We took advantage of an easy morning at the campground. We did some much needed laundry (I have gotten quite handy in a Laundromat) and after everyone was up and dressed, we headed out to enjoy Fairbanks! Our first stop was the Museum of the North on the University of Alaska, Fairbanks campus. The museum was quite informative, and offered information on the Athabaskan native culture of Alaska and the wildlife of the area. The museum also housed beautiful modern art depicting and highlighting different aspects of Alaskan culture.
The museum exhibits were scattered around the campus until 2006, when the new building opened and the museum was confined to one single building. Now, the architecture of the building has become a landmark in Fairbanks. The architecture is quite modern and definitely contrasts with the older campus of UAF. |
On the way back from the museum, the front left tire of the Cranberry began making the most awful noise. To avoid damaging the car further, we headed back to the campground to try to fix the problem. My dad thought that washing out the under carriage of the car would possibly dislodge the sediment built up in the car that was causing the brakes to squeal. It seemed to work at first, but we figured out very quickly that we were going to have to take a better look. The men on the trip quickly identified that there must be a rock stuck in the brake shields of the tire, so the tire would have to come off. My dad wanted me to learn how to change a tire, so we worked together to remove the Cranberry’s tire. My dad was able to quickly dislodge the rock, and we were back on the road!
Next, we headed back to REI to look around some more. There is not an REI in Chattanooga, so we wanted to take advantage of it while we could! After a quick stop at REI, we decided to visit the Silver Gulch Brewery- but only because it is the northernmost brewery in the United States. We just took a picture outside of it and then headed back into town!
We came across a farmer’s market right outside of downtown Fairbanks and decided to stop by! Although most of the market was plants and home-made soaps, Zach and I found some delicious grilled corn and fireweed honey.
We enjoyed the farmer’s market for awhile, took a short trip into WalMart to pick up some cooking supplies, and then headed to the Cookie Jar Restaurant. The Cookie Jar was featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network Show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” and was given very positive reviews. Local Fairbanks residents always bring guests here and now we know why! The food is all homemade- everything from the bread to the salad dressing, and everything is delicious! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner, and were ready to go back to the campground.
Zach and I watched a movie before going to bed and cleaned up a bit, but after that everyone was asleep. Luckily, everyone is getting a little bit more used to the whole sleeping-in-broad-daylight nightly adventure.
Zach and I watched a movie before going to bed and cleaned up a bit, but after that everyone was asleep. Luckily, everyone is getting a little bit more used to the whole sleeping-in-broad-daylight nightly adventure.