Christmas Every Day!

It’s partly sunny as we leave Rika’s and head up the Richardson Highway which is lined with beautiful trees. Crossing the Tanana River we had our first view of the trans-Alaska pipeline suspended above the river. The side of the road is like a garden of hot pink wild flowers, purple & white Lupine and light pink wild roses. Today we’ll travel through a lot of state recreation areas and it’s wild and beautiful. We saw a Magpie and the south end of a moose going north in a marsh… (head in the bushes)-

The highway winds along the river with many gravel sandbars, no bear sightings yet. The Tanana Valley Gold Rush started in 1896. In the fall of 1903 miners on several creeks in the Tanana foothills announced rich gold discoveries. Another rush began and 1,500 people were mining in the area by Christmas. One of the camps was named Fairbanks and grew into a city of saloons and 2-story buildings. The gold mined in 1903 totaled 40,000 and grew to a total of 9.6 million in 1909. The Tanana gold fields were the richest in Alaska and within 5 years Fairbanks became Alaska’s largest city.

Soon on our left the Midway Café appeared and it was time for breakfast. The café was a older building that looked like it had been there since the gold days. However the food was good. We met some young folks who were waiting for a helicopter to take them to a remote location to look for artifacts like tools etc. They were from the University of Colorado.

We continued up the road through Salcha (population 995) and over several creeks. Soon we came to Eielson AFB. The base is very large and we could see F16’s and other aircraft parked on the tarmac. Continuing we travel through the Chena Lake Recreation Area with miles of fishing, camping, and beautiful wilderness.

Our 1st stop is now in front of us and we can see the red & white pole and hear Jingle Bells - Yes it’s the North Pole! We parked at the visitor center and walked down St Nicholas Drive lined with sparkling candy canes and past the huge 42 foot Santa. This plump Santa weighs over 900 pounds and his waist is 33 feet. This is one of 3 Santa’s built in the 1960’s. This Santa was the prototype built for the 1962 Worlds Fair. It is unknown whether either of the other two are still in existence.

Down the road the red & white Santa Claus House rose before us! We saw Blitzen roaming in the stable yard. Going inside the house the whole place glistened with bright lights and Christmas ornaments. As we turned to our left there was Santa sitting in his big chair. We talked with him and then roamed through the house enjoying all the decorations and gifts.

Leaving the North Pole we turned up Badger Road. After a while we turned onto Nordale Road which led through small neighborhoods and then back into the vast wilderness. The road ended at Chena Hot Springs Rd and we turned right. Driving through forest and marsh - this is moose haven. We saw a large figure standing next to the road - “what is that…oh” the moose sauntered slowly into the woods. There is nothing out here but rivers and ponds. Finally at the end of the road at mile 56.5 we arrived at Chena Hot Springs…our stop for the next 2 nights. The hot springs were discovered in 1905 and are visited by people from all over the world.

After registering we were assigned site 5. It’s a nice site and there weren’t many people here. We got settled in and headed for the activity center just in time for the Geothermal Tour. This place is like a little community and they generate their own electricity with the hot water that is below the ground. Very interesting. Next we walked through their greenhouse where they grow fantastic tomatoes and lettuce. There are gardens all over the property and its produce is used in their dining room! After our tour we signed up for the 5PM Ice Museum tour. This is an indoor ice building that stays 20 degrees year round. The ice sculptures are done by 6 time world champions. The carvings are created from more than 1,000 pounds of ice and snow obtained from the resort. Inside the ice are life size jousting Knights, a wedding chapel, bedroom with a polar bear bed ($600 a night) and the ice bar! The bar, stools, and glasses are all made out of ice. We had a great group and enjoyed Appletini’s in ice carved martini glasses while sitting on ice carved stools.. One couple was from Texas and she was hysterical. The rest of the group was from Belgium. We all slid our way home our after the tour - it was really fun.

Back at camp we had chili & rice for dinner. I worked on the blog and followed up on our next tours.

It was a fun day!

Pictures: Welcome to the North Pole, 42 Ft Santa, Santa Claus House, Blitzen, Santa & Me, Ice Museum, Ice Carving Shop, Jousting Knights, Inside Museum, Polar Bear Bed, Enjoying Appletini's with our Belgian friends