Off to the Great White North – Friday

Friday Night Lights

Friday – After breakfast we hopped in our car to explore the town. I criticized Chris’s driving so from then on he called me Miss Daisy. We saw a winter clothing store called Ray’s. We decided to check out Ray’s in honor of our friend, Ray in Wichita. They had tons of warm winter stuff. I’m sure it’s essential for everyone and every age to have appropriate boots, gloves, socks and various other hat and face covering options. We clearly were on vacation with no agenda because we spent way longer than necessary perusing every section. I think our only purchase was a sweatshirt by Bruce. And some grandkid gifts for the Lette’s.

Several people had recommended that we go to the Museum of the North on the Fairbanks University campus. It was pretty close to our hotel. We looked around for a while and then decided we needed to go to lunch.  None of us were huge museum people, but since we had seen a few cute things in the gift shop, we made plans to go back after lunch.

We had chili and grilled cheese at a little café called River City Cafe in a building that had been divided into several little shops. Jennifer and I also had these delicious cherry almond chocolate coffees. She doesn’t like coffee so hers was pretty much a fancy hot chocolate. Yum!! No calories there I’m sure. I did not do a good job of taking pictures of any of this.

As we finished praying for our food, a guy stopped by our table and said, “That is so nice to see. Thank you!” We weren’t sure what the correct response to that is so we all just kind of smiled awkwardly. Later as he was walking by to leave I asked him if he was from there.  Turns out he lives about an hour away in a cabin in the woods and works as a trapper in the winter and a big game (moose, elk, bear, etc) hunting guide in the summer. As he was telling us about his 4 kids that his wife homeschooled. I said “wow, you must have an awesome wife!” To which he answered, “well, I did. I actually just came from Divorce Court. My wife had enough and left.” Oh my gosh. Can someone please help me get my foot out of my mouth? It’s lodged pretty deep. He was very straight forward about the whole thing.  I guess even though it was official today, it’s been a while and not fresh wounds. We continued talking for another 15 minutes or so, so I guess he didn’t hate me too bad. I gave him a cookie. Bruce got his card.  If any of you would like to do a little big game hunting, just hit us up.

We browsed the cute little shop across the hall with pricey original art from Alaskans. I guess they have to find creative ways to support themselves in the wilderness. Upstairs was a museum dedicated to the Iditarod. Very educational. One time there was an epidemic in Nome or some place and the only way to get medicine to them quick enough was by using sled dogs. They had to run almost straight through with little sleep to get the medicine there in time, but they saved the day.

Since I always talk about Bruce losing stuff I guess I should fess up about me as well. When I was waiting in line to use the restroom I chatted with this nice lady from Texas. As we were pulling out I realized that I had forgotten my phone in the restroom. We drove around the block and I jumped out and ran back in.  Just as I was walking by a little knife shop I heard someone say, “I think it’s the lady that went in before me.” I looked in the window and sure enough, the lady who had been after me was handing my phone to the guy working in the knife shop. I went in and thanked them.  The guy said, “You were lucky. Lots of times people keep them and sell them on ebay.” I guess it pays to be friendly to the lady in line behind you. I gave them each a cookie.

We went back to the museum to buy a few things from the gift shop. They are raising money for a new exhibit about a guy who got lost in the woods and lived in an abandoned bus out in the wilderness for months. He kept a diary of his time out there until he ate some poison berries and died. They eventually had to remove the bus because dumb adventurers were going out to try to find the bus and live there and the powers that be got tired of rescuing them. I bought a book about it. We also had to go to “The Place to Listen” an exhibit in this room that was music supposedly caused by the inner workings of the earth.  We aren’t buying it. But we still went in.

After resting a bit back at the lodge we went to dinner at The Pumphouse. Very unlike the Pumphouse in Wichita. This was more along the fine dining lines. I had Alaskan Salmon because a guy on the plane said that we had to try it and we would never want to eat regular salmon again. It was good. My non-foody mouth could not really tell the difference. Now I can check that off my list and go back to eating beef and chicken. And french fries.

Back at the lodge we got ready for the main event. On my phone it looked like it was going to be cloudy all week.  I was mentally preparing myself to go home without seeing the Northern Lights, even though this was the main reason that we came. Everything that you read says there are no guarantees. Our seatmate on the plane to Seattle was from Anchorage (actually from the country of Colombia, but she had lived in Anchorage the last 15 years. She now goes back to Colombia during the winters and was heading back to Alaska when we sat with her. I guess that’s a sign that spring is coming.  Kinda like the birds migrating back to the north.) She told us about apps that were supposed to let you know when the Northern Lights were most likely viewable and where. Of course we all downloaded them. We piled into our guide’s van around 9:40 PM along with 8 other people and headed out to his little cabin in the woods.  He called it Husky Lodge but I’m not sure what exactly distinguishes a cabin from a lodge. I chose this trip from among the many offered because you wait in a lodge instead of in someone’s van or truck.  I’m all about the bathroom.  Plus they had couches and hot chocolate.  And one room had huge windows that you could watch from.

We bundled up and went outside to practice taking pictures in the dark. Our guide showed us how to set our phones for night and then hold VERY still for the 10 seconds it took to take the picture. It was a beautiful clear night sky. I got a picture of Mars.

This picture does not do it justice. That sky was amazing. Literally AWEsome in the very real meaning of that word. I can never look at a clear night sky like that without thinking of the majesty of God. The heavens truly do declare the glory of God! Psalm 19.1

It was really cold.  We had to keep going back inside to warm up.

After awhile our guide came running in and told us to come outside because you could see the lights. Our guide (I have to keep calling him “our guide” because I can’t remember his name) told us that there are 5 stages of the Northern Lights.  Number 1 is where you see the lights, but they are just white and look like a big band in the sky. Number 2 is when they start “dancing”. Number 3 is when you can see a little color with the naked eye. Number 4 is when you can see a little color with the naked eye but can see a lot of color with a photograph. Number 5 is when you see a lot of vibrant color with the naked eye. We got to see all of them but 5. It was also explained to us that the earth’s atmosphere is the canvas, the radioactive particles are the paint and the magnetism is the paintbrush. Fascinating. We took a lot of pictures and then headed home around 2:30 AM. Yawn!! This adventure was on my bucket list so I was very pleased to have seen the Lights!