Fairbanks, Alaska: Things Are Different Up Here Than In The Lower 48

Before I tell you about our Gold Mining adventure at the Eldorado Mine I want to repeat something I've said over and over since arriving in Alaska: Things are different up here than they are in the lower 48. You see example after example as you travel around and talk to people who live here.

Alaska was, and for many people still is, a tough place to live. And Alaskans are proud of it; most would have it no other way. For many Alaskans it's more than pride; it's a badge of honor. A badge of honor to be displayed and talked about with visitors from the "Lower 48" with a level of 'coolness' that borders on nonchalance.

"Lower 48" by the way, seems to refer to anyone who does not live in Alaska over the winter. The 'over the winter' part is key. When you ask some one in Alaska how long they have lived here, chances are the response is some number followed by the word 'winters'. As in, 'I've lived here for 17 winters' or 'I moved here 11 winters ago'. You cannot say you live in Alaska unless you winter here. Winters are tough, just like the Alaskans who live through them.

And Alaskans do 'live through the winter'. They get out and enjoy this incredibly country in all seasons, especially the winter. Snow machines, skiing, snow shoeing, dog mushing, ice climbing, etc. Just about anything you can think of has been done here during Alaskan winters.

Hey, when winter last six months you can't hide inside; you have to get out and embrace the winter. The difference here in Alaska is that if you are not prepared for the winter winds and temperatures, you can be killed pretty quickly. Alaskans do embrace the winter and they are proud.

Like the waitress in Tok who told us winter temperatures are routinely -40 below zero and this winter they hit a new record of -78 below zero, which is close to the Alaska record of -80 below. She likened it to the difference between East Coast summers that are hot and humid versus Arizona summers that are hot with no humidity -- a variation on Arizona residents who respond to queries about summer temperatures with the standard coupler of "Sure it gets up to xxx degrees in the shade, but it's a dry heat...".

Our Tok waitress gleefully told us she "loved the cold winter temperatures PLUS it keeps the riffraff out". Sounded pretty good until I realized we were the 'riffraff' she wanted to keep out of Alaska.

Alaska brings out or rather I should say, Alaska attracts people who feel they are different, that don't 'fit in' elsewhere. They do not share the views, biases, and opinions of most people in the 'Lower 48'. That's not to say they do not have their own views, biases, and opinions. Nothing could be further that the truth. Most Alaskans are not noted for being politically correct. Nope, most will share readily their thoughts and opinions, asked for or not.

Alaskans are fiercely proud of the fact they are different and of their right to be different. It seems people in Alaska do not care what you did before you came to Alaska. Or who/what you might be running from or to. Nope, they care about what you do now that you are here in Alaska. People and their eccentricities are accepted here. Some might shake their head at some one's behaviour or lack of knowledge but Alaskans accept each other. And are willing to help if asked.

If you feel like you don't 'fit in or you are different from 'everyone else', Alaska might be for you.

I don't care how 'different' you are, when you get to Alaska you'll see and people who are 'way more different' than you are. Guaranteed. Up here, different is normal. It's both accepted and expected.

Alaskans don't have the time or energy to worry about the eccentricity of other people. They are too busy living life and preparing for another winter. Money has to be earned, supplies have to be stock piled, wood has to be chopped, structures have to be weather tight, heating systems have to be cleaned, maintained, and ready to work non-stop for six months. Alaskans don't have to worry about keeping the unprepared and inexperienced out of the state; they let Alaskan winters do that for them...

The last few days have been spent exploring Fairbanks including Pioneer Park, going panning for gold at the Eldorado Mine and exploring the surrounding countryside.

Pioneer Park is an area with a number of exhibits featuring the early life of Fairbanks including an air museum that captures the rich history of bush pilots and early attempts to establish commercial airlines in Fairbanks.

The city of Fairbanks moved many of the original log structures from the downtown area and along the river to Frontier Park. Merchants can rents these cabins and visitors get to shop while also exploring early frontier architecture, or said more correctly, early log cabin construction techniques/styles. There is a riverboat on display, a small steam engine that circles the park, and most importantly for the citizens of Fairbanks, a couple of excellent playgrounds for the kids to enjoy.

The day before yesterday we drove out to the Eldorado Gold Mine, took a short train ride, learned about the history of gold mining in Alaska and then had a chance to pan for gold on our own -- and of course we got to keep what we found.

Before we started, Mary Lynn, our friend Dave and I had a friendly bet on would find the most gold. I won't tell you who won or even give her initials until the end...

The gold mining history is always interesting and here in Fairbanks, like almost every other gold rush, very few struck it rich. By the time most people arrived the best claims were already taken. Turns out most of the gold is 10 to 200 feet underground. To find the best places to dig, miners would pan for gold. Once a promising area was found, they would dig or blast away the 'over burden' of soil and permafrost to get to the bedrock surface. That's where the really large amounts of gold were recovered.

So the three of us were each given a batch of soil, which we put in our gold pans and began the panning process. It was a lot of fun and while not difficult, took a bit of finesse to wash out the dirt and leave the gold. Gold may be 17 heavier than the other material in the pan however it can still be washed out of the pan. In the end MLA found $12 in gold, Dave $10.50 and I found $6. I'm pretty sure I washed at least that much out of the pan in my excitement but hey, that's life...

Yesterday we went back to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to explore the Virtual Reality Center, which is a part of the large computer lab at the university. Then we took the Geophysics tour which included the Volcano Research (and prediction) Center, the Earthquake and Remote Sensing laboratory. Very cool stuff being done here at the University of Alaska.

Funding has been cut for the Volcano monitoring which is a real shame since they track ash plumes from volcano eruptions and help the airlines avoid potential tragedy that can be happen to a jet when it's engines 'inhale' volcanic ash. Turns out volcanic ash is not good for any kind of engine however on a jet, if the engine flames out due to volcanic ash, the consequence can be severe.

Hopefully US and/or state legislators will get their act together and find the $10 million dollars necessary to avoid a much costlier potential disaster.

See Ya!