We made the decision late Friday to head to our favorite spot on the river for a weekend getaway. This particular area is located in the Chena State Recreation Area, approximately 50 miles from Fairbanks, on the banks of the Chena River.
We found this little oasis a few years ago while exploring the many access roads that lead from Chena Hot Springs Road to the Chena River. We have a couple of favorites - one in particular we were lucky to get is a secluded area tucked away on a bend in the river that affords us a measure of privacy from the rest of the riverbank camping folks. It's not an easy order to get the 'ol girl in there but it's definitely worth it.
To the east all we see out is a long stretch of the Chena River and the hills beyond. Moose, fox, beaver, robins, jay's and squirrels are regular visitors to the area. Just around the corner is a wonderful little deep hole that grayling are known to frequent. Follow the path along the river and you'll find several areas where the fishing is second to none and the scenery will take your breath away.
The tiles beneath my feet were warm this morning and yet I still shivered when I noticed the temperature was a very cool 34 degrees outside. Brrrr. With the coffee brewing and the boss sleeping I slipped on my shoes and stepped outside to greet the morning. Brrr indeed. The wind off the river made me instantly wish I had been wearing long johns. I peeked around the back of the motorhome to look at a tent occupied by a young couple that rolled in last night about 8:00. I imagine they were snuggled together in a warm sleeping bag; cozy as a two bugs in a rug.
We've spent many a night in a tent in our early years. Somehow the ground didn't feel quite so hard back them, or perhaps we were just more flexible. There are days I feel like a sellout for abandoning the purist ideals of basic camping but the second my feet hit the warm tile floor and I sat down and fired up the laptop while watching the river flow by from the comfort of my easy chair those feelings of guilt began to fade.
It's going to be a glorious day today despite the weatherman’s threat of a morning shower. Corned beef hash, fried eggs and English muffins with fresh ground Seattle's Best is on the menu for breakfast. Pull up a chair and join us and let's rejoice in all the Lord has provided! After breakfast we'll take our fly rods and head up the river to see what Nemo and his buddies are up to.
|
Thinking about buying or selling real estate in Fairbanks or Interior Alaska? We know Fairbanks real estate – Think of us as your local experts.
Search Fairbanks homes for sale, sign up for free new listing notifications, view Fairbanks market statistics or browse our virtual relocation package. Have questions? Contact us online or call us at (907) 699-6024. We would love to hear from you. |
The above photo (click to enlarge) was taken during an overflight to monitor conditions on the Yukon River, 12 miles downriver from Galena. U.S. Fish and Wildlife pilot Brad Scotton watched as Maynard floated down the Yukon River on an ever shrinking sheet of ice. Unfortunately, Scotton had to turn back and so we're left to wonder if Maynard the Moose made it off the ice or not. They're pretty adept at swimming so we'll hope Maynard made it to shore and is now working his way home.
The next time you think you're up the creek without a paddle, think of Mayanrd the Moose and remember it could always be worse!
|
|
Thinking about buying or selling real estate in Fairbanks or Interior Alaska? We know Fairbanks real estate – Think of us as your local experts.
Search Fairbanks homes for sale, sign up for free new listing notifications, view Fairbanks market statistics or browse our virtual relocation package. Have questions? Contact us online or call us at (907) 699-6024. We would love to hear from you. |
Do you have a hankerin' for some fudge? Does the thought of freshly made chocolate pecan fudge make your mouth water? If so, I know just the place you need to check out.
Located in downtown Fairbanks, The Fudge Pot is a Fairbanks treasure. They have been satisfying Fairbanksans sweet cravings since 1997 with some of the best fudge in the state. Do you like plain 'ol regular fudge? How about mint chocolate or my personal favorite, butter pecan. I'm telling you, this stuff is so good it'll make you swallow your tongue. Well, ok, not really but it is darn good stuff.
In addition to mouth watering fudge, the Fudge Pot also serves espresso and delicious deli sandwiches. Enjoy a sweet treat or lunch while overlooking the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. Just across the street from the Visitors Center on First Avenue, The Fudge Pot is sure to be a hit with everyone in the family.
Don’t forget to check out their gift shop with t-shirts and Alaskan souvenirs too. There’s no telling what you’ll find you just can’t live without. You can also order their delicious fudge online and have it delivered right to your door. Yummy!
|
|
Thinking about buying or selling real estate in Fairbanks or Interior Alaska? We know Fairbanks real estate – Think of us as your local experts.
Search Fairbanks homes for sale, sign up for free new listing notifications, view Fairbanks market statistics or browse our virtual relocation package. Have questions? Contact us online or call us at (907) 699-6024. We would love to hear from you. |
I've heard the April showers bring may flowers bit all my life. Without the rains there would be no bountiful floral harvest to enjoy. How sad would that be, I ask you? Pretty sad indeed.
