On the Road Again with Merle

tmd_87 · Mar 9, 2022

beezwax said:
Well friends, this leg of Merle’s tour is coming to a close. He’s been with me for three weeks today, and it’s time to continue spreading the joy. I’ve been thinking about what I can say to wrap up his adventures in this corner of the world. It’s been a lot of fun sharing glimpses into daily life here with you all. Fairbanks doesn’t have the kind of jaw-dropping beauty that people usually picture when they think of Alaska (mountains rising up from the sea, glaciers calving, etc). There’s plenty of that to be found in coastal AK, but the tundra and boreal forest have a quieter beauty, and an interesting history of their own. Fairbanks was established at the turn of the last century, when the northern gold rush was in full effect. I guess technically it was established when a steamboat ran aground here, and so they unloaded and set up shop lol. But the town grew from the mining activity, and to this day there is still a lot of gold mining in the area-- individual gold claims but also large-scale commercial gold mines. <Insert obligatory gold panning photo here>

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This is me quite a while ago (2010). Mostly I’m including this pic for Barrett, so that he can see some Xtratufs at work in their native environment! I spent a few weeks that summer working on a “hobby” claim, paid for my time in raw gold. I was recently married at the time, and I’m also formally trained as a metalsmith (jewelry), so this project was about wedding bands-- rings that I made myself, out of gold that I pulled from the earth myself, doesn’t get much cooler than that, right?

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Before anybody jumps to the wrong conclusions, NO this was not the result of one single pan. We were using heavy equipment, an excavator and loader and a trommel washplant. This was a cleanout after several days of running many cubic yards of paydirt. And here’s what part of it became eventually (we were married with the titanium bands, but the gold bands I made some months later, because no self-respecting jeweler has off-the-shelf wedding rings lol).

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So for understandable reasons Fairbanks is known as the “Golden Heart City” or the “Golden Heart of Alaska.” But there is something else in the ground here that is also a hallmark of the area, hydrothermal activity a.k.a. hot springs! There are a number of natural hot springs in the greater Fairbanks area. My favorite one is a real journey, it’s a difficult eleven mile trek from the nearest road. Just a couple remote cabins and some wooden outdoor tubs that you need to hike/ski/snowshoe in to (or snowmachine/dogsled). This much of a wilderness trip wasn’t in the cards during Merle’s visit, so instead we took him to a far more developed hot springs about an hour’s drive from town. I figured since we weren’t able to line up a tropical beach destination for Merle’s next adventure, the least we could do was get him some R&R at a hot springs before wrapping up his visit in the arctic (and packing him off to balmy North Dakota )

Chena Hot Springs has had places to soak and stay (bathhouse and cabins) for over a hundred years, and by now has become a proper resort. Today there are multiple indoor and outdoor pools, and multiple lodging options.

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Awesome pictures! Gonna be in Fairbanks in June for a wedding. We’re excited! I’m gonna have to check out some hot springs!

pistonsandgears · Mar 10, 2022

Such a great thread, the Earl and Pearl threads were great as well. Merle has had so many great adventures already, looks like he had an amazing trip to Alaska.

beezwax · Mar 10, 2022

tmd_87 said:
Awesome pictures! Gonna be in Fairbanks in June for a wedding. We’re excited! I’m gonna have to check out some hot springs!

That's great! June is a downright civilized time to visit

I'm moving in the opposite direction (currently planning some trips out of town in June) but when you get closer to your travel dates shoot me a PM if you like. Even if I'm away for your dates I'm happy to suggest things to see and do if you'd be interested in any tips :thumbsup:

tmd_87 · Mar 10, 2022

beezwax said:
That's great! June is a downright civilized time to visit I'm moving in the opposite direction (currently planning some trips out of town in June) but when you get closer to your travel dates shoot me a PM if you like. Even if I'm away for your dates I'm happy to suggest things to see and do if you'd be interested in any tips

Awesome I will do that. It’s actually beginning of July, for some reason I put June LOL.

beezwax · Mar 10, 2022

tmd_87 said:
Awesome I will do that. It’s actually beginning of July, for some reason I put June LOL.

