Monday, May 31, 2010

May 30, 2010

Slow day

We didn’t do much today.  Spent much of the day driving around Fairbanks getting oriented and locating the sites we want to see.

We did start the day by going to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center.  We wondered when we drove into the parking lot why it was so large a building.  In side we found out why.  The main lobby which has a high vaulted ceiling has a couple of information islands manned by docents to answer questions.  They have computers to look up answers on anything.  There is a desk manned by Dept of Interior people to give information on wild Alaska.  There is a wall with public access computers.  A store that carries items geared more to a National Park or National Geographic feel. Science, nature, Native culture, etc.  At the far end of the lobby is the reason the building is so large.  ‘Room’ after ‘room’ of outstanding displays on all aspects of Alaska.  I say ‘room’ because the spaces are not square but sort of wander around each other with one display leading into another or branching off to others yet.  Displays on mining, agriculture, settling the land, wildlife, oil, nature, much information about native peoples, displays about cold (COLD) and darkness and how they affect people, wildlife, and plant life in adapting to the extremes .  The whole center was a very unexpected and pleasant surprise.

We had dinner and a nice evening with Tabby Buzby’s family.  We will be attending Tabby and Rick Glover’s wedding after our trip.  It was fun to meet them and learn a bit about life in Alaska.  Look forward to seeing them again in a few months.



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