Week 147 - Fairbanks, Alaska - 06-07-2009

Hello from Fairbanks Alaska,

This week we joined up with our SOWER friends to work the project at Camp Li-Wa, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Servants On Wheels Ever Ready has been participating in Christian ministry since 1984. It matches up RVers with camps, churches and other Christian organizations. As a SOWER you commit to three weeks of projects in return for four weeks of RV hookups at or near the project.

Camp Li-Wa is a Christian camp in Fairbanks, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Camp Li-Wa has day and week programs for all ages. Activities include campfires, learning Scripture, horse back riding, archery, dirtboarding, craft, canoing, games, rock wall climbing, learning about God, singing and more.

The SOWERS are completing the new boy's bathhouse and putting a roof on the girl's bathhouse. Other projects will fill up the three weeks. We have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to explore the area.

We experienced the town of Fairbanks and took the Mothership to Chena Hot Springs as shown below.

1) Camp Li-Wa is in a forest setting. 2) The SOWER team, less the photographer.

The boating and canoing lake at Camp Li-Wa.

We visited a viewing area of the Alyeska Pipeline near Fox, Alaska. This project is amazing. It was constructed from 1974-1977. It runs 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean to Valdez on the Pacific. The oil comes out of the ground somewhere between 155-180 degrees F. It enters the 48" pipeline at 145 degrees and exits at Valdez at 103. Since much of the terrain it goes through is Permafrost, considerations had to be made to make sure the warm pipeline did not melt the soil which would cause a land shift and possible rupture of the line. 400 miles of the pipeline are above ground for this purpose. The rust colored supports hold up the 12 foot rail that the pipeline sits on. The pipeline can shift left to right the twelve feet allowing for some soil shift or earthquakes. (We felt two very small quakes at our camp.) The support are filled with antifreeze and are topped with cooling fins to assist in keeping the ground cool. All this was done in less that four years and holds 9 million barrels of oil on its way to the lower 48 states. The Dalton Highway that allows you to reach the Arctic Ocean would not be there except for this project. And do you know that the caribou love the heat given off by the pipeline and survive in greater numbers during the winter because of it?

A second adventure was the Discovery Boat Tour. This 3 1/2 hour ride treats you to Alaska new and old, with a heavy dose of history.

1) The new: A large home on the Chena River. You can own an acre on the river to about $100,000 with current building costs of about $135/square foot. 2) Near this home was this old boat. The river is dotted with contrasts like this.

The boat stops at the kennel of Susan Butcher and her husband Dave. Susan is a four-time winner of the Iditarod. The Iditarod commemorates the 1925 race from Nenana to Nome to carry serum for a diphtheria epidemic. Twenty sled teams carried the serum 674 miles in 27.5 hours. Today the race is a 1,000 mile dog-sled race from Anchorage to Nome. Sadly, Susan passed away in 2006 from leukemia. Her husband continues with the dog training. Dave gave us a demo of a ride on dry land. When the dogs were alerted that the ride was about to begin, they barked uncontrollably and jumped with excitement. They really love to run!

Sights along the tour. 1) While we stopped on land, Ellen was able to get this photo of a bull moose from about 12 feet. It helped that he was stuffed! 2) A bush pilot give us demos of his take-off and landings on the Chena River.

Our weekend adventure was to Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles east of Fairbanks. This privately run "village" has, of course, hot springs. But is boasts so much more: cabins, lodge, restaurant, hiking, mountain biking, quad riding, horse back tours, canoing, flight-seeing, renewable energy and ice museum tours.

The springs include indoor and outdoor pools and spas.

You can get here by vehicle or plane. We took the Mothership and dry camped on the property (fee required).

The lodge and hot spring lake.

Ellen spotted wildlife on her hikes.

This property was originally run by the state. They were losing hundreds of dollars a day. In the 1990's the property was taken over by private industry. Investment and experimentation led to the world's first geothermal power plant running on water less that 212 degrees. The 400 foot well brings up 165 degree water. This is converted into the heat and electrical energy that runs the entire village. The power plant generates 400 kilowatts of power and the village runs with free energy and is a money-making attraction. The village has two greenhouses with radiant heating in the floors and warm air piped between two layers of roof plastic. In the winter the inside temperature is 80 degrees while it is minus 60 degrees outside. The tomato plants shown here grow continuously, and had 60 foot vines that are wound around the bottoms of the plants. Currently a 3,000 foot well is being dug to bring up hotter water. This well will be used to supply Eielson Air Force Base, 38 miles away, with 200 megawatts of power at a fraction of current costs. Another example of how private industry performs profitably where government can not.

1) A real treat is the Ice Museum. 14 time world champion ice carver Brice and his wife Heather, a four time champion, have created amazing ice sculptures that live year round in this ice hotel. 2) Their workshop and training center.

1) Our guide, Cherie, standing next to 2,000 pound blocks waiting for carving. The blocks contain marbled ice and diamond ice. Brice has used the marbled ice to create many special effects while most carvers use only the diamond ice. 2) An ice bar when you can sip on an Appletini (for $15), and take home the "glass" of ice.

For $600 you can stay overnight in one of four rooms. The temperature is 20 degrees above zero. The fee includes your choice of room; the Polar Bear room shown here with indoor outhouse. Your fee also includes other amenities such as caribou blankets and a room in the lodge in case you can't make it through the night.

A view of the bar, chapel on right, simulated fireplace and beautiful ice chandeliers.

This incredible statue lit by LED lights took 300 hours (one and one-half months) to complete. These statues do slowly deteriorate mostly through touching by visitors but also very slow melting.

Back in the warmer Fairbanks, we visit Pioneer Park. This park is full of historic cabins moved here from around the state. These authentic cabins are occupied by gift shops and restaurants.

Mailboxes along the Steese Highway on the way to Fox. Typical of Alaska, a little old next to a little new.

Thanks for joining us, we'll see you next week. Love, Pete and Ellen

Photos from Jun 2009