2016 Aug Alaska 2

University of Alaska Museum.  UAF (University of Alaska Fairbanks) has the biggest study of the Aurora Borealis.  We saw a really good film about the Northern Lights. 

A view of part of the campus of UAF.

Permafrost effect on a train track.  One exhibit in the museum.  It's difficult maintaining train tracks and roads in the state.

Funny piece of art in the museum.

Same day we took a steam boat ride on the Chena River that runs through Fairbanks. The pilot in the float plane had a microphone on so that everyone could hear him on the steamboat.  He was telling about taking off and landing on this river in both summer and winter.

Above is Ted Munson, husband of Susan Butcher.  Susan Butcher was the first woman to win the Iditarod dog race I believe.  She died about ten years ago from leukemia.  Ted still raises sled dogs.  Here is has them harnessed to a 4-wheeler without a motor, so that they can train them all year long. 

Next stop was a First Nation village.  This pretty woman was telling us how they cleaned and smoke the salmon.  They score the fish so that it dries quicker and absorbs more of the smoke.

This coat made out of caribou hide, ermine and fox fur is worth $20,000.

Above a memorial to Susan Butcher's lead dog Granite.

The next day, we took a bus ride to another dredge tour.  It started out under a part of the famous pipe line.  Most of the pipe line that stretches from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic to Valdez is under ground.  The part that is above ground sets on pillars that flex with movement of the ground from earthquakes and permafrost.

We were then taken to the dredge on a train and was entertained along the way.

Again the woman had a microphone on and told us all about the time when this dredge was operating.  She told us more how the miners lived and worked.  It was very hard work.

We got to pan for gold.  Cliff managed to find 4 little flakes.  I was laughing at his little flakes until the girl below weighed them, and said they were worth $18.00.  I told him to get his butt  back there and pan for more little flakes.

This is the woman that was telling us about the miners before.  Her necklace was one carat worth $1300.00.  She had 3 or 4 pretty good size nuggets in her pocket.  Quite a character, and loved telling about the dredge.

Employees at the dredge museum lining up to wave good by. Another great day.