Also a good choice, July is typically benevolent as well

paulhilborn · Mar 10, 2022

Ran home for Lunch and Merle was already here, jumped back in my truck and took a quick trip to show him the sights. We caught the 1:30 crossing of the Hi Line bridge then back to work
Mail call:
Love the pin!!!

The main draw that people enjoy when they visit is the impressive Hi Line Bridge, but first one has to break some rules, good thing I know most BNSF employees

Once on sight I had to have Merle become one with the rails...

Now with heavy snowfall this year access under the bridge is cut off, but we found other ways to see the bridge...

The 1:30 run, so we just caught the train crossing, headed east...

Hit the park that runs under the Hi Line to catch the tail end engine nearing the east end...

Awesome info about the mighty Hi Line, originally know as the High Line Bridge...

A right of passage was to cross the bridge when you were young, learning the schedule was vital

So back to work and more to follow in the days to come.

Oh, this is upsetting, some pic's show and others don't

Ok, did some playing with imageshack so hope there are no red x's.

paulhilborn · Mar 10, 2022

btb01 said:
Maybe we just need another world-traveling knife to follow in Earl's footsteps, to pick up where he left off. Has anyone come across an old jackknife with "Floyd" carved in the handle, or maybe a trapper named "Cletus"?

I don't know, I suppose it wouldn't quite be the same. Everyone remembers Neil Armstrong and "One small step for man" but how many people remember Pete Conrad, third man to walk on the moon, who so eloquently remarked, "Whoopee!"

Barrett I visited the Earl thread shortly after you announced Merle was going to follow in Earl's footsteps. How cool that you were that last to post in Earl's thread. I went through the entire Earl thread over a few days and found it sad that so many pictures were lost to time and error but even more to see those who have left us. Earl traveled for two years!!! that's pretty neat when you think about it.
I am honored to have Merle visit as I was with Earl...Thank you Barrett

Old Engineer · Mar 10, 2022

paulhilborn said:
Ran home for Lunch and Merle was already here, jumped back in my truck and took a quick trip to show him the sights. We caught the 1:30 crossing of the Hi Line bridge then back to work
Mail call:
Love the pin!!!

The main draw that people enjoy when they visit is the impressive Hi Line Bridge, but first one has to break some rules, good thing I know most BNSF employees

Once on sight I had to have Merle become one with the rails...

Now with heavy snowfall this year access under the bridge is cut off, but we found other ways to see the bridge...

The 1:30 run, so we just caught the train crossing, headed east...

Hit the park that runs under the Hi Line to catch the tail end engine nearing the east end...

Awesome info about the mighty Hi Line, originally know as the High Line Bridge...

A right of passage was to cross the bridge when you were young, learning the schedule was vital
So back to work and more to follow in the days to come.

Oh, this is upsetting, some pic's show and others don't

Ok, did some playing with imageshack so hope there are no red x's.

The bridge sure looks different when there are no leaves and some snow . Nicer pictures when the Train is on it too .

Harry

DoubleAught · Mar 10, 2022

By far my favorite thread on the forum! Thank you for the amazing pictures and the stories that go along with them. Looking forward to what is to come!

btb01 · Mar 11, 2022

paulhilborn said:
Ran home for Lunch and Merle was already here, jumped back in my truck and took a quick trip to show him the sights. We caught the 1:30 crossing of the Hi Line bridge then back to work
Mail call:
Love the pin!!!

The main draw that people enjoy when they visit is the impressive Hi Line Bridge, but first one has to break some rules, good thing I know most BNSF employees

Once on sight I had to have Merle become one with the rails...

Now with heavy snowfall this year access under the bridge is cut off, but we found other ways to see the bridge...

The 1:30 run, so we just caught the train crossing, headed east...

Hit the park that runs under the Hi Line to catch the tail end engine nearing the east end...

Awesome info about the mighty Hi Line, originally know as the High Line Bridge...

A right of passage was to cross the bridge when you were young, learning the schedule was vital
So back to work and more to follow in the days to come.

Oh, this is upsetting, some pic's show and others don't

Ok, did some playing with imageshack so hope there are no red x's.

I’m glad Merle arrived, Paul, and love those photos! The bridge is very cool, but I can’t imagine trying to cross it… that’d be like the bridge scene from Stand By Me taken to the extreme!

Glad you were able to get your pics figured out; seems they don’t quite have all the kinks figured out with the red X’s yet.

paulhilborn said:
Barrett I visited the Earl thread shortly after you announced Merle was going to follow in Earl's footsteps. How cool that you were that last to post in Earl's thread. I went through the entire Earl thread over a few days and found it sad that so many pictures were lost to time and error but even more to see those who have left us. Earl traveled for two years!!! that's pretty neat when you think about it.
I am honored to have Merle visit as I was with Earl...Thank you Barrett

Thanks, Paul. I had gone back through the Earl and Pearl threads before starting this up, but I didn’t notice that I had been the last to post in the Earl thread.

btb01 · Mar 11, 2022

paulhilborn said:

I knew that sign looked familiar. The same one’s posted on this little footbridge that leads to the tracks near Wayzata where we took Eleanor’s annual birthday knife photo last year.

Hyesouljah · Mar 11, 2022

Absolutely well done

beezwax and thank you! I enjoyed every single post. The hot springs and South Pole posts were great!!

Looking forward to keeping up with Merle’s adventures with

paulhilborn . The High Line Bridge looks like a really cool spot to hangout during the summer

redsparrow · Mar 11, 2022

Paul, trains are cool!!
Trains on extra high Bridges are really cool!!!
But Not Safe Fun

abbydaddy · Mar 11, 2022

beezwax said:
Merle has left Alaska-- tracking says the package departed from Anchorage yesterday. Not sure of the current location as there have been no further blips on the radar since then, but delivery to ND is expected on Friday (as always take such estimates with a healthy dash of salt). While we wait for the next leg of Merle’s epic journey I thought I’d share the very last pic I took of him, just before I packaged him up on Saturday. But first, some context.

A while ago in another life (before marriage and kids) I was bi-polar. Not in the mind, but of the body I worked for a few seasons as a carpenter for the US Antarctic Program, going back and forth between summer in Alaska and “summer” in Antarctica. Quotes there because summer in Antarctica is still pretty wintery lol. But what both places have in common during summers is endless daylight. So, going between the two, for a period of three years straight I experienced almost no night time (only during transition travel). It was amazing. This is a picture of me at the south pole on New Year’s Day 2009.

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I haven’t pulled up this photo in a long time, and looking at it now the first thing that jumps out at me is the Russian flag flying over my shoulder. I wasn’t very excited to see that, given what’s going on in the world currently. But to be clear, South Pole Station is a US base, not Russian. The flags from 12 different countries are flown around the pole marker, representing the 12 countries that signed the original Antarctic Treaty. That was in 1959 so it was the Soviet Union at the time, but that is why the Russian flag is there. Here’s another pic from a different angle on a less sunny day, you can see some of the other countries. And yes, there really is a ceremonial barber pole and mirror ball at the south pole!

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Bear with me, there is a point to all this. So, when I was there the following year, I collected a bunch of snow. I scooped it right from the geographic south pole, filled up my nalgene bottle and took it with me. Kind of strange maybe but there aren’t a lot of (physical) souvenirs available in that place. As I was getting Merle ready for the post last weekend, I was thinking of the disparate waters that he has already touched upon in his journey. So I dug out that old nalgene bottle and gave him one more dip.

