The first little town south of Fairbanks is Ester, once a flourishing gold mining town, then a tourist attraction, now a veritable ghost town except for some artists in residence.
The signs on the buildings told the story of their history.
Even the bird house is empty.
The owner of the now closed campground invited us to boondock there, so we did.
The elusive, rare red-bottomed bumblebee!
Back on the highway in the morning, we passed this unique roadside display…a memorial, I would guess.
Our next stop was the town of Nenana, set at the confluence of the Nenana and Tanana Rivers. It has a notable history. It was the site of the beginning of the sled dog serum run, the forerunner of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. When diphtheria broke out in Nome in mid winter, needed serum was transported to Nenana by train, then relayed by sled dog teams on the frozen river to Nome. Nenana is still responsible for ferrying supplies to remote villages by barge up the river. This is the train station.
Today, Nenana is famous for the annual Ice Classic. Here’s the story.
Tripod on the ice
The watch tower
The ice break-up
The lady at this gift shop was very friendly and helpful, and was willing to allow us to boondock behind the store. We slept next to the Tripod, so in the morning I purchased a ticket and made my $2.50 wager. Look for the ice to break up on April 27, 2010 at 2:14 p.m., ok?
Our campsite
After a purchase she consented to playing her accordion for us. She also gave us good advice for boondocking and hiking on down the road.
We had the opportunity to explore the entire town while there. It didn’t take very long. We walked along the river to the old railroad bridge where President Harding drove the golden spike. (On display at the RR station museum.)
We visited this old log church.
Inside.
Stained glass window.
Athabascan Indian beadwork on this moosehide altar cloth.
Dried salmon dog-food display.
This raven was stealing some.
There were flowers everywhere.
I noticed these flowers closed at night…I wonder how they knew it was night?
Rooms for rent….fire engine motif, complete with green grass and solar heated pool.
These seem to be a popular means for winter travel.
I met a new friend
We didn’t travel far the next day. We stopped at Bear Creek, recommended by our new friend in Nenana. It looks like a rest area, doesn’t it? You can’t see the free campground tucked away over the bank.
Here it is….nice sites next to the creek.
We camped in a larger space where we could park together.
This trap-line trail followed the creek.
Roe and I followed it, watching out for “traps.”
When I came across this carved stump draped with a porcupine hide, I realized this was Indian territory.
A few more steps and I came to this camp complete with teepee. A sign requested no trespassing, so we turned back.
Bandit liked it here too….here he’s digging around a stump.
In the morning we took a ride out Stampede Road near Healy. This road/trail was made famous by the hapless adventurer who walked down that trail thinking he’d live off the wild for the summer. He crossed a shallow frozen river and 17 miles in found an abandoned bus where he camped. Unprepared for the harsh conditions, he ultimately starved to death, unable to pass back over the then swollen river. He was the subject of the book and movie, “Into the Wild.” We didn’t see any tribute or notice of those events, but we were rewarded by a mother and twin baby moose!
Mom ushered the kids into hiding.
Hide like me kids!
Ok mom, we’re hiding.
Since we were a little early for our reservations at Denali, we decided to drive a ways out the gravel Denali Highway and boondock for another night. Since Photobucket is so slow, you’ll have to wait for that adventure.
Tomorrow we enter Denali National Park for 6 days. We may not have cell or aircard service after Wednesday especially, but we’re bound to have some great pictures after that!
Thanks for sharing so much - and for those of you looking for a different angle, different pics - I'm caught up on my blog. Liz, don't forget to go back to this post: 
