What a wonderful day in Fairbanks. I saw a rainbow from the parking lot of the Sportsmen’s store. Bought an insulated rain jacket because of the rainy, chilly weather! Then spent hours at the University of Alaska Botanical Garden; such a delightful, quiet place. I was there all alone, photographing beautiful flowers using macro technique. The cabbage plants were huge! It was too late in the season to see peonies like my mother had; they smelled so fragrant. The sunflowers were beautiful. Then I went to the Creamers Wildlife Preserve. In total, I walked 8,056 steps today. Walked two miles here to see sandhill cranes, but they were staying far away from humans. Smart birds! They are starting to arrive from Siberia and northern parts on the beginning of their migration south for the winter. So exciting to watch this unfolding. I took pictures of the dairy farm buildings and the farmhouse that is now the visitors’ center. Well worth the visit. Then I took a quick walk through the Tanana Valley Farmers Market; open Wednesdays and Saturdays. It was fun to see all of the Alaskan crafts, foods made from scratch, and the garden vegetables, etc. But I had to rush on to the 2:00 pm tour at the Large Animal Research Sanctuary where I saw musk oxen, caribou, and more sandhill cranes. A very worthwhile tour. The musk oxen were impressive to observe and photograph. Their eyes are so beautiful. Their soft fur (qiviut) is expensive when converted to headbands, shawls, etc. They can run up to 37 mph and live from 12 to 20 years. Since they are Arctic animals, they only survive in Alaska, Canada, Iceland, and Norway.