There was a time throughout my spell at college where I could walk into the cafe and ask for 'the usual'. It seems like I have reached that stage in Sam's Sourdough Cafe too, as the waitress guessed my order correctly without me having to move my lips. I'm not sure whether eating three pancakes a day is making me put on weight; I do walk quite a bit throughout the course of the day so I think I'm safe- for now. The documentary I watched a couple of days ago about surviving winters here in Interior Alaska talked about Cabin Fever- where it's too cold to venture outside, forcing you to stay inside and consequently, eat more than usual.
Today, in contrast, was a fine day for walking and my first task after Breakfast was to visit the Musk Ox Farm that I was told was quite good. The trek to it took me through some of the university grounds and woodland, where students were hurrying around with their books, supposedly trying to reach their morning lectures in time. Once again, the carpet of leaves from the white birch trees was more dense than yesterday and there were a few birches with no leaves left at all. I observed that these trees were much younger than the ones still with leaves to fall.
Without a suitable map showing the actual location of the musk ox farm, I wasn't sure whether I had walked too far (and missed it) or whether there was still more mileage to be done. One of the things I've noticed with American road signs, is that they very rarely state what's coming up (with a mileage) and instead, they just name the current street or avenue, making navigation difficult for the innocent traveller. I got to a point where I could see a long and steep climb and wondered whether it was worth the effort. I continued and gladly so, as at the top was the musk ox farm I had walked so far to see. The farm, closed now for the winter season, was a bit of an anticlimax at the end of my walk; the only viewing points were around the periphery of the farm, through two layers of wire meshing. From what I gather, the farm homes not only Musk Ox, but also Caribou and Reindeer. The Reindeer were very easy to identify from a distance, and the Ox similarily. Musk Ox do not, like some of Alaska's wildlife, hibernate or migrate in the winter; they remain active and have to live off snow (for water) and whatever substance they can find for survival. During the summer, the farm's interior is open to the public, and the ox are tame so viewers can achieve some good shots. I only managed this today. Reindeer are in the foreground, with Musk Ox on the field behind.
On my way back to the hostel, I decided to experiment more with this 'macro' feature that I discovered yesterday and was pleased to get snaps like the following. For years, I have wondered just how photographers achieve some of their shots; by having the right camera and knowing the right camera angles, I assume, even the amateur can get something they can really be happy about.
The next item on the itenary was to visit the Downtown Plaza Market, but I managed to conveniently squeeze in a cup of tea back at the hostel before getting the bus. The journey towards the heart of Fairbanks takes you through some parts of Fairbanks University and it's quite clear I have a lot more trails to explore beyond the university. I reached Downtown practically dead on 4:00pm, the time scheduled for the market traders to start, well, trading. Despite the good weather, the traders didn't seem that motivated; most of them still setting up at 4:15pm; maybe most of their trading is with tourists, most of whom have left now that the fall is here.
I made my way around the market, which was surprisingly small for a city market, although I am reliably informed that there are usually many more traders in the summer. From going round, it was quite clear that fruit and vegetable harvesting is still in operation and some very good harvesting at that. I commented to one stall at the size of the radishes, tomatoes and sprouts. I got an expected answer: the sunlight is almost continuous during the summer allowing for maximum photosynthesis to take place, and the soil is good too. One problem, however, are sewage wells that can cause problems for tomatoes; these have to be, if necessarily, removed from the soil and treated in a controlled growing environment. I managed to resist the urge to buy a crepe from the stall freshly making and cooking them, although the urge was too great by the end, and I treated myself to one with maple syrup. I asked the difference between a crepe and a pancake, and it seems the biggest difference is that the pancake uses raising agents, suggesting why pancakes are usually more thick (and I think much better). Having thoroughly explored the market, I proceeded to have some dinner. On the way, I stumbled upon the 'Norm Phillips' campaigning group and Mr Norm Phillips himself, who is currently campaigning for Fairbanks mayor. I crossed to talk to him, especially after he advertised free hot dogs for visitors. I asked why he wanted to be mayor, and the answer centered a lot around the cost of energy and fuel. Apparently, Alaska sells oil to the public at the same price as it exports it. After that, he went on using all sorts of financial terminology that I unfortunately didn't understand, and requesting further clarification, I felt, would be more perplexing. (And I never got the hot-dog either!)
Airport Way offers food outlets on both sides, but I opted for Pizza Hut. From suffering a minor stomache ache this evening, I don't think I should have gone for an additional topping of Jalapenos. The last event on my itenary today was to go to a lecture in the Pioneer Park Theatre, about 'slow and fast earthquakes', hosted by a Dr Gregory Beroza. It was fairly well attended by many age groups; the lecture itself was very infomative. It was probably more aimed at PHD and graduate students taking seismology. From years of background reading, the concepts the doctor mentioned made sense, but for members of the community without an academic background, I assume it would have been quite difficult. Slow earthquakes are a recent concept; they are not high in magnitude (maybe only a R1 or a R2) and the fault slip can be quite lengthy and so less detectable on a seismogram. Currently, it is thought on a subduction margin, slow earthquakes occur at about 25km below the locked zone, and set off higher magnitude earthquakes along the Benioff, but research is still being carried out. In the 'questions' slot, I posed a question about collaboration and asked Dr Beroza whether there was as much collaboration as he would like to see between the physical seismic sciences and the social/political world in order for his knowledge to become effective in saving lives. He responded saying "I hope so-saving lives is what we all want". Yes, we all want it, but not every country employs the right methods. Enough on earthquakes.
I returned home from the lecture theatre, on foot, and managed to witness the last 10 minutes or so of a wonderful sunset.
To round off the day, swimming around happily in the Chena, were four otters. It was getting dark and getting a great photo was difficult; however, I think this is my best. A great way to round off a very packed day here in Fairbanks.
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