Getting Into Hot Water

No-one was up early this morning after our nocturnal outing for the Northern Lights, which didn't matter too much because because we couldn't check-in at the Chena Hot Springs until 3:00pm anyway.

Our first stop of the morning was the World Ice Sculpture Championships, currently running in Fairbanks. The single block sculptures had already been carved and judged and the multi-block sculptures were now being created ready for judging this Friday evening. Unlike balmy Anchorage the daytime sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures here in Fairbanks ensured that there was no chance that the completed sculptures were going to melt any time soon.

Sam & Keira test the children's ice tunnel!

Before we even made it to the completed artworks there were a number of sculptures made for children to sit on, "drive", or crawl through and the "children" in our party took full advantage of them!

The sculptures themselves were pretty amazing, I don't recall ever seeing so many fascinating pieces in one place so I was quite prepared to believe that the tag of "World Championship" was not lightly made.

One of the single block ice sculptures

The ice artists certainly came from a number of countries. After viewing the completed sculptures we walked around to view the teams of sculptors in action, preparing their large multi-block creations. It was interesting to see the tools and techniques being used and the sculptures taking shape promised to be very impressive indeed. Further round again we came across a number of large slides and once again the "children" in out party were to the fore in trying them out. The consensus was that you couldn't slide on some of them very well. Once these adventures were over we had to retreat to the "warm up" room for a hot chocolate before leaving.

This was followed by a quick visit to Walmart to buy a few items to tide us over until we could reclaim the bag we had accidentally left behind at the motel in Anchorage, then to the tourist info office to get some details on things to do when we get back from Chena Hot Springs. And after some lunch and an unintentional detour getting out of town, that's where we headed next - to our two night stay at the Chena Hot Springs Resort. It wasn't a long drive to get there in terms of mileage but there was a lot of snow and ice on the road, particularly in the latter half of the trip so I was in no hurry to get there. And we did have occasion to stop and see a couple of moose along the way.

After check-in we start off by doing the Ice Museum tour.

One of the ice sculptures with an added light show

The museum is housed in a special building that had a number of beautiful sculptures on display - although the resident artists were currently in Fairbanks for some kind of World Championships (natch!).

Martinis in an ice "glass"

The end piece of the tour was sitting at the ice bar and sipping on an appletini prepared in a "glass" made of ice. We were allowed to keep the "glass" but I somehow doubt it will make it home.

We obviously needed to warm up after being inside the Ice Museum so we headed for the actual hot springs next. There is a covered walkway to go from the change rooms and the (lukewarm) inside pool to the actual thermal spring outside but we still felt every bit of the freezing outside air as we dashed for the water. The spa was quite large and there was every incentive to keep as much of your torso as possible below the water line. The heat from the water was enough to keep your head warm as long it is wasn't too far above it.Even so it was common to find icicles forming in your hair! Whilst in the pool we weighed up our options about which night to use our voucher for the late night tour to the top of a nearby mountain to view the northern lights. The weather forecast was not great for either night but at that point it did seem to be clearing a little so we decided to take a chance on it tonight.

So it was that after finishing our spa time and having dinner we prepared ourselves to join about half a dozen other hardy souls for the 10:30pm departure of the four hour "northern lights tour". It started with a half hour trip by snow cat to the top of one of the nearby mountains where there was a heated Yurt set up to retire in whilst not admiring the lights.

Dozing in the Yurt!

However, unfortunately, all did not go to plan. There was some evidence of faint lights in the sky when we first arrived but these were quickly hidden by increasingly heavy cloud which soon produced snow. The temperature outside was about 2F (about -16.5C) so inside the Yurt was the only place to be, although it was not necessarily as comfortably warm as Laura would have liked. There was a limited range of free snacks available as well as hot drinks, but with no incentive to be outside and not much to do inside most of us were inside, huddled up and often dozing. Eventually at about 1:30am the driver agreed to take us all back early since everyone had long given up any hope of seeing Aurora action tonight.

Understandably no-one was up early the next morning - Sam & Keira not even in time to make the 11:00am cut-off for breakfast. After we all enjoyed another nice long soak in the spa, we decided to tackle one of the walking trails - though while Laura & I were content to actually walk it, Sam & Keira decided to have their first go at cross country skiing. I was able to give some limited advice based on my long ago single experience of it and they both seemed to more of less get the hang of it anyway.

A close finish in a sprint race

A couple of short sprint races between the two of them saw some questionable tactics being used and have at least one of them falling over.

We didn't attempt the full length of the trail as we wanted to be back in time for a 4:00pm tour of the dog kennels. They do actually run sled tours from their kennels but with an experienced musher amongst us we didn't feel the need to do that again. However we did enjoy meeting some of the dogs and hear the kennel owner telling us about them. Of course being Iditarod time much of the discussion turned to the current state of play in the race and some of the tactics and strategies that have been used.

