now for what you really came here for - to see pictures of the aurora...

Last modified 15 May 2002 by Stuart Ryder