Rika's Roadhouse

After washing the coach we turned up the Alcan (Alaska Highway/ Rte 2) and stopped at Fast Eddys for breakfast. The clouds are rising a little and we can see some of the snow covered Alaska Range. There is still a wildfire warning and we drove through heavy smoke and notice some fire equipment on the side roads. They are still minding the area in case the fire flares up again. The fire jumped the highway and we can smell the wet burn areas as we travel through. We stopped at a pullout and followed the 300 ft path that led to the Tanana River. The Tanana is a large tributary of the Yukon River. The Alcan was pretty much straight good road all the way and is lined with a mix of Sitka Spruce, Black Spruce and Paper White Birch. Every now and then a pond or marshy area would appear and we searched for Moose.

We crossed over the Robertson River which had very large pieces of ice in the glacial silt gray water. Some where floating while others were stuck on the gravel bars. The ice is from the Robertson Glacier where the river begins. Off to the side we caught a glimpse of a snowshoe rabbit heading for the trees. Unfortunately it’s raining pretty good so the scenic pulloffs were a bust! Just as we passed over the Sears Creek Bridge we looked up the side road and off to our left were two good sized Moose standing in the grass. They saw us and quickly headed for the forest cover. They were the biggest ones yet.

Soon the highway took us over the Gerstle Rive Bridge which was renamed Black Veterans Memorial Bridge. The bridge was built in 1944 and is 1 of 4 steel through truss style bridges on the Alcan. It was renamed in 1933, to commemorate the 3,695 black soldiers of the 93rd, 94th, 95th, 97th, and 388th US Army Corps of Engineers for their participation in the building of the Alcan Highway.

We rolled into the Delta Junction Visitor Center to take a picture ending our travels on the Alaska Highway. Delta Junction is the end of the Alaska Highway. From here, the Richardson Highway takes travelers to Fairbanks. The junction was named for the nearby Delta River and was a construction camp on the Richardson Highway in 1919. Today it is a large farming area with barley being the major feed grain grown. There are also small scale vegetable farms and small dairies. Of course the Alaska Pipeline and military are strong contributors to the Delta’s economy. At the visitor center Ken had his picture taken with the state bird - Mosquito - and we got our “I survived the Alcan” certificate.

We took time to walk across the road to The Sullivan Roadhouse. The roadhouse is an original log building from 1906. It’s one of the last remaining roadhouses from the Valdez to Fairbanks Trail. This rugged and treacherous trail opened the vast Alaska interior as the cry of “GOLD” rang throughout the Klondike.

Leaving the Alcan we turned north onto the Richardson Highway. Tonight our stop is Rika’s Roadhouse. We parked the coach in a spot at the end of the parking lot near some bushes. Following a pretty garden path we came to a sod roof building which serves as a museum with exhibits of farm tools and equipment. Rika’s has been a gathering place for Alaskans since 1904. The roadhouse sits in a tranquil setting along the banks of the Tanana River and offers ten acres of Alaskan History. The land along with a fur trading post was purchased in 1909 by a Yugoslavian entrepreneur who believed this to be a good place for a business opportunity The two-story roadhouse was built of logs that were floated down the Tanana River. Soon the roadhouse became an oasis for trappers, prospectors, and local Athabascans. The owner had many other interests and running a roadhouse was too quiet an endeavor. Therefore he simply asked guests to make themselves at home and leave some money on the table. The roadhouse was run this way until 1918, when a hard working Swede named Rika Wallen was hired to take over.

Refurbished in the 1970’s the roadhouse displays historic rooms and pictures from the early 1900’s. We strolled the grounds while the thunder rumbled across the river. Soon we had our first glimpse of the Alaska Pipeline as it stretched across the river. We stopped in the café for soup and fantastic Strawberry Rhubarb pie before it closed at 5pm. We talked with a family from Georgia who was visiting Alaska on vacation and then went back to the coach. Finally the parking lot was empty and we settled in for the night. We think we’ll be the only ones here.

It was a good day. We do wish the rain would stop….

Pictures: (right to left) Tok Wildfire (2), Tanana River Overview (2), End of the Alaska Hwy, Ken with State Bird, Sullivan Roadhouse, Rika's Sod House, Front of Rika roadhouse, Back of Rika Roadhouse, Alaska Pipeline