Noah's Ark is found in Fairbanks

We had a great 4th of July.  The rain let up around noon so we drove over to Pioneer Park where they were having festivities.

Abby told me before we left on this trip she wanted to see a parade on the 4th of July.  So I found her one (she didn't say how big of a parade).

She also wanted to hear a band, we found two.  She wanted to see games.  We found those too.

 This is a competition that goes back to the days of using dogs to transport cargo from town to town.  The Alaskan record is 2600 pounds.

This poor guy was trying to break the record with a 2700 pound load but didn't succeed.

With a fun day complete, we headed to Brewster's for a brew or two and is nothing sacred?  They were closed for the 4th of July!  So we went back to the RV and did laundry.

Abby (aka. "Daisy Crockett") modeled her new "coon skin cap" she bought on the trip.  Since she was five and playing house with a school classmate she was totally in love with, she has wanted a coon skin cap so she didn't have to play the Indian anymore (I'm just relating the story).  You want to learn more?  Call Abby for the details.

The only problem with this new hat is Stella thinks it is a new cat.  If Abby leaves it out for Stella to see, Stella throws a fit with hisses and snarls.

Now the reason today's blog is labeled Noah's Ark.

For weeks we have been having a problem with a water leak into one of the storage bins underneath the RV.  I have been systematically "trouble shooting" the problem.  Yesterday before we left for Pioneer Park, I shut the water off and opened a tank valve to the fresh water tank to "depressurize" the system.  This would tell me if I had indeed found the source of the leak.

When we got back, NO LEAK!  Problem found and the water source was turned back on.  We decided to take a little nap and about 30 minutes later, some guy wearing a patriotic shirt and a Santa Claus hat (can't make this stuff up folks), was standing in front of the door and beating on it.  He asked me if I knew that water was pouring out of the side of the RV (picture Robin Williams in the movie RV).  I also noticed we were essentially parked in the middle of a lake that wasn't there 30 minutes ago.  I think by now you realize I had forgotten to "close" the tank valve.

There was of course a large crowd standing around looking at this scene and making jokes at my expense.  I splashed through the lake and shut off the valve and opened the drain valve until the water fall stopped and squished my way back to the RV.  Oh the joy of being a plumber.

We are spending the next 3 nights near Denali NP.  The campground isn't real great but for once the wifi is robust.

Here are some pictures from previous days.  Enjoy.