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If you can’t make out the sharpie on the side it says “Snow from South Pole January 2010.” A parting shot from me just for fun, because this whole experience is just for the fun of it, right? One of the things I thought about when I had my time with Merle was the life of *things*…. If that [object] could talk, eh? I don’t know if Merle will be able to touch upon all seven continents during his world tour, but this bags the one that is surely the hardest to reach. As we go about our days the people and things that we intersect with leave marks upon us. Some impressions are visible and others are not, but these interactions change us I think, like a spiritual residue. Merle will collect dings and scratches from his travels, and develop a patina made from contacts with far flung places. It’s a beautiful thing!

What a marvelous post! Thanks for that. I've always wished I had found a way to go to Antarctica when I was younger. I still dream of finding some way to get there.

paulhilborn · Mar 11, 2022

abbydaddy said:
What a marvelous post! Thanks for that. I've always wished I had found a way to go to Antarctica when I was younger. I still dream of finding some way to get there.

I've always wanted to go myself, made worse that my cousin, my age 60ish

was stationed at McMurdo 88/89 and Palmer 91/92 92/93 and 93/94. He's an absolutely fantastic photographer (went to school out west for it) and he always had a lifelong dream of working for Nat Geo. He did get his name in Nat Geo in a March issue back in the years he was there, because he helped clean up, make improvements to one of the first US stations. He was so upset because they mentioned his name and it read "who cooked for us" he said COOK?!?!, I worked my butt off!!!

beezwax · Mar 11, 2022

paulhilborn Wow you and Merle hit the ground running, that's a big first day and that Hi Line bridge is amazing! I had no idea railway bridges could be so long. We've got a very limited rail system in AK so of course there are some bridges, but nothing anywhere close to that. Pretty impressive from an engineering standpoint.

btb01 said:
The bridge is very cool, but I can’t imagine trying to cross it… that’d be like the bridge scene from Stand By Me taken to the extreme!

And this is exactly what I thought of too when Paul said crossing it was a right of passage

At three-quarters of a mile long it would take quite a while to pick your steps across it. If you didn't know the train schedule or got your times mixed up..........

beezwax · Mar 11, 2022

abbydaddy said:
What a marvelous post! Thanks for that. I've always wished I had found a way to go to Antarctica when I was younger. I still dream of finding some way to get there.

paulhilborn said:
I've always wanted to go myself, made worse that my cousin, my age 60ish was stationed at McMurdo 88/89 and Palmer 91/92 92/93 and 93/94. He's an absolutely fantastic photographer (went to school out west for it) and he always had a lifelong dream of working for Nat Geo. He did get his name in Nat Geo in a March issue back in the years he was there, because he helped clean up, make improvements to one of the first US stations. He was so upset because they mentioned his name and it read "who cooked for us" he said COOK?!?!, I worked my butt off!!!

It's not impossible, but it is very expensive. My mom is in her mid-80s now, but ten years ago she was able to visit Antarctica with a tour group. Most tours of the continent depart from Argentina and visit the Palmer Peninsula side (the sea remains mostly unfrozen on that side so you get to see all the floating ice bergs and marine mammals). I was based out of McMurdo also during my seasons there so I never made it to the peninsula. Looks incredible but again, very expensive to organize, definitely a bucket-list item.

redsparrow · Mar 11, 2022

btb01 said:
Eleanor’s annual birthday knife photo last year.

Your little cutie is growing fast Barrett.
Could be Blade Forum's future spokes model.

paulhilborn · Mar 13, 2022

Was busy yesterday and neglected Merle

another busy day doing projects around the house while taking advantage of the 31°(above zero) temps

Chopped ice and got a good flow going downhill, took down Christmas lights and the new knee proved worthy

With the snowbanks still so high I didn't have to use a ladder!!!

Merle helped in the garage with cutting down trash and eliminating zip ties in the removal of holiday lights. Not a ton of tasks but he was there when called on :thumbsup:

With this snow bank, I may not mow till June

redsparrow · Mar 13, 2022

Good to hear from you Paul! First that the new knee is working out and second that Merle fits right in helping with some of his host's chores. Makes him a more than welcome guest.

Enjoy the companionship, spring is just around the corner.