Fairbanks

We made it to Alaska!!! It took us about three weeks to make it to Fairbanks and it has been a great trip so far! Alaska is a BIG state. It is 2.5 times larger than Texas, if broken in half it would still be the first two largest states, and its mass is equal to 1/5th of the entire continental US. Just some quick facts for ya'.

After passing through US Customs at the Alaskan border we headed to Fairbanks. The weather in Fairbanks was cool and rainy for most of the time we were there and we experienced very little of the culture and cuisine. This was mostly in part to other things we wanted to do outside of the city center, but also because, frankly there isn't much to do in Fairbanks.

Our first day in Fairbanks was dedicated to running errands, which was not nearly exciting as it sounds. Doing laundry, going to Walmart, and putting air in the tires is not the ideal way to spend time in Alaska, but it was necessary and a good productive day. Dinner consisted of Italian food from a Lonely Planet noted restaurant, Gambardella's Pasta Bella  but was subpar to our palettes standards. My Lumache tasted as if the pasta was previously frozen and the Ricotta tasted watered down. The only thing that saved my meal was a glass of riesling, not a local wine, but I have a feeling that was a good choice. To give you an overall idea of our meal... Jack asked the waiter if there were any sorbet choices for dessert and he received a blank stare in return. The waiter had never heard of sorbet but offered us seven different kinds of "New York Style" cheesecake instead so we kindly asked for the check and left.

Our second day in Fairbanks we headed up to the Arctic Circle which is 180 miles from the city and is geographically the lowest point at which the sun is visible 24 hours a day at the summer solstice and subsequently dark for 24 hours a day at the winter solstice. We took a tour van with our driver John, a local politician who referred to Sarah Palin simply as Sarah and told us his platforms, for he was running again for state legislature. Regardless of the political discussion we did get to learn a bit about the history of Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, and the Arctic Circle. We also got to see the oil pipe which in its full length runs 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Ocean to the Valdez. Another couple who was with us for the twelve hour tour, who hailed from South Africa told limitless stories of their world travels and time spent in the bush. It all made for interesting conversation and an overall relaxing day.

The landscape is interesting driving up north towards the Arctic Circle and primarily consists of a spongy surface of moss and berry plants which is rooted into a layer of soil about a foot deep and underneath is the permafrost. We got to walk for a bit on the tundra and feel the texture of the soft ground underneath us, which is way different than anything we've ever walked on. The day ended with food and beers with our tour group at Silver Gulch a refreshing brewery and restaurant located ten miles north of the city in a small town called Fox. I'd highly recommend the porter and portabello burger with red pepper aoli sauce.

Fairbanks is an interesting stop for a day but a day only. You can busy yourself by visiting the museum, taking a walk in the park, or dining like a local at Silver Gulch, but for us there seemed to be a little something lacking here.