If they look a little lethargic, it's because the eating is over and the meeting is about to begin. Our leader will inform us as to when the bus will pick us up to go on a Discovery Cruise on the Chena River and then to the Pump House for dinner.
Speaking of the Discovery Cruise....
The Binkley & Barrington Trading Post and loading dock.
Lance Mackey was on hand to autograph his book and photos
The Discovery III awaits its passengers
Small Piper Cub demonstrates water take-offs and landings.
We pass the Discovery I at her bank-side mooring.
The Pump House will be our dinner spot......but it is also on the National Historic Registry. Originally constructed to pump water up to a reservoir so it could be used on the placer mines along Cripple Creek which joins the Chena River right next to the facility.
David Monson (and a team of 10) gets ready for a dog exercise.David Monson, husband of the late Susan Butcher, 4-time Iditarod Champion who lost her battle against lymphoma a few yeas ago, gave a talk on raising sled dogs and then gave a demonstration of their joy and power in pulling...an ATV.
The run ends, but the dogs want more!Towing the 4-wheeler without it's engine, they reached close to 20 mph in their 5-minute sprint.
A short distance down the river we pull up to a replica of an Athapascan fish camp and village.
A traditional Athapascan fish camp with drying racks and smoke house.
Summer accommodations at the fish camp.
The Village Post OfficeDavid Monson will be here later to autograph his children's book Granite about Susan Butcher's lead dog.
We disembarked for a guided tour of the village.
Typical villager's cabin.Cabins served primarily for winter habitation. Summer and fall were spent traveling after food resources: salmon and caribou and berries.
A cache with a display of furs trapped during the winter.
One of our Athapascan guides, Beth, explains life in the winter cabin and trapping.We moved on to a second area and learned about the early shelters the hunters might have erected as well as the use of birch bark, snow shoes, sleds, etc.
Simple early shelters were quite temporary.
Our second guide (a senior at Fairbanks University)explains the nomadic life and use of natural materials...
...such as birch bark. Moving on, we made a third stop where we learned a little about hunting techniques and use of hides.
Our third guide, who missed the Jr. Olympic marksmanship squadthis year by just 3 points, explains some hunting techniques...
...and the meaning of some of the beadwork designs. The designs serve as an Athapascan ID card. They contain clues as to the wearer's home village/area and clan membership.
Beth models a more formal winter coat. The decorative furs are "bragging" points that tell of the trapper's prowess and skill. (The modern zipper is so the models can get it on and off easily. Traditionally it's a pull over.)
The Sun Hood.The wolf fur ruff around the hood protects the face against the 30 and 40 below zero temperatures.
The coat was a beautiful work of art. And so was the model.
After a short walk about the village we reboarded the Discovery III and headed back to the loading dock and our dinner at The Pump House.
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