Day 185, 7/4/2011

The town of North Pole hosts its annual 4^th of July parade and festival.

It may not be a Norman Rockwell scene, but Americana is alive and well in this community.

There are those who are less enthusiastic about being patriotic, though they have no difficulty enjoying the freedoms and benefits of being a citizen of the US, a country that foreign nationals have risked their lives to access and would never take for granted.

In a time when it’s less and less accepted, much less admired, to love this country, I find this little town’s sense of nationalism laudable. 

Day 186, 7/5/2011

You know you’ve been getting a good bit of rain when the sunflower seeds in your bird feeder are starting to sprout!

Day 187, 7/6/2011

Ladies and gentlemen, we have blooming delphiniums!

Day 188, 7/7/2011

Looks like I’ll be heading smack into another lightning storm on the way home today…

Day 189, 7/8/2011

Today was a beautiful day and I was fortunate enough to have been asked along on a little field trip outside the office. I went with my new bosses to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition station. (In alphabet soup terms, NOAA’s Fairbanks NESDIS CDA.)

The secure station is outside town and you must be or be with a NOAA employee to enter the facility. It is one of only a couple of these stations that collect data and images from environmental satellites and constantly beams said data to various users around the globe. Many depend on this data, from the Department of Defense right down to your local weatherman.

We got a tour of the facility, including the buildings on the compound and an up close look at the enormous satellites located on the surrounding hills.

The largest one is 26 meters (over 85 feet) across.

Oh and just FYI, driving around the greater Fairbanks area, sometimes you see these giant golf ball looking things, and today I found out that those are called radomes (a.k.a. ray domes), and they are just basically a protective shell for the satellite housed inside.

Day 190, 7/9/2011

More flowers from the yard.

Done today but not seen here because I forgot to charge the camera:

-Jingle in July 5k race in North Pole to benefit the arthritis foundation

-minor surgery on the lawnmower, which will hopefully be making a full recovery by tomorrow because the yard is beginning to look like the heart of the Amazon jungle

-catching a feature film with friends

-fajitas and margaritas at Gallos

Day 191, 7/10/2011

The Elf’s Den restaurant and lounge in North Pole. The sign says fine dining, but I assure you it’s nothing fancy whatsoever. Nevertheless the food is great. 

In fact, they were featured on the Food Network last year.

Day 192, 7/11/2011

The Fairbanks Youth Soccer Association’s fields were abuzz with Blue Butterflies this evening. 

Coaches, players, siblings and soccer moms and dads assembled on the sidelines to watch one of about a dozen games proceeding simultaneously.  

Day 193, 7/12/2011

Children's letters displayed at the Santa Clause House.

Day 194, 7/13/2011

I bet this mutant could drive straight up Mt. McKinley.

Day 195, 7/14/2011

Meet Martha, the "If Only" lady.

Martha stands outside one of Fairbanks' most popular downtown gift shops every day the store is open, year round. She is the self proclaimed Folk Art Ambassador of the Golden Heart City and is quite famous, posing for pictures with visitors from all over the world. She even keeps a diary.

Day 196, 7/15/2011

A panoramic view from atop Ester Dome.

The hill to the far right is Moose Mountain Ski Area.

Day 197, 7/16/2011

Wait a second, you're not a bird!

Day 198, 7/17/2011

There are some incredibly fun and scenic trails to hike in our own backyard within the Alaska State Parks’ Chena River State Recreation Area.  Perhaps the most challenging and one of the most beloved is the Granite Tors hiking trail, a 15 mile loop that ascends to an elevation of over 3,000 feet.

At the higher spots, the path is strewn with unusual outcroppings of granite that were formed as molten rock pushed toward the earth’s surface and cooled just enough before it got there to harden into all sorts of amazing formations. As the soil around them wore away, the pinnacles were uncovered.

It’s something like a bit of Stonehenge meets Monument Valley right here in Interior Alaska. Can you imagine being the first to have stumbled on to such a place?

Now that I’ve delivered the obligatory history lesson, here’s my review. This is a must do for anyone who loves a good wilderness trek, and has the stamina for steep rocky hiking. It is highly recommended that you go with someone who knows the trail, as there are more than a couple places where a person could easily veer off course, and folks have been known to get lost. (I hooked up with a few members of the Fairbanks Area Hiking Club, a vivacious and very friendly group that will gladly let you join in with them or even arrange something you suggest if they hadn’t thought of it yet.) 

It is bear country, but as long as you are with a group, they are likely to avoid you. In fact, there are those who’ve hiked the trail for many years and have yet to spot a bear from it. We opted to get the precipitous terrain out of the way first, so tired legs wouldn’t have to deal with coming down the steep and less hospitable parts at the end of the day. It’s a good idea, but just know that coming up you will be cardio challenged, and you definitely need to watch your footing.

The views at the top are gorgeous, and this time of year we saw varied wildflowers all along the way as well as ripe blueberries and salmon berries. 

The weather was great, though we had a light drizzle toward the end of the day. (Frankly it was welcome and refreshing, because we were getting a workout in!)

Obviously this hike can be completed in a single day, but another option is to backpack it and camp somewhere along the way overnight. Either way, you’ll have a great time, see some far out stuff and make some lifelong memories if you take your time, and take it all in.

Day 199, 7/18/2011

Wild Alaskan blueberries.

Pancakes anyone?

Day 200, 7/19/2011

Some students get into character for a performance at the UAF Summer Arts Festival.

Day 201, 7/20/2011

Today I was fortunate enough to be able to go on another field trip, to the radar site on top of Pedro Dome.

It was a fantastic day to get out of the office, and the Alaska Range was glowing off in the distance.

The National Weather Service’s radar tower is maintained by the FAA and transmits data to air traffic controllers at the airport. I was allowed to climb the 100 foot tall staircase and get some photos from up top.

Day 202, 7/21/2011

The Falafel stand is incredibly popular with the locals.

Day 203, 7/22/2011

The World Eskimo Indian Olympics began for the 50^th time this week. Native Alaskan athletes from villages all over the state gather in Fairbanks every year to compete in feats of strength and agility. Some of the events are quite amazing, requiring concentration, practice and skill. Others, like the ear pull, are just plain crazy.

Here, a competitor executes a swing kick.

There are booths set up at the Carlson Center for artisans to display and sell their wares.

There is even a story telling competition at the Noel Wein Library.

Day 204, 7/23/2011

Today’s post will be epic, as I took over 700 photos. It was no easy task to narrow down to a sensible number here.

Matt and I attended the Golden Days Celebration, which locals have been gathering for since 1951 to celebrate the day Felix Pedro struck gold nearby, ultimately leading to the founding of the city of Fairbanks.

The festivities include a one mile run, 

Dad says "wait up!"

the largest parade in the Interior,

Winner - Best Marching Band

GOTTA have the Shriner cars!

How embarrassing

a street festival, 

a rubber duckie race in the Chena River, 

and the Red Green Regatta (more on that tomorrow).