Friends   --

The people here are mostly very friendly.  Last evening we were walking along the river looking at the break up (more on that below) and a couple natives started talking to us and would hardly stop.  They had questions to ask and information to share.  They were eager to talk.  One was alone so we may have been his only opportunity to talk.  The other was in a group and gave us her attention and ignored her friends while talking to us.  Several days ago we were on our walk, probably a mile from our apartment, when suddenly someone said, "Elva!"  It was a lady we know from church.  She invited us in to visit.  Even though she and her husband were about ready to go somewhere they visited for about a half hour.  It is nice to be around friendly people.

We have been asked why we came to Alaska.  Basically it was to be a part of something different.  Originally I wanted to live above the Arctic Circle and Fairbanks is at least close.  One cannot know a place with a short visit.  There is nothing wrong with a short visit.  But I wanted to know more of what Alaska is like.  I wanted to see the hardships, the joys, the everyday life of people in a situation much different than anything I had ever experienced.  The sights and sounds have been very interesting.  But it is the people that make Alaska (and all the other places we have lived) meaningful.  We like the scenery and the happenings, but the people make it worthwhile.  I don't think I could stand to be a tourist for a year in any one place.  I would be glad to have you come up here and meet some of the people or to have them go down there to meet you.  Either way your circle of friends could expand.  Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, the other gold.  Thanks for being silver and gold in our lives.

We mentioned before that the migratory birds are returning.  There is a place here, Creamer's Field, set aside for wildlife.  It is on the edge of Fairbanks, about two miles from the apartment.  We went there to see the birds last week.  The two next pictures show strips of snow and bare land.  The people at the airport come to blow away the snow in strips so that the geese, ducks, and other migratory birds come to Creamer's field instead of landing at the airport.  The water is melting snow.  The second picture has a barn in the distance.  Originally this was a large dairy, but keeping cows here became to expensive when milk became easier to transport with better roads.

There were even a couple swans there.  They are much larger than a goose, which is much larger than a duck.

The rivers are having "break up" now.  That is when the ice breaks up and moves down stream.  Sometimes there are ice jambs that cause major floods.  That has happened the last couple years on the Yukon River.  Relief agencies have come to help in those areas.  There is a dam on the Chena River (the river across the road from our apartment) 20 miles upstream from Fairbanks that is supposed to assure no floods here.  Fairbanks has not had a flood since 1967, so the dam is working.

But break up has been important in the old culture of Alaska.  Rivers are not just rivers as in the lower 48.  Rivers are the highway system of the interior.  Or at least they used to be.  In the winter they were used by dog sleds.  In the summer they were used by boats.  So the period of break up, while the ice was traveling down stream, was a time of far less travel.  It marked a major change in the seasons.  Here are some pictures of break up on the Chena River, all within a half mile from our apartment.

 Some of the ice was very clear, more clear than most refrigerator ice cubes.

We went to Denali National Park.  Mount McKinley is the main attraction.  Most people who come to Alaska want to see McKinley.  But only about 1/3 of those wanting to see McKinley are able to.  Clouds usually obscure the view.  We kept track of the weather.  The national park headquarters has a web site that allowed us to do that.  We had thought of going earlier but it was cloudy.  Living nearby allows us to go on a clear day.  One disappointment is that one cannot get very close, except by plane or a long backpacking trip.  After more of the road is cleared of snow one can drive closer than we did.  But still, the road only gets to within about 30 miles.  We got as close as 90 miles.  And it was still huge.  Some say McKinley is the tallest mountain, but not the highest.  They explain this way:  If a man's 9 year old daughter is standing on a chair, she is higher than her father, but still not taller.  Those making that claim say that from its base to its summit it is higher than any other mountain.  The others get a higher altitude because their base is higher.

Undisputed facts: it is the highest peak in North America.  It is more than a mile taller than any peak in the other 49 states.

First are some pictures along the way in the park.

 Many of the peaks are very rugged.

 This caribou was looking at us just before we snapped the picture.

And a couple pictures of Denali.  The mountains in the foreground are maybe 10 miles away.  Denali is about 90 miles away.

It was another good week in Alaska.

Thanks for your interest.  We have been asked if others can see the blog.  Certainly.  Anyone who has any interest in Alaska or travel is welcome to use/read the blog.

God's blessing to all

Larry and Elva