Musk Oxen and Downtown Fairbanks, AK

​I left the very doable University “campsite”parking lot, and arrived at LARS: large animal research station about 5 miles down the road, as part of the University of Alaska. Here I took a tour of the musk oxen and reindeer who are in captivity, where they are continuing research on every element of these animal’s behavior. Our tour guide was delightful, and I learned so much about these creatures. It was fun, watching their behavior, as there was some headbutting, and grass feeding, and new moms brought their babies in for a view, and a feeding. We even spotted a fox. We were informed that the musk oxen really are aggressive prehistoric animals and part of the goat and sheep family, rather than the Bison family. I really enjoyed my time here, as it was quite a beautiful farm with rolling hills.


I headed into downtown Fairbanks, and spent some time walking around visiting an art gallery, and some shops, trade shops, including the public square with sculptures, and a delightful chiming clock tower. There were three young people, playing stringed instruments, and it created such an amazing ambience. I treated myself to a local sandwich at the fudge shop before heading out to find my next destination. Luckily, I found a beautiful pond where I spent the night by myself in complete bliss. 




























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