In September 2022, daughter Jill and I traveled north to Alaska – a 12-day adventure from Seward to Fairbanks. Click HERE to read a short introduction to our epic trip.
This story is the eighth, and last, in a series about the sights we saw and the experiences we had as we traveled through The Last Frontier.
This story is the eighth, and last, in a series about the sights we saw and the experiences we had as we traveled through The Last Frontier.
Fairbanks, Alaska (September 13, 2022) It was midmorning when I waved goodbye to Jill, my once and forever ‘little girl.’ When we planned our trip, Jill booked a midday flight home, while I opted for an evening departure because…
Well, I thought at the time, this might be my one and only opportunity to explore Fairbanks, so why not make the most of my getaway day!
I scanned several lists of ‘top attractions,’ which included the Morris Thompson Cultural Center, Pioneer Park, Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, and Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary.
So much to see, I said to myself. But I can’t do it all in one afternoon.
And with that, I planned two excursions: a trip downtown to explore historic landmarks and an outing to the Museum of the North.
Well, I thought at the time, this might be my one and only opportunity to explore Fairbanks, so why not make the most of my getaway day!
I scanned several lists of ‘top attractions,’ which included the Morris Thompson Cultural Center, Pioneer Park, Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, and Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary.
So much to see, I said to myself. But I can’t do it all in one afternoon.
And with that, I planned two excursions: a trip downtown to explore historic landmarks and an outing to the Museum of the North.
But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft a-gley
~ From To a Mouse by Scottish poet Robert Burns
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft a-gley
~ From To a Mouse by Scottish poet Robert Burns
Yes, indeed, Mr. Burns – the best laid plans often go astray.
And such was my lot this day, as I had a bit of a chill, a low-grade fever, the sniffles, a scratchy throat, and just enough energy for one excursion.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…
I jettisoned the trip downtown in favor of the museum.
I checked out of River’s Edge Resort at 11.
“My flight home leaves this evening,” I said to the front desk clerk. “Can I store my bags while I go sightseeing?”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “And our shuttle will take you to the airport when you’re ready.”
“Perfect!” I said with a smile. “By the way, I had a great stay!’
She beamed from ear to ear.
I settled into an overstuffed wingback chair on the second-floor landing, where I munched on a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich while I caught up on texts, emails, and Facebook.
Then I called my wife.
“Good morning!” I said to Debra when she answered. “Jill is at the airport, I just finished lunch, and soon I’ll head to the Museum of the North.”
‘How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Somewhat better,” I replied, sensing it was best not to worry her.
We had a lovely chat.
“I’ll call from the airport this evening,” I said as we hung up.
I set out for the museum, on foot, just past noon. The temperature was in the mid-60s and there was a slight breeze from the east. With few clouds in the sky, I felt – and relished! – the warmth of the sun, and gladly accepted the healing power of its rays.
I covered the two-plus mile walk in 45 minutes.
“My flight home leaves this evening,” I said to the front desk clerk. “Can I store my bags while I go sightseeing?”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “And our shuttle will take you to the airport when you’re ready.”
“Perfect!” I said with a smile. “By the way, I had a great stay!’
She beamed from ear to ear.
I settled into an overstuffed wingback chair on the second-floor landing, where I munched on a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich while I caught up on texts, emails, and Facebook.
Then I called my wife.
“Good morning!” I said to Debra when she answered. “Jill is at the airport, I just finished lunch, and soon I’ll head to the Museum of the North.”
‘How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Somewhat better,” I replied, sensing it was best not to worry her.
We had a lovely chat.
“I’ll call from the airport this evening,” I said as we hung up.
I set out for the museum, on foot, just past noon. The temperature was in the mid-60s and there was a slight breeze from the east. With few clouds in the sky, I felt – and relished! – the warmth of the sun, and gladly accepted the healing power of its rays.
I covered the two-plus mile walk in 45 minutes.
Discover fascinating stories about Alaska's people, places, and wildlife in the museum’s award-winning exhibit galleries – your best introduction to this vast and diverse state. From Alaska’s wildlife to contemporary Alaska Native art, whatever your interest, you'll find something appealing on exhibit.
~ alaska.org
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The Museum of the North, located on the campus of the University of Alaska–Fairbanks, traced its roots to the 1920s, although the present building, which housed more than 2.5 million artifacts and specimens, was opened to the public in 2005.
I saw photos of the building when I planned my visit, but let me tell you, as extraordinary as it looked online, it was more so in person. In fact, IMHO, the architectural design was stunning!
I saw photos of the building when I planned my visit, but let me tell you, as extraordinary as it looked online, it was more so in person. In fact, IMHO, the architectural design was stunning!
Before I ventured inside, I walked the perimeter to see the building from different angles. I especially loved this view, which dazzled me with its sweeping, sharp-edged curves that recalled the massive glaciers and snow-covered ridges Jill and I saw when we toured Kenai Fjords in Seward.
