Tues, Aug 25: Fairbanks

It rained softly most of the night. Nothing hard, just a pitter-patter on the roof when you thought to listen as you turned over. It was really rather nice. This morning it is in the low 40's, there are puddles everywhere and the awning off the rig is dripping in the low corner. The air smells of Christmas trees!

We manage to wile away the whole morning and early afternoon working on this blog and the hard copy book of our around the world trip. After lunch, we take off and check what is showing at the movies. The new Harry Potter flick is showing so we will probably catch it in the next few days. Then, on our way to the Visitor Information Center, the phone rings. It is a lady with the parts for Carolyn’s computer. It seems her business is just around the corner from Gabe’s Truck where the rig has a 1:00PM appointment to get its front end repaired/aligned tomorrow. We agree to drop the computer on the way to leave the rig for its repair. With a little luck, both the computer and the rig will be repaired and ready to rumble by this time tomorrow night!

We then finish our trip to the Visitor Information Center where we find out where to look for some of the First American wooven baskets. They make the baskets out of several materials, but we like the sweet grass ones. The pictures are quite beautiful and we would like to have one to add to our collection. We also talk to a provider of the trips to Prudhoe Bay about going there. They have room for us on Saturday or Monday. We would be on the road or in the air with them for two nights and three days! We will make final arrangements tomorrow if all goes well.

We then visit a shop that stocked some of the baskets, but theirs are way too expensive. While beautiful hand work, they are over priced for our pocket book. If I had the funds, I would buy a small gray and black basket made from whale baleen. It is about 3 inches in diameter and the same tall. It could grace my home for $2,200 and no tax! The sweet grass ones were very pretty too, but are $500 to well over a $1000. The work on them is much finer than the sweet grass baskets we have from South Carolina.

After finding out that the baskets are beautiful but over priced, we go to the local Sam’s Club and to WalMart to restock food and other consumables. I fill up the Explorer at Sam’s for $3.089 a gallon.

Back at the rig, we enjoy a cocktail and then have garlic spaghetti and a salad for dinner. It is now nearly 10:00PM and the sun is setting with a red/orange glow in the west. All in all, this has been a good day. Let’s hope that the repairs to the rig and the computer go smoothly tomorrow. Pictures are taken of the Chena River and rig in the campground tonight at 10PM with no flash.