Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline

The Alaskan pipeline was constructed both above-ground and below-ground.  In unstable areas like the permafrost in Alaska, where the ground can thaw, the pipeline is above ground and insulated with fiberglass to keep the heat from the oil away from the ground.

The Trans Alaska Pipeline is 800 miles long, it took 3 years to finish and when it was first completed, the pipes expanded 4 feet per mile because of the temperatures.  This is the reason for the zig-zag shape of the pipeline.

 There's the pipe in the trees!

 Huh?

 Oh!!!

 This is how high the pipeline is above the ground in some parts.

 This is where the pipeline goes in Alaska, north to south.

 Someone's yard decoration across from the pipeline.

Fairbanks, Alaska!!!

I really never thought I'd get to Fairbanks, although I've always wanted to come here!  I have to admit I've had a bunch of my preconceived notions shattered by actually coming.  Jeff keeps teasing me about it, but I think all the ideas I've gotten about Fairbanks are from historic novels.  It is actually a city here, there is no snow on the ground, it's NOT cold, I have yet to see a big bearded miner or a sled dog team, and there are cars and restaurants.  I promise I'm not really that naive, but I never really thought about what it was like up here and had I done so, I'm sure I could have figured out that it's like any other place except that it gets colder in the winter (sometimes -40 or -50!!! Thank goodness it doesn't get as cold in Bethel!)

Anyways, enjoy our pictures!  We've had a fantastic time here!  This is the view just before we arrived...

 A picture of actual Fairbanks.  They have real fast food restaurants and cars! LOL

 Most parking lots where you'd be parking long-term (library, high school, etc) have these in them.  They are plugs to plug in your car in the winter time so that your radiator stays warm and starts right up when you get back in.  All the cars up here have a plug-in hanging out the front of the car.  It's a small reminder of how cold it can actually get up here.

 A real cabin from the old days.  You can actually see the rags and mud stuffed between the cracks of the logs.  Unfortunately many tourist sites close around labor day for the winter, so we weren't able to go inside.  A number of museums and other places we wanted to go to had closed down only days before we arrived.  Bad luck on our part.

 This is in the chamber of commerce museum. The plane was called "The Bishop of Alaska".

 There's Jeff and the display!

 This is about fish camp.  Many of the natives up here and around Bethel go to fish camp numerous times over the summer, or even for the whole summer.

 This is a little building where they dried and/or smoked the fish after the women cut them up.

 This rocket is an example of the rockets that the University of Alaska Fairbanks shoots off into the Aurora Borealis for research.  UAF is the only college in the United States to have a rocket range.

 Other than the fact that this is a display, the snow and background is what Bethel looks like outside in the winter.

 I just had to include this...

 The outdoor freezer... :)

 This is the size of the pipes that are the Alaskan Pipeline.  See the size of it.  (More pictures of this to come later).

 Native beading on leather, surrounded by fur. I don't know what it was for, but it was beautiful!

Chena Hot Springs

I've never been nor actually seen any hot springs.  It was such an interesting experience!  The first two pictures were taken by someone else because we didn't want to risk water damage to our camera.
The first one is what it's like without the steam.  The pool was soo warm, it felt like a hot tub to me, but the water spraying out the top felt so much cooler, even though it came from the same place.

 When we went in, the steam was so thick, you couldn't see a person more than 10 feet away from you.  We hung out there for a half hour, then went to the inside pool to cool off, which reminded me of Mom's pool and made me miss hanging out there in the summertime!

 These machines are for tours in the wintertime.  The second one, on the right has seats you can see in the windows.  I bet that's a beautiful tour!

I made sure to be very aware. LOL, I didn't want a bear sneaking up on me, but we didn't have any sightings.

Incredible Ice Museum

This is the ice museum that you see in all of the pictures.  The two artists have put over 350 hours into everything in this museum.. They made the building in a cathedral shape.  Wait until you see the inside!

 These ice blocks are what they use to carve down into shapes, etc.

 Depending on the shape, some showed better with a camera flash on and some were better without. This is a polar bear.

 A samurai.

 The bar area!

 The "wedding chapel".  The two artists were the first people married in it after they completed it.  Apparently, the weddings are very quick. I wonder why...

 Coca-cola bear

 I'm in an igloo!

 We had taken a video from the inside so we could get the acoustics, but we're having problems with the video, so this will have to do.  Inside the igloo, they had created a xylophone which you could actually play!

 The back of the cathedral shaped building.  There are actually four "bedrooms" where you can stay for $600 a night.  They provide the blankets, sleeping bags, etc, but only 20% of people who attempt it actually make it overnight.  80% give up.  Luckily for them, the $600 covers a room in the lodge as well so if they don't make it, or need a restroom, they have a place to go.

 The Christmas room.  Everything in these rooms is made of ice, except the lights.

 This is the bed in the Christmas room.

 This is the polar bear room.  Jeff was sure enjoying the bed!

 Without the flash, the colors were beautiful!

 They called this the "Angel".  By tradition, she guards them.

 A fake toiled (made of ice).  The tour guide said that it used to be so realistic that people actually tried to use it, so they had to make it a little less realistic.

 With this ice ball, they drilled in from the bottom and packed each tunnel with snow, and then finished it.

 This is the bed in the third room.

 A beautiful carving of a rose in the "rose" room.

 This is two knights jousting.  The attention to detail was incredible!  See how the blue knight is stranding up in his stirrups as he thrusts his lance at the other guy?

 So that you can the other detail better, look at how the lance has slammed against his chest and how it splinters! The knight is leaning back, with his left leg lifting as if he's about to be thrown from the saddle!

 Happy Halloween?

 This is the bar again.  You can see the seats on the bottom left.  They're blocks of ice, rounded and then covered with caribou hide to keep your bum warm.

 Our tickets included 2 appletinis, in ice glasses! We even got to keep the glasses. :)  Of course they melted later.

 This is supposed to be Sarah Palin, but I can't see it. Maybe you can?

 This is their workstation.

 These are the blocks they put on a lathe and turn into martini glasses!

 A seahorse

 Wall sconces

 Oh, btw, even the chandeliers were made of ice.

 And the garbage can!