Alaska is known for its harsh winter climate, but Fairbanks natives enjoy their wonderful summers to the fullest while they can. The Interior has temperatures ranging from 65 degrees below zero in the winter to 90 degrees above in the summer. The shortest winter day of the year has less than three hours of sunlight, the longest (around June 21) never really ends, though officially it has over 21 hours.
Below: A time capsule to
be opened in 2059
The
bronze sculpture below was erected to commemorate the secret 1941 Lend-Lease
partnership between eventual Cold War rivals, the United States and the
Soviet Union. Artist Richard T. Wallen's monument honors the heroic pilots
who ferried nearly 8,000 warplanes from the U.S. to Siberia to help Russia
defend against the invading German army. They flew risky missions over remote
and unpaved wilderness, making their way in stages, from one hastily built
airfield to the next. The 2006 dedication of the Alaska-Siberia Lend-Lease
Memorial in Fairbanks was an event attended by dignitaries from the U.S.,
Russia, Canada, Great Britain and France.
Below: A close-up of the
engraved words on the monument shown above.
Below: The back side of
the monument
Below: Signs in store windows
in downtown Fairbanks
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