Craig and I decided to join the group at the Large Animal Research Station north of Fairbanks. They have herds of reindeer and musk ox. We really wanted to see the musk ox. They are perfectly adapted for the arctic climate with their thick undercoat of fur. The most interesting thing we learned is that they are most closely related to goats. And the thing we most enjoyed was seeing the babies, several about 8 weeks old. Sooooo cute. They also had a herd of reindeer that were a bit camera shy. They preferred to stay in the shade since it was a little warm and the sun was out.
Next we headed for The Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. On the way we stopped to view the Alaska Pipeline as it winds north of Fairbanks. You could practically reach out and touch it. It's an amazing feat of engineering. I don't know if you can see it, but the upright posts are connected by a bridge that the pipe rests on. The pipe can slide side to side which allows for expansion and contraction. The fins on top of the uprights are a mechanism for cooling the ground around the post since keeping permafrost frozen is a big deal with the pipeline. We've seen spruce forests on permafrost where half the trees are leaning. They refer to these as "drunken forests". Okay for trees, not so much for a pipeline carrying millions of gallons of oil.
After the pipeline, we visited the Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. We walked through the fields and the boreal forest. So quiet and still. A beautiful way to end the day.
Except that when we got back to the RV park they were having a car show. They do it weekly at this RV park. We walked around and talked to some of the owners. Nice folks having a nice day.
That's the way to end the day, especially for Craig.
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