Fairbanks Alaska, March 2013
Seeing the Northern Lights had been a dream of mine even since I saw the picture in an encyclopedia as a child. This dream became a bit of an obsession when I saw the movie 'Brother Bear' as a 15 year old. I couldn't believe that such a surreal phenomenon could exist in nature.
I was close enough to see it when I lived in Europe but I wanted to see it with S together for the first time and thus began the planning for the Alaska trip. We are usually very self sufficient on our holidays- we pick the tour companies, hotels and other activities after combing through TripAdvisor a million times but this time we struck gold with one company which organized everything for us from accommodation to all the tours there. They had many different options and it was fairly simple for us to customize our trip. If you are thinking about a hassle free time when you are there, I would recommend them for sure.
Granted, our journey was incredibly long and tiresome but we were so super excited that we barely felt the onward journey via Seattle. We landed in Fairbanks at 10 PM to find ourselves wondering why we ever complained about the cold back home in New Jersey. We woke up bright and early and decided to explore Fairbanks since we had some time before our afternoon drive to the Arctic Circle. Our exploration lasted exactly ten minutes after the frigid temperature made us rush into a chinese restaraunt for warm soup. There were only so many photos we could take since the background was blanketed in snow no matter where we stood.
If anything, seeing the lights has only made us both more resolute to go on another adventure chasing the mysterious Aurora Borealis!
Seeing the Northern Lights had been a dream of mine even since I saw the picture in an encyclopedia as a child. This dream became a bit of an obsession when I saw the movie 'Brother Bear' as a 15 year old. I couldn't believe that such a surreal phenomenon could exist in nature.
I was close enough to see it when I lived in Europe but I wanted to see it with S together for the first time and thus began the planning for the Alaska trip. We are usually very self sufficient on our holidays- we pick the tour companies, hotels and other activities after combing through TripAdvisor a million times but this time we struck gold with one company which organized everything for us from accommodation to all the tours there. They had many different options and it was fairly simple for us to customize our trip. If you are thinking about a hassle free time when you are there, I would recommend them for sure.
Granted, our journey was incredibly long and tiresome but we were so super excited that we barely felt the onward journey via Seattle. We landed in Fairbanks at 10 PM to find ourselves wondering why we ever complained about the cold back home in New Jersey. We woke up bright and early and decided to explore Fairbanks since we had some time before our afternoon drive to the Arctic Circle. Our exploration lasted exactly ten minutes after the frigid temperature made us rush into a chinese restaraunt for warm soup. There were only so many photos we could take since the background was blanketed in snow no matter where we stood.
Our guide picked us up after lunch and then we set off for the very LONG drive to the Arctic circle. If you have time (and the money), I would recommend taking the flight to the Arctic circle particularly if you do not like long car drives. We decided to take the chance since they had told us that it was easier to stop the car whenever the Northern Lights were visible on the way there. We then entered the Dalton Highway to begin the journey to the Arctic and that is when the snow began, building up slowly and surely. Soon the roads were a mess and I have no idea how our tour guide managed to keep us engaged with fun facts, keep his eyes on the road and also look out for wildlife. He then very gently told us that the chances of seeing the Northern Lights looked pretty bad since the sky had to be completely clear for a good sighting. We trudged on and on like true troopers but as we went deeper the restrooms started getting progressively worse (in some places, it was pretty much just a hole in the ground!). Our spirits started drooping, particularly for Saranath and I, since the heat just did not reach the last few seats in that large van and our feet were beginning to feel the minus 30 degrees outside. When we did reach the Arctic Circle, he got out a hot thermos of hot chocolate while we all posed for pictures in the middle of the blizzard with the headlights of the van giving us the light we needed for the photos. We then began the long and dangerous drive back to our hotel with only one thought swimming in my head 'Oh god, what will happen if the van breaks down, there is not a soul in sight and no cell phone reception!'. We made it back in one piece, cold but happy to say we touched the Arctic Circle. S and I still look at the certificates they gave for us being at the Arctic circle once in a while.
On Day 2, We got up late since we had come back from our Arctic adventure only at 4 AM, hoping and praying for the skies to be clear (seems to me, we wake up with that prayer on every vacation we take!). This night would be our last chance to see the Northern Lights since we were headed back home the next day. We had heard enough stories about how people had been chasing the Northern Lights for years and it was a matter of timing and lots and lots of luck. Our plan for the morning was to try a dog sled ride over a frozen river. Since both of us hate being late to anything, we arrived early as always. The dogs and our guide were on another tour so we had to wait for them to come back. Both of us were beyond frozen when another dog sled guide took pity on us and asked us to sit inside his car while waiting for our guide. Karen arrived in ten minutes which felt like ten hours in that cold car and started bundling us up for the ride. She threw coat after coat on me and I was still freezing! The dog sled ride was truly amazing despite my obvious fears of frostbite since I could not feel my toes or my fingers anymore. On a sled being pulled by dogs and snow everywhere we looked, and the beauty of the journey accentuated by our guide telling us how she would live no where else despite the cold and that if we came to Alaska in the summer we would never have the heart to leave.
