The Beaver

At this location, the beaver was swimming and surprised us.

More Scenic Locations

We found this location on our search. It had some beaver dams located on it.

Another scenic view

Here is another scenic view we found.

We rented a car so we could explore around Fairbanks. On our way to the Hot Springs we stopped at several locations to see if we could find wildlife to photograph.

Another photo of Fairbanks

We have not gone to many areas to show how beautiful Alaska is, but this is what we see driving around Fairbanks.

Driving on Campus

We were making our way back to the dorm, and I thought I would take a photo from the car to show what the area looks like.

Visitor's Center

We drove by the Fairbanks Visitor Center. It has grass on it's roof, like the Climate Research building from the other day. The city is gearing up for the Midnight Sun Festival tomorrow, so they are beginning to block off the streets.

Our Waiter

Here is our waiter, Willie June.

Left side of the Table

Here are the people on the left side of the table.

Right side of the Table

Here are the people on the right side of the table.

Gambardella's Pasta Bella

Some of us went to Gambardella's Pasta Bella in downtown Fairbanks for dinner. It had great Italian food.

Mr. & Mrs. Claus and me

I even had my photo taken with them to show you I was there.

Mr. & Mrs. Claus

Of course, we said hi to Santa and his wife.

Going to Santa's House

We decided to go inside and have Santa mail some post cards to all our friends.

Karen with Santa

Karen from Louisiana had to sit in the sleigh and have her photo taken with Santa.

Reindeer Smiling

This guy took a liking to me, and followed me around. When I started talking to him, he smiled a me.

Horns up close

The horns were covered with a skin like material that looked like felt. They were not bone-like as you would find on a white-tail deer in Texas.

Hot Reindeer

It was really hot today, and this poor animal was shedding his coat in a bad way.

Big Horned Reindeer

One of them had really big horns.

Reindeer

Some of his reindeer were there.

Santa's RV Park

If we had had an RV, we could have stayed at his RV park.

Santa's House

I told you it was Santa's House.

Santa Claus House

While we were there, we decided to go see Santa.

North Pole, Alaska

The refinery was in the North Pole. North Pole, Alaska, that is.

Lab View, the sequel

The last photo from the lab, different side.

Lab View 2

More photos of the lab.

Lab photo 1

Here is a photo inside the lab at the refinery. Brings back memories of a job long, long ago...

Through rain and sleet and snow......

I realize the US Postal Service claims to get the mail to you no matter what, but I wonder about this mailbox high up in the sky....

Inside the crude heater

Several members of our group were able to look inside the crude oil heater.

Filling Area

Several trucks came in and out of the plant for fill ups of products to be delivered. This is the area where they were filled.

Tank Farm

We saw several storage tanks on their tank farm.

Inside the Metering Building

We checked out the piping in the metering building, and their color coding using cool colors.

Metering Building

We made our way over to the new metering building.

Cooling Fans

We saw the cooling fans for the fractionating towers.

Control Room Screen

We spent time in the control room, where the processes are followed on computer screens.

Holding Tank

He showed us a small holding tank. He said this was probably one of the smallest you would find.

Process Tower

Bill described what happens in the process tower.

Fractionating Tower

Bill explained how the fractionating tower worked.

Crude Oil Heater

Bill began explaining the oil refining process. He showed us the crude oil heater.

Roger Ostrem, Process Safety Manager

Roger Ostrem, Process Safety Manager, also accompanied us on our tour.

Bill Cisco, Shift Supervisor

They split us up into two groups, with Mr. Reischke taking one group and Bill Cisco taking the other.

Breakfast

They provided us with breakfast of grapes, strawberries, muffins, juices, and coffee.

Mark Reischke

We were met by Mark Reischke, the Refinery Manager, who began talking to us about the tour, and split us into groups.

Petro Star Refinery

We took a tour of the Petro Star Refinery, 1200 H. & H Lane, North Pole, AK 99705, www.petrostar.com

Denali Range View 2

Another view of the Denali mountain range on Day 4 from the Reichardt Building. The white things on the horizon that look like clouds are snow capped mountains.

Denali Range View

View of the Denali mountain range on Day 4 from the Reichardt Building. The white things on the horizon that look like clouds are snow capped mountains.

Photos of Flowers, the Sequel

Finally, our ride arrived to take us to dinner.

More Photos of Flowers....

So I began to get impatient....waiting to go to dinner.

More Flower Pictures

So these marigolds started calling my name, wanting their photo taken....

More Flower Pictures

So I found more pictures of flowers.