Fun in Fairbanks area with LittleDfa

I was on Twitter a while back (yes I use Twitter!), when I met LittleDfa. Just like me, he loves to travel and go on new adventures. He was in Fairbanks after launching his North American adventure in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He was looking for someone to pal around with before heading out of Alaska on his next adventure and tweeted me about a tour.


I love to meet new pets, even if they are stuffed pets, and was thrilled when he asked if I would show him around. We explored many fun places together including The Alaska Railroad Depot in town, The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, Fountainhead Hotels' Antique Car and Auto Museum, Creamer's Field and even got a trip in to Denali National Park (next post)



LittleDfa's adventures began in New Zealand and he has traveled many places since. He is a member of the Dogs of D-fa crew that models the amazing high quality sports jackets and gear for dogs. He is the only stuffed member of the family and his primary objective is to travel the world.

I first met "Lil' D" at In My Element a new Women's Clothing store here in Fairbanks. He was there patiently waiting for another adventure after making his way up to Alaska. I had my Human drive me to meet him and then show us round the town. We started at the Alaska Railroad Depot and then went home for a bite to eat. Lil' D doesn't have much of an appetite so after a quick bite we were off to the Tanana River. In May, and after an unusually warm winter, there was still ice to be found floating down the river. Lil' D took this opportunity to pose for a picture.

Next I took Lil' D to see a few of the unique things to Fairbanks. The first surprising thing for him was that a lot of folks still live in "dry cabins" with no running water. Permafrost creates all kinds of issues when building and drilling wells and with the extreme cold temperatures here running water is sometimes just not feasible or even possible. Therefore it's not uncommon for folks here to find themselves sitting on an ice cold seat in an outhouse in -50º F. The city does have running water but many folks who live outside of city limits must have their water trucked in. It is then stored in large holding tanks where a pump system is used to pressurize it and pump it into the house's water system. So we visited the Water Wagon filling station where folks can go to fill up their own water or have Water Wagon's fleet of trucks deliver it.




Our next stop was The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. This is a fantastic place to check out in Fairbanks. Not only is this place packed with information about things to do in Fairbanks (the Faribanks CVB is located at the center), but it also hosts an amazing array of exhibits that give you a true experience of life in Interior Alaska.Here LilttleDfa got to hang out with a Bald Eagle and a Marmot, ride a snow machine, camp out in a tent, check out the Taiga and do a little dog mushing to his a cabin.

After this we had to go check out the amazing Antique Car and Auto Museum.  LittleDfa got the grand Tour by the fantastic Nancy DeWitt. She showed him all the amazing cars, clothes and other autos around the museum. It turns out that the museum is home to several one of a kind vehicles. Some are a unique builds and some are the last remnants of their kind.











Lil' D even got to drive one of the cars!!! Ok, ok, so he didn't actually drive it, but he did get to pose on it. There is actually an entire car and photo set dedicated to take your own pictures when visiting the Museum.






We then spent a little time at Creamer's Field. This place is a Migratory Bird's dream come true. Every spring the Friend's of Creamer's Field puts out grain for the migrating birds (including thousands of Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes as well as several species of ducks, gulls and other migratory birds) as they stage here before venturing further north into the arctic. This presents some amazing bird watching and photography opportunities each spring and fall. Unfortunately, while walking the many trails of the of the refuge, I must keep my human leashed at all times. Since he can't run as fast as me, this doesn't allow me to chase any of these tasty big birds.

Creamer's field is also a birders paradise. It not only draws plenty of birds itself, but it is also connected to trails of the Alaska Bird Observatory located next to Wedgewood Resort. Here you can find checklists and all sorts of info about the birds in both the immediate area and around the state. Add to that the connecting trails that make their way around Wedgewood's beautiful Wander Lake Sanctuary and your in the ideal place to find a great portion of Interior Alaska's birds. If birding is your objective The Bear Lodge is a great place to stay. The trails, Alaska Bird Observatory and Creamer's Field are all accessible right from the parking lot. The Antique Car & Auto Museum is also part of the resort.

This co-operative network of trails is also a great place to find beaver, fox, moose, Wood Frogs, Red Squirrels  and other critters. I should however mention that you probably want to think about bug spray for both you and your humans. The most abundant critter your likely to find in Interior Alaska during summer is the infamous Alaskan Mosquito!



Time Lapse of Lil' D enjoying the sunset at Creamer's Field


















 After some good exploration of Fairbanks we ventured on to the near by town of Fox. Here we visited the Alaska Pipeline and checked out some of the gold mining history of the area. In 1977 the pipeline was the largest privately funded construction project at a cost of 8 billion dollars. Both gold and "black gold" are a major part of the economy and everyday life for many Interior Alaskans.

 After the pipeline we checked out the Old Gold Dredge No. 8 and a few of the other mining boom remains. Fairbanks, is not only the heart of Alaska, but was once the largest city in the state during the peak of the gold boom. In fact that state's largest city, Anchorage, was established as a seaport town to supply materials for the railroad between Fairbanks and Seward. The Golden heart city not only lives up to its name in kindness of its residents, but also in evidence found throughout the community of the gold mining boom. The local paper is still named The Daily News-Miner.

We finished off the day by getting out of the rain and putting our paws up at The World Famous Howling Dog Saloon. Known as the place to be in Fairbanks by locals and visitors alike this wild place is a must. The bands are good and entertain on a stage carpeted in the "Red Carpet" that was rolled out for President Reagan and Pope John Paul II when they happened upon Fairbanks at the same time.

This is a Photo of LittleDfa with my human Liza and "the band."









We took a rest for a few days allowing Lil' D to get a break after his big adventures and then went out birding with him. He's actually quite good at spotting the larger birds! One of the places we like to go in the spring is The Airport Float Ponds. In Alaska, Air travel is still one of the best ways to get around as there are a limited amount of roads. It's not uncommon to own a small float, ski or tundra tire plane or know someone who does. Lil' D once again took this opportunity to do a little posing.



Then it was off to Denali National Park but that needs it's own story. Tune in next time to see what kind of critters and trouble Lil' D and I can stir up in Denali!!!

To see the entire photo gallery from Lil' D's adventures with me go here.


All photos and videos are courtesy of my human, Ronn, from Ronn Murray Photography Fairbanks, Alaska photographer.