Friday
Friday started off normal enough with regular class in the morning and a talk scheduled for the afternoon. Sadly, our speaker was not about to make it, so our professor, Dr. Rial, substituted for him. However, it was our excursion after the afternoon talk that was so memorable.
Just a short drive from the UAF campus is LARS -- the larger animal research station. At LARS they do research on musk oxen, caribou, and reindeer, so we were all pretty pumped to check out these animals.
First, we came upon a giant area where the male musk oxen were. Apparently this is around the time where they butt heads to try and determine dominance, so we got to see a couple of their spats. The sound that two musk oxen heads make as they clunk together was pretty cool to hear. And to think that these fights were going on just a few feet away from us was unreal.
Then we moved onto the caribou and reindeer. Apparently caribou and reindeer are actually the same species, just caribou is the North American name and reindeer is the European/Asian name. There are some slight differences, like reindeer are slightly fatter and their antlers tend to stick out more. Since Alaska is located in the United States, most of the animals as LARS were caribou, but there was one reindeer that was pointed out to us. Below is a caribou. The photo is a little fuzzy, but he can be made out. I'm assuming he's looking so shaggy because he's losing his coat for the winter.
Friday was actually a pretty warm day. I know I don't have much to complain about since the temperatures are close to 100 at home, but still, here is proof that it does get warm in Alaska. This whole week I have been wearing shorts, and sometimes even then I get hot since the sun is always beating down on me.
Saturday
On Saturday, we woke up bright and early and headed out to a dam at Chena Lake that protects Fairbanks from floods. Our tour guide works for the Army Corps of Engineers and he brought us along the 8 mile earthen dam and then took us inside the part where they have the gates in case the river floods. Here's me on top of the dam. It's not a very flattering photo, but apparently I was excited to be there.
On our way back to our dorm after visiting the dam, we drove through North Pole, Alaska and we visited Santa's house.
I even got to sit on Santa's lap, but that photo is on someone else's camera. I'll be sure to post it once I get it.
Finally, Saturday afternoon we stopped by the Long Term Ecological Station. Our tour guide was a lovely man who enjoyed telling stories as he led us through the forest. First, we stopped at an overlook off the highway to check out the forest fire. Here's a shot of the smoke coming from the ground:
It's a pretty sad sight, but fires are part of some trees' natural cycles. Still, it's disheartening to hear that some summers 6 million acres can burn. I can't even fathom that much. If my online calculator is correct, that's an area that much larger than Rhode Island. Imagine an entire state just wiped clean because of a fire. Luckily, the rest of our tour was not as depressing as looking at a fire (which apparently started burning last summer), and after quite a bit of walking, we came upon one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen. Since Alaska is on the intersection of two tectonic plates, it has some pretty unique landscapes. We hiked to what was basically the edge of a cliff and down below us was a HUGE valley. This photo won't even begin to cover what it was like, but it does demonstrate something I'm beginning to quickly realize -- Alaska is nothing like I expected. The landscapes are so varied and I'm constantly surprised. I would never picture a giant grassland-type place to be in Alaska, but here is an example so obviously it is possible.
I guess grassland isn't really the proper way to describe that since there are still lots of trees. But still, that's not how I picture Alaska in my mind. This state just has so much to offer, and I think everyone could find something they want here.
Sunday
Today was possibly the best day of my life. If not, it was definitely the most beautiful. This morning we woke up at the terribly early hour of 5 am and loaded into our van for a drive to the Arctic Circle. The drive from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle was 150-200 miles (maybe?), which took about 5 hours each way. It probably should have taken a little longer, but our professor has a lead foot. Half of the drive was on the Dalton Highway, which is half paved and half unpaved. After a total of about 6 hours (round trip) on the Dalton Highway, I can definitely say that unpaved is much, much better, at least in Alaska. The paved roads were pretty uncomfortable and covered with potholes and dips because of permafrost. The permafrost beneath the roadway is melting and as it melts, the road settles. So you get ups and downs, all along the road for miles on end. The van definitely went through an experience to get us up there. Along the way we saw the Yukon River and for the majority of the route, the Alaskan Pipeline followed the path of the road. Here are some photos of what we saw on our trek to the Arctic Circle.
So after about five hours of driving, we reached it -- the Arctic Circle.
And that was it. It was a sign. Five hours of driving on terrible roads for that. Sure, it's cool. I mean, how many people can say that they've been to the Arctic Circle. However, this wasn't really all because that would just be crazy to drive all that way for a sign. On the way back, we stopped at one of the spots along Dalton Highway -- Finger Mountain. This was the experience of a lifetime. The views were incredible, every way you looked. I hope I will always be able to keep the images that I saw today in my mind because it would be a crime to forget what I experienced today. I took lots of photos, but really they are nothing compared to what it's like in person. Here are some photos and hopefully I did a semi-decent job of capturing some of the beauty.
Today, everything came together for some wonderful scenery. The sky and clouds, the grasses and flowers, even the rocks. It was amazing. I know the photos aren't that great, so you'll just have to take my word on it. But should you ever find yourself in Alaska, make a point to drive north on Dalton Highway to check out the views. You won't be disappointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment