Indoors in Fairbanks

Located at the University of Alaska’s Fairbanks Campus, this was an outstanding way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon! I arrived at around 3pm, approximately two hours before their closing time. It was the perfect amount of time to take in the two floors exhibits. The museum consists of two primary areas--the Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery on the second floor and the Gallery of Alaska on the first.

I started upstairs and thoroughly enjoyed the artwork exhibits that included photographs, oils, sculptures and woodcarvings. There was also an old “antique outhouse” created from Alaskan artifacts. It was really “art” and not a functioning or past outhouse.

Downstairs, the Gallery of Alaska depicts how Alaska has evolved over centuries and represented the five geographic regions of the state... their people and animals native to each. This is the largest collection of animals native to Alaska. While I loved seeing all of the animals, large and small, my favorite were the individual displays of the beautiful articles of clothing, including handmade moose hyde coats and boots, often lined with the fur from rabbits and other animals hunted in the region.

I did lose time watching the short video that talked about the aurora borealis and the research being conducted by the University of Alaska – Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute. It was very informative and included beautiful video of the aurora from their Poker Flat rocket launching facility on the outskirts of town.

During my visit, there was also a special exhibit: The Nature and Art of Collections highlighting many of the museums collections and the curators that make up the museum’s research collections covering millions of years of biological evolution and the thousands of years of cultural development in Alaska. I was surprised to see some of the collections were on permanent loan from Iowa State University. The articles included the research papers and journals of an ISU professor from the early 1920s.

Admission prices are $10 for adults, $5 for youth ages 7 to 17 and free for children under 7. There is also a discount for seniors.

Originally built in 1921, the Pump House Restaurant & Saloon stands today as a historical landmark renovated in 1978 to depict what it was like in Fairbanks during the gold rush era of the 1890s. You walk in on an old hardwood floor and can feel the history as though you are walking into a mountain lodge particularly with the high wood-beamed ceiling. All of the antique relics are original, with some dating back over 150 years. Included in the collection of antiques from that period is a Brunswick Union League Pool Table, built in 1898. Adding to the "lodge" feeling was a number of mounted animal heads. The view overlooking the Chena River is magnificent, even if on my visit it was completely frozen over. I can only imagine what it would be like dining here during the summer, tipping back a brewski watching the Discovery Riverboat pass by and the float planes land out on the river.

Their menu was largely what you would expect to find in an area rich in seafood (halibut, shrimp, salmon and king crab legs) and land delights (steaks, chicken, ribs and wild game such as reindeer). For dinner I had the bacon wrapped crab stuffed jumbo shrimp which came with mixed vegetables plus a wild rice dish. I subbed the au gratin potatoes for the rice, which made for a perfect accompaniment for my entrée. I could have added a baked potato for another $3.50 surcharge, but didn’t feel it was worth that much for a baker.

The shrimp were about the size of my thumb and were very tender and delicious. I thought the bacon was a bit overwhelming for this seafood delight, so I only ate a small amount of that. Salad or soup came with the meal, so I started with the garden dinner salad, which was topped with what tasted like a homemade Russian dressing. I had the perfect end to my meal after reviewing the beautiful dessert tray featuring a number of made-on-the-premises delights. I chose the non-flour chocolate torte which had a chocolate mousse-like dome top, covered with strawberries.

My complete meal, which did not include alcohol, was just over $40 including tip. Admittedly, the Pump House Restaurant & Saloon is pricey even by Alaskan standards and may not be appropriate for families traveling with children. It’s just not someplace I would come back to multiple times during a week’s visit, primarily due to the high prices. With that being said, I enjoyed an outstanding meal with great atmosphere and ambience and am happy that I had the experience! The staff and my server in particular were very friendly and welcoming to me, as someone dining alone on a Friday evening.

Additional information may be obtained on their website: www.pumphouse.com .

