Discovery III in front with Discovery II in back.
As we left the dock and moved to the center of the Chena, the
captain is giving the safety and welcome aboard talk. I climbed up
to the top deck where I joined up with Chris G, Chris P and
Elizabeth. Standing here on the top deck you have a 360 degree
vista of this wonderful landscape in the land of the midnight sun.
The captain told us there was complimentary coffee and donuts at
several locations on the boat. He then told us a brief history of
the Discovery III.
The Binkley family’s steam boating tradition goes back over 100
years and five generations to the Klondike Gold Rush. In 1898 when
Charles M. Binkley hiked over the Chilkoot Pass with other
stampeders, he was not so much in search of gold as he was the
chance to chart and navigate the Yukon River and its tributaries.
He became a respected pilot and boat builder in the north. His
son, Captain Jim Binkley, Sr., followed in his father’s footsteps
and piloted freight vessels on the Yukon and Tanana Rivers in the
1940’s- journeys of about 2,000 miles round trip.
Noting the coming changes in the freighting business, Captain Jim
and his wife Mary began a river excursion business in Fairbanks in
1950. They purchased a 25 passenger boat from the Episcopal
church. In 1955 Captain Jim built the company’s first
sternwheeler, the 150 passenger Discovery I, in his back yard.
It was not long before Captain Jim and Mary became parents. Their
three sons, Skip, Jim and John, worked on the Discovery I,
learning the ways of the river and the visitor industry from their
parents. As the business grew, so did the fleet. In 1971, the 300
passenger Discovery II was put into service. In 1986, Discovery
III was built near Seattle, Washington and shipped to Alaska in
1987. The 900 passenger boat began service in July of that year.
Discovery I
Back on the river after the crew turned the Discovery III a 180
degrees, we were focused downstream over the bow to a small plane
sitting in the river. The plane proceeded to approach us and as it
moved faster it lifted off and flew by. The small plane is more
popular in Alaska than an auto. The two most popular ways to
travel in the north are the plane and train.
The pilot circled around and then landed on the water and coasted
toward the riverboat. The captain was on the radio and talking to
the pilot and was in turn patched thru to the public address
system, this allowed the pilot to tell us a little about flying
here and how important bush floatplanes are to living here. After
a short chat the pilot drifted off and taxied drown river and was
off to the wild blue yonder.
video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_vxpLYPe2w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl54aJtWjsA
Continuing downstream we pass several nice houses. I am in my
first Alaska neighborhood. Several residents came out to wave as
we passed by. They were very neighborly.
Shortly we pass The Pump House Restaurant & Saloon. This is an
authentic former tin pump house used in gold-mining operations;
the restaurant is listed on the Register of Historic Places.
Next to the Pump House is the mouth of a little creek. This creek
has produced more gold than any other Alaska creek.
Follow the creek upstream to the gold.
Our next stop was at the Trail Breaker Kennel, owned by Dave
Monson and his late wife Iditarod Champion Susan Butcher. Dave and
Susan married in 1985. They quickly became the most dominant
racing team in Alaska. Susan won the 1,100 mile Iditarod Dog Sled
Race from Anchorage to Nome four times (1986, 1987, 1988 and
1990). In one magical year -1988-Susan and Dave won every race
they entered: Dave won the Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile dog sled race
from Fairbanks to Whitehorse; Susan won her third Iditarod; and
they won other races in Kobuk, Bethel and the Klondike.
Dave stood on river bank shore and talk to us thru a headset to
the boat’s PA system. He explained the dog’s training routine and
the different steps in training to be a good sled dog. He then
hitches a dog team up to ATV (with engine removed) and was pulled
around the compound to exercise and train the dogs
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZDPng075Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqwEot0FjYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQkACMvztqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ozyHfgaYk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czn0g6xIILo
Our next spot of interest was a animal pen or corral that, almost
like on clue, the caribou came running into the pen on the river
bank. The local saying here is the difference between caribou and
reindeer is that reindeer can fly. After the caribou came out,
made their appearance and jumped around the pen, we then paddled
on.
　
video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXkYgtZOfIs
Next was the highlight of this tour and that is the “wedding of
the rivers” where the Chena River and Tanana River merge, a unique
mixing of two different waters. The spring fed Chena River runs
right through downtown Fairbanks. The Tanana River, the world’s
greatest glacial river, carries tons of glacial silt from the
Alaska Range past this point daily en route to its rendezvous with
the mighty Yukon River.
　
Notice the mixing of two different river waters.
GPS: 64 47.972, -147 54.713 copy and
post in browser for map of location.
Trapper's Line Cabin
This is Susan Butcher's dog team area.
Tanana River fishweel.
On approach to FAI crossing the Tanana River.
Salmon Smokehouse.
Tanana River garden.
After about an hour the Captain blew the riverboat’s whistle and
the passengers wandered back to the landing and re-boarding.
After getting under way and heading upstream, the passengers were
treated to a Discovery tradition. A taste of Captain Jim’s gourmet
smoked salmon. The recipe: Start with Alaska’s finest ocean-caught
red sockeye salmon. Custom smoke it with natural alder smoke and
hand-pack it the same day it is caught. Then mix it with cream
cheese and spread on a cracker.
It had a smoked taste. I must have liked it because I went back
for seconds. Take a couple of tins home with you, we were told.
More residence along the Chena River.
Captain Jim's widow Mary out for a stroll and a friendly wave for
us.
Shortly after out tasty treat, the Discovery III was being tied up
to the dock at the Steamboat Landing.
Waiting on the dock for us to return.
One last look down the Chena River.
The disembarking passengers separated with the cruise line
passengers heading to the dining hall for their noon meal and the
NHRS group heading toward the buses to our next stop and
adventure.
Contact information:
Riverboat: www.riverboatdiscovery.com
The Pump House: www.pumphouse.com
