August 10, Fairbanks to Wasilla

August 10  We were on the road departing Fairbanks around 7:40 this morning.  The air was thick with smoke from the wildfires.  The region sits in a valley surrounded by mountains which tends to hold in the air and in this case, the smoke, when there is little wind.  There was a NWS bulletin about a smoke advisory, and that all should restrict their outdoor activity.

Fairbanks provided just what we were looking for.  We delved into the history of the area and also got in some very good sightseeing during our three day stay.  I'd recommend coming to Fairbanks to anyone who comes to Alaska.  There is a rich history here regarding the discovery and mining of gold and that Fairbanks played an instrumental part in supporting Russia during WWII with the airplane exchange.

And, it would not be traveling by road in Alaska during the summer without road construction. However, we've found that much of the major work is nearing completion with new asphalt having been laid down.  There was still a place where it was necessary to follow a pilot car around the heaviest work zones.

Heading west on the Parks Hwy we could see clouds coming over the Alaska Range.  And sure enough after we fueled up in Healey, AK, and got close to the entrance road to Denali NP the rains came.

We drove in rain for much of the remainder of the trip to Wasilla.  We were glad that it rained as much of Alaska has had high temperatures with little to no rain through most of the summer. Hope this wet weather will stick around as they need it.

Peggy and I have noticed that a few trees are beginning to change color.  We had seen this on a few trees that are around Grant and Debby's place, and it was especially true at higher elevations. But then it is nearing mid-August, and at these higher latitudes we are losing about 7 minutes of sunlight daily.

We rolled into Wasilla around 2:30 this afternoon somewhat tired from driving about 200 of the 320 miles in the rain.  We set up camp and then caught up with the news we missed during our 5 day absence.  Grant and Debby were glad that we had an enjoyable time.

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