In preparing for my trip to Fairbanks, I did quite a bit of research on the restaurant options available during the winter months. Unfortunately, many of the places popular with tourists and locals alike are closed in the "off" season. One restaurant that consistently came up with high marks was Gambardella Pasta Bella. Celebrating their 20th anniversary in Fairbanks, the Gambardella Family has been bringing fine Italian dining to Alaska’s Interior.

I arrived for an early dinner, so early that they were actually still serving lunch. Heck it was 3:45pm, but it was nice to eat a lunch prices! I started with a nice cup of hot tea and a salad. For dinner, I went simple with the spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs. Served with fresh home-baked bread, it was a very filling meal at around $15. I was very tempted on the homemade cheesecakes but did pass. My server told me that when the owner "Matt" died last fall, his wife moved to Seattle. Even though she is no longer in Fairbanks, she is still very involved in the restaurant. She bakes all of the cheesecakes daily down in Seattle and sends them overnight to Fairbanks for dinner the next day! Pretty amazing, don’t you think?

My server was very nice, telling me she had been employed there for around six years. She also told me of the fire about three years ago that destroyed the back side of the restaurant, much of the kitchen area and the offices. When that happened, they moved much of the premises to an adjacent building until the damage could be repaired and the restaurant rebuilt. From the outside it is difficult to imagine just how large the place is. There is a lot of dining space downstairs, and another seating area upstairs for about 75 plus another 30 or so on the patio.

Perhaps one of the best things about Gambardella’s is that if you don’t want to go out or you’re just looking to pick-up something on the way back to your hotel or B&B, they have you covered. Yes, they offer delivery service to locations in Fairbanks and have carry-out available as well.

If you are in Fairbanks for business or pleasure, I would recommend a dining experience at Gambardella’s!

Additional information may be found on their website: www.nvo.com/gambardellas/door

1962 Second Avenue
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
PH: (907) 452-CURL
Web: www.curlfairbanks.org

Because I figured that where there is a lot of ice, there should be lots of ice sports. Not really interested in checking out ice hockey, I thought I’d see about curling. Sure enough, Fairbanks not only has a curling club but a wonderful, state of the art facility!

OK admit it... you’ve seen curling on TV, probably during the Olympics at some weird hour of the night, and wondered about the quirky sport with a large "puck" and the funny brooms. I know here in the lower 48 of the United States, curling seems to be a little known and rarely seen sport. If you are a curler, you know about the game but if you don’t, it remains a mystery. When I was living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin I was surprised to learn that a couple of the guys I worked with were curlers and that there was a local curling club with their own curling rink. Heck, they even hosted "bonspiels" (the equivalent of a party weekend tournament) every year! But unless you are part of what seems to be this special "underground" community, you may never have the opportunity to watch curling as a spectator other than during the Olympics on TV.

The Scots originate the game in the 16th century and are credited with bringing it to the Yukon Territory of Canada during the Klondike gold rush in 1898. From there, prospectors brought the game over to the area later known as Fairbanks around 1902, leading to the formation of the Fairbanks Curling Club in 1905. In celebrating their centennial in 2005, they were the oldest recognized sports club in Alaska.

The club has gone through a tremendous growth since their early days of playing games out on the frozen river banks. Today they have a beautiful facility with six "sheets" (game rinks) plus a full service snack bar and locker rooms. They have hosted numerous national and international championships here, and are proud to have several champions in their membership.

The spectator gallery of the venue is maintained at a comfortable 68° F, which feels quite balmy when it’s -25° F outside. The ice arena itself maintains a temperature of precisely 32° F. Curling leagues run from fall to spring (September through April) and are open to people of all ages and skills. From what I could gather, there is no "open play" time when the general public can come and just give it a try.

During my vacation to Fairbanks, I stopped in on the Wednesday evening "dinner league" which is billed as a "social curling" league. Thirteen teams of four individuals compete weekly, with a full dinner being served at the completion of the evening’s matches. The cool thing about this league is that with the odd number of teams, the odd team out (the 13th as it were) would not compete that night, but would be responsible for preparing the dinner that would be served after the six matches were completed (around 8pm). I thought it was a very cool way to meet and make friends. No bowling league I ever joined had such a fun way to get to know others in the community.

