6-7 June 2013; Fairbanks AK--
Yesterday, we flew via commercial airline to Fairbanks, Alaska to begin a two-week safari of a very few of the many interesting sights that may be visited in this great State (larger than all three of the next three biggest States). While we generally view the State as an extension of a "Lambert Conformal" projection of the lower 48, up here they show the State in a more true geometrically-correct shape, using a Lambert projection that comprises only the 60th and the 65th parallels. It is still big, but the Yukon river's curves looked weird to Grumpy, who has visited (or crossed) the great river in many places from its headwaters at White Pass just over the hill from Skagway, all the way to where the Alaska Pipeline crosses it Northwest of Fairbanks.
Our flight up, mostly at about 30,000 feet, was out of sight of the ground (and Pipeline) except for a short time as we descended below dense clouds shedding rain, just before we landed in Fairbanks. So, no pictures there.
In fact, Grumpy just discovered that I didn't include my USB cables with my new little camera, which I bought just especial for this trip so I could document and report back with words and pictures, what we old folks are and were doing, So you all are just going to have to put up with my poor imitation of words without pictures. And, you know, they say a picture is worth 10,000 words, so be prepared for some long, wordy dispatches. -- Starting now!
Today (Friday) we walked about a mile and a half from our motel to the "Alaska Museum of the North". This was to be our first of three major sights we would visit in Fairbanks. Unfortunately, the distance also included a steep up-hill climb for the last quarter mile, and some of us "poohed out". We then found that there was a bus that would have taken us from two blocks from our motel to the front door of the museum.
Tired, but still motivated, we toured this museum, enjoying displays of some Mastodon skulls with 15-20 foot tusks, some smaller Mammoth skulls, also with their tusks intact, and many other types of Arctic mammals and birds. The long-tailed Jaeger, a most vicious bird when a person gets too close to its nest. Grumpy encountered a similarly aggressive bird, called the Qeiro-Qeiro bird, at an airport in Brazil. A body cast of a Siberian Bison, whose quick-frozen body was found partially buried in permafrost near Fairbanks in 1979, was also on display in this museum. Grumpy had remembered that the actual body had been on display (kept frozen, of course) about 18 years ago when he visited this museum.
After this, we rode the bus to an ice sculpture museum; unfortunately this museum was having a mechanical problem (Grumpy thinks their refrigeration system was on the fritz) and so was closed.
Next on our agenda was to visit the Pioneer Park, where several historical artifacts were on display. Included was an aviation museum where old aircraft motors and aircraft parts were shown, including the engine and parts of the airplane in which Will Rogers and Wiley Post were killed. [Previous to their fatal accident in Alaska, Wiley Post and Will Rogers had taken off from Renton airport. A monument commemorating their last visit is located at the Southwest corner of the airport property.]
Finally, we all enjoyed a Salmon Bake feast at a section of Pioneer Park which reflected the machinery and housing decor of the mining culture in and around Fairbanks. For a decent price per person, we each had our choice of all-you-can-eat baked Salmon, or Prime Rib roast, or King crab legs -- or hot dogs. Grumpy "pigged out" with two 4 oz pieces of baked Salmon -- and a small chunk of cake smothered in Blueberry compote.
Unable to find where we could catch the "Red Line" bus, we "dragged" ourselves the last half to three-quarters of a mile back to our motel. Grumpy is betting that everyone will sleep "tight" tonight!!
Tomorrow fairly early, we catch the train to Denali where we will stay again in luxury for two nights. Stay tuned!!
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