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The museum’s Grand Lobby, a two-story, light-filled space, lived up to its name: A floating staircase hovered between the first and second floors, while a large bank of windows framed a section of the 600-mile-long Alaska Range – much like a landscape painting by American artist Bob Ross.
The best of the Grand Lobby, though, was suspended overhead – a 43-foot-long articulated skeleton of a bowhead whale. This was the only bowhead whale displayed this way in the Americas. I took it all in, and then stepped to the Visitors Desk, where I paid the entrance fee and received a gallery map and guide that proved handy as I wandered through the museum. |
There were four galleries – three on the first floor and one on the second –, a Creativity Lab, and gift shop.
The main exhibition area was the Gallery of Alaska. It was my favorite gallery, and the one where I spent the bulk of my time. I’ll take you there in a moment, but first…
The main exhibition area was the Gallery of Alaska. It was my favorite gallery, and the one where I spent the bulk of my time. I’ll take you there in a moment, but first…
My inner child – the mischievous boy within me! – compelled me to share a fact I learned when I visited the Collections Gallery, which offered a series of rotating displays about Alaska.
There was a furry creature in one exhibit – an endangered species called the Collared Pika, which lived in the high mountains of Alaska and Canada. This cuddly-looking mammal was part of the order Lagomorpha, which included rabbits, hares, and other pikas. From a nearby storyboard I learned that the Collared Pika’s motto was ‘waste not, want not’ because (drum roll, please)… …it ate its own poop to extract the nutrients it failed to absorb the first time. |
This “endearing” characteristic was a definite ‘ten yucks!’
The Gallery of Alaska showcased the people, wildlife, geography, and history of Alaska’s five geographic regions – Southeast, Southcentral, Interior, Western/Arctic Coast, and Southwest. There were a good number of displays with storyboards, and I stopped at most to look and learn. Don’t worry, though, as I’ve included only a handful of my favorites, starting with…
This coastal brown bear – aka the peninsular grizzly – was named Otto in honor of Otto Geist, who, beginning in the 1920s, curated the museum’s first collection of specimens and artifacts.
Otto was impressive and intimidating: He stood eight feet, nine inches tall and weighed more than 1,200 pounds when he was taken (a hunter’s euphemism for ‘shot and killed’) in the Aleutians in 1959. Coastal brown bears were the largest land carnivore in the world. They were also fleet of foot, able to run up to 30 miles per hour. |
So, I wondered, what should I do if I encountered a grizzly bear in the wild?
“It may come close or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell,” I read, “but a standing bear is usually curious, not threatening. Remain still, stand your ground, and slowly wave your arms.”
Easier said than done, I mused as I shuddered at the thought of a close encounter with any of the more than 30,000 grizzlies that roamed Alaska.
And then I read, “the odds of being attacked by a bear were approximately one in 2.1 million.” In fact, I was 25 times more likely to die from a bee sting than a bear attack.
Whew!
“It may come close or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell,” I read, “but a standing bear is usually curious, not threatening. Remain still, stand your ground, and slowly wave your arms.”
Easier said than done, I mused as I shuddered at the thought of a close encounter with any of the more than 30,000 grizzlies that roamed Alaska.
And then I read, “the odds of being attacked by a bear were approximately one in 2.1 million.” In fact, I was 25 times more likely to die from a bee sting than a bear attack.
Whew!
Woolly mammoths inhabited the tundra of Alaska until about 10,000 years ago, when Earth’s orientation toward the sun – its ‘tilt angle’ – changed enough to put an end to the last glacial period.
Do you remember Manny, the woolly mammoth in the animated movie Ice Age? Adorable, right? Well, the massive skull and tusks in this display looked anything but adorable!
Do you remember Manny, the woolly mammoth in the animated movie Ice Age? Adorable, right? Well, the massive skull and tusks in this display looked anything but adorable!
As I gazed on these fossils, which were well-preserved by permafrost (a subsurface layer of frozen soil), I pictured the colossal beast that my cave-dwelling ancestors encountered: Nine to eleven feet tall at the shoulders. Upwards of six tons. Fifteen foot tusks. Long, shaggy fur.
Run for your life! I shouted without uttering a word.
Then I read something that put my mind at ease: Woolly mammoths were herbivores that grazed on grass and other plants.
Nevermind, I whispered to long-dead relatives.
Run for your life! I shouted without uttering a word.
Then I read something that put my mind at ease: Woolly mammoths were herbivores that grazed on grass and other plants.
Nevermind, I whispered to long-dead relatives.
Alaska Natives included many groups of culturally similar indigenous people. One group was the Inuit, whose present population was between 25,000 and 35,000.
Traditionally, Inuit inhabited the Arctic coast of Alaska, where they fished and hunted whales, caribou, seals, and walruses from a one-man boat called a qajaq. I looked at the boat in this display – the one that hung on the wall – and thought about the name. Ahh, I said to myself. It’s a kayak!
Traditionally, Inuit inhabited the Arctic coast of Alaska, where they fished and hunted whales, caribou, seals, and walruses from a one-man boat called a qajaq. I looked at the boat in this display – the one that hung on the wall – and thought about the name. Ahh, I said to myself. It’s a kayak!
