Adventures North

We recently ventured north to Fairbanks with our visiting cousins for a couple days.  Every time I go to Fairbanks, it occurs to me that I only visit that area in the winter time.  I haven’t quite figured out why this is, but it just seems to work out that way. 

Generally, there are specific things we like to see and do in and around Fairbanks.  And, honestly, they are things that are best done in the winter.  This doesn’t make the long, dark, cold drive up there any easier, but it is what it is…

In December, we go just past Fairbanks to North Pole to visit Santa.  But in March, we like to go past Fairbanks to the Chena Hot Springs to soak in the natural hot spring and gaze at the northern lights.  Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.  Those folks study the aurora borealis seen largely within the surrounding area.  Some of the best aurora viewing in Alaska can typically be done from the Chena Hot Springs Road.  So, when our cousins expressed interest in seeing some good northern lights during their visit, we immediately booked our favorite DNR Public Use Cabin which sits on the banks of the Chena River. 

The cabin is rustic.  No running water, no electricity.  But there is a wood stove and a nearby outhouse.  All the comforts of home!  Well… almost.  We even purchased a new squishy toilet seat that we could hang on the wall behind the wood stove when not in use.  This alleviated the problem of getting frostbite of the buttocks while taking care of business at 10 below. 

We were pretty excited about the trip to Chena as we’d heard that the aurora forecast was the best it’s been in like the past 50 years!  What perfect timing!

We loaded up the van and headed north.  We were hoping to get out to the Chena Hot Springs Resort in time to sign up for their 10pm Snow Coach Aurora Tour.  You had to reserve spots in person by 7pm.  As we drove north from Fairbanks, we dropped off some gear at the cabin (about 30 miles out the Chena Hot Springs Road) and continued the next 25 miles to the end of the road where the resort is located.  We arrived at the resort just past 6:30 in a less exuberant mood.  The sky had been clouding up for a while.  No matter how fantastic the forecast is, you can’t see northern lights through clouds. 

We opted out of the Snow Coach Tour. 

We also opted out of the cabin stay that first night.  Due to new regulations, the DNR is no longer stocking the cabins with firewood.  And while we’d brought some with us, we didn’t think we had enough to stay warm through the night.  So, we opted instead to nurse our dashed aurora dreams at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks.  We booked two rooms and settled in for a night of running water followed by a free continental breakfast.  Warm toilet seat included at no extra charge.

To make matters worse, I kept reading status updates from my Anchorage area friends saying how fabulous the northern lights were showing!  Clear skies back at our house… The best aurora folks had ever seen… And we were missing it!  Talk about salt in a wound.

We pondered the idea of returning to Anchorage the following day in hopes of seeing some good lights the next night.  The forecast was still calling for cloudy skies in Fairbanks and clear skies in Anchorage.  We decided to sleep on it.

In the morning, things looked like they might be clouding up in Anchorage as well.  So, at the risk of spending our entire weekend confined in a minivan and still not seeing any aurora borealis, we decided to just forget about those elusive lights altogether and enjoy the other things Fairbanks and Chena have to offer.

We acquired more firewood and readied the cabin for a comfortable stay.  Then we headed back to the Chena Hot Springs Resort, this time for dinner and a soak.  As we drove to the resort, we caught a glimpse of blue peeking through the clouds.  Could it be clearing??  We decided not to make eye contact with the blue patch, lest we jinx it.  It must have worked because the skies continued to clear.

We had a pleasant dinner at the resort lodge.  Then, as we were preparing to head out to soak in the hot springs, we heard that the lights were already beginning to dance across the sky.  It was only around 8:30pm which is very early for aurora activity.  But it was perfect.

The idea of putting on a bathing suit and running barefoot down a stone path at 8 below zero to a hot spring lagoon seems ludicrous.  And, until you reach the piping hot waters which top 105 degrees, you can’t imagine who thought this was a good idea.  But as you melt into the soothing waters, surrounded by snow covered boulders, and you glance up to the skies to see streams of green lights waving far above, it doesn’t seem nearly so nutty after all.

We left the resort about an hour later and made our way back to the cabin where we hoped to photograph some of the lights in the sky.  During the half hour drive, the skies exploded with colors!  It was the most amazing display of northern lights any of us had ever seen.  Every car on the road screeched to a halt and just stared in wonder.  Truly amazing.  And it was heartening to know that our decision to remain in Fairbanks had been, without a doubt, the right one.

Those lights along the road were the best we saw all night.  We did get some photographs of more lights from the cabin using a tripod.  But they were never as colorful and active as we’d seen along the road.  And that was okay.  Not having to mess around with camera settings and tripod angles meant we could just sit and enjoy the lights in all their glory.  A perfect ending to our arctic adventure.