Alaska Part 2

The main reason for this trip was to see the northern lights, and we got a beautiful show while we were there. Right before our visit there was a coronal mass ejection, resulting in the strongest geomagnetic storm in this solar cycle. In other words, they lights were strong. The photos I took on my phone don't do anything near justice for them, but it will give you an idea of their magnitude. In most of the photos we took they came out green, but in person they were silver and pink and purple with bits of green. And they danced across the sky like smoke. You cannot capture them fully in a photograph because you need at least a 15 second exposure, and in 15 seconds they will be moving a substantial amount. They moved in big bands. At one point they were right above us and it looked like there were these rods being illuminated all around in the sky.

Here are some videos that Greg took to give you an idea of the movement

It was phenomenal, and I feel blessed that we were able to witness it. We saw them a few nights in Fairbanks, and they always showed up after we were asleep. Alyssa had a sixth sense for when they would show up so she would wake up in the middle of the night, look at the aurora forecast on her phone, and sure enough they would be starting. So we would all get dressed and bundled up and drive down the highway to get to a dark spot without any light pollution. We were tired and freezing but also excited and in awe.

One event that was happening in Fairbanks while we were there was the World Ice Art Championships. The sculptures were on display in an ice park nearby so we decided to take a look. Unfortunately it was above freezing that day so they were starting to melt, but most of them were still in tact. They were all life size, and I was very impressed with the detail that went into them. The artists needed not only carving tools but power tools to cut into the ice. And keep in mind that they were working in below 0 degree temperatures.

While driving we were always on the lookout for Mount McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America, which is in Denali National Park. We finally got a good look at it, and took a plane tour to see it as well as some glaciers. It was a tiny plane, only fitting 11 people (including the pilot), and I can't say it was a smooth ride either. But we all got window seats and great views of the mountains and snow.

Here you can see the glaciers forming between the mountains. These ones moved a speedy 3 feet a day.

The glacier ice looks different from regular ice because it takes on a blueish appearance.

We eventually landed on a glacier. It was, as Alyssa put it, a very fluffy landing because the plane was landing in several feet of snow.

Here are the three of us on the glacier. There were mountains in every direction.

It's tough to see, but in the center of this photo is a speck that is a house. There were a surprisingly large amount of homes build out here, so far from everything. There are no roads here, the only way to access these homes are by snowmobile or sled dogs. It makes me wonder how they were built.

We then drove back down to Anchorage, and on our last day we saw Turnagain Arm and a wildlife conservation center. Turnagain Arm is a waterway into the Gulf of Alaska, and usually in March you can see large amounts of cracked ice hustling down it as the weather changes. Most of the ice melted by the time we came, but it still was a pretty sight.

The wildlife conservation center was fun to see. They had moose, musk ox, caribou, and a few bears. All were taken in because they were too sick to survive on their own, and most get nursed back to health and released. The others stay. These moose were behind a fence, and it was interesting to see them up so close. They are quite strange looking creatures.

This eagle was taking in awhile ago because he lost his wing.

Here is a Musk Ox, the creature that produces the Quiviut. I thought he was adorable. He had a stocky body and short legs, so he slightly wobbled from side to side when he walked.

He had these large brushes in his area to brush himself. Later when we went to the gift shop I found they were selling Quiviut yarn, which I bough for a small fortune (but the money went to a good cause). I asked the lady there if they made the yarn from their own musk ox and she said they didn't as of yet, but she was looking into it, and these brushes help in gathering the fibers.

Later, on our drive further south, we saw a wild moose hanging out off to the side of the road. She was happily eating. When we drove past her again, coming back, she had a baby with her. I didn't manage to get a picture of the baby, but here is the mom.

It was a beautiful trip. I could see why people who live there place so much value on nature and animals. I know most people prefer to see Alaska in the summer but you see an entirely different side of it during the winter, which is beautiful in its own way. 

When we returned the car we saw that we drove 1451 miles. That's almost halfway across the US. And we only saw a tiny fraction of the state.

Alaska Part 1

We just got back from Alaska, and wow, what a trip. We planned the trip in March because they say that is the best time to see the northern lights. It isn't terribly cold, the days are longer, and there is still enough darkness to see them. We planned the trip around the new moon because that's when there is the least amount of light in the sky to interfere. We flew up to Anchorage and from there drove up to Fairbanks and back. The weather wasn't as cold as we were expecting. The week before we visited they were experiencing temperatures around the -20's in Fairbanks, but then a warm front hit and almost overnight temperatures rose to above 0 and kept rising during our stay. Alyssa and I were happy with this, but Greg was disappointed as he was looking forward to the super cold weather. However there will still snow everywhere, especially on the mountains which were always in view wherever we went.

When we arrived there was a big stuffed moose to greet us at the airport.

One of the things I was very much looking forward to seeing was Musk Ox and Quiviut. Musk Ox are one of the few large mammals in Alaska that do not hibernate or migrate in the winter, so they have very large and warm coats of fur. The downy undercoat of their fur is called Quiviut, which is spun into a super soft and warm yarn. It is a rare and expensive fiber that is hard to find in the 48 states. However, since it comes from Alaska, you can find lots of it there. We stopped by one shop in Anchorage that is run by a women's coop where they knit beautiful Quiviut hats and scarves to sell. They didn't sell the yarn in the weight I was looking for so I didn't buy anything there, but it was nice seeing the native designs.

