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Riverboat
On Sunday we booked passage on the riverboat Discovery. It is a family operation started in 1898 to take passengers and freight into Fairbanks. As that business died, it was converted into a tourist attraction that continues today. In addition to the trip down the Tanana River it has several stops along the way.
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Bush Pilot
The first stop was to see a bush pilot take off from and land in the river. The pilot was also "miked" to the riverboat to explain the how the planes are used - often going to places there are no roads.
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Cripple Creek
Wile this creek is grown over with foliage, it was said to be the site of one of the largest gold finds in Alaska.
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Mushing
The next stop was at the Susan Butcher (4 time winner of the Iditarod) dog training kennel. Susan died several years ago from leukemia and her husband - David Monson continues to train dogs. Training includes pulling this 600 pound ATV.
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Dog Training
After a short run, the dogs come back the kennel - a lot less than the Iditarod which is over 1000 miles.
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Eskimo Village
The next stop was an Eskimo Village that taught us about the Eskimo's culture. They came to this area over 10,000 years ago and learned to adapt to the harsh climate. This is a fish wheel used to pull salmon from the river.
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Sunshine Parka
This parka was made from various furs of animals trapped by the Eskimo's. Based upon the design natives can tell you what tribe the wearer was from. Also you can see where the name of the parka comes from.
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Log Cabin
Nancy and Joe at a log cabin made by the Eskimo's.
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