Thursday, 25 June 2015 - Fairbanks to Minneapolis

We had intended for this to be a sleep-in relaxing morning, but the dining room at the Bear Lodge closed at 9 for breakfast. We knew the day would be a bit disjointed, so we opted for a good breakfast.

The hotel group ran a shuttle so we headed up to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks campus to visit the Museum of the North. The campus sits high on a hill, but the fires were creating a lot of smoke, so visibility was horrible. The museum had a very nice collection of Alaskan artifacts, historical documents and memorabilia, and lots of preserved animals. We were also able to see 2 films - one on the Northern Lights and one on the life cycle of the bow head whale.

Dall Sheep

Rack of mastodon!

We didn't see a polar bear, but this was a beautiful example

Yes, I actually did go on this trip! The grizzly was about the size we had seen in Denali.

Also on display was an eclectic outhouse. Of course we know who had to try it out, blue styrofoam and all - keeps the tush from freezing. 

After the museum we boarded the shuttle and headed for Pioneer Park.

On display was the rail car that Warren Harding rode to get to the location of the joining of the Alaska Railroad sections. There was a replica of the Golden Spike that he used. 

We spent a few hours there looking at the cabins that had been moved from other parts of Fairbanks to keep the heritage of the Gold Rush alive.There was a train and carousel, but neither was working due to the air quality. 

Grabbed a quick lunch at The Crepery - very good. Sharon had her stand-by of ham and cheese, Earle - fig and prosciutto, and I had a bruschetta crepe with roasted peppers, artichokes, kalamata olives, and blue cheese. Yum. That would have to hold us for the rest of the night/morning.

Back to the hotel to charge electronics, gather luggage and make our way to the airport at 6:00. 

The Fairbanks Airport (FAI) has 8 gates, but a good bar so we had our last Alaskan stout.

On the plane and off we go at 9:30 pm. - 1:30 am EDT. 

Landed a bit early in Minneapolis and everyone made connections.