Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
(and Professional Travelers)

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Riverboat Discovery Cruise in Fairbanks, Alaska
A 3-1/2 hour cruise aboard the authentic sternwheelers Discovery II & III - a fully-narrated cruise along the Chena and Tanana Rivers, with a bush pilot's demonstration, and a fish wheel in operation. Alaskan Native guides take you ashore at an authentic Athabascan village where you experience traditional native lifestyles, enjoy the work of an Athabascan beadwork artist, and meet Susan Butcher's famous Iditarod sled dog team and her husband.
sign - welcome to the Riverboat Discovery
steamboat landing store & gift shop sign - Steamboat Landing - Fairbanks, Alaska
sternwheeler Discovery III Karen Duquette & sternwheeler Discovery III
Lee & Karen Duquette
The cruise starts with an Alaskan bush pilot's display - a short field take-off and landing along the banks of the Chena River. Bush pilots and planes played a vital role in the pioneering of Alaska, succeeding the riverboats in Alaskan transportation history. Because of Alaska's vast remote areas, service by airplane was (and remains) essential to the timely delivery of supplies. When bush planes first entered the country, sternwheelers ruled the transportation business. It didn't take long for the bush plane to prove its utility and send the riverboats into retirement.

Today, Alaska has the highest per capita ownership of private aircraft. Due to the limited access to rivers in much of the state and the seasonal nature of riverboating, bush pilots can be seen practicing their skills in virtually all parts of Alaska year round.

bush pilot taking off bush pilot taking off
bush pilot taking off bush pilot taking off
bush pilot taking off bush plane in the air
bush plane in the air bush plane in the air
 
kayakers and swimmers
kayakers swimmers
boaters canoes
the river
big houses along the river and other scenery
a big log cabin Alaskan log owner
the river and bank a big house
another big bouse float plane and house and boat
big house and yard big house and yard
a houseboat - and old paddle-wheel boat - abandoned long ago
an old houseboat an old paddle wheel boat
The boat pauses on the river by the home and kennels of the late four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher. Susan's husband Dave Monson, a champion of the Yukon Quest, or a senior handler shares stories of life in the dog yard and on the trails, as puppies play in anticipation of joining the team, and tells about kennel life and the challenges that go into making a champion dogsled team.

Susan and her husband Dave Monson ran in and won almost every major dog sled race worldwide. Additionally, Susan accomplished many challenges never before attempted, including taking a team of dogs to the summit of Mount McKinley!

team of dogs Dave Monson speaks
Dave and the dogs dogs almost ready to go
dogs getting ready to go, but first a cooling down from the hose
dogs are all set to go cooling the dogs
After the dogs pulled the sled around the lake, they jumped into the 48 degree water to play and cool down.
dogs in river dogs in river
dogs in river dogs in river
The original cottage Susan lived in is still on the property
Susan's original cottage
Getting ready to go ashore at an authentic Athabascan Village to experience traditional native lifestyles. The fish camp is the summer home for Interior Athabascan Indians who practice a subsistence lifestyle. Fish camp is also where family elders work side by side with younger generations, passing down their history and culture. It is at the fish camp that they catch fish to feed their dogs and themselves throughout the winter.
the boat the paddle wheel
An Athabascan Yukon-style women's winter parka with sunshine ruff
parka back of parka
salmon smoking
salmon smoking Lee Duquette by the salmon smokehouse
Lee Duquette by the salmon smokehouse
A cache of stored furs & supplies
an old plane
A cache of stored furs & supplies an old plane
The Iron Dog
sign about The Iron Dog The Iron Dog
The fish are caught in a fishwheel, which scoops the fish from the river as it is turned by the current.
fishwheel fishwheel
As the boat leaves the village, a native guide demonstrates how fish are cut and prepared for human and dog consumption.
leaving the village a last demonstration
salmon drying fishwheel
When the daughter and grandchildren of the two RV Gypsies arrive in Alaska, they will all take the Riverboat cruise again, plus the gold mine and more
go to the next pageEl Dorado Gold Mine