Sat 3rd May 2003, Tok to Fairbanks

After a good night’s sleep I got a good start on the day back at Fast Eddy's where I learned that I like my eggs ‘medium easy’ and that hash browns are not small triangular portions of squashed processed potatoes that give me heartburn in England.  They are grated potato, fried and heaped on your plate in a great mound.  (‘Pan fries’ are fried sliced potatoes; I’m waiting to find out what ‘grits’ are).  Bit confusing though that hash browns were fried sliced potatoes in Haines Junction but maybe she misunderstood my accent when I ordered.  I had them with the crispy streaky bacon they do so well over here and had such a wonderful breakfast overall as marked Fast Eddy’s as a ‘must’ for the way back.

 

I left early, leaving Tok on the flats behind me as I headed up into the mountains.  I’d only seen one car after about three quarters of an hour and decided to stop for one of my ‘stand and stare’ stops.  Absolute quiet apart from birdsong and the wind.  The air was crisp and clear and the only movement was the gentle swaying of the trees in the wind.  The roads were better today and the speed limit is actually up to 65mph (been mostly 55mph out of town so far).  

 

I conveniently arrived at Delta Junction around lunchtime where I made my second driving mistake.  I’m still not sure whether I shouldn’t have been going that way at all or whether I was just on the wrong side of the road.  The people coming the other way thought it was highly amusing and as we were only doing about 5 mph there was no harm done.  Threw me though; with embarrassment as much as anything so I’ll put that down to going to the wrong type place for lunch.  I went to an Italian it was a bit posh for what I wanted but by the time I realised it was a proper restaurant I was sat down and being the only one there couldn’t very well sidle quietly out.  Had a good Greek salad though, and a nice talk with the lady who served me.  She first came there from the Ukraine in 1960 and she said the roads were very different then, all dirt track, and the winters much harder.  This winter particularly was so mild ‘she thought she was in Hawaii!'

 

That afternoon I passed a lake with more people than I’d seen in one place all day.  I stopped out of nosiness and found people ice fishing, both singles and families.  Looked like it was a lot of fun and while I hoped they had something warm to sit on I rather think it might have been the plugs of ice removed from the lake to fish through.

 

And so to Fairbanks, passing through North Pole, Alaska, which as George says, is very definitely not worth a visit.

 

Fairbanks came as a shock.  I hate the traffic, finding it a little intimidating and everything looks rather shabby and seedy.  I checked my Rough Guide to Alaska and it seems to agree with me.  The hotel certainly meets their description; apparently none of the hotels are up to much but apparently I'm in one of the best.

 

Rigsby would have been right at home in the hotel; smells of damp and cleaning fluid and the TV is permanently on in the foyer entertaining the teenage 'concierge' and his mate.  Old fashioned furniture, open pipe work and plumbing that gives off an astonishing range of noises.  No curtains, just horizontal blinds to keep out the long daylight hours which could be a problem when it comes to going to sleep.  Then you notice the well-upholstered armchair, comfy bed, crisp linen and clean, if a little shabby bathroom.

 

Got some unexpected exercise tonight - took a hike to the nearest email facility.  It was rather further than I expected, as everything seems to be over here.  On the way back I stopped at some lights, looked up the road...and saw a great 20-foot wall of roiling dust heading towards me!  No escape, we just had to endure it.  Current winds are extremely strong and we are constantly being assaulted by small dust storms but this was exceptional.

 

Went to a Mexican restaurant this evening and got chatting in Spanish to the South American waitress.  Well...I tried my Spanish, and we both had a laugh.

 

I’m a bit out of charity with Fairbanks just now what with the dust and the traffic but I’m learning that first impressions can be very wrong, especially at the end of a long day when I’m so tired.  All could change tomorrow.