A Little About Curling – The Sport

For those unfamiliar with curling, the sport seems to play largely like shuffleboard on ice. The game itself is made up of 10 ends, similar to the 10 frames of bowling with a match being contested between two teams of typically four individuals. During an end, both teams shoot stones, alternating turns, trying to score the highest number of points in the scoring circle. Of course, players also try to knock their opponent’s stones off the scoring grid to reduce their total number of points scored in the end. The 12-foot scoring circle looks a bit like a target with a center bull’s eye which is the ultimate target for the curlers. Once all 16 stones have been delivered, the score is added up for that end.

The game is called "curling" because as the stone slides down the ice, it "curls" based on the spin placed on it during the delivery release. With the stones weighing about 42 pounds, you can imagine how challenging it may be to get it down the full length of the ice... over 100 feet! Part of the strategy of the game is the sweeping that takes place after the stone has been released, as it heads towards the scoring circle. This sweeping slightly melts the ice, causing there to be less friction under the stone which results in less curling and more momentum (or slide) of the stone.

At the completion of the ten ends, the scores are added up and the winner of that game declared. Matches can be made up of multiple games to determine the overall winner of the competition between the two teams.

Located about a mile "below" the University of Alaska – Fairbanks Campus, this bed-and-breakfast is perfectly situated for a week of adventure and touring Alaska’s Interior Region. Formerly a frat house, there are nine rooms in the main building. They also own another set of cottages and apartments for those seeking longer stays or larger accommodations. For my visit, 7 Gables Inn & Suites was perfect! Located on the second floor, I had a beautiful southernly gable window view. With a private bathroom complete with a jetted tub, I had all the creature comforts necessary for my stay. Each room has a private line phone with free local calls, a color TV with DVD/HVS player and an alarm clock/radio. The Inn was also wired with complimentary Wi-Fi which allowed me daily access to home and the aurora forecast on a 24/7 basis.

Each morning guests were treated to a first class gourmet breakfast served in the community area of the inn. Breakfast was served 7:30am-8:30am daily. On the mornings when guests have early plans, you can let the Leicha know and she’ll have a bag breakfast prepared and ready for you in the refrigerator. I took advantage of this the day that I did the Arctic Circle Winter Drive Adventure Tour. She was most accommodating packing a couple of "mini" blueberry bagels with cream cheese, a fruit cup and an apple juice to go!

Paying a winter rate of $55 per night plus 8% tax for my chosen room – The Rainbow Room – I don’t think there is a better deal in Fairbanks. I was especially pleased when I was upgraded to the Bridal Room which was normally $75 per night. While I was traveling alone, the $55 rate was applicable for one or two guests. When I priced other B&B’s in town, I found most to be between $60 and $100 per night for up to two guests. Many had features that 7 Gables did not have, like beautiful aurora viewing porches out of the city lights. Because I had other aurora viewing plans, a viewing area wasn’t a high priority for me. For visitors here at a time other than winter, you may be interested in the free use of the canoes and bicycles available to their guests. I must say that the value received for the price paid was exceptional at 7 Gables Inn & Suites. I could not have been more pleased or satisfied.

Adding to my genuine and authentic Alaskan experience was the visit by a huge moose one morning. She simply walked across the front yard, to the hedges between the lots where she munched on a mid-morning snack. I also had the pleasure of watching the end of a nice late night/early morning aurora viewing outing, with the aurora dancing directly behind the B&B. Because of the city lights, it is somewhat unusual to see the aurora while "in town" but on this night, the northern lights were particularly bright, creating the opportunity for a pleasant surprise.

4312 Birch Lane
Fairbanks, AK 99709
PH: (907) 479-0751
Web: www.7gablesinn.com

HOSTS: Paul and Leicha Welton