We're Goin' Under!
Come on down!
How deep have you ever gone below the earth's surface? I felt like I was in a time machine today as we went down under into the Earth at the [Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Permafrost Tunnel] (http://permafrosttunnel.crrel.usace.army.mil/)! When we first walked in, I felt like I was in a beautiful Ice Palace with beautiful crystals covering the entryway. Then came the smell... Why do you think it might have smelled funny in this tunnel? Our lovely "nickel tour" operator Art led us throughout the tunnel, highlighting the fact that this frozen dirt had roots and plants and bones stuck throughout. We saw a blade of grass that was 20,000 years old and a mammoth both that was 10,000 years old!
Want to take your own tour?
Me in the tunnel! Hardhat required :)
Follow Wendy's footsteps and check out this video tour! Check out the map below-- how far do you think YOU could go?
Photo courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers. This is the route we went into the Earth!
Checkin' out the Pipeline!
Checking out the Pipeline!
Then we went to Alaska's Pipeline! This was the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) and it's over 800 miles long! Over 16 billion barrels of oil have gone through this pipe from the Arctic North and down the state-- why do you think it was buiilt?
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Then it was time to go home with an amazing group of educators and ready for our next day of orientation, which is my favorite: LOGISTICS! That means the planning of the event. What do you think is the most important thing I should find out?
The sun sets by the Permafrost Tunnel!