Back from Alaska!

[DD]

I forgot to add some things about Fairbanks:

 

We did the gold panning. It was the exact same location that all the cruise tours used. We used a Tour Saver coupon, making it $34.95 total for two. While touristy, it was a lot of fun. Of course, we had to pool our "found" gold into one little bubbly gold necklace that I probably will never wear. Still, at $59, I can't complain about the necklace. I like it, and I put it out on a shelf with my other souvenirs to remind me of my trip.

 

We also went over to Pioneer Park. It was sort of depressing, kind of ghost-town feeling. It was almost deserted. We found, though, a gem of a store -- Bush Babies. We got the most unique souvenirs and presents from there. The owners are a husband and wife team. Actually the wife owns the jewelry store next door, but they both have some of their work in each other's store. They were super-nice, and they had unique pieces that we didn't see anywhere else. I'm very glad we stopped in. We are anxiously awaiting our mail order delivery as there was no way we could have gotten our purchases home in our luggage. Admission to Pioneer Park is free, so don't hesitate to visit. I don't know if we hit it on an off day, or if it is just always deserted. It had the feeling of a place that used to be something but had long since past its heyday.

[skierT]

thank you so much for the review. we cannot wait for our turn to go. :D

[runner5]

Did you stay just one night at McKinley Creekside Cabins and drove to Fairbanks then south again for two nights then to Anchorage? Did you go into Denali National Park? THANK YOU for taking the time to answer all the questions!!!

[chipperberg]

Let me try to answer a few questions:

 

Weather -- we really lucked out. We had beautiful sunshine for almost the entire trip. We had a period of rain on Friday and Saturday of last weekend, but that's it. Well, that's not entirely true. There were some sprinkles in the evening on a couple evenings, but nothing that affected us. We had beautiful weather -- short sleeves to light jackets during the day with a slightly heavier jacket in the evening. High 50s to 70s throughout, from Vancouver up to Fairbanks.

 

Did you happen to check the weather before hand? Did it call for rain? Just curious as ours seems to be raining every day! But that happens a lot when you check on weather dot com for the 10 day. I am not at 10 days yet, but it seems there will be rain for the next ten days, perhaps we will miss it after. :) One can always hope...

[negc]

Let me try to answer a few questions:

 

Weather -- we really lucked out. We had beautiful sunshine for almost the entire trip. We had a period of rain on Friday and Saturday of last weekend, but that's it. Well, that's not entirely true. There were some sprinkles in the evening on a couple evenings, but nothing that affected us. We had beautiful weather -- short sleeves to light jackets during the day with a slightly heavier jacket in the evening. High 50s to 70s throughout, from Vancouver up to Fairbanks.

 

Did you happen to check the weather before hand? Did it call for rain? Just curious as ours seems to be raining every day! But that happens a lot when you check on weather dot com for the 10 day. I am not at 10 days yet, but it seems there will be rain for the next ten days, perhaps we will miss it after. :) One can always hope...

Alaska is a vast area and the weather in one region can be quite different than the weather in another. Weather forecasts are no more accurate than they are at home, so take everything with at least a grain of salt. We had some rain after we completed our Denali excursion but it didn't start until we were at the Lodge for the evening and aside from brief showers during the cruise it was mostly cool but dry when we were onboard the ship.

Sunny and quite warm in Fairbanks and overcast but moderate temps elsewhere in the interior. As someone said, prepare for the worst but expect the best. Weather (aside from preventing us from seeing Mt.McKinley) was not a factor during our two week trip.:)

[loliola]

I have the Traitors Cove bear watching booked-cant find any info on it. Can you tell me about your experience going there? I would really appreciate it!

[DD]

Let me try to answer a few questions:

 

Weather -- we really lucked out. We had beautiful sunshine for almost the entire trip. We had a period of rain on Friday and Saturday of last weekend, but that's it. Well, that's not entirely true. There were some sprinkles in the evening on a couple evenings, but nothing that affected us. We had beautiful weather -- short sleeves to light jackets during the day with a slightly heavier jacket in the evening. High 50s to 70s throughout, from Vancouver up to Fairbanks.

 

Did you happen to check the weather before hand? Did it call for rain? Just curious as ours seems to be raining every day! But that happens a lot when you check on weather dot com for the 10 day. I am not at 10 days yet, but it seems there will be rain for the next ten days, perhaps we will miss it after. :) One can always hope...

 

 

 

Yes, weather.com called for rain for an entire 10 day forecast (as far out as I could check). The weatherman was WRONG!!!

[bottom-dragger]

I have the Traitors Cove bear watching booked-cant find any info on it. Can you tell me about your experience going there? I would really appreciate it!

 

do your search for margaret creek admire the design of the concrete pools/weirs just upstream of the fishpass..........................

 

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/recreation/rec_facilities/ktnrec.shtml#anchor26832