Fairbanks

After waiting out the weather in Anchorage we finally made it to Fairbanks. Departing out of Merrill field in a low overcast we made our way up the valley towards Talkeetna as the overcast gave way to broken and then scattered clouds. To our surprise, through the scattered layer we got a full on view of Denali, soaring to over 20,000ft off our left side. The journey up the valleys and through Windy Pass was relatively easy with good visibility and just a few rain showers here and there. The pass was steep and tight with mountains off either wing before crossing into the tundra and an easy descent into Fairbanks.

Fairbanks International is an awesome airport with a float plane landing pond between two long parallel runways. The float plane "runway" is designated 20W - the "W" for "water". We landed on 20L and taxied to the East Ramp where we found there was an airplane camping area on the field just off from the float plane pond. We decided to take advantage of it and camp the night. We taxied the plane into our camping spot and set up our tents. There was an immaculate toilet and shower building and another shelter with grill, tables, a fish smoker. A bicycle rack with bicycles for our use was also a surprise. With such great facilities, it was easy to enjoy our first "plane camping" night of the trip.