0024 Sat 31st May - Fairbanks

It was not the most exciting weather in Fairbanks today, so it was about 11 am before we started with a bit of fun with the tow truck man trying to load Arie’s camper onto his tray without ripping the exhaust off, while Arie scratching his head in disbelief at the whole saga, and then Arie and Raya having to climb up into the truck before they all disappeared down the road !!!

 We then drove downtown and after a quick visit to the Visitor’s Centre (quick because there was a power failure downtown, so everything electrical shut down !), we went for a walk downtown. There is a walk along the river, but it was both cold and wet, so that wasn’t going to be any fun, so after a visit to the Antler Arch, and then the fountain commemorating the contribution of Alaskans and Alaskan companies in the development of the state over the years, we headed to the Museum of the North. This excellent museum is part of the University of Alaska, and apart from the excellent exhibits, they also had a couple of short movies – One about surviving in Alaska through the dark and cold of an Alaskan winter, and the other about the Aurora Borealis – Both excellent. Strongly recommend that anyone visiting Fairbanks takes the time to visit this museum.

 It was still cold and wet when we left the museum, so we went to a nearby animal study centre where I knew they have musk ox.  Unfortunately it was still closed (for a couple more days), and the musk ox were also feeling miserable in the cold and wet, so they had gone over the hill and were lying down – we could just see the head of one with the binoculars ! And that was about all we had time for that day.

 So we did a bit of a shop for food supplies, then went home and did the laundry before a quick supper and into bed.

The effect of the wind and rain and very black clouds we had seen was evident when we got back to the campsite – A big tree had blown down and fallen across a guys pick up, and taking down his electrical wires ! Apparently it had been quite a storm, with high winds, and was the reason the traffic lights and power were all out downtown.  We feared the worst for our flimsy blue loo, but on arrival back at the campsite it was still standing !!

 

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0024Fairbanks?authkey=Gv1sRgCOf7mbzhpYXQbQ#