Fairbanks is Alaska's second largest city. Its rolling hills reminded us a lot of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri.

In 1901 a trading post was established on Fairbanks' Chena River. A year later, gold was discovered 16 miles north of the post. We decided to try to find some gold of our own.

Polliann working the pan!

Look at the size of the nugget that I found! Okay, maybe not. This was the largest nugget ever found at the El Dorado Gold Mine. It's valued at $25,000. We panned about $20 in gold!

During a trip on a sternwheeler riverboat, we saw lots of these fishing wheels on the banks and in the river. The fish wheel was introduced to Alaska by white settlers in about 1900. Fish wheels are one traditional way Alaskans catch fish to survive the long, cold winters and to have enough fish to feed their dog teams to allow traveling longer distances to hunt and trap. The fish wheel is basically a trap for the salmon. Fish wheels are still used by subsistence fishermen in Alaska today.

Salmon hanging to dry

A traditonal, handmade native Yupik woman's parka.

Ft. Knox is the largest gold mining operation in Alaska. They mine approximately $300,000/day in gold! This a picture of rock demolition - rock that will later be processed for gold.

Polliann and me fighting over a $90,000 gold bar!

Pioneer Park is filled with old log homes, among other things, that were uprooted from Fairbanks for preservation here.

Entering the Malemute Saloon is like stepping in to the turn-of-the-century gold rush era. It is decorated in authentic early gold camp style. Comic sketches and songs, which interpret one of the richest gold strikes in the world, are performed here nightly during the summer.

It was a great show!

Alaska pipeline viewing point just north of Fairbanks. Some quick facts (1) length: 800 miles, (2) diameter: 48 inches, (3) crosses three mountain ranges and over 800 rivers and streams, and (4) cost to build: $8 billion in 1977, the largest privately funded construction project at that time.

The orange object inside the pipe is a "pig," which is used to keep the pipeline clean.

Crossing the Arctic Circle was so cool! The Arctic Circle includes the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, Siberia and the Russian Far East.

Coldfoot is a very small town that is the last place to eat and get gas before Prudhoe Bay, which is 250 miles away.

Located 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs became famous for curing crippled prospectors of their aches and pains as long ago as 1905.

A Christmas tree of anters at Chena Hot Springs.

Yes. We visited the home of Santa Claus and even sat on his lap!

Now that's a big Santa! See Robert in the sled?

The Nenana River Ice Classic competition began in 1917 when railroad engineers bet a total of 800 dollars, winner takes all, guessing the exact time (month, day, hour, minute) ice on the Nenana River would break up. Each year since then, Alaska residents have guessed at the timing of the river breakup. A tripod (the 2004 edition is pictured above), connected to an on-shore clock with a string, is planted in two feet of river ice during river freeze-up in October or November. The following spring, the clock automatically stops when the tripod moves as the ice breaks up. The time on the clock is used as the river ice breakup time. The jackpot in 2003 was over $300,000! Each bet is $2.50. We put in our bet!

Outhouse in Joy, Alaska. An authentic homestead area.

This was a sign on the outhouse door!