Post # 48--Fairbanks--Culture Museum , Ice Museum and University of Alaska Museum

Post # 48--Fairbanks--Culture Museum , Ice Museum and University of Alaska Museum

Sunday June 8, 2014

Yesterday, we visited the Alaskan Culture museum and got a good lesson in the culture of the Iniquitous people before and after the white man (Caucasian )came. I must say that it is very interesting. They were a culture that apparently came to Alaska by way of the Northern part of Russia (whatever it was then) and across the  bearing straight and across from to Aleutian Islands  it was very similar to our American Indians except they appeared to be more apart from each village.

Today, we visited them again to watch a movie about the Aurora  Borealis experience (Northern Lights) and it about it was just awesome.  The theory  of how it is caused is
really interesting. Just think of how a neon light works with the electrical charged gases and you have the very basics .

After that we walked through the park and saw a tribute to the flyers, both men and women (the WASP Corps) of WWII, who ferried aircraft to Alaska for the Russians to deliver to the way to the Russians  who used them against Germany (and later us in the “Cold War”)Bet you didn’t know that. Well, I didn’t either.

Next on the agenda was a trip to the Ice Museum where we watched a movie about ice sculpturing and that Fairbanks is the worlds Ice Sculpturing Capitol of the World because of the size of blocks of ice they can cut out of the lake. Each one is about four cu ft One of the sculptures’ was there to demonstrate his skills. There was some very intricate ice sculptures there. I guess the skill required is much the same as sand sculpture’s except they can use most any power tool, I.e. chain saw, chisels, etc they want. It was inpressive but cold to watch and inspect ( it was  28 degrees in the work room).

Afterwards we stopped  for coffee and sandwich at the “ River City Cafe and Espresso“, a small Café, then an ice cream  and piece of fudge at the “Fudge Pot”

We then  decided to go to the University  of Alaska Museum of Alaskan Culture to see what else we could learn.

The museum was really interesting as it had a much more variety of items on display and included a lot of the artist display of paintings, pictures, artifacts and had a couple movies  about the cold Wintering over of residents and one on the Northern Lights that was much more in depth research than the other one.

The display of archeological finds of 100,000 year old elephant indicated they hadn't changed much over the years.   One of a bison/musk/ox  cow was spectacular. They did  a great job of rebuilding it .They called “Big Blue” after  Paul Bunyan’s Ox