Fun in Fairbanks, part 2

The downtown area of Fairbanks is really quite nice… there are walkways and trails along the river, and a number of interesting monuments and statues. Best of all, it is just a short walk over the river from the Elks lodge where I’m staying.

  

The river is really high right now, they have had a lot of rain over the last week or two. This is a neat monument to the settlers that founded the city and the original families that lived here.

  

While walking the downtown area, I ran across a museum (yes another museum, but this one is definitely unusual). The Ice Museum. Inside, they show a film about the world class ice carving held here in March each year, and the museum actually has a number of ice sculptures inside in carefully preserved cold rooms. It is well worth a visit! The ice rooms surround the theater itself.

  

Yes, you can go inside, but beware, it is frigid! On one side, there is an ice slide you can slide down! Yes, I did!

  

Here are some of the sculptures, including a bar that serves only frozen drinks, and a complete dog sled team sculpted in ice.

  

  

  

There is also a demo of ice carving! A local artist comes in and makes something from a block of ice while you watch. I think that’s a snail. A few deft strokes and a rush of air from a hand-held blower, and it’s done! Looks easy! I tried to bring it home with me, but it melted before I could get it back to the rig….

  

  

The Ice Museum is a cool place! Pun intended! Seeing all this got me thinking… wouldn’t it be fun to come here to Fairbanks in late February and participate as a volunteer in the ice carving festival? See the northern lights (Fairbanks is the best place to see them), maybe play in the snow a bit on a snowmobile, get a feel for what it is like here in the winter? I have added that to my bucket list… maybe in Feb of 2016? We’ll see. Check out the ice carving festival at www.icealaska.com.

It’s the 4th of July! Fairbanks isn’t big on fireworks (it never gets dark!) but they throw a big celebration at Pioneer Park in town.

Pioneer Park has a re-constructed pioneer town, with many original buildings and cabins from the early days in Fairbanks. A small steam train gives rides around the park and there are lots of fun things for the kiddies, including playgrounds, and a huge miniature golf course.

  

  

Hey, where did these guys come from? It’s not every day you see Imperial Storm Troopers at a historical park! LOL!

  

The local Army base band plays patriotic tunes for the ceremony, and there are speeches and proclamations. What a beautiful day!

  

North of town a bit, you can see the Alaskan pipeline winding across the state from Prudhoe bay to the south coast. Quite a piece of engineering! Since so much of the pipeline is constructed on permafrost, they had to elevate it. Those columns have a passive heat exchange system built in, to prevent the permafrost from melting. See the big radiators on top?

  

The pipeline has to accommodate a wide range of seasonal temperature changes, so each mount is a sliding affair, to allow the line to expand and contract. The pipe below is on the outside of the mount as it curves around. In the winter, the pipeline will contract, and that pipe will contact the right side of the mount. That’s how it accommodates the wide temp change.

  

They send slugs (called “Pigs”) down the pipe periodically to clean the pipe walls. Some pigs are smart, equipped with sensors and radar/sonar to evaluate the condition of the pipe. They just pump them along in the flow of oil.

  

Finally, to wind up my visit, I head for the Silver Gulch brewery in Fox, just north of town. A flight of their beers reveals a very nice porter, and I fill a few growlers. They also have a strong American ale, named “Epicenter” that is impressive! Coming in at almost 10% ABV, it is a fine brew! I grab a growler of that too. Happiness is 4 filled growlers!

  

So long, Fairbanks! It’s been fun… I hope to return someday to see you in Winter! Now, it’s South to Talkeetna, and eventually back to the south coast to fish some more.