Fairbanks

There is always something new to explore in Alaska.  This year for Thanksgiving we decided to explore a little bit of interior Alaska and spend the holiday in Fairbanks.  We found a great little suite hotel with a full kitchen so we could home cook all our favorite Thanksgiving fixings.  And don't think for a second that just because we were tucked in the middle of frozen Alaska that we weren't surrounded by family and friends.  Both my parents joined us, one of my best friends from Charleston and her little girl joined us and Mark's mom and brother also made the long trip out!  
Thanksgiving day of course was all about the food.  We stayed snuggled in the hotel utilizing every oven we had access to in order to bring together a little piece of Thanksgiving goodness from everyone's traditions.  Fat and happy we called it an early night as the next day we planned to make the icy drive to Chena Hot Springs.  

Chena Hot Springs is a natural thermal hot spring located a bit over 55 miles northeast of Fairbanks.  Dad white knuckled most of the 1.5 hour drive, but it was well worth it.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed the naturally heated indoor pool and hot tubs, while the adults took kid watching shifts to enjoy the outdoor natural rock pool.  I don't know how hot the outdoor pool gets, but I can tell you there were areas of the pool that were too hot for me.  With outside temperatures that day around -25 degrees, it didn't take long for our wet hair to freeze above water while our bodies stayed nice and toasty in the pool.  Once everyone was hungry and pruned to the max we said goodbye to the pools and made our way next to the Ice Museum and Hotel.  Although smaller than I was expecting, the highlight was definitely the appletinis poured and served in a glass made entirely out of ice at the ice bar.  Don't worry, I didn't drink mine, but I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity!  

The next day, refusing to let the frigid -24 degrees keep us tucked inside, we ventured to a well known sledding hill on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.  Again the kids had a blast (the adults did too).  I think Luke would have stayed until his face mask froze to his face if we let him.  

Later that day we walked with the reindeer at the Running Reindeer Ranch.  Amazing how the animals just fell into line with our group as if we were each a reindeer in their herd, even nudging those who were moving too slow to either speed it up or move aside.  

That night, for me anyway, was the highlight of the trip!  The clouds cleared away late in the day and even though the Aurora Borealis forecast was low, we decided to take our chances and drive out to Cleary Summit.  A worthwhile decision for sure!  We were not disappointed!  I had rented a special camera lens (one I couldn't dream of affording right now) specifically for capturing the Northern Lights should we get the opportunity to see them.  We didn't get back to the hotel till after 2:00 am, but the pictures speak for themselves as to how worth the loss of sleep was!

Day 4 was the highlight of the trip for the kids... the North Pole to see Santa.  Only about 15 minutes outside of Fairbanks, Luke could hardly contain himself with excitement to be able to see Santa at Santa's home!  Next to Santa's home was a small park with numerous slides all made out of ice.  The two younger kids and a couple of the colder adults sat this venture out and stayed nestled in the toasty car.  The rest of us however grabbed a sled and hit the ice.  We played till our eyelashes became icicles and we couldn't feel our fingers.  

















On our last day, we wrapped up our trip with a visit to the Museum of the North at UAF.  The museum had such a great kid play area that they all cried when it was time to go.  I cried when I saw my grand total come up on the gift shop cash register; but mostly everyone just enjoyed the museum's exhibits, giving us all a little closer look at the culture and history of native Alaska.

The whole trip was such a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving.  I don't think any of us will ever forget the unique experiences we shared.  As for me, I would return in a heartbeat.  With any luck, we'll get a chance to experience Fairbanks in the summer as well.