When I last left you, I had showered and shaved. A momentous occasion that was celebrated around the state of Alaska. Our last day in Fairbanks was both busy and relaxing. We finished up our errands in the morning and then headed to the local Farmer's Market. Fantastic Alaskan-grown vegetables, home-made food and hand-made jewelry were just some of the items they offered.
After lunch we headed out to LARS - the Large Animal Research Station - located on the property of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Here we wrastled us some musk ox with our bare hands.....well not really, but we heard some stories about how the musk ox were reintroduced to Alaska in the 20th century. They were harnessed in Greenland and brought back here by train and boat. We met Ingrid, a female musk ox, and saw some of the youngest members of the herd. Also, qiviut, the soft fur under the outer layer of the musk ox, goes for $25 an ounce. So if you ever receive something made from qiviut, you know it was expensive but worth every penny.
Ain't she a beaut?
Then we saw some caribou and learned the difference between reindeer and caribou. Can you guess it? Reindeer can fly! But really, they are pretty much the same animal except for a few minor differences - reindeer are domesticated and farm-raised. They also grow their antlers differently and can be stockier than caribou.
Whoever has the biggest antler by mating season gets to sire the offspring. What implications does this have on our society?
We continued our educational afternoon by visiting the museum at UAF. Here we saw some cool fossils and the greatest outhouse ever.
I would have no issues using that one if I came upon it in the woods.
We ended our time with Tim and Jac by getting dinner at the Chena Pump House and then hastily packing our belongings for Round 2 of the trip.
We are soooo good looking
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