Every year, Fairbanks has a "Red Green Regatta." This is where a bunch of rag-tag boats float down the Chena, and compete to see which has "best followed the principles of Red Green" (use of one roll of duct tape required during the construction :) ).  It's quite an event.

   A view of the crowd from just north of the Chena:



   Another view of the crowd, from the bridge.



   While on the bridge a very strange thing happened: I met some tourists (One can't go very far at all in Fairbanks in summertime without running into tourists---it's the third worst thing about living in the Interior.  :P )--I think they said they were from somewhere in New England--who told me that they had NEVER HEARD OF RED GREEN.  I find this astounding.  I gave a short description, and told them that he is sort of a "cult hero" up her in Alaska.  (Believe me--he IS! :) )

   A picture of some of the boats:



   More boats:



   More boats. Canada RULES!! :) (As one would probably expect, one runs into a fair number of Canadians in Alaska---and all year 'round.  They're really cool.  :) )



   By now, you probably have some idea of the type of entries that one sees at this sort of thing.  (There was a dude with an entire sled dog team---made out of duct tape! :) They weren't sure they were going to be able to finish; near the end of the journey, the dogs got water-logged---and their boat almost sank.  Liability (or perhaps more accurately the fear of it) hasn't destroyed Interior Alaska . . . yet.)

   I have a true story about one of the entries of past years.  While traveling down the Chena on VW bug floating on old propane tanks, a group of young men realized that they recognized the groom of a wedding party as they passed.  (There are some really ritzy (well--at least for Interior Alaska :) ) hotels and restaurants on the way.) They yelled something to the effect of: "Hey! -That's *******'s wedding party!" "-Here's what you get for not inviting us!" And they proceeded to . . . well, "moon" the wedding party.  (I can only imagine a 70-some year-old grandma, treasuring her favorite picture(s) of the wedding. . . .  :) ) -[That is a] True story!

   I told the cameraman that I hated to bother him while he was working, but I wanted/needed to ask him if Red Green was here today.  He told me he didn't think so.  (As it turns out, he wasn't.) It was interesting, though; I got to see the footage he was taking, somewhat later---more on this on the second page.

   On to more about the 2003 Red Green Regatta.