Sam meeting the dogs

After dinner Laura and I decided to experience the spa one more time by night. It was not as crowded and although it was also snowing lightly, all the snow flakes would melt and evaporate before they reached the water. It was a pretty magical feeling. And it was also of perverse comfort to know that those desperate guests heading up to the yurt tonight were destined to fare no better than we had last night.

Our last morning at the resort dawned clear and bright and after a late breakfast Sam & Keira opted for their last dip in the spa before we hit the road back to Anchorage.

Icicles in the hair while in the spa.

Onwards to Fairbanks

After a little bit of shopping in the same quaint main street we were in last night it was time for three of our party to venture forth on a scenic flight. Laura has never been fond of flying in small planes which left Sam, Keira & myself joining six others on a scenic flight to Mt McKinley.

The plane gave us a very smooth ride, having a surprisingly low take off and landing speed. The flight took us to and around the slopes of Mt McKinley - but not around the summit where the winds today were too strong and unpredictable (despite the fact that it was a nice clear day at lower elevations.)

One of the glaciers on the slopes of Mt McKinley

We were given a good look at the knife edge ridges around the lower levels before making a perfect, smooth landing on a glacier at about 10,000ft. The surrounding scenery was amazing, with steep cliffs on all sides. Our pilot told us that the bottom of one cliff, which looked quite close, would actually take at least an hour and a half to walk to. The cliff itself was about 5,000ft high.

Sam & Keira on the glacier

We stayed long enough to see two other planes land on the same glacier and pull up behind our plane. Then it was our turn to take off and return to Talkeetna, after a few more passes close to those same amazing ridges.

We had lunch in Talkeetna before hitting the road to Fairbanks, about five hours drive north. We stopped a couple of times for photo opportunities of Mt McKinley and once for fuel but otherwise made good time to Fairbanks.

Nevertheless it was nearly 7:00pm by the time we reached our hotel - expertly guided in by Sam - and I had three very hungry passengers by then. So as soon as I had checked in I asked for directions to the nearest eatery and we went straight there before we even took our gear up to our rooms.

After dinner the receptionist gave the the site of a web cam that provided a view of the night sky so that we could see if the northern light were out. There was a moderate chance of them being visible tonight so we decided to go to bed early and get up at 2:00am and drive out to a remote location along Murphy's Dome Road to get well away from the city lights.

So it came to pass that we found ourselves driving up a sometimes icy road with no clear idea of how far we should be going and trees on either side of the rode preventing much of a view of the sky. After about 20 miles we backtracked a little to turn onto a side road where a lack of road side trees allowed us to get a clear view of the northern sky. And there they were - a long faint green glow just above the horizon. Curiously, at first, they showed up better in a 30 seconds exposure on my camera than they did to the naked eye. The lights ebbed and faded over half an hour or more until we decided we were cold enough and ready to call it quits for the night. By the time we made it back down the mountain to our hotel it was a little after 4:00am and it was finally the end of days of spectacular sights.

The Aurora Borealis in session.

Mush! Mush!

Straight after breakfast I walked to the Avis depot and collected the 4WD SUV that was to be our mode of transport for the next nine days. After we had loaded up the first stop was a Walmart to stock up on "car food". Then we hit the road for Willow, about an hour and a half north of Anchorage where the "real" Iditarod race start was to begin at 2:00pm.

Sam with one of the husky pups

We followed the traffic into the specially prepared car park by the highway and then crossed the road to the frozen lake, with the real race start less than two hours away. As we exited the car park there was a couple with four adorable husky puppies for sale that we couldn't resist stopping to pat.

We managed to secure a spot close to the start of the iconic race, on the side of a fenced track that crossed the lake and ran up into the woods on the far side. As with the ceremonial start yesterday the dog teams set off at two minute intervals - but this time there are no "Iditariders" on board and the race clock is running.

Rearing to go!

The dogs were evidently keen to be on the trail - as each team lined up on the start line it took up to half a dozen handlers holding back the dogs and two or three others holding on to the sled to stop the dogs taking off  before the countdown reached zero.

We gave a big cheer to Ali Zirkle as she started in position #7 and to the lone Aussie in the field, Christian Turner, when he started in position #21. As we did yesterday, we then chose to move up the line and view the starting teams from different points on the course. The start was a very festive occasion, with a lot of people having picnics and barbeques on the frozen lake under clear blue skies. We continued a little way up into the woods on the far side of the lake where there were still dozens of spectators lining the route to cheer the mushers on their way.

Another team hits the trail.

