Fairbanks, Alaska

We have been in Fairbanks for a few days now and it’s been a very busy few days.    I do have to say we found out where the warm weather is in Alaska.  It’s HERE in Fairbanks!!  The first thing we did was visit the Santa Claus house because we are staying in a RV park in North Pole, Alaska.  We found out it’s just a year round Christmas store.  Oh well, it was still fun to see all the stuff in the store.

LOTS of ornaments

Santa was even there signing “his” book

Even the Post Office is festive

Sunday we met up with one of my RV chatroom friends, Rowdy and his wife Missy.  Rowdy became quite the tour director as he showed us all around the city.   Missy had to work and was to join us later.  First we went to the new Visitor Center.  It was more like a museum.  It really was incredible and there was even a National Park exhibit where I got a couple of really cool stamps for my book.

One of the bush planes

A really cool bicycle rack

Moose rack archway

Then it was on to Pioneer Park which was modeled after what Fairbanks looked like a long time ago.  It was pretty empty because everybody in town was at the fair.  It was a challenge to find something to eat because all the food places had booths at the fair and were actually closed at the park.

We did finally find some food but I don’t remember what it was called.  All I can say is that it was mighty tasty.

It was thinly sliced beef, tomatoes and  tsatziki sauce (greek yogurt with dill and diced cucumbers) on pita bread.  YUMMY

Then it was off to the University of Fairbanks to the museum there.  It was another great museum and the building itself was quite interesting.  Notice the temp!

There was the usual displays of dinosaur bones

And animals of Alaska

Not sure what the significance of this outhouse was

Then we went to the burl shop where they make bowls and other things out of burls.  In case you don’t know, a burl is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress.

These are all tree trunks that they have carved bowls out of

In the process of etching a bowl

Then it was off to the Musk Ox farm.  Actually it’s a research facility.  They were feeding them when we got there so they were all right up by the fence.  Very cool.

Then it was off to meet Missy for dinner.  We went to a nice place right on the Chena River and it was a FANTASTIC evening.

Rowdy and Missy.  Notice the sunshine!

Guess who?  The paddle wheeler in the background is one that we’re going to go on another day.

After dinner we went to our RV park and had a great time just visiting.  It was a jam packed day of site seeing and we had another great adventure today but I’ll have to write about that tomorrow.  I may not get to it because tomorrow we’re headed on a tour to the Arctic Circle.  It’s going to be a very long day as we are being picked up at 6:15 in the morning and won’t return until 11:00 at night.