Who needs the Gulf of Thailand when you lot receive got Fairbanks, inward March?! (No, I'm non missing my beach time, or anything.)
We took a long-weekend, route trip, from Anchorage to Fairbanks, to encounter upwards amongst former friends together with watch what at that spot was to see. During the vi hr drive north, nosotros passed nearly three modest towns. And yesteryear town, I hateful they had a gas station. That's it. Alaska is VAST!
First stop, North Pole, Alaska.
No see to the North Pole would live consummate without a trip to Santa Land.
And every bit luck would receive got it, the large homo himself was at that spot to greet us! Pretty much the best Santa ever!
It's unremarkably difficult to watch Santa during the months next Christmas, every bit he likes to opor-garai somewhere tropical, I'm told. But since it was Spring Break, he made a especial appearance. Score!
I had a really long listing of requests!
We also happened onto the North Pole at the same fourth dimension every bit a motorcoach total of Asian tourists. I realized that at that spot was a unique familiarity together with comfort zone for me inward that situation. I simply experience a connection, together with desire to beak to ALL of them. I'm sure enough they retrieve I'm strange.
282 days left until Christmas. Are you lot ready?
I was happy inward this place. Decorations covered every inch of wall infinite together with Christmas music was playing on the overhead. I felt similar Buddy the Elf. Christmas cheer for everyone! In March!
The exterior of Santa's family appropriately looked similar a peppermint stick.
Speaking of outside, it was COLD. SO cold. Fairbanks made Anchorage seem balmy.
It was the perfect house for H2O ice sculptures to thrive. Humans, non together with thence much.
The reindeer produce pretty good here, too. But nosotros didn't watch Rudolph on this visit.
Bye Santa! See you lot inward nine months.
We found, quite possibly, the world's greatest onion rings for dinner. No ane tin swallow simply one!
We also flora that Blockbuster is live together with good inward Fairbanks. Yes, at that spot were truly customers going inward together with out.
The adjacent forenoon was brisk. Reminder- this was belatedly March!
But nosotros headed out anyway, off to watch the Alaska pipeline.
Below, is the diameter of the pipe. It carries an average of 1.8 1000000 barrels of crude oil every day.
The pipeline covers the entire vertical length of the state, from Prudhoe Bay at the top, all the agency downward to Valdez, for a total of 800 miles!
We lasted nearly long plenty to receive got a film together with larn dorsum inward the car. Did I say it was cold?!
Now on to the Chena Hot Springs, that sounds amend already! Roads inward Alaska pretty much await similar this all wintertime long. They are almost enterprise sheets of ice, for months on end. (Ice melt is non used, due to the wildlife, together with thence gravel together with dirt are scattered everywhere. Makes for a pretty dingy "spring".)
The resort was absolutely inward the middle of nowhere. An hour's drive W of Fairbanks, together with the route truly dead ended there. One agency inward together with ane agency out.
Ahhh, finally fourth dimension to thaw out, though the initial walk exterior into the negative temps, was non for the faint of heart! There was a hot springs, but entirely adults were allowed, together with thence the hot tub would receive got to suffice for the girls.
Matt together with I took turns inward the hot spring. It felt great!
I don't know how the weird filter was added to this picture, (the trees were non yellow), but you lot larn the idea.
These 2 loved the adventure of a snowy swim day!
Small H2O ice crystals began to cast on everyone's pilus from the extreme cold. Though a local told me that amongst the "warm day", it wasn't every bit dramatic every bit usual.
(When my friend Linda visited the hot springs, it was much colder, together with her pilus froze immediately. Great film together with and thence bizarre! It's also bizarre that -18* is considered "warm" to a greater extent than or less here.)
There was also an indoor puddle at the resort, which was a pretty lamentable pool. We decided that the term "resort" was to live used lightly here.
Thousands of Japanese tourists frequent Chena Hot Springs every year, because they are potent believers inward the healing powers of the water, together with it is also ane of the best viewing spots of Aurora Borealis inward the world. We loved seeing the origami cranes decorating the java shop. (We didn't rest upwards for Aurora because the forecast was weak. We tin watch it good from our dorsum porch on the correct night, together with thence I'll post service nearly that later.)
However, I am sure enough my Japanese friends were appalled at the social club of the shoe shelves (top film is the Japanese children's way, bottom is ours),
together with the koi pond simply powerfulness convey tears to their eyes. Any guesses on which the Japanese pond is? But, other than that, they must dear Chena, because they see inward the droves.
After a quick see to the Fairbanks Museum of the North, it was fourth dimension to encounter upwards amongst our former neighbors for dinner.
In Japan, nosotros lived inward this government-style fourplex, amongst no character. And simply across a modest parking lot was an identical government-style fourplex amongst no character. (I mean, could a house receive got LESS curb appeal?!) While it seemed similar living inward a fishbowl at times, I grew to dear the closeness together with the community of the neighbors. In Alaska, nosotros receive got to a greater extent than infinite together with privacy, but everyone enters together with exits life through their garage, making the neighborhood a ghost town.
These sugariness kids lived across from us, together with nosotros could practically moving ridge to them from our kitchen windows. It is truthful that they say, it's a modest Air Force. Where else tin you lot receive got a reunion amongst friends, originally from New Zealand, who lived adjacent to you lot inward Japan, all the agency inward Fairbanks, Alaska? This is our life, together with a sugariness reunion it was.
After a squeamish dinner total of catching up, nosotros went to the World Ice Art Championships. Who knew this was fifty-fifty a thing? I didn't.
The H2O ice sculptures were phenomenal. They had H2O ice slides,
yes, slides made from enterprise ice. That is Matt sliding inward the front, together with the slides were fast!
There were H2O ice teacups, that spun to a greater extent than or less together with around,
together with also n-ice places to relax.
It was together with thence slap-up to watch my friend Linda together with the kids again. (I realized that I am wearing this exact outfit inward almost every Alaskan spider web log I've written. It is my Alaskan uniform. Sadly, at that spot is something slap-up nearly putting on a knee articulation length coat every day. I could receive got my pajamas on underneath together with no ane would live the wiser! Not maxim that I have done that, simply that I could.) Oh, together with did I say that it was COLD?!
Not beingness a seasoned Fairbanks-ian, I had to pass lots of fourth dimension inward the warm-up tent which wasn't really warm.
The kids had a ball climbing on all of the sculptures.
They fifty-fifty flora their ain igloo.
And amend yet, their ain house,
consummate amongst a kitchen table,
together with a cozy bedroom!
Aside from the large sculptures for climbing, the contest also consisted of to a greater extent than intricate together with detailed work.
I loved the pagoda, it was simply similar the existent thing!
Overall, the H2O ice festival was an amazing experience, together with I'm together with thence glad nosotros were able attend.
And encounter upwards amongst expert friends!
The vi hr ride domicile was uneventful, but nosotros liked seeing these boats frozen inward the ice. Basically, every trunk of H2O inward the nation is frozen enterprise during the wintertime. Come spring, the boats volition live floating again, every bit they should be.
We also passed the regal Denali, North America's tallest peak. (More on Denali when nosotros see the commons this summer.)
So at that spot you lot receive got Fairbanks, inward a nutshell. It wasn't the Gulf of Thailand, but it had a sure enough "charm" all of it's own. Oh, together with did I call that it was COLD?!
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