When our guide came to pick us up in the afternoon for our trip to the Chena Hot Springs, S and I paid little heed to anything on our way. All we wanted to check on our phones was if the skies would be clear and the weather report looked iffy. Not to mention, people in our tour van making us paranoid by saying that they had been here for a week and not seen it yet. The Chena Hot springs was a truly beautiful resort in the middle of nowhere. Its chief attractions being the ice museum and the hot springs themselves. We had the interesting experience of sitting in a bar completely made of ice and having the pleasure of sipping our apple martinis in cocktail glasses made of ice too! We then headed to the hot springs and I was in no mood to remove my 75 layers of clothing and get into a swim suit but S as always convinced me otherwise and there we were running from the dressing area to the hot springs in our swimsuits in Minus 30 degrees weather. I was beginning to regret my decision when I sunk into that warm pool. I would have stayed there forever! The water was as warm as a perfect bath and the springs were framed by the snow covered mountains. We amused ourselves by dipping our heads under the water and coming up to find the warm water turning into ice droplets on our hair in minutes. This experience is the one we talk of most even now because we still can't believe we experienced something like this. By now, I had mentally reconciled myself that even if we didn't see the Northern Lights, this experience had made our whole trip worthwhile.
At around midnight, we headed to the glass observation room where all of us were gathered in the dark room to wait for the lights to appear. I didn't want to get my hopes up so I had convinced myself we were not going to see them and that we would plan another trip soon. S, the true optimist, stayed guard patiently looking out the window while I promptly fell asleep on his shoulder. When I woke up, there was a whole lot of confusion in the room and S shook me by the shoulders and said 'It is here, baby!' and we ran out to the open. Camera flashes popped here and there and I am not sure how many of us did justice to what we saw. At one point when I realized our photos weren't coming our great, both of us took the executive decision to let the camera be and just enjoy the lights. How many times would we get to see the Northern Lights dancing over our heads? It appeared and faded quite a few times but the enthusiasm for seeing the lights never faded within the group with shrill squeals every time the lights began to appear.
On Day 2, We got up late since we had come back from our Arctic adventure only at 4 AM, hoping and praying for the skies to be clear (seems to me, we wake up with that prayer on every vacation we take!). This night would be our last chance to see the Northern Lights since we were headed back home the next day. We had heard enough stories about how people had been chasing the Northern Lights for years and it was a matter of timing and lots and lots of luck. Our plan for the morning was to try a dog sled ride over a frozen river. Since both of us hate being late to anything, we arrived early as always. The dogs and our guide were on another tour so we had to wait for them to come back. Both of us were beyond frozen when another dog sled guide took pity on us and asked us to sit inside his car while waiting for our guide. Karen arrived in ten minutes which felt like ten hours in that cold car and started bundling us up for the ride. She threw coat after coat on me and I was still freezing! The dog sled ride was truly amazing despite my obvious fears of frostbite since I could not feel my toes or my fingers anymore. On a sled being pulled by dogs and snow everywhere we looked, and the beauty of the journey accentuated by our guide telling us how she would live no where else despite the cold and that if we came to Alaska in the summer we would never have the heart to leave.
When our guide came to pick us up in the afternoon for our trip to the Chena Hot Springs, S and I paid little heed to anything on our way. All we wanted to check on our phones was if the skies would be clear and the weather report looked iffy. Not to mention, people in our tour van making us paranoid by saying that they had been here for a week and not seen it yet. The Chena Hot springs was a truly beautiful resort in the middle of nowhere. Its chief attractions being the ice museum and the hot springs themselves. We had the interesting experience of sitting in a bar completely made of ice and having the pleasure of sipping our apple martinis in cocktail glasses made of ice too! We then headed to the hot springs and I was in no mood to remove my 75 layers of clothing and get into a swim suit but S as always convinced me otherwise and there we were running from the dressing area to the hot springs in our swimsuits in Minus 30 degrees weather. I was beginning to regret my decision when I sunk into that warm pool. I would have stayed there forever! The water was as warm as a perfect bath and the springs were framed by the snow covered mountains. We amused ourselves by dipping our heads under the water and coming up to find the warm water turning into ice droplets on our hair in minutes. This experience is the one we talk of most even now because we still can't believe we experienced something like this. By now, I had mentally reconciled myself that even if we didn't see the Northern Lights, this experience had made our whole trip worthwhile.
At around midnight, we headed to the glass observation room where all of us were gathered in the dark room to wait for the lights to appear. I didn't want to get my hopes up so I had convinced myself we were not going to see them and that we would plan another trip soon. S, the true optimist, stayed guard patiently looking out the window while I promptly fell asleep on his shoulder. When I woke up, there was a whole lot of confusion in the room and S shook me by the shoulders and said 'It is here, baby!' and we ran out to the open. Camera flashes popped here and there and I am not sure how many of us did justice to what we saw. At one point when I realized our photos weren't coming our great, both of us took the executive decision to let the camera be and just enjoy the lights. How many times would we get to see the Northern Lights dancing over our heads? It appeared and faded quite a few times but the enthusiasm for seeing the lights never faded within the group with shrill squeals every time the lights began to appear.
If anything, seeing the lights has only made us both more resolute to go on another adventure chasing the mysterious Aurora Borealis!
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