Toko -
. And on we go , still travelling at a rate of up to 250 miles every day
So , after a visit to the gift-shop and ........... , we continued again .
You will recall the road signpost earlier showing Eagle , and we wanted to go there , because then it would take us within the Arctic circle .
However , the road from Boundry was very very rough , and the road-tyres fitted to our vehicle could not take it , so , quess what ? Flat wheel !
After changing the spare , we had to consider . The distance to Eagle and back was about 140 miles , on a very rough road , and a real risk of further damaged tyres on the rough , untarred road , so , we decided rather to carry on towards Tetlin Junction and the tarred Alaska Highway . Pity , I would have liked to have been able to say that I have driven a car right into the Arctic circle , but ....... well , as I said before , we allow the road to lead us on , but we have to consider the risks and act accordingly . And somehow , we are being looked after , and count ourselves as being blessed .
Passing this old , worked out goldmine – Jack Wade . A sad sight , just standing there , machinery rusting , while nature is covering over the wounds and scars left by it .
then next stop , Chicken !
Yeahhh , we come round a bend and this is what we see . Another “ thriving/bustling ( ? )” , community ...........
The entrance into “ town “ -----
The town of Chicken was another thriving goldmine community in the 1890’s . And the name Ckicken ? Well , the story is that at the time of incorporating the place as a town , of course they needed a name for it to submit in their application to Washington DC . And after much deliberation amongst the people , they decided to name their new town after a bird which is abundant in Alaska , namely a Ptarmigan , which is a type of a snow-grouse or prairie-chicken.
However , since these were all fairly simple people , miners and such , nobody knew how to SPELL the word “ PTARMIGAN “ .
So , in order to settle the matter , eventually they decided to just name the town " CHICKEN "
.
Well , here’s the local trading store – the Gold Panner . We had a nice long chat with the lady who owns the store . They have lived here for the past 25 years or so , digging for gold – only 4 months per year , then , at end of season , they go to the coast , catch a few hundred pounds Salmon , and then go to Florida where they spend the 7 months or so , before coming back next summer .
And sitting on the porch outside the shop ......
A chicken – made from fabric – Note , a “ kip “ is chicken in Dutch .
Another couple of hour’s drive from Chicken , back on the tar road again .....
Well , that’s all for now . More to follow
We visited a fur-trade store in Anchorage , and they had 1000's of furs and skins in bundles , and on display 
