Travel Day–Fairbanks south to Nenana

Today was the day to leave Fairbanks. So I got up dumped, put some crappy water in the fresh water and decided to top off the gas. I and filled up prior to go into the campground, but I had been running the generator a lot. Decided to go to Safeway for the gas. I had been doing my grocery shopping over there and they still had all my information from my shopping days in Tucson. So when I pulled up to the pump and entered my information it said, you are eligible for 20 cent a gallon discount – do you want to use it? Wow, sure I do. So the top off was only $3.86 a gallon. What a deal for me.

Got back to the campground and hooked up Herbie. He didn’t want to wink and blink on the right side this time. Out with the computer duster, cotton swab and rag, but that didn’t work this time. So I got the ‘electric grease’, you know the ‘sure connect’ and swab a tiny bit in each of the holes of the cable, should have probably put it on the other end of the connector – to late Nathan! That made it work okay. So I was ready to hit the road.

Liz went to Fred Meyer to fill up and get some fresh fruits and veggies. We met up at the town of Ester. It was a thriving gold camp for quite some time. In recent years they did try to enliven the town with tourist, but it doesn’t look like it is working very well. So much of the area depends on the tourist trade and made this was just one too many.

The current and operating Golden Eagle Saloon.

 

Take a look at the blue sky in this shot. It doesn’t last all that long.

In the Heart of Ester – a Blacksmith shop with the accoutrements around it.

 What is in the building now, she asks?

It looks like the Malamute Saloon may do some entertaining as the outside area had some beer bottles and other trash in the barrel. Interesting history.

They love the flowers in hanging pots.

The Ester Gold Camp and as you can see the buses would lead you to believe that they were bring folks in at some time or other.

It says closed but looks like they took Mastercard and Visa.

The old bunkhouses.

The RV park that it looks like isn’t being used anymore.

Local flowers. 

Moose stopped here! 

Sign of the past.

Take a look at the clouds now.

On the road we pull over for a ‘scenic look’. Wow, if the sun were shining what a shot. Not bad without the sun.

It started raining just as we were leaving. It stayed that way most of the way. Sometimes we were driving thru the bottoms of the clouds, makes it just like fog. We pulled over at about 1:30 at a scenic over view to await the other travelers. No cell signal so we knew that the other places that we saw and even stopped at for lunch would not be a place where they could see us. I told them I felt like a nap. I never nap!!! Got the blankie out, moved the pillows off the sofa and fell asleep. The next thing I heard was someone knocking on my door. It was 3 p.m. and I was rudely awakened! The girls didn’t want to stay on the side of the road. So we drove on into Nenana and to the RV Park. It is a nice park with showers, laundry and we have electric and water for $25 a night – normally it is $29, but she discounted for us 4 ladies. Several rigs have followed us in tonight.
Laundry is finished and ready to be put away.