Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Day 17 - Delta Junction

Off again and this time to Fairbanks on our own. A very scenic drive leaving our campground and through part of the Denali National Park. This area caters for all outdoor activities hiking, white water rafting, offroad vehicles etc. Morning tea stop was at Nenana which appears to be an inland port but we shall have to do more reading up on this area as it looks as though there is an interesting history attached to this small town. While we were parked several people came up and asked us about the trip and vehicle. One bubbly lady on a motorbike came up and said she couldn't resist coming up and finding out more about our "beautiful" vehicle as it was so "neat". We asked what they do in winter time and whether they are landlocked as temperatures go very low (like -40) and she said that in actual fact everything "opens" up as the areas that they can normally not drive on as they are too boggy become iced over and they are able to take their snowmobiles etc over them. The skiers, mushies, hunters etc all take advantage of the snow covered ground. Apparently they used to take the train over the iced over lake when it was covered with about 4ft of ice. She and her husband originally came from Pennsylvania in 2004 and loved Alaska.
The drive from there to Fairbanks was easy driving, a few large hills but on paved roads. We seem to be striking road works wherever we go as they obviously have a small window in which to do their repairs. Our GPS directed us to the Walmart shop that we were seeking and after getting the necessary supplies we were on the road again to the North Pole. What a unique area this is and we discovered that YES Santa is real. His reindeers are in the yard waiting for next Xmas and we saw Santa's house which just so happened to be full of tourists shopping of course for everything that Santa and his Elves had been making during the year. Unfortunately Santa was on his 2 day leave when we were there so we didn't get to see him in person. I hope he remembers our address as I think he has forgotten it lately!
We could not find any suitable RV parks once leaving Fairbanks so we decided to head on for Delta Junction and found a lovely park on the edge of town. Apparently there is a resident moose in the woods close by but we haven't seen it yet. Some of the other convoy members are camped here as well. It is probably one of the best parks during our whole trip and the internet is reliable. We have had difficulty connecting to the internet since our trip began so we are taking advantage of it while we can.

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