James Allen | an impressive 36,000-year-old mummified Steppe Bison | classical new age composer | John Luther Adams

Inside is a fascinating display of native and contemporary art, including an impressive 36,000-year-old mummified Steppe Bison (a species that is extinct but which lives on here, thanks to taxidermy) and an Okvik Madonna, a 2,000-year-old icon carved from a walrus tusk and worth $1 million. But the cutting-edge side of the museum is what makes it worth the price of admission. Heading up that group is classical new age composer John Luther Adams, who is building a sound and light room that is controlled by the constant fluctuations of the weather, the sun, and the moon. In other words, the rhythmic pulses of Mother Nature control the sonic soundscape inside it. So, no two moments ever sound exactly the same, and earthquakes make for a very interesting symphony.

Later that evening, I sit down with James Allen, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, to discuss the effects of perpetual darkness on Alaskans throughout the winter. I'm thinking it surely must drive people insane, as evidenced by several experiences on this trip (there are more on the way, trust me). Though Allen hasn't seen an increase in suicides or other violent crimes during Fairbanks's winters, there is certainly an increase in odd behavior. "This is an eccentric community," he says. "People really tend to get squirrelly by March. After it's been 30 below for a while, 20 degrees really feels warm. You'll see people wandering around in shorts and other crazy stuff like that."

It doesn't take long during a visit to Fairbanks to realize the locals' thermostats are way off. "You came during a warm spell," I hear about twice a day, despite the temperature on my visit hovering right around the zero mark. Is that insane or what?