I just have one little itty bitty question. If April showers do indeed bring May flowers, does it matter if the April showers are FROZEN? We woke this morning to find a beautiful white blanket of snow covering the ground.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Mother Nature was, and is, dropping snowflakes like, well, Limbaugh does Oxycontin. It's everywhere.
This snow day message was brought to you by... well, me silly. Have a great day and be safe out there.
That is our backyard, which only yesterday was snow free. When life gives you lemons, go make lemonaide, right? So since Mother Nature gave us snow, I'm going to go make snow cream. Yummy!
|
|
Thinking about buying or selling real estate in Fairbanks or Interior Alaska? We know Fairbanks real estate – Think of us as your local experts.
Search Fairbanks homes for sale, sign up for free new listing notifications, view Fairbanks market statistics or browse our virtual relocation package. Have questions? Contact us online or call us at (907) 699-6024. We would love to hear from you. |
Your real estate resource for Fairbanks and Interior Alasaka
The University of Alaska Fairbanks campus is the flagship of the Univeristy of Alaska Statewide System. UAF holds the honor of being one of the few, but certainly the northernmost, of America's Land, Sea and Space Grant institutions, offering 25 certificates and 161 degrees in 115 disciplines ranging from bachelors to Ph.Ds.
Originally founded with a federal land grant in 1915 (44 years before Alaska Statehood) on what was a federal Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Alaska, then known as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, was born. After receiving funding from the Alaska Territorial Legislature and the completion of the first building in 1922, the college opened its doors to the first class of students. A faculty of six offered 16 classes to a student body of six. Commencement in 1923 consisted of a single graduate.
In 1931 the federal government transferred the entire Agricultural Experiment Station to the college. Four years later the Alaska Legislature renamed the growing campus the University of Alaska to reflect the school's expanding role in research, teaching and public service. The Geophysical Institute was established in 1946 out of a need for scientific polar research with the first Ph.D. being awarded in 1955.
The University of Alaska had the distinct honor of hosting the Alaska Constitutional Convention in 1955 which produced The Constitution of the State of Alaska. The constitution was adopted by the delegates on February 5, 1956, ratified on April 24, 1956, and became effective when the Alaska Statehood Act was signed on January 3, 1959.
We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska. Preamble to Alaska's Constitution.
The Alaska Legislature created the Institute of Marine Science in 1960 and the Institute of Arctic Biology in 1962. UAF took over operations of the Poker Flat Research Range in 1969, which provides launch facilities for NASA and the Department of Defense. It is the only university owned rocket range in the world.
In 1970, UAF was designated as a federal sea grant institution for marine research. Today the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences operates the 133-foot research vessel Alpha Helix for the National Science Foundation out of the Seward Marine Center. The Alaska Native Language Center was established by an act of the Alaska Legislature in 1972 and in 1975 the University of Alaska statewide system was created, with additional campuses in Anchorage and Juneau.
Signficant changes continued with the opening of the University of Alaska Museum of the North in 1980. UAF enrollement topped 5,000 students for the first time in its history in 1981 as well established rural campuses in Bethel, Dillingham, Kotzebue, Nome and the Interior. Education centers in Fort Yukon, Galena, McGrath, Nenana, Tok and Unalaska provide additional education services to rural Alaskans.
In 1991 NASA named UAF as a space grant institution, thus becoming a Land, Sea and Space Grant institution, one of the few land, sea, and space grant institutions in the United States.
UAF's public service role is filled in part by the statewide Cooperative Extension Service with its eight district offices. Public broadcasting stations KUAC-FM and AlaskaONE TV, the first public stations in the state, are headquartered at the Fairbanks campus.
Today UAF is the only doctoral-granting institution in Alaska, offering Ph.D. degrees in anthropology, several of the physical and natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Master's degrees are offered in more than 50 fields in the humanities, social sciences, northern studies, physical and natural sciences, and in professional fields such as engineering, justice, education and business administration. Interdisciplinary programs are possible for students who have a research focus in areas where UAF has faculty expertise and research facilities available.
 |
Welcome to UAF's Fairbanks campus
UAF welcomes visitors to campus anytime of the year. Pick up a campus map and visitors' guide in a parking lot shuttle station, at the UA Museum of the North, Wood Center or Rasmuson Library and go exploring. Reduced shuttle service operates throughout the summer. Summer guided tours Guided walking tours | Guided campus tours for prospective students | International Arctic Research Center | Geophysical Institute | Arctic Region Supercomputing Center | Cold Climate Housing Research Center | Botanical Garden | Poker Flat Research Range | Large Animal Research Station | More things to see and do Take a Virtual Tour of the Univeristy of Alaska Fairbanks Campus. |
| In addition to the main campus, classes are offered at the Tanana Valley Campus (TVC) located in downtown Fairbanks. TVC opened its doors in 1974 and provides career and technical education, academic preparation and lifelong learning opportunities for all Alaskans.
