Today we awoke to overcast skies and temps around 60 degrees. The forecast was 60-70% chance of rain, but this was not going to slow us down. So we showered and then trotted over to the main cabin or lodge and ate our breakfast fixed by our host. They did not disappoint. Scrambled egg casserole with at least green peppers and onions baked in, bacon, and large variety of fruits and breads. The lodge was beautiful inside and was built and decorated with their personalities. The view out the windows was of the Denali National Park, which was at least 100 miles away. Still very visible.
The main objective for today was to reach Chena Hot Springs and checkout the springs. At first I wasn’t really thrilled about the idea of jumping in the springs, but after walking around the back of the building where you paid and then got dressed, we decided to give it a shot. It was a lot warmer than I expected. The sulphur smell in the area was there but not overbearing. We stayed in the water for a total of maybe 30 to 40 minutes, not continuous, but no more than a total of 5 minutes out of the water and I think we got a little overheated. It did feel incredibly wonderful, but I would not recommend staying in the water more than 20-30 minutes at a time. After sitting out for about 15 minutes I felt fine, but I could tell that the body temperature was higher than normal which makes you feel a little weird. Come to find out, the day before passed out in the pool because they became dehydrated and a bit overheated. No harm was done, but it was a little bizarre to hear that it happened. The picture below is an overhead shot that I got from the web. The place is worth seeing and checking out, but I think it would be better to see in the winter time.
After we did the pool thing, we moseyed over to the resort restaurant. I had my first Salmon BLT with fries. It was yummy. Lori had a Salmon burger and she seemed happy with her choice also. The highlight of lunch though was watching a squirrel race inside the restaurant, grab tissues out of the trash can, and then rush back outside to store stolen item in his or her nest.
The rest of the day was spent traveling back to Fairbanks just see what there was to see. Nothing really exciting on the drive by of the town, but I do have a couple of cute stories.
First, I decided to pull into a manual carwash and finally get the dirt and grim out of the rims, and also knock some of the dirt off the SUV so you wouldn’t get your hands dirty every time you reached for the door handle. If you brushed up against the SUV, you were guaranteed to get dirty. But before I started to clean, I walked over to the other bay and started a conversation with a dual sport rider. He was knocking all the dirt off the bike from driving partially up the haul road. I asked if he ran the entire 1000 mile round trip and he said no. He only made it to the Arctic circle, which was nothing. That’s only 400 mile round trip. Wimp!! :) I talked to this guy for a good 20 minutes and Lori was about to send out Search and Rescue, when I finally bid him ado, and walked back to my bay. I get lost in the conversation when you start talking motorcycles and adventure. Add a Dual Sport to the conversation, and I’m there for a hour at least.
Ok, so I basically just power washed the SUV and wheels with clear water and when I was done, it looked much better. Problem!! When we reached a speed 40mph of greater, the entire SUV started shaking rather uncomfortably. Lori thought we had a flat, but I knew what it was. Back to the carwash we go. So I put Lori in the driver seat, and I started power washing the rims again. Once I was happy, I had her put it in gear and roll forward until the wheels rolled 180 degrees. Then I power washed them again. Problem solved !! So much mud and muck was left behind the first power wash that they were thrown out of balance.
Those were my cute stories. Now the silly thing we did, was make sure we were back to the B&B in time to watch UVA beat Vanderbilt in the College World Series, game 2 of 3. They are now both 1-1, so tomorrows game decides the winner of the Series. Pretty cool stuff for both these teams because neither one has ever won the CWS. Of course I have to pulling for the home state team. Go UVA !!
Tomorrow we will visit at least 2 museums and if we have time, 3. Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, University of Alaska Museum of the North, and Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitor Center . This will also be our last full day in Fairbanks.
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