6:30am Awake. I swear that mom is somehow hooked-up to some sort of satellite that the atomic clocks use so that she always wakes up at 6:30am no matter the time zone.
7:00am Trying to pack my purse for the day with various large camera lenses and camera and lace knitting. I know, what a weird combo!
8:00am Get to the dock for the Riverboat Discovery trip up the river.
8:30am Get on the paddleboat along with 17 tour buses worth of folks!
The ants go marching one by one....
8:45am See the home and kennels of Susan Butcher the late four-time Iditarod champion.
Happy Dogs!
The Alaskan sled dog has really no conformation to adhere to, thus they can be any color or shape, the main requirements is that they are tough and can run.
11:00am Go to the “village” that the tour boat has set up. I am constantly being blinded by the sequins on some of the ladies visors. Yes, you so read that correctly, sequined visors. It was like the Golden Girls hit Vegas. Went around in a group of about 300 people while an adorable native Alaskan told us about her culture and showed us various displays about life in Alaska.
12:00pm Get back from the paddle boat tour. Head to the El Dorado gold mine tour.
2:30pm Get on the train to see the gold mining presentation.
3:10pm Start panning for gold.
3:15pm Find gold in my pan.
3:30pm Realize that my entire day has been spent in what could easily be called, “Summer Camp for Retirees”. It included sing-alongs, camp counselors (the tour bus opperators) getting a break from their charges while other counselors (the paddleboat and gold mine folks) entertained them and, I kid you not, snack time.
4:00pm Find and got to Sports Authority for supplies for the trip to Barrow tomorrow. Have to ask where every single thing that I am looking for is as the store is set-up in a way I have never encountered in a Sports Authority before. Obviously winter sports equipment dominates this store in a way I have never seen before.
5:00pm Go to dinner at Silver Gulch Brewery. Yummy.
Here are some random pictures from today.
A Piper Cub on floats taking off from the river.
An Osprey taking off after catching it's breakfast in the water.
A random river shot.
I just thought that this was funny.
Travel Knitting: A couple of rows on the lace stole (again).
Sarah Jane Humke 