A Weekend of Museums

With Summer now gone and Alaska's hurried version of Fall in full swing, many attractions in the Last Frontier use this time of year to give a last send-off before closing for six months of winter. We knew this past weekend would be the last for the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry, and since Mother Nature graciously let it stop raining on Friday, we were determined to take full advantage before they closed the doors till next year. Spread over a dozen acres here in Wasilla, MATI is a watershed of the pioneering technology and spirit that helped build Alaska's roads, farms, railways, flight routes, you name it. Brandon jokingly called it the Museum of White People. Nevertheless, it was an amazing look at the original planes, trucks, boats, trains and tractors that were used to transform a wilderness, and we bought a membership so we can visit again all next Summer.

While we toured the grounds of MATI we kept hearing what sounded like a train whistle, so we decided to investigate. Next door we found an absolute wonderland, called Alaska Live Steamers. Run solely by a handful of volunteers, these guys have managed to turn a few dozen acres of woodland into an incredible miniature world of rail. Once again, we managed not only to catch them on the last open weekend of the year, but they ran the train once more just for us, as they were preparing to shut down for the season. Every detail of an early 20th century rail yard was present, in about 1/10 scale. As long time aficionados of Thomas the Tank Engine, we knew what to look for. $16 later, we straddled padded bench cars, with an engineer sitting atop the caboose, and another astride the second of two Alaska Railroad engines, all of which was completely hand-made by our guides. The six of us chugged out of the "station" and on a make-believe journey that would do Walt Disney justice. Winding through the chilly woods, there were miniature houses, animals and people scattered along the line, with functional trestle bridges, train sheds, a tunnel and a roundhouse. It was awesome. Later, Stephanie mentioned in hushed tones that at one point she noticed large, fresh scat next to the tracks: recent bear activity.

Sunday was a museum of a different sort. The Anchorage Museum, Alaska's largest, with a world-class collection, was hosting a large event. Well, two, actually. They were celebrating the construction of their massive expansion, as well as hosting a free kids' day. In conjunction with The Imaginarium, a popular Anchorage science museum for kids, they put on quite the production, with science tables, biology displays and the large kids' art room. Pamyua performed live. Pronounced "Bum-yua", they're a Native band that mixes traditional sounds with contemporary influences, and are Alaska's equivalent of rock stars. The house was packed, and we had a lot of fun. And to top it all off, we then headed over to one of our favorite places, Title Wave Books. Imagine a Barnes & Noble-sized used book shop, with every genre and subgenre under the sun, plus music and Kaladi Bros. coffee. They have a terrific kids' section, so we hung out for a while reading, then finally drove home, out of energy, but with great memories, lots of photos and a handful of books in tow.

By the way, this past week was exciting for another reason. After just his first few weeks of kindergarten, Malcolm has already been awarded a special certificate for STUDENT OF THE MONTH! He attended a celebration with the other students in the school library and received a round of applause from his teacher and friends. We're so very proud of him. :)

Love always,

The Tuckers.