On the side of the store they had a mural of the Musk Ox.

We only had one full day to spend in Anchorage, and while looking for events for the night we found that Ira Glass was hosting a show there. What were the chances - Greg and I both love This American Life, and here was the host in Anchorage of all places, putting on a show. It was a dance show called Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host, and it was hilarious. The format was similar to This American Life, but it was about dance and so the dancers were integral in the telling of it. I would definitely recommend it if it comes your way.

After Anchorage we drove up to Talkeetna, an adorable small town between Anchorage and Fairbanks. On the way we stopped by a Russian cemetery. Here, the people built small colorful houses around their deceased, and inside the houses they put small items that belonged to them. I was impressed with the craftsmanship that went into the houses.

We also stopped by the Iditarod Headquarters. Iditarod is a 1,000 mile annual race for dog mushers that takes place over the course of 8-15 days in March. The dogs run an average of 100 miles a day in -40 temperatures and need to eat about 10,000 calories daily. There are frequent check points where the dogs are examined to make sure they're all healthy and able to compete. And as I later learned, the dogs love this race. They are bred for it and get a great satisfaction out of competing. The race started 2 weeks before we arrived so we couldn't see the teams start, but we were able to try out dog mushing later in the trip.

We stayed in an adorable log cabin when we got to Talkeetna. It had a loft and on the second floor was a viewing area for the northern lights.

Talkeetna instantly became my favorite town when I learned about its mayor, which is a cat named Stubbs. He was elected mayor 18 years ago when he was a kitten and won over 3 humans with a 97% majority vote. He has been unopposed ever since.

The roads became much more snowy and icy as we got closer to Fairbanks, but Greg had experience with snow driving and we had a good car for it.

On the drive north we stopped by Denali National Park. 

They have a team of sled dogs at Denali, and visitors can see them. They all have houses with their names on them, and when you point to the top of their houses they jump on top so you can pet them. They were all super friendly. This one's name was Timber. They are all park rangers, so when they're not in their houses they're out sledding, patrolling the park.

This was a nice view after a short hike.

When we were driving out of the park we saw a group of caribou in the middle of the road. As we got closer they all ran off to the side, but didn't go far enough away that we couldn't take pictures.

One of the things we did in Fairbanks was visit Chena Hot Springs, a hot springs resort outside of the city. Good, fresh produce is hard to find in Alaska (especially in winter), so they had a green house set up where they got most of the veggies for their restaurant. 

They also had an ice museum - a museum dedicated to ice sculptures. It was climate controlled so they wouldn't melt or crack, and the studio where the artists made the sculptures was right in the museum. Inside the museum was an ice bar - a bar made entirely out of ice, where you could order an apple martini served in an ice martini glass.

It's a bit hard to see from the lighting here, but this is 2 knights jousting on horses.

And this was at the bar. All of the glasses were made out of ice. The bartender was explaining that the stem of the glass was made out of regular ice they would collect from a nearby pond, and the cup part was made out of tap water since it needed to be food safe.

This was the studio where the artists made the smaller ice sculptures. The larger ones, like the knights jousting, were made in place.

Later that night we went to the hot springs. I'd never been to a hot spring before so I didn't know what to expect. It's like a natural hot tub. Despite the below freezing temperatures, we were very warm in it. The water was hot, the air freezing, and the steam from the water kept us warm. It was like the perfect balance. Here's Alyssa and I getting in.

Another nice thing about the hot springs was the fact that they were outside and open late, so we could stay in until we saw the northern lights. We did see a great show that night, but don't have any good pictures to show of it. I didn't get the right app for my phone for long exposures or a tripod yet. We did get some pictures of them later in the trip however.

The next day we went dog mushing. Here we learned about what makes a good sled dog, how to harness them, and eventually we got to mush. We ran with Alaskan huskies. They're not a registered breed, but they are bred for good fur to keep them warm in the winter, good feet for long distance running, good appetite for obvious reasons, and a strong drive to pull. This one Greg is with is called Blue, and he was a sweetheart.

I could see how much the dogs enjoyed this sport here. When it came time to pick dogs for the team, every dog there started barking and running around, all excited. And after the dogs were picked to lead the sled and the sled took off, all of the remaining dogs who weren't picked started howling and crying. And once they were harnessed on the sled, they couldn't wait to take off. It took a lot of force to keep the sled in place. These dogs run an average of 10 miles a day, and it was clear that they love every minute of it.

We started out in the sled while the instructor stood at the back to control the dogs, and then Greg and I took turns standing at the back. There were places for our feet on either side of the sled and 2 levers. One was to give resistance to the dogs so they didn't run too fast and use up too much energy quickly, and the second one was a brake. The dogs also know their right from their left and can follow voice commands for which direction to turn. If there was a fork in the trail, the teacher would say "gee" to turn to the right and "haw" to turn to the left.