It has been an exciting and exhausting 8 days. We spent our final day at the Chena Hot Springs Resort near Fairbanks. People come from all over the world to feel its soothing (and hot!) waters. It runs about 110F. I tried it but I could only stay in for about 30 minutes total. It drains you but it feels SOO good. They treated us to a farewell dinner of prime rib, salmon, and cheesecake. We thanked all our leaders and headed back to Fairbanks. The long hours of flights back home await me, but I a… Continue

After touring the Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy, we proceeded to Denali National Park. We drove for over 8 hours on a tour bus, but it was worth it. Besides the awesome scenery, we also saw 6 grizzly bears (1 real close--see the video), three moose (including one close up with a baby), a fox, lots of snowshoe hare, a golden eagle, and caribou. Check out the photos and videos. I'm really tired, but I have a lifetime of memories from the park.

Today is the summer solstice and it is the longest day of the year. In Alaska the sun is up also all day anyway, so they call it the midnight sun. After hearing a few speakers and working on some energy lesson plans, we visited the Midnight Sun Festival, which is a big deal in Fairbanks. There was street dancing, lots of food, local art, and even a petting zoo. I captured a video of some native dancing. Very interesting?!? I decided to head back early and get some rest. Tomorrow, we are off to D… Continue

We finally made it back to Fairbanks after an 11-hour bus ride. I took a few pictures along the way, but nothing too exciting. We start back in the morning with a talk by the PI for ATEEC and the College of Science President from UAF. I saw a raven and got him on video making a strange noise. I also taped the helicopter from Toolik Field Station taking off and landing. We stopped at an arctic information center in Coldfoot and I bought a few maps and other junk. I am ready to come home, but we h… Continue

It was a long trip, but we finally made it. We took the four hour (and very bumpy) trip from Toolik Lake Field Station to Deadhorse, AK. We saw a grizzly bear on the way, from a distance. We also saw a caribou up close and a few herds on the way. We were picked up by BP and we spent the rest of the day on their property. We saw oil wells, learned about the Alaskan pipeline, and their environmental record. Mr. Streever is their environmental expert, and he is a smart guy. We learned a lot. We mad… Continue