When we left Denali we headed north again towards Fairbanks. It's not as scenic between the two places as the rest of our trip. There was also a big fire so the air was dense with smoke. I don't want to insult anyone who loves Fairbanks, but it wasn't my favorite place on our trip. It's a city and it has a nice visitor's center. We stopped and had fresh fish on the river and watched boaters for awhile before heading south towards Valdez.
What kind of vacation is a real vacation without a visit to someplace tacky? North Pole, Alaska is south of Fairbanks, and celebrates Christmas all year round. Our group was divided on the importance of visiting this festive place. It is of note that Frommer's Alaska Guide omits the North Pole. You can see the smoke in the air.
"North Pole has the magic of Christmas in its name and the great Alaskan outdoors for its backyard. The City has an incredible opportunity to be the destination for the interior, a beautiful small town set in the great Alaskan outdoors and home to Santa Claus."
We stopped in to visit the gift shop and bought some cute souvenirs.
Susan was probably the most enthusiastic about this stop!
It was worth the photo opps.
7 comments:
I used to live just outside North Pole, AK and I totally agree with you that it's an opportunity missed! I always thought it would be the perfect setting for a toy factory, with a store front of elves working. What a shame the opportunity is wasted. Your pictures bought back a flood of memories. We rode our bikes past the Santa House on our way to the Post Office daily during the summers. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the tip about Fairbanks.... I have never heard many people talk about enjoying it--as part of an Alaskan tour. I don't care much about North Pole, Alaska either ---but it does make for a good photo opportunity.
Thanks for the thoughts and pictures.
Hugs,
Betsy
Our itinerary doesn't include Fairbanks. It doesn't sound like we are missing anything.
I love those street lamps!
Thanks for the "heads up" Fairbanks and the North Pole. Enjoyed the photos
The only thing worse is to go to Fairbanks in the winter....ice fog (read auto emissions) and -40f. Cars are left running, and sometimes you can't see a block. Stop at the roadhouse near Gunsight Pass, see if they still have the newspaper clipping up about the two caribou hunters that poked sticks into a hibernating grizzly den...
What a fun town! My parents need to go there. They turned my old bedroom into a Christmas room and had all kinds of decorations and a year-round Christmas tree until my grandma moved into that room.
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