Fairbanks, AK

Hey Everybody!

My month in Alaska is nearly over. It's a beautiful state....I wish I were staying a bit longer. Yes, I admit Kodiak grew a little small for me. But any town where the parents charge the field to fight the away team's football coach after a loss is not for me. But I'd go there again with a new agenda. Not that I'm planning for that right now. After all, there are parts of the state I haven't seen at all....yet. Anyway, I have three days of activity to post, so I better get to it.

My first task upon arrival was getting to the North Pole....Capt. Heidi started inquiring about Santa & his reindeer last spring. I HAD to go! Plus, FlatJen got all into the Christmas spirit when she saw the Santa Claus House. Best of all....I found a friend for FlatJen! Just in time too....I cannot keep chasing her down. At North Pole I had to stop her from taking the sleigh. :-) One final note about the North Pole....this town has really committed to its fate. I cannot imagine even one other welding company in the world that looks like this.

Two weeks or so ago Fairbanks must have been a beautiful Fall town. Most of the leafy trees are part of the great toothpick forest now....

but still plenty of cool stuff to see on hikes. I chose the Angel Rock Trail because it was cold out & not 15miles long like the other trail I wanted to explore. The Angel Rocks are the small, exposed tips of huge granite that formed millions of years ago as magma cooled below the surface.

From the parking lot

Near the start of the trail looking toward my destination

A valley view fom the top & a close-up

On my last full day in AK (for now) I woke to a light dusting of snow & had to brush off the windows to drive. It's been a long time since I had to do that.... I thought a winter drive might be nice & on the Parks Hwy I found a bit more falling snow.

Last but not least....as I have been to Fairbanks before my main purpose this trip was the hope of seeing Northern Lights. It is clear that tourists are not the only late-night sky watchers around here...check out these seats. If I lived here....this would be my spot!

2013 is to be a period of high solar activity & Northern Lights. Northern Lights were visible 9/5 while I was on the first ferry....they even appeared in Kodiak! I saw that photo on 9/6. On 9/28 there was a small solar event that was predicted to spike the light's activity on the 30th (last nite). But it was extremely cloudy through the day. The amazing thing was how much clearer the sky got through the early evening. Thus I went to my viewing spot with high hopes & ignored the lingering cloud cover. In the end, I had a most fleeting opportunity that just barely counts. Good thing 2013 activity lies ahead!

Happy October.....thanks for stopping by!

PS Sourdough is often called a "minor religion" in Alaska. With this in mind, I tried sourdough pancakes this visit because I didn't get to last time. I like sourdough bread, but it turns out that I do NOT like the pancakes. Not even with syrup. Pancakes shouldn't have an aftertaste....

 

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