June 22-23, 2009

June 22 - Delta Junction, AK

Here we are at the end marker for the Alaska Highway (mile 1422). We also found some of those big Alaskan skeeters.






We toured the Sullivan Roadhouse Historical Museum. The roadhouse, built in 1905, served travelers on the Valdez-Fairbanks Trail and is the oldest roadhouse in the interior of Alaska. The 371 mile trip from Valdez to Fairbanks could take up to 2 weeks by stage (sleigh in winter) and roadhouses were spaced a day’s travel apart.




We drove South of Delta Junction and found an overlook where we could get a fairly good picture of the Alaska Range even though it was cloudy.




We also toured Rika’s Roadhouse, which is in the Big Delta State Historical Park. The restored roadhouse was built in 1910 and also served travelers on the Valdez-Fairbanks Trail. Rika was from Sweden and worked for the owner who was away most of the time. He finally owed Rika so much in back wages that he deeded the property over to her. There was also a barn and some other outbuildings that they set up with displays of life in the early 1900’s. A beautiful flower and vegetable garden was between the roadhouse and the barn.




Next to Rika’s Roadhouse the 800 mile long Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline crosses the Tanana River on a cable suspension bridge.




We took a scenic agricultural drive suggested in the Delta Junction Visitor Information brochure. The brochure said we would see Border Collies working flocks of sheep, beef cattle, elk, dairy cattle, dairy goats and reindeer. We saw 3 moose, a rabbit and a squirrel but nothing they said we would see. Also, we are still look for caribou.


June 23 - Delta Junction, AK

Rex spent the morning giving Camille and Cody haircuts. It rained steadily all afternoon so it was a good day to stay in and do some reading.

Comments

  1. Grandma!

    Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 3:15pm.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Are you sure you are Rex? We don't remember a mustache.

    What spectacular country you have visited!

    Arlene & Billy Crider

    ReplyDelete

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