AUGUST 31: FAIRBANKS and DENALI

Today I toured the Fairbanks area and drove to Denali National Park. I started at the Large Animal Research Station (LARS) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I took the tour and learned about Musk Oxen, Caribou and Reindeer. I had never seen a Musk Ox before. After the tour, I visited the university campus.

I enjoyed meeting an old high school friend for lunch at Big Daddy's BBQ. It was good to catch up and reminisce.

After lunch, I drove to Denali National Park in an effort to see Mount McKinley. I knew I had not planned enough time to do it right and the weather was not on my side, but I thought I'd take a chance. The leaves are starting to change; I don't expect to see that in Raleigh for two more months. The drive was enjoyable but I did not get to see the big mountain. There was a solid layer of fog and a little rain. It is hard to believe you cannot easily see the tallest mountain in North America. That's ok, I'll be back.

Back in Fairbanks, I stopped at Frontier Park which is an interesting but aged place. For dinner I had elk, which was new for me, at the Pump House. Tomorrow I will head back to Whitehorse before I start an alternate western route back to Calgary.

 

Large Animal Research Station:

Caribou (and Reindeer)

Musk Ox

Museum at University of Alaska Fairbanks

 

 

Denali National Park and nearby area:

 

Parks Highway between Denali and Fairbanks:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nenana_Ice_Classic

Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn

Alaska and the Yukon have small roadhouses along these long stretches of undeveloped land to provide food, gas and lodging to travelers.  This is my favorite so far.

Pioneer Park in Fairbanks: