Wednesday, June 20: Up early to finish up blog and pack. We need to be out by 10am and Ron is heading out to get the oil changed after breakfast. Had a nice meal with some of the other guests from Netherlands and England—interesting political discussions. Our kitchenette for the next two days isn’t ready, so we call Sue and Chuck and meet them for coffee at a Farmer’s Market. Fun to mill around and get caught up on things! We go to a LARS (large animal research station) run by the University of Alaska and see muskox, caribou, and reindeer. We make plans to meet for supper at the Pump House (refers to a piece of mining equipment that sprayed water to remove overburden before placer mining) on the Chena River just outside town, and leave to check in and pack. Have time before supper for a nice walk through the U of A botanical gardens (Georgeson Gardens) on the grounds of their ag experimental station, then meet Sue and Chuck for a great meal—I have a super salmon fillet and Ron has reindeer—yum! Make a stop to pick up a new camera; the picture-taking button fell off ours! Then to bed early—5am wakeup call for the trip to the Arctic Circle tomorrow!