Tuesday, June 15

After a great breakfast at the Bridgewater, we boarded the bus for a riverboat cruise on Riverboat Discovery.

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The Binkley family, that owns the riverboat,  has operated sternwheeler riverboats in Alaska since the Gold Rush of 1898. Captain Jim and Mary Binkley first offered riverboat tours in Fairbanks in 1950 and the business has grown every year since. Their three sons, Skip, Jim Jr., and Johne, are all licensed riverboat captains, and daughter-in-law Judy heads the Discovery Trading Post gift shops. The youngest Binkleys join the crew at age five and continue the family tradition started by their great grandfather, Charlie Binkley. The daughter of Jim Jr. is the youngest riverboat captain in the United States.

From the boat, we visited and heard about the kennels of Susan Butcher. Susan and her husband Dave Monson have run in and won almost every major dog sled race worldwide. Additionally, Susan has accomplished many challenges never before attempted, including taking a team of dogs to the summit of Mount McKinley! Due to a death in the family, Susan was not there but we saw an excellent demonstration by one of her helpers on how they train the dogs.

We also saw a recreation of a fish camp where the  Interior Athabascan Indians  practiced a subsistence lifestyle. It is at the fish camp that they catch fish to feed their dogs and themselves throughout the winter. Fish camp is also where the family elders worked side by side with the younger generations, passing down their history and culture, preserving their heritage.

A highlight of the cruise was is a one-hour stop at the Chena Indian Village, where Alaskan Native guides took us on a guided tour. We saw Athabascan Indian village with cabins made of spruce logs, a cache used for storing supplies, and fur pelts. Our guides explained how the wolf, fox, martin, and beaver were used to provide food and protection in the harsh Arctic climate.

The following pictures are of the Riverboat Cruise and the scenes along the river.

Lunch was at the historical Pump House which we passed while on the riverboat cruise. The Pump House as we saw it,  was reconstructed in the spring of 1978. The purpose was to attempt to recreate and 1890's "Gold Rush" motif and atmosphere which was associated with the "Rip Roaring" but still Victorian era in Fairbanks. Everywhere we looked, we saw relics from the rich and illustrious past.

After lunch, we toured the University of Alaska Museum. The museum, located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is a major resource center for the public and for scholars. The Museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of Alaska and the Circumpolar North. Through education, research, and public exhibits, the Museum serves the state, national, and international science programs. The Museum develops and uses botanical, geological, zoological, and cultural collections; these collections form the basis for understanding past and present issues unique to the North and meeting the challenges of the future.