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Linda forgot us in Fairbanks. She made me promise to tell you.

“Tell everyone. Tell them…say…Linda forgot us.” Linda felt really bad about forgetting us, but honestly it wasn’t a big deal.

We fly from Sitka, to Anchorage, to Fairbanks. It’s midnight, but it looks like dusk.

As soon as we step outside of the airport we are overwhelmed by the scent of Christmas.

I have the conformation e-mail with the time Linda, our transportation driver, is scheduled to pick us up.

Ten minutes tick by, then fifteen, then twenty. I recheck the confirmation e-mail, then dial the phone number on the page.

Linda answers the phone and immediately starts apologizing. She’s leaving now. There was some sort of calendar, scheduling, mishap.

It only takes fifteen minutes for Linda to arrive. She is bright, bubbly, and hilarious. She gives us a mini-tour of Fairbanks, as we make our way to the Alaska Heritage House.

I spent a good amount of my elementary and middle school days reading historical fiction. The Alaska Heritage House, in Fairbanks, Alaska, is the bed and breakfast of my literary dreams.

Walking through the door is like stepping out of a time machine.

My heart sings for the beauty in every detail.

I do not take a single pull of the toilet chain for granted.

At breakfast, we sit with a young, newlywed couple, and their family. The wedding was yesterday. The bride fingers the string of pearls adorning her neck. Their chatter is of an intellectual nature and there is a whiff of old money in the air. I almost wonder if they are actors, hired to make the allusion of this accommodation complete.

The bride recommends we visit the Large Animal Research Station while visiting Fairbanks. She then gives us a discourse on the Musk Ox (which will prove fortuitous later in our trip). We nosh on the prettiest pancakes I’ve ever had.

Post breakfast, Linda picks us up. Exactly on time.

The only  activity I really wanted to do in Fairbanks, was visit the Running Reindeer Ranch.

We booked our reindeer walk as soon as we knew we had a stopover in Fairbanks.

The Running Reindeer Ranch’s focus is education.

We get to pet reindeer, babies included,

and watch them munch.

We frolic through the woods with them.

Jane, the Ranch’s owner,  shares reindeer facts.

One of the reindeer is trained to do photo ops (hence the leash, which is a cue for him to pose for a picture).

After the walk, we head to a cabin, where we are treated to homemade cookies, lemonade, and more reindeer info.

Being an animal lover, I thought this experience was really fun and informative. We got to pet reindeer! The only negative, was the lack of respect by others in the group. There was one particular family that monopolized the reindeer (I had an impossible time getting a reindeer picture that didn’t have them in the shot) and a naughty little girl who kept disobeying Jane’s instructions. One of the moms ignored Jane’s talk in favor of obnoxiously taking a million reindeer selfies (I didn’t know so many facial expressions existed).

If you visit Fairbanks, the Running Reindeer Ranch is a must visit. Jane and her family are doing wonderful work.

Since our stay in Fairbanks is so short, we didn’t rent a car. Therefore, we’re confined to activities in the city that we can walk to (the University area is supposed to be lovely, but it was too far).

We check out the fountain, the clock tower, and the antler arch.

Time is spent roaming the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center.

It’s a nice museum. We’re thankful it’s small.  All of the bushwhacking and kayaking that we did during our Uncruise week finally catches up with us. Our energy is crashing. Our next activity is a nap.

I doze on our porch’s wicker sofa as a soft breeze tinkles the sea glass wind chimes. I feel like I’m in a scene from a film.

Refreshed and ready for some nourishment, we walk back to the city’s main area for dinner.

Fairbanks has at least 18 Thai restaurants. Linda recommends we go to the Thai House. She does not steer us wrong.

I enjoy my Drunken Noodles. It’s nice to add a little spice into our trip. Am I the only one who is always excited by tiny corn?

Because the Alaska Heritage House is so fascinating, we spend the rest of the night soaking up as much old-timey goodness as we can. Tomorrow we wake up early and board the train to Denali.

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