Striking It Rich

We started our day off on the River Boat Discovery III.  The river boat meandered down the Chena River.  Making a few stops along the way.  The commentator on board was terrific.  He was full of information and funny stories. 

The sun was shining and the temperature was almost 60 degrees.

We saw some interesting houses along the way.

We stopped at Trailbreaker Kennels and the home of the late Susan Butcher.  She was a 4 time Iditarod winner who lost her battle with cancer in 2006.  Her husband who still runs the kennel gave us a mushing demonstration.  And to Betsy's delight showed us the new puppies!

Then we stopped at Chena Indian Village.  A small replica of an Athabascan Indian village.  There we learned how these natives have survived for some 10,000 years.  The guides were actual Athabascan themselves.  We learned about how they lived before they came into contact with westerners and after.    What was important to their survival and who they celebrated their lives.  It was really well done.

She is a true animal hugger - the Linx was her favorite.

Zac of course found a good napping spot - he is his father's son!

Warning flower shot ahead....

We also got to hear from Laura who is a dog sled racer from Trailbreaker Kennel.  Laura has qualified to run the Iditarod this year - so we got her card and hope to follow her progress.

This is Sugar.  She is one of Laura's lead dogs.  Sugar also really liked Betsy and Zac.

After time in the village and with the dogs - we headed back to the ship where we found Grandma waiting on the top deck for us.

We really enjoyed our time on the Riverboat Discovery.  If any of you ever make it to Fairbanks, Alaska this was a tour worth going on.

It was a nice leisurely morning, but now it was time to seek our fortune.  We couldn't leave Alaska without finding some gold... 

So - we headed to the nearest mining town -

We panned for gold - not as easy as you think.  First you dump out a bunch of rocks into a pan.  Then add water.  And then swish for a really longtime!

Their arms were hurting about a minute in.

But hard work always pays off...

Zac panned $24 worth of gold!

Betsy panned $12 worth of gold.

Not bad for about 30 mins worth of work!

This was what they were hopping to pan!

This is nugget of gold worth $75,000.

And this is why Zac should never be left with any of your valuables...

Warning another flower photo -

Note to all popcorn makers who like to experiment with flavor (that is you Fred) - We thought you would appreciate the Alaskan popcorn makers creativity and might even feel inspired!

We ending our day with a pleasant swim in the hotel pool!  Big Shocker!