TVC offers more than 40 certificate and associate degree programs in such fields as Allied Health (Certified Nurses Aide, Dental Assisting/Hygiene, Health Care Reimbursement, Medical/Dental Receptionist, Phlebotomy, Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Emergency Medical Services and Medical Assistant), Accounting, Applied Business (Computer Application, Human Resources, Finance, International Business, Marketing, Public Management & Tourism), Automotive Technology, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Certified Public Manager, Construction Management, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Diesel/Heavy Equipment, Drafting Technology, Emergency Medical Services, Information Technology, Law Enforcement Academy, Paralegal Studies as well as Professional Development and the Alaska Small Business Development Center |
 |
Ready to earn your Real Estate Ph.D and make an educated decision about buying Fairbanks real estate? Search Fairbanks homes for sale or sign up for our Realty Retriever - he'll automatically send you new listings as they become available without even mussing the corners of the page.
Next Stop: Fairbanks Financial Services Directory
 |
|
|
The premier real estate team in the Golden Heart City; we provide results oriented buyer and seller representation.
We are Jesse & Kathy Clifton, better known as simply The Spouses. As full-time professional REALTORS®, we are committed to providing our clients with the most knowledgeable, professional and experienced real estate service available.
The-Spouses.com is the creation of Jesse & Kathy Clifton, REALTORS®. Frustrated with the limitations on most websites available to our customers, we created the website in order to give not just our customers, but all of Interior Alaska, a great real estate experience.
The most differentiating aspect of The-Spouses.com is that we make it easy to find the properties and information that you want. Our goal is to provide the most real estate information to the Fairbanks community - even to those people who may never choose to use our services.
We don't believe that you should have to fill out long registration forms just to find out what is on the market. Nor do we believe that just because you want to know how much that house down the street is listed for, you should be harassed by some agent you've never met and don't want to talk to.
The-Spouses.com is built around a belief in good customer service and non-pushy sales. To that extent, we have created a company whose sole objective is to help serve clients who decide that they are ready to buy or sell their home.
Integrity, Honesty, and Great Customer service are the hallmarks of our practice.
In short, The-Spouses.com is about having a great real estate experience, whether you are buying and selling, or just browsing to see what's out there.
We specialize in residential real estate; new construction and existing single and multi family homes as well as undeveloped land in Fairbanks and the surrounding communities of North Pole, Salcha, Fox, Two Rivers, Ester, Ft. Wainwright Army Post and Eielson Air Force Base. As full-time professional REALTORS®, we are committed to providing our clients with the most knowledgeable, professional and experienced real estate service available. Any agent can open a door; we believe it's our responsibility to protect and promote your best interests throughout the transaction. Anything less is simply unacceptable.
Search the Fairbanks MLS - View Our Showcase Homes - Read Our Monthly Market Reports
Jesse & Kathy Clifton
Spouses Selling Houses
Jesse Clifton & Associates, REALTORS
250 N. Cushman Street, 4G
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Direct: (907) 699-6024 Fax: (866) 421-4339
www.the-spouses.com - jesse@the-spouses.com
Follow us on Twitter: @thespouses
Fairbanks; The Golden Heart city of Alaska.
The city of Fairbanks is located in Interior Alaska near the confluence of the Chena and Tanana Rivers in the Tanana Valley. We are 360 miles north of Anchorage, 125 south of the Arctic Circle, 3,500 miles from Los Angeles and 4,200 miles from Washington, DC. Nicknamed "The Golden Heart City", Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region and the second largest in Alaska.
Founded in 1901 by Captain E.T. Barnette as a trading post on the Chena River, the community grew and was eventually named after Senator Charles Fairbanks. The discovery of Gold in the hills just north of Fairbanks caused a mass influx of residents, bringing the population to almost 11,000 in 1910. Ladd Field, now Fort Wainwright, was built in 1938 followed by the Alcan Highway in 1940's and Eielson Air Force Base, formerly Satellite Field, in 1943, bringing the military population to almost isto be just shy of 19,921.
An Act of the Alaska Legislature created the Fairbanks North Star Borough in 1964; the year of the fateful Good Friday Earthquake that shook anchorage and three years before Fairbanks suffered a devastating flood at the hands of the Chena River. According to records the population of Fairbanks in 1880 was approximately 2,600 and has since swelled to almost 90,000 in the North Star Borough with projections for nearly 105,000 by the year 2018.
The Fairbanks economy is based on tourism, the state's oil revenue and federal government expenditures for the military, administration of federal agencies and research grants. As Alaska's second largest city, Fairbanks is an important trading, transportation and military center. Residents of nearby North Pole, Fort Wainwright Army Post, Eielson Air Force Base and surrounding areas come to Fairbanks for shopping, entertainment and employment.
The Interior and Fairbanks in particular are known to have some of the most extreme weather conditions in the country due to significant changes in solar heat throughout the year. The winters are long, usually lasting from late September to mid-April. From November to March, daylight ranges from ten to less than four hours daily and temperatures can drop to 50 degrees below zero. The summers are very warm, often reaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes reaching the 90's. The sun is above the horizon eighteen to twenty-one hours per day. August and September tend to be the rainier months and snow tends to fall the last week of September leading back into the winter season.
Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks; the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. Originally founded as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines in 1917 it became the University of Alaska in 1935. UAF remains the only campus in the University of Alaska system that awards doctoral degrees and holds the distinction of being one of only thirteen Land, Sea and Space Grant Universities in the country.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks encompasses eight campuses, plus the Center for Distance Education, offering 163 degrees and 25 certificates in 115 disciplines. 9,681 students are currently enrolled at the various campuses in the UAF system with 88% pursuing an undergraduate degree. 833 certificate, associate or baccalaureate degrees and 204 master's and doctoral degrees were conferred in the spring of 2007.
Located on the main campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, The Rasmuson Library is the largest library in the State of Alaska with 1.1 million volumes and electronic access to more than 20 million titles worldwide. The UAF campus is also home to the Museum of the North which boasts a rare and unique collection of more than 1 million objects.
University athletics are a vital part of the community. Dubbed the Nanooks; UAF athletics are composed of Division I hockey team, a Division II basketball team, mens and women's cross country skiing, rifle, women's swimming and volleyball.
Alaska is an outdoors paradise. We are blessed to have incredible hunting and fishing opportunities within an hours drive of Fairbanks. No matter what outdoor activity you're into, you can find it in Fairbanks. Summer or winter, there are plenty of sports to keep you breathing fresh Alaskan air.
Having called Alaska home for almost 30 years, we can't imagine living anywhere else. Considering a move to Fairbanks? Call at 907-699-6024 or contact us online; we would love to hear from you.
We love our clients; most have become close friends who continually refer other friends and family members to us because they know we have their best interest at heart. Our greatest achievement is in knowing we've made a difference; professionally as well as personally.
Kathy & Jesse! What a pair of "Spouses Selling Houses"!! Truly two wonderful helpful people that anyone wanting to buy or sell a house would want to know! When we were in the market to buy and sell, they never pressured, they were on top of every stop that needed to be taken. They provided answers to every inexperienced question we asked. They took car of unseen details and went to bat when there were snags. Truly a couple we feel are friends. Our home is our haven, thanks to these two hard working "Spouses". Recommend them... You had better believe it! ~ Mr. & Mrs. Mobley, Fairbanks
Jesse and Kathy are absolutely the best! They both gave me very good advice and I was happy to have folks who would give me honest advice. It was the first time I had looked into buying a house and lots of friends told me to avoid going through a REALTOR, that I would find better deals if I didn't have to deal with the REALTOR's "take." My friends were so wrong, Jesse and Kathy know the housing market, understand the intricacies of housing loans, and have a complete grasp on all the legalities of buying and selling. They definitely went to bat for me and protected me from my own naivety. I was and am very grateful that Jesse and Kathy were there helping me through every step of a confusing and some times frustrating process. ~ Ms. G. Russell, Fairbanks
Jesse assisted me with the process of finding and financing my home in Fairbanks in record time. I came into town on a mission with time constraints and high expectations that it could happen, and thanks to Jesse, it did! When the time came to make a decision, he gave me sound and honest advice... Jesse has the instincts, patience, and knowledge to match home to owner. And after the deal is struck, he is still there to guide you through the process of ownership. You know he is a phone call away and never too busy to take your call. Both he and his wife, Kathy, have a genuine interest in their clients. I don't believe we are seen as just customers, but as new members of the community to be supported and welcomed as neighbors and friends. They both continue to make me feel that way. ~ Ms. Salisbury, Fairbanks
We had our home listed with another agent for more than 8 months before listing it with Jesse & Kathy. The friend that referred them to us said they were the best agents in town. We agree! They gave us the honest advice we needed to hear about our asking price and the repairs we needed to make. Our home sold in a month and we are now in our new highly recomment them to everyone we know. ~ Mr. & Mrs. L. Trumball, Fairbanks
We love Jesse & Kathy. They are not just our Realtors. They are our friends. We were a wreck trying to coordinate selling our current home and closing on the new one. Despite probably driving them crazy with phone calls and questions, they were always available. We can't imagine buying or selling a home without their help. ~ Mr. & Mrs. T. Roberts
Dear Jesse & Kathy, Thank you so much for all your help. Not having ever bought a house before I had no idea what I was getting into. You guys are the best! ~ S. Miller, North Pole
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
