Posted: 9/5/2024 9:17:39 AM EDT
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Good morning Alaskan Arfcom members! Wife and I are taking a 4 day trip to Fairbanks in a few weeks. Hard to believe we’re at 10 years married, but to celebrate we’re going somewhere cold. Without the kids  I’ve two questions for the locals. 1) If we’re primarily in “populated” areas, do I need a wildlife gun? I have a 9mm- and would like to get a 10mm but the budget isn’t there right now. Would I be ok just getting a can of bear-spray? Anyone want it when we leave? 2) Is there a good, local place to get king crab? I know that stuff isn’t cheap, but I’ve heard it’s slightly cheaper in Alaska because it’s all right there, and fresh, and not shipped. Thanks all- open to other suggestions for things to do. Looking forward to visiting your great state. |
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Originally Posted By Iseifert: Good morning Alaskan Arfcom members! Wife and I are taking a 4 day trip to Fairbanks in a few weeks. Hard to believe we’re at 10 years married, but to celebrate we’re going somewhere cold. Without the kids I’ve two questions for the locals. 1) If we’re primarily in “populated” areas, do I need a wildlife gun? I have a 9mm- and would like to get a 10mm but the budget isn’t there right now. Would I be ok just getting a can of bear-spray? Anyone want it when we leave? 2) Is there a good, local place to get king crab? I know that stuff isn’t cheap, but I’ve heard it’s slightly cheaper in Alaska because it’s all right there, and fresh, and not shipped. Thanks all- open to other suggestions for things to do. Looking forward to visiting your great state. 1) I’ve never seen a bear close to Fairbanks proper. Not saying they aren’t here(for example one was spotted near the university this summer) but they aren’t common. It’s not like anchorage where black bears are like squirrels. I’d say you’d be fine with bear spray. 2) I’m not a crab guy so can’t comment too much on that. I’m sure you can get it at the grocery stores but idk about the pricing. Used to be a guy that sold it out of a van but I haven’t seen him in a while. Will be very much “fall” by then. I’d expect lows to be below freezing. Highs in the 40s-50s. If you need any further recommendations of things to do/eat/whatever let me know. I will say I love living here, but I once heard someone say “Fairbanks is the ugliest part of Alaska” and they weren’t wrong. There are a lot of absolutely beautiful places you can drive to within a few hours though. For example, rainbow ridge: Attached File |
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Originally Posted By uafgrad: What are you planning/wanting to do while you are in town? Monday is our travel day- not sure when our flight lands but it’s after 16:00 Fairbanks time. Wednesday we have there and back train tickets to Denali. It only gives us 4 hours in the park, but we get the 3ish hour train ride to look out the window and see Alaska. Friday we fly out at like- 17:00. On the current list to see, is whatever museum is in Fairbanks, the trans Alaska pipeline, see if we can “sneak” on to the University of Fairbanks campus where a friend of mine designed a boiler when he was at B&W. The rainbow ridge suggestion is good as long as we don’t exceed the miles on our Turo rental. |
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Originally Posted By Iseifert: Monday is our travel day- not sure when our flight lands but it’s after 16:00 Fairbanks time. Wednesday we have there and back train tickets to Denali. It only gives us 4 hours in the park, but we get the 3ish hour train ride to look out the window and see Alaska. Friday we fly out at like- 17:00. On the current list to see, is whatever museum is in Fairbanks, the trans Alaska pipeline, see if we can “sneak” on to the University of Fairbanks campus where a friend of mine designed a boiler when he was at B&W. The rainbow ridge suggestion is good as long as we don’t exceed the miles on our Turo rental. It’s not a military installation; you can just drive on. They even have a museum you can go to. |
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Originally Posted By Rosta97: It’s not a military installation; you can just drive on. They even have a museum you can go to. While true, I doubt they let people off the street look at the boiler that heats the campus. So- sneak means ask some maintenance person if they’d let us in. |
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Originally Posted By Iseifert: Monday is our travel day- not sure when our flight lands but it’s after 16:00 Fairbanks time. Wednesday we have there and back train tickets to Denali. It only gives us 4 hours in the park, but we get the 3ish hour train ride to look out the window and see Alaska. Friday we fly out at like- 17:00. On the current list to see, is whatever museum is in Fairbanks, the trans Alaska pipeline, see if we can “sneak” on to the University of Fairbanks campus where a friend of mine designed a boiler when he was at B&W. The rainbow ridge suggestion is good as long as we don’t exceed the miles on our Turo rental. Museum of the North at the University Morris Thompson Cultural Center Fountain Head Car Museum (It is world class) While at UAF, take the 10 min trip to go to the Large Animal Research Station (LARS) and see the Musk Ox No reason to sneak on to campus, it is an open campus If you want to see the pipeline its like a 15-20 min drive from downtown Fairbanks and there are a couple of decent restaurants out there Santa Claus house is in North Pole, a 20-30 min drive. It's a tourist trap, but many people enjoy it. The train ride to Denali is nice. 4 hours in the park is a very short time, don't expect to do a whole bunch in the park, but you can hike around close to the train station. |
Originally Posted By bigbore:
The price for having a dog in your life isn't counted in vet bills and food, its a one time fee paid in tears. Worth every drop.
The price for having a dog in your life isn't counted in vet bills and food, its a one time fee paid in tears. Worth every drop.
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Originally Posted By Iseifert: While true, I doubt they let people off the street look at the boiler that heats the campus. So- sneak means ask some maintenance person if they’d let us in. How long ago was it? They built a new power plant within the last 8-10 years, so it may not be there anymore @NorthPolar might be able to tell you more about what is there as I believe his father worked in UAF Facilities. |
Originally Posted By bigbore:
The price for having a dog in your life isn't counted in vet bills and food, its a one time fee paid in tears. Worth every drop.
The price for having a dog in your life isn't counted in vet bills and food, its a one time fee paid in tears. Worth every drop.
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Originally Posted By uafgrad: How long ago was it? They built a new power plant within the last 8-10 years, so it may not be there anymore @NorthPolar might be able to tell you more about what is there as I believe his father worked in UAF Facilities. They've still got some of the old boiler units and hvac at the physical plant. I'd honestly just call ahead and talk to the guys in the heating shop about it. They're pretty solid people, although all the ones I know are paint or grounds, but those are a little out of date since my dad retired and brother passed. |
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