Saturday morning 8/10, I got up and went for a 3mile run with my mom and Joe and it was a really nice outing. I had been lying in bed awake and finally decided to check my phone to see what time it was and my mom had JUST texted to see if I wanted to go for a run. We went for a nice jog around a little pond and through a bird refuge. I was very surprised at the bird refuge to find out that they have Sandhill Cranes just like we do in Florida! They are a smaller subspecies there than what we have but they look almost identical otherwise.
After everyone got cleaned up and ready, we had to check out of the hotel by 11am. The lodge was nice enough to hold all our bags for us while we wandered around town. We walked to a local breakfast/brunch place but a few of us decided we wanted Taco Bell instead (lol, after a week of big meals and diners we were ready for something familiar). We quickly realized that there wasn’t much else within walking distance (everything was 2.5 – 3 miles away or farther) so we called a cab and headed to a nearby movie theater. What?? A movie? Why would you go to a movie theater when you’re in Alaska??!! Well, there’s really not a whole lot to do in Fairbanks. So we saw Elysium with Matt Damon (pretty good, maybe I’ll do a review on it after this) and stuffed ourselves full of popcorn and sugar.
After the movie, we still had quite a bit of time so we called the cab again and headed to the Tenana River State Fair. The fair was really fun! We walked around some neat booths and shops. My favorite was this shop that had awesome rugs, coasters and decorations made from recycled fishing/mooring/boat lines and ropes. This pic is their booth at the fair but click on it to see more stuff in their shop.
After the movie, we still had quite a bit of time so we called the cab again and headed to the Tenana River State Fair. The fair was really fun! We walked around some neat booths and shops. My favorite was this shop that had awesome rugs, coasters and decorations made from recycled fishing/mooring/boat lines and ropes. This pic is their booth at the fair but click on it to see more stuff in their shop.
Of course we had some obligatory fair junk food: pretzel dogs, turkey leg, funnel cake, etc. We watched a local bagpipes band and a really funny hypnotist. I haven’t been to see a comedy hypnotist in a long time and this guy was hilarious. My brother went up on stage but wasn’t particularly affected. There ended up being 4 active participants in the show and they were hilarious.
They also had all the usual farm animals competing for the biggest or best of their breed, arts and crafts and other categories that were judged. After we’d seen it all, we walked a mile or so back to the hotel and relaxed in the lobby until our shuttle arrived to take us to the airport. Yep, it was finally time to head home – a 5 hour flight from Fairbanks to Denver, a 4 hour flight from Denver to Orlando, a 2hr drive from Orlando to Jacksonville and a 2.5hr drive from Jacksonville back down to Palm Bay. Phew that was a long travel day! We made it home safely and with all of our luggage. It was sad to end our fun vacation but it was nice to sleep in our own beds again. Now I guess it’s time to get back to reality…thanks again Mom for a great trip!
There were so many beautiful quilts around Alaska! It's really inspired me to make an art quilt. But I really love how in this quilt they combined traditional quilt blocks with art and applique!
In case you missed it, here are the rest of the Alaskan vacation blog posts:
Part 1: Vancouver & Embarkation
Part 2: Ketchikan & Juneau
Part 3: Skagway & Scenic Cruising
Part 4: Denali National Park
Finale: Fairbanks & Going Home
Part 1: Vancouver & Embarkation
Part 2: Ketchikan & Juneau
Part 3: Skagway & Scenic Cruising
Part 4: Denali National Park
Finale: Fairbanks & Going Home
