More from Fairbanks

We've been having so much fun in Fairbanks, we decided to extend our stay for a total of 2 weeks. We finally got caught up on our laundry, and we're back in maintenance mode. We have stocked up on groceries, too.

Statue in downtown Fairbanks

Over the past week we've been on several outings. We picked a wet, rainy day to go over to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North. This fine museum is housed in a building that is a striking architectural wonder of its own, and houses a broad range of artifacts which exemplify all of Alaska, divided into the several basic regions that tend to have unique characteristics. For example, in the Southwest section, there is an extensive display about the interment of Japanese and Aleut citizens starting in 1942. Photos, newspaper articles, and first person accounts describe the plight of these people, which ended up being somewhat more severe than the interment of Japanese in the lower 48. In the Aleutian Islands, the small towns were destroyed to keep the invading Japanese from utilizing the structures. Thus there were no homes to return to after the war.

Another set of displays covered the geology of Alaska. Besides gold, the land is minde for coal, lead, copper, and of course, oil and natural gas.

Bear family up close and safe

Natural history displays exhibit the scope and size of the animals found in Alaska. Seeing the normal size of these bears gave me a fuller appreciation of what I might be up against if I should encounter one in the wild. I don't think I would ask them to pose for me. The current conventional wisdom calls for fighting back if one finds you too interesting to pass up, but I'll avoid the entire experience if it is offered and I have a choice. Other native Alaskan animal are mounted for viewing. Its likely the only way we'll see polar bears while we're here.

Eskimo art

Considerable space is devoted to disclosing the customs and art of the native populations and their history. In general, the PC term for these in Alaska is Eskimo, but there are several different groups that inhabited the area, and each has developed their own style. The eastern group, and perhaps the largest, are the Athabaskans who inhabited the eastern and interior sections of the state. Other tribes include the Tlinglit in the Southeast, and the Inuipiak in the Northwest, the Aleuts and Onangan in the Aleutian Islands. While all had to brave the cold, dark Alaskan winters, each developed their own subsistence means, and art and custom followed the materials available.

Finally, we saw two movie productions of the museum, both wonderfully produced. One covered life in the winter around Fairbanks, when temperatures can reach 60 below zero or more. Outhouses are still a way of life here, since running water and sewer lines tend to freeze, and of course, some parts of the area are built on permafrost, which never thaws. The other film explores the beauty and science of the aurora borealis. Since the aurora forms as a ring around the poles, optimal viewing of this phenomenon occurs in a narrow band that includes Fairbanks at its center.

The Nenana

On Wednesday, we tripped to Pioneer Park. It's hard to relate this to similar parks in the lower 48, due to it's lack of focus. In general the park displays the gold rush history of the area, but also includes rides for the kids and a wildly eclectic Air Museum. The park was built for the Centennial celebration in 1967, 100 years after Seward encouraged the congress to buy the place. It is owned and operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, basically a county organization. Where enthusiastic volunteers have devoted their blood, sweat and tears to preserving their bit of history, the park shines. An outstanding example of this is the 100 year old narrow gauge locomotive that is kept in working order and brought out on special days for rides. Other displays, like the 230 foot long Nenana riverboat, probably require more care and money than can be provided to keep the display in top notch condition. We enjoyed it nonetheless.

On Friday, Consuelo had signed up for a class at the local fabric/yarn store, so I took the time to look for photo opportunities. I first parked downtown and took my bike on the Chena River Bike Trail. I rode Southeast first, finding the end of the trail at the gate to Wainwright Army Base where I was turned away. I returned to downtown, and discovered an Army Brass Quintet performing in the park next to the river, so I stopped and listened to their music and ate my bag lunch. I tried to venture farther southwest, but lost connection with the trail after it left the park, so I returned to automotive transport.

Giant Alaskan Cabbage

I then went back to the U of A campus to check out the Botanical Garden. This university extension service provides Alaskans with firsthand displays of annual and perennial flowers, trees, and garden vegetables in the ground. If you're considering a garden or landscaping, you can see what luck the U has had growing varieties of your vegetables. Displays include the names of seed companies, and sources are listed if you want to purchase them.

Other areas of study include optimizing production in the 90 day growing cycle, under nearly 24 hour days. Some plants, like soy beans, need some darkness to thrive. Others, like the giant cabbages developed here, flourish under the long, long days. These cabbages get up to about 80 pounds. That's a lot of coleslaw!