Riverboat Discovery

The riverboat "Discovery" was our vehicle for a great trip on the Chena River in Fairbanks.Not only that...there were free donuts and coffee...real nourishment! 

From the open decks we got to see a dog sled demonstration, dog sled puppies in training and learning to "follow the leader", how to catch salmon with "fish wheels",  how to prepare smoked salmon, and view bush pilots landing both on the river as well as on a sand bar.

Along the riverboat ride we stopped at a demonstration village, the Chena Indian Village, where native Athabascan Indians demonstrated their cultural skills and explained how their ancestors lived prior to the advent of "westernization".

I found it interesting to learn that the wood mostly used for smoking salmon for feeding sled dogs is generally done with birch or spruce which are more abundant.  The wood of choice for smoked salmon for human consumption is alder.