The qajaq was a ‘skin boat’ made of tough and durable seal and walrus skins that were stitched together and waterproofed with animal fat, and then stretched over a frame fashioned from driftwood and animal bones. Much like modern-day kayaks, these boats were sturdy and nimble.
The second skin-covered boat – the longer of the two – was an umiaq, which ranged in length from 15 to 60 feet. Inuit used it to transport people and goods over long distances. The museum possessed an umiaq – not the one displayed – that was dated at 1,000 years old.
The second skin-covered boat – the longer of the two – was an umiaq, which ranged in length from 15 to 60 feet. Inuit used it to transport people and goods over long distances. The museum possessed an umiaq – not the one displayed – that was dated at 1,000 years old.
In my story I Crossed the Arctic Circle, I wrote, “I’d love to see a polar bear in the wild.” Well, I didn’t, so this ‘sighting’ had to suffice.
Of all the animals in Alaska, why was I drawn to the polar bear? Let’s see…
Of all the animals in Alaska, why was I drawn to the polar bear? Let’s see…
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- In truth, polar bears were powerful and aggressive predators. Fortunately, humans weren’t part of their normal dietary regiment...but seals were.
- And finally, IMHO, polar bears were THE wildlife species that best symbolized rough and rugged Alaska.
I climbed the staircase to the second floor, where I wandered through the Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery. There were ivory carvings, Alaska Native objects, paintings, photography, and sculptures – from traditional to modern. Several pieces caught my eye, none more so than the Great Alaska Outhouse Experience.
“In some rural areas of Alaska, an outhouse is still used when there is no indoor plumbing," I read from a storyboard. "Artist Craig Buchanan has assembled utilitarian objects to create a sculpture where you can sit and imagine being outdoors at below freezing temperatures.” |
What a hoot! I thought. Yep – this offbeat sculpture definitively bridged traditional to contemporary!!
This was an interactive experience, as the storyboard invited me to “sit in the outhouse to experience it” (I did), and challenged me to find a lantern, Hennessey Cognac bottle, Big I milk bottle, and many other objects (I did). It was fun, fun, fun…until I heard a voice ask, “Excuse me, but are you almost done in there?” Does this person realize this is an object of art, I wondered, and not a public restroom? |
The museum had several outdoor exhibits, which included a ‘cleaning pig’ from the Trans-Alaska pipeline (not an actual pig, mind you, but rather a mechanical device that cleaned the pipeline and checked for structural issues) and a wooden blockhouse from 1841 (one of the oldest Russian-era structures in Alaska).
My favorite outdoor display, though, was this beautiful 20-foot-tall totem pole carved from western red cedar by Nathan Jackson, an Alaska Native and master wood carver.
“Tradition is something that most people say is identity. So, the traditional way of life is something I identify with in the sense that it’s pretty hard to change those things that are deeply imbedded.” ~ Nathan Jackson Totems were not unique to Alaska Natives. In fact, the word totem (‘clan’ in English) came from the language of the Ojibwe, an Algonkian-speaking tribe that lived around the Great Lakes. Still, like many indigenous people, Alaska Natives built totems to tell stories and legends, commemorate life events, and represent spirits. |
This pole, raised in a traditional Tlingit ceremony in 1988, was the ‘Wolf Totem Pole: Everyone’s Grandfather.’ It featured three figures – eagle, wolf, and bear, from top to bottom – as it honored the Wolf Clan and the process of one generation teaching another.
When I checked my watch, I saw that three hours had passed. I could have easily spent the day.
The displays and storyboards throughout the museum reinforced much of what Jill and I learned when we explored Seward, Girdwood, Talkeetna, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, and places in between. Little did I know when I planned this outing that it would be a capstone learning experience to our adventure through Alaska!
When I checked my watch, I saw that three hours had passed. I could have easily spent the day.
The displays and storyboards throughout the museum reinforced much of what Jill and I learned when we explored Seward, Girdwood, Talkeetna, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, and places in between. Little did I know when I planned this outing that it would be a capstone learning experience to our adventure through Alaska!
I retraced my steps to Rivers’ Edge Resort, where I relaxed for an hour or so before I caught the shuttle to Fairbanks International Airport.
My trip home felt nearly as arduous as my journey to and from the Arctic Circle. It started and ended with two short flights – Fairbanks to Anchorage and Phoenix to Show Low. The challenge was the ‘in-between’ – a three-hour, late-night layover in Anchorage; a six-hour red-eye flight to Phoenix; and a five-hour morning layover in Phoenix. Fifteen hours from start to finish. Ay yai yai!
But, as the saying goes, no pain, no gain: My wife’s loving smile and warm embrace when I arrived home was a welcome tonic.
Yes, Dorothy, you got it right, I thought. There’s no place like home!
But, as the saying goes, no pain, no gain: My wife’s loving smile and warm embrace when I arrived home was a welcome tonic.
Yes, Dorothy, you got it right, I thought. There’s no place like home!