Alaska, Day 1: Fairbanks.

I arrived at the airport groggy and cranky after an overnight adventure that included a four hour (1am-5am) layover at Anchorage airport. It was a nice day and I'd heard that Fairbanks wasn't exactly a hotspot of tourist entertainment, so for a hot second I considered renting a car and making the drive to Denali. Unlike other national parks, though, you can't drive through Denali and to truly do it justice I felt like I'd need a few days hiking at minimum. So I dropped my bag at the hotel and decided to check Fairbanks off the list. Denali will have its day soon.

After learning that the free hotel trolley that goes around town didn't start until 1pm, I asked them to call a cab so that I could go "downtown" for breakfast. "The" cab (I seriously think there is only one) arrived and I asked her for a breakfast recommendation. "Well, there's the diner, or there's a fancier little bistro" - I cut her off there, saying a diner sounded great.

Turns out, it was THE Diner

After a tasty, huge breakfast of French toast with strawberries, bacon, non-reindeer sausage and eggs I headed out to explore.

There is not much to see in "downtown" Fairbanks.

The river walk was pretty, though, and the University museum was really well done. The museum also offered movies from which I learned that there is a species of wood frog that freezes for eight months of the year and thaws for the summer, and that electrons form mirror images of the Auroras Borealis and Australius - I had no idea they were made from the exact same light. I want to see both the frogs and the lights someday.

Down by the river

Alaska puts antlers on things

I tried to go to the auto museum at the hotel (cars from the late 1800s through mid 19th century) but it was closed for a wedding, so I got a beer and some dinner at the bar and wandered over to the Tiaga Center for the evening movie. The schedule showed a documentary about driving the Alaskan highway but the staff couldn't find that one so the three of us (myself and two older ladies from New Zealand) chose a wildlife video instead. It definitely got me in the mood for camping, and I headed to bed in the night's bright sunlight excited for the adventure to come.

Song of the day: Far Behind, Eddie Vedder