FAIRBANKS day 4

I spent most of today at the University of Alaska where the Museum of the North is located.
I was told it would be approx $20 EACH WAY to the University by taxi OR walk a few blocks to the bus and go for $1.50--what would you do?? The bus depot was closer than I thought and it was NOT $1.50 but FREE for we Senior Citizens!! Great ride thru Fairbanks and outskirts.Quite a distance, 45 min ride.
Reaching the top of the hill where the UofA is located (great view, long vistas), you are struck by this unusual building, architecturally. Built as a new wing to the "old" museum you can see how this architecture evokes images of alpine ridges, glaciers and a diving whale's tale. It is an architectural icon and a major cultural landmark. Jason, you would like the diversity of this "artists" plan. What a treasure of a museum and quite "doable". Just the right size so it isn't overwhelming and you feel you can see everything. Exhibits focused on the cultures, wildlife, geography and history of each of Alaska's five major geographic regions. Few highlites were Blue Babe, the world's only mummified Ice Age steppe bison mummy, 36,000 years old! I am fascinated with the Aurora and the UofA is the center for studies related to this phenomonen.
They offered the DYNAMIC AURORA,WINTER. This is a movie describing and showing the aurora in all its glory. A very powerful electric field. When the pipeline was built the aurora had to be considered.
Another experience in the museum is titled THE PLACE WHERE YOU GO TO LISTEN. There is a constant sound, we are unable to hear, emitted from the earth. The sun, moon, earthquakes and the aurora effect the changes in the sounds. They displayed this with these sounds and different muted color and is ever changing as it is driven by these earth forces.
There is a room devoted to historical paintings from the late 1800's to mid-1900, including works by Alaskan masters.
There are many computer stations in these galleries going into more detailed explanations of what you are viewing.
I was surprised to see the donors for the museum were Bill Gates and the Usibelli's (mining family and one of my classmates so many years ago). Guess he "made it" as those donations were $1 Million and more. Don't know Bill Gates interest in the Museum or the University.
The Alaska Territorial Legislature included a museum in the charter for the UofA in 1917, making the UofA Museum of the North a part of the university system from the very beginning. The first exhibits were in 1929.
I then took the University shuttle bus (again free, this is my free day!!) to see the changes they have made since 1961 when I was a student here.  My dorm, Hess Hall, is now Hess Commons but Wickersham Hall is still there as is Eielson, Nerland,  Stuart and Walsh. That is it!! The rest of the buildings appear to be new with architecture similar to the Museum Building. Can't find the deserted road that went to the Large Animal Research Station (that is still there--they have muskox, caribou and reindeer). I would walk up this deserted road and the sky just seemed endless. When the aurora was visible I would feel like I could touch it. The sound was "electrifying" and the waves of color, magical!! Good memories.
The University offers 201 degrees and certificates in 126 disciplines. When I was here there were 1,000 students and now there are more than 5,500 with students from 49 states and 42 foreign countries. They offer the only doctoral-degree program in Alaska and the school mascot is the NANOOK, or polar bear.
They, and scientists from around the world, use supercomputers (not Watson but..) to solve some of the
world's most pressing problems. They said the high performance computing resources include petabyte ( ok!) scale data storage facilities and supercomputers that can perform trillions of arithmetic calculations per second. Well, at least I know where to go when I need some quick numbers!!
Back to town on the free bus. As I didn't eat lunch, when I passed the Thai House on my way back to the Hotel, it lured me in!! Hank and I ate here the first night and enjoyed it. Another tasty meal tonight.
Back to the hotel into the pool. Met a lady, originally from Manhattan!! Now she (graduated from Columbia), her husband (graduated from Harvard and is a scientist) and their two children live in "the woods" not the big city of Fairbanks but the woods!!! Quite a leap--Manhattan to "the woods" of Alaska! They homeschool their two kids, 9 and 13. They got out of "the woods" and spent the weekend here at the hotel so the kids could swim and enjoy THE CITY!!
Will pick up a rental car tomorrow. The roads here have so many black ice spots that I must be very careful. Apparently in November there was a 3 day rain storm . Then the snow and cold came, the ice got packed down with the snow and they don't plow or sand the roads or sidewalks. You're on your own there.  Yesterday a young girl and two in her car were killed, on their way to the Ice Park, hit black ice and rolled over. I have heard of 3 other accidents there. VERY icy road but still they don't sand it.
Till tomorrow.