Reaching Fairbanks, and experiencing its charms

My turn to write.  From Tok we stopped at Delta Junction to see the end milepost of the Alcan Highway.  I was never one to collect hat pins, but this trip I've collected quite a few, including another one there.  Next stop was North Pole a hokey town built around the idea of Santa Claus.  The streets are named after Santa's reindeer, and even the light posts are painted to resemble candy canes.  People like to send post cards from there.

     In Fairbanks I had to get used to driving in traffic again, after days of hardly seeing another vehicle.  The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a fantastic museum.  We spent almost four hours there.  The highlight was a mummy of a 36,000 year old Steppe Bison, that was found by a mining company.  It was named Blue Babe.

     On recommendation from a friend we ate dinner at the Turtle Club, renowned for its prime rib.  It was excellent.  Today was cool and drizzly again.  For us, maybe not for the rest of you, it is becoming The Summer That Never Was.  We went to a farmers' market that had a lot of craft booths. Nell bought some more ear rings.  We got a bowl of hot chili and ate it in the pickup to warm up.  On the grounds of the visitors center is an arch made of moose antlers.  I wanted to get a pair to hang on the wall of our living room, but Nell said "No".

     This evening we went to the Olympics.  Not the ones you're thinking of, but the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO).  There were ancient native dances, women blanket tossers, (it's seeing how high she can jump from a trampoline made out of hides held by about 30 men), toe kick, ear pull, etc.  There were craft booths there too.  Since Nell had been buying stuff, I thought it was my turn, so I bought a small statue of an Eskimo fishing.  It is made of whale bone, walrus ivory, and baleen.  After that I think I'm done shopping.  We got a picture of the Eskimo and his wife.

Inupiaq  Eskimo & wife