I managed to rack up some serious air miles over the past couple of years, my family has suffered as a result of all my business travels, so I have tried to do individual trips with each of the kids and the wife. I was able to trade in some miles for my son and I to go to Alaska this Summer. My folks moved up to Fairbanks a couple years ago and this is my first opportunity to go, the bonus is that the Winters are long and Dad tied way too many flies - so we promised to help him lose a few to trees and what not, maybe even a fish. Anybody have any "not-so-touristy" suggestions for the Fairbanks area?

near Tanana is a good place from what I hear from an Alaskan friend
not too touristy.

ask roklok.. wiley he lives up there

In '88 I worked in a drill camp on the panhandle area. The mountain I was working on was literally BC on one side and Alaska on the other. It's as close as I've ever been to Alaska, but I have to say it was the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen in my life and I know I'm going to make it back that way. Enjoy, Wiley and bring back some pix for us, huh?

HHMMM, lots to do up here, there are a lot of tourists through the summer though. Denali park is something to see from what I hear, but of course it is a tourist hotspot, the reason I havent gone there yet. I would reccomend a drive up the Dalton Highway to deadhorse/prudhoe bay. I made this trip a couple of weeks ago, simply spectacular. Lots of game to be seen from the highway. I saw quite a few moose, hundreds of caribou,dall sheep, and 4 arctic foxes as well as waterfowl in the thousands. It is 500 miles from fairbanks to Prudhoe bay and there is only one fuel stop between,halfway at Coldfoot. Most rental companys specify not to drive their vehicles on the Dalton however. If your parents have a vehicle to use I think you would enjoy the trip. take it slow, there are some axle eating potholes and road breaks in the highway. Also the truckers, some of which seem to enjoy speeding past, showering your truck with rocks. I try to pull off the side of road when they pass. It is not to bad though, sometimes you might not see another vehicle for 50-75 miles. Take a good pair of binoculars/spotting scope and glass for sheep and bears between Coldfoot and Atigun Pass. Be sure to take some supplys in case of a breakdown. As far as the Fairbanks area itself, they have a real nice free public shooting range, rock solid benches and 350 yards long. Just dont go on the weekends. A good restaurant to try in town is Big Daddys BBQ, there are actually people from Anchorage who drive to F Banks (a 6-7 hour drive) just to eat there. Most of all, have fun and enjoy yourself!

somehow I can't imagine going wrong with a place called Big Daddy's BBQ

sounds like mesquite style bbq
would be a place i want to visit in the very near future.

keetoowah wrote:

sounds like mesquite style bbq would be a place i want to visit in the very near future.

Take heed Tracks old mate......you're booked for a date by the sounds of things.

Cheers, Vince

They call themselves the northernmost southern style BBQ, have won some national BBQ championships. Probably my favorite place to eat in town. D#@M, now I am getting hungry! Gotta go.

I am down to the last few days before we go now, all in I am out $68....I traded United miles - $20, traded in Delta miles - $30, with the long layovers in SLC I decided to rent a car both on the way out and the day we get back - traded in Hertz points - $18.38 and Hilton points for a free night in SLC - they don't call me a cheap bastard for nothing!
I figure that the trip is costing me $2.14 per day per person just for travel, now if I can get my 10 yr old boy to only eat balogne sandwiches for 2 weeks.........ooops! in all my thriftiness I forgot, the purpose is to bond with my son and have fun.....thanks for all the tips from everyone - keep your stick on the ice!

Dude!

How could eating bologna sandwiches for two weeks not create a bond between father and son? Doesn't get any better than that. When I took my grandson camping a couple of weeks ago,( we basically take a tent, sleeping bags, and a frying pan), and these other people were setting up their camp a little ways off from us, he goes over and he's watching....they've got a van full of huge plastic bins and they're unloading everything. (Their first aid kit was bigger than everything we'd brought except the tent and sleeping bags) He's 11 years old and he looks at the dad and says "sure you packed enough?" Can't imagine where the boy got to be such a smarta##.

Wiley...Make sure you take photos and take good notes...We WILL want to know how it all comes out...The good and the bad...

Absolutely! I've been thinking that get together everyone's been talking about could happen somewhere around Big Daddy's barbecue up there in Alaska. Like I said before, I've been close...and it's gorgeous.

Bushmaster wrote:

Wiley...Make sure you take photos and take good notes...We WILL want to know how it all comes out...The good and the bad...

Yep yep....I agree with Bushy.....especially pics of the bologne sandwiches.

Cheers, Vince

I'm not sure if bologne is the cheapest sandwich anymore though. I agree let us know how it all goes. ..........