Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions handled by the
Ranch Motel staff, along with some tips that others have found useful.
They are presented
here as questions. Jump down to the answer by clicking on the
question.
- I don't have much to spend, what can I do in
Fairbanks?
- When is the best time to see the Northern Lights?
- How far is Fairbanks from Denali Park? (now
includes distance calculator link)
- How do I get to the Ranch from the Airport, or
the Railroad Depot?
- How close are restaurants to the Ranch Motel?
- Does the Ranch have an airport van?
- Is the Ranch on a bus route? What will the bus cost me?
- I am coming to Fairbanks in September. Since most places
close on Labor Day, will there be anything left to see or
do?
- Why doesn't the Ranch Motel include rates at their web
site?
- Why can't I make reservations for the
Ranch Motel over the internet?
- Why are your italic typefaces hard to read on my Mac?
1. I don't have much to spend; what can I do in Fairbanks?
We, who have lived here most of our lives, want inexpensive things to do, too.
So we have been searching out ways to enjoy Fairbanks without spending a fortune. You can
find the results of our research at Fairbanks on a
Shoestring. Check back now and then, as we continue to add to this page. If
you have a little more money, check out our Summer
Attractions page, our Winter Attractions
page,
and the Events page (for the dates you will be
in Fairbanks.)
The Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, are present year
round in the skies above Fairbanks. But they show up best in the winter months. Between
April and July they are difficult, if not impossible to see, because of the midnight sun.
The very best months for Aurora viewing are in the spring and fall; February, March,
September, and October (the Ranch Motel staff recommends March for those wishing to see
the ice carving competition, or October).
For more information about this phenomenon, you
can go to our Northern Lights page. The Geophysical Institute has been researching the
phenomenon for years and has more information. If you tour their facility, they will show
you a video about it.
3. How far is Fairbanks from Denali Park?
Denali Park is 120 miles south of Fairbanks and 240 miles north of Anchorage.
The Alaska Railroad makes daily trips to Anchorage every morning, stopping at Denali Park
on the way. Below is a link to a calculator you can use to find the distance to or from
Fairbanks to or from other places on the Alaska Highway:
Distance
Calculator.
4. How do I get to the Ranch from the Airport, or Railroad
Depot?
From the Airport
Cushman Street, the main street that goes through downtown, intersects Airport
Way, the road from the airport. Drive from the airport on Airport Way until you reach
Cushman Street. Then turn right. The Ranch is about 1/2 mile south of Airport Way, on your
left. See also question on airport van.
From rail depot
The railroad depot is at the north end of Cushman Street, about 1.4 miles from
the Ranch. Since Cushman Street is a one-way (running north) from almost Airport Way to
the south side of the Cushman Street bridge, you will need to traverse first street to
Airport Way on Barnette Street (turn a short right after you cross the bridge), turning
left at Airport Way to jog over to Cushman Street, then turn right and go 1/2 mile south.
You can download a map from our Map
page.
There is an excellent restaurant, the Home Town Restaurant, right next door,
across the parking lot from the motel. They serve Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner starting at
6:00 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m. except on Sundays when they are closed.
In the future, we hope to provide a link to their menu. A family restaurant,
they have excellent food at reasonable prices for Fairbanks. We have heard only
compliments on their service, as well.
For more casual dining, there is a 50's style drive-in restaurant which also
boasts indoor seating, C&J's Drive-In. The only restaurant in Fairbanks
which
still employs "car-hops", they specialize in burger and shrimp baskets, fries,
etc.
In addition, the Ranch Motel itself serves complimentary coffee for anyone
staying there. In winter it is put out at 8 am, and in the summer it is ready by 7 am, but
arrangements can often be made for earlier coffee for those wanting to get an early start.
No, we do not have a van, but the airport is only about 4 to 5 miles away. G.O.
Shuttles offers transportation in the summer to and from the airport and train station,
for $7 one-way, per person or couple. The
Airlink Shuttle is
even less expensive ($3.50 per person to or from the airport,
with two people minimum). Taxis are also plentiful, but
certainly more
expensive from the airport.
G.O.'s local number is 456-RIDE
(7433), and Airlink is 452-3337. In addition, we added
a Car Rental Page to our site to help those
who decide to go that way.
7. Is the Ranch on a bus route? If so, what will the bus cost me?
Yes, we are on the Red Line bus route, and there is a bus stop only one block away, at 22nd and
Cushman Street. The
Borough Assembly voted to allow everyone to ride free on the bus system during the winter, to cut down on air pollution
caused by lots of automobile emissions. The emissions cause what is known as "ice fog" in the interior, which results in
"whiteouts" which can make driving very hazardous. The
free rides will be in effect through the month of March, 2004.
You can find out more about the transit system, and the prices for the rest of the year, by following this link.
8. What is there to do in September; and how
about winter?
This is a good question. And so important that we
have decided to add a page with ideas especially for
September. You can find it here. For winter months, see this
page.
We cannot include the prices on the web site because we do not have just one
rate for summer and one for winter. And the rate varies with the type of room and number
of people.
We have two types of rooms, a single which has one queen bed, and a double
which has two double beds. June and July are the busiest months of the tourist season, and
therefore the most expensive; January and February usually have the lowest rates.
You will
need to write, call or e-mail the staff directly for rates when you know the dates and
accommodations you want. Our toll free reservations number can be found
on our page for the Ranch
Motel.
UPDATE: We tried to
simplify our rates, and they are now listed on this page:
http://fairbanks-alaska.com/ranch-rates.htm
10. Why can't I make reservations for
the Ranch Motel over the internet?
The manager of the Ranch Motel does not believe
that the internet yet allows credit card information
to be exchanged safely. Recently internet computer
hackers stole a huge number of credit card numbers and
expiration dates from a major bank, and when the bank
refused to be blackmailed into buying them back,
published them on the web at numerous sites.
The Ranch Motel does not want to be responsible for
such a thing happening to our customers, so
reservations continue to be taken by phone only, at (907) 452-4783.
Those calling from the United State can use our toll free
number, given on the Ranch
Motel page. We also have a fax number:
(907) 456-8031.
We do promptly answer questions about the motel via
e-mail, at
Questions about Fairbanks, or anything on our web site
can be directed to
,
or, if you want more information about lodging or the Ranch Motel, check our contact page . We do not take
reservations on the internet, but you can e-mail
.
11. Why is your typeface hard to read on my Mac?
Our new site relies heavily on the Georgia font
face, which may not come installed on your computer.
When a browser cannot find the correct font, it will
display using the default font. For Windows users,
this usually means Times New Roman. But for the Mac,
it usually means Times (which is similar, but has no italic).
Lacking italic, it mechanically leans the type to mimic
italic. It does not look well, especially at smaller sizes. We
have been gradually lowering the use of italics on our
pages. Most italics we use now are for headings, which
are typically larger sizes.
To help our visitors with Macs
solve this problem, we have added a Font Information Page,
which explains the problem, offers a quick tutorial on web fonts, and helps you to
download free fonts to solve the problem. Even windows users might benefit from this page!
