Five Nights In Fairbanks!!! Part III of III

I can't tell you the relief I felt as we enjoyed the final dazzling streaks of emerald in the pre-dawn sky. I had pulled the whole crazy plan off. I put a ring on my dream girl in spectacular fashion, having executed my dream proposal. We were now able to scratch the northern lights right off both of our bucket lists. For at least the following 36 hours Carolyn's name became Fiance. For the remainder of our Alaskan adventure I could really relax and enjoy each moment without the sinister whispers of doubt stealing me away. We saw the lights, we were engaged, and we still had two nights in Alaska.
Day 4: Too jazzed up to sleep and too early to call everyone we've ever met we headed to breakfast at "Family Diner" in Fairbanks. We were greeted at the door by a cave-dwelling waitress and the unpleasant odor of cigarette smoke. For the first time in forever we were faced with the very difficult decision of choosing to sit in the smoking section or the second-hand smoking section. Seriously this place had reindeer and moose available in the omelettes. Needless to say we steered clear of the game and that diner the rest of the trip. We napped for an hour before packing our bags and checking out of our hotel, our destination: Chena Hot Springs Resort. 60 miles outside the nearest town this resort was the perfect place to spend the last two days of out trip. It was quiet, rustic, secluded, and forget about cell phone reception. We arrived mid-afternoon and wasted no time wading into the soothing hot springs. After a relaxing soak we had dinner at the resort lodge the was equipped precisely how an Alaskan lodge should be. Moose antlers, iditarod musher jerseys, and antique sporting equipment lined the walls. Dinner, nap, coffee. Again we were geared up for another night of watching for the lights. Could we be so lucky to see them once last time? Yeah we did... Simply amazing. This night we had the benefit of watching and waiting from the "aurorium", a heated, glass-fronted cabin tucked away in the hill just above the resort. A welcome alternative to a freezing and cramped Kia Optima after three nights. Especially wonderful, the place was all ours with not another soul passing through all night. Hot water from the springs would trickle through pipes around the room to provide heat and a tranquil noise not unlike camping next to a mountain stream. Ahhhh, this was relaxation! When the aurora would show we would scramble in the dark to put on our boots, gloves, and jackets before rushing out to take pictures. In the wee hours of the morning we retired to our room with huge smiles on our faces having seen the aurora twice!

Day 5: The next day was, in a word, active. We visited the resident resort goats. We toured the on-site ice museum filled with neat sculptures and novel ice creations. Carolyn and I split an appletini served in an ice glass at a bar made entirely of (you guessed it) ice!

Next we toured the resort's geo-thermal power plant and green house. We learned of the 100 year history of the resort and how the hot springs provide all the heat, electricity, and even some of the food for the resort. Its incredible green house is powered/heated by the springs and can grow our dinner salads ingredients in 60 below weather!

Next we hit the trails hiking through the woods and to the top of Charlie Dome, a nearby peak that promised 360 degree views of the Alaskan wilderness. The hike was intense, gaining in elevation swiftly and without any yield. Already exhausted and unable to tell how far we had left to go in true Matt and Carolyn style we pressed blindly forward. Most people would call it a day and go soak in the springs but not us man we were looking for punishment. Eventually we conquered the peak and were treated to an awesome view as promised.


Hot springs, dinner, nap, coffee, and we snow-suited-up for a chance at one last chance at seeing the lights. Now thoroughly spent, our inner vacation warrior's spirit wavered and at 2 am we made peace with the fact the seeing the lights twice was still twice as many times as we thought we'd see them. We tucked our tired bodies in and passed the heck out. An hour later we were startled awake: BOOM BOOM BOOM, Aurora!.....BOOM BOOM BOOM, Aurora! Everyone in our hall way had been put on the Aurora wake-up call list. This Paul Reevere of the Aurora had us up and out in minutes. Can you believe it? Three nights of lights. Well after the Japanese tourists had turned-in we decided we too should catch some sleep in preparation for our epically long travel day home. Minutes after putting head-to-pillow we were out, just long enough for us to stare at each other and say, "is this all for real?"