It seemed in Fairbanks that it was time to go home? We were certainly not tired of Alaska! And we certainly hadn’t seen it all. But we knew we wouldn’t when we came. :) We just had a handful of destinations we had hoped to see if the weather and circumstances permitted. And amazingly we’d seen all of them, plus a few more, with excellent weather and at a peaceful pace. :) We had initially allowed a month for this journey of a life time. A week to get there, and week to get home, and two weeks in Alaska. But we’d had almost no adverse weather to slow us down, and now our internal clocks and hearts were turning toward home. :)
With a sense of great accomplishment and joy in what we’d attempted, accomplished, and seen — and knowing we had the week-long, continuing adventure of flying home ahead of us, we decided today was the day. We’d fly toward home, exiting Alaska where we entered at Northway, and spending the night in Canada’s Yukon at Beaver Creek on the border.
Fairbanks continued to impress us, as the hotel van drove us to the general aviation side of the airport. It just had a good Alaskan feel to it that’s hard to explain. A nice place to live and fly out of, yet with lots a services and social opportunities being the second largest city in the state. And with outdoor recreational opportunities unlimited, year round. Not the least of these — back country flying. :)
After looking over the many long rows of beautiful back country airplanes on big tires and floats, we walked out to ours and after the customary loading and preflighting, we were climbing out on a perfect day looking over the city and airport from the air, heading SE and home. We’d join the ALCAN at Delta Junction, it’s northern most point, and follow it back across the Yukon and British Columbia to it’s starting point at Dawson Creek, where it more or less dumps us out onto the plains of Alberta in western Canada.
Did I mention this day, August 9th, was my 42nd wedding anniversary? :) What a great wife I have to support me being gone on this day, to accomplish this dream adventure! I had tried to make it up to her with an anniversary present of seeing a Broadway play in NYC with our son while I was gone, flowers (several) delivered to her office on this day, and a scavenger hunt around our home every few days with poems, clues, and fun surprises. But still?! You men out there know, this is not a good thing! :)
To my surprise, I found an anniversary card on my pillow at the hotel this morning? Along with a small stuffed teddy bear. :) Then a card in my airplane seat at the airport? Then one at lunch on the glare shield? None of our bunch would confess to complicity or any knowledge with blank stares and upraised palms and shrugged shoulders when I looked at them? But unless there lives an Alaskan anniversary fairy, one of more of them was being deceiving. :) What a great wife I have! :) The last card was delivered to my pillow at Beaver Creek, Yukon that night. :):)
We hadn’t seen any large, land Alaskan wildlife yet!? Surprising to us! So the decision was made to fly today lower than usual when we were over marshes, lakes, rivers, or anything that looked like good moose, caribou, or bear habitat. Doing so, we found several small groups of moose and photographed some of them. :) At last!
Of course we would fuel at Tok, an almost compulsory stop because we needed gas, and also because of Fast Eddy’s at mile marker 1313 right on the ALCAN and right across from the airport. :) We loved that place! :)
Back in the air we resumed our moose and bear patrols, until we noticed we were about to be late for our Canadian border crossing time specified on our flight plans. When it was mentioned by Shep over the radio, Dwayne who was leading this flight headed our two ship straight for the border and Beaver Creek. We landed and cleared customs by phone, as no one was there to meet us. Then the owner, operator of our quaint hotel showed up and drove us the short distance into town. There we had dinner at Buckshot Betty’s, and a good night’s sleep… east of Alaska, but north … in Canada. :)
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