After we had seen off the last of the 69 mushers to start out on Iditarod 2014 we joined the throng heading back to to the car park, where we were lucky to get a good run out. Thereafter we had the advantage of heading north - rather than back to Anchorage like most of the other traffic - so we had a good run. Not that we had far to go, the run up to the Talkeetna was only half an hour and it was only about 15 miles off the highway.

Our lodgings turned out to be very nice with each room having a loft and views out over the frozen river. It was still light and there were views of the distant Mt McKinley (North America's highest mountain) from out on the river. There was still a trickle of water on the middle of the river but it was interesting to walk around on the snow covered ice - with only the occasional spots where your foot suddenly sunk into a knee deep "moose hole".

A view of Mt McKinley from the (mostly) frozen river.

In the quaint main street of Talkeetna we found a nice eatery for dinner. It was very busy and the service was a bit slow, but the manageress compensated us by making one of our four meals free and shouting an extra round of drinks. A nice end to an iconic day in Alaska.

Mush!

Today's activities started with a walk downtown on a beautiful day with clear blue skies to get a good position for the start of the Iditarod race.

Sled dogs waiting for the start

Today was the "ceremonial start", staged for the benefit of the public and sponsors and to give the mushers a chance to interact with fans as they run an 11 mile course through the city, much of it on a special trail of snow laid down in the streets. Each musher also has an "Iditarider" as a passenger - a supporter who has bid for the privilege of riding with their favourite musher for the day. It is a staged start - there is no way to line up and start 69 dog sled teams at the same time - so teams start at two minute intervals.

We managed a good position near the start line to watch the first couple of mushers start off and then gradually moved along the course to watch the other mushers pass by. This turned out to be an ideal way to see it. Near the start the crowd is bigger and you get the real sense of excitement. Further along the course the crowd thins out and you get close to the mushers as they cruise by - often giving high fives to people as they passed. At one point the trail wound through a snow covered park which was quite picturesque in its own right. In the end we were working our way back towards the start when the last of the 69 entrants passed by.

Aussie musher Christian Turner starting out

From there we went and entered ourselves in the "Running of the Reindeer" to be staged in the main street at 4:00pm that afternoon - a little like the Spanish "Running of the Bulls" only way less dangerous. After a late lunch we had time to walk back to the motel for a rest before returning to the main street for the  "run". Unfortunately Laura & I were having trouble meeting Sam & Keira at the planned rendezvous point and by the time I managed to get in touch with them by phone Laura & I became separated in the crowd. Laura showed typical resourcefulness by getting hold of the event announcer's microphone and arranging a new rendezvous point for the four of us.

Thus we found ourselves in the last - and largest - group to set off on the "Running of the Reindeer". It was wall-to-wall people in the street so that even breaking into a trot was hard enough, never mind a run.

Reindeer dash down the unmarked flanks.

Actually it wasn't quite wall-to-wall people - we left the flanks unguarded so that when the reindeer were released behind us they flashed passed on the unprotected wings to finish the run ahead of us. It was still fun and we did get to pat some of the reindeer at the end of the run.

After such an activity filled day we were content to have a quiet night in.

Around Town

After a great night's sleep in a very comfy bed and a hearty helping of the complimentary hot breakfast we were all set to explore some of Anchorage.

We started out doing a walk along the coastal track towards Earthquake Park, which commemorates the 1964 earthquake that caused a lot of damage here abouts. Along the way we read a notice board about how to tell the difference between a "curious moose" and an "angry moose" - with the matching advice that you can safely continue to watch the former but retreat quickly from the latter! It was a pleasant view along the walk - with ice in the bay and snow covered mountains in the distance - but we eventually decided to bail on the idea of walking all the way to Earthquake Park. Partly because the scale of the map made it evident that it was still a long way and we'd have to retrace our steps to continue with our plans for the day.

So instead we walked back toward the main thoroughfare - C Street - to catch a bus to our next destination. Along the way we saw a moose and her calf grazing on the branches of the leafless birch trees in the grounds of a pre-school, so we wandered in to get a closer look. The staff at the pre-school were most concerned that we did not come between the mother and her calf on the way back out so they invited us to detour through the (otherwise empty) school buildings. (We never did find out why they were at work when there were no children - on a weekday).

Moose grazing

We managed a good bus connection down to the Dimond Mall in south Anchorage where the Native Craft Market was on its last day. The markets had been running for about a week, with native artisans from remote settlements all over Alaska having stalls set up in the aisles of the mall. The range of crafts on display was both extensive and impressive, including carving, painting, fur products and wood works. All hand crafted, no mass produced works in sight.

After a late lunch we bused back to the Sears Mall in mid town where there was an amateur photo exhibition on display. Given my interest in such things it was very nice of Sam to have noticed it was on and put off going until I had joined them in Anchorage. There were a number of categories, with the basic requirement that all photos had to be taken in Alaska since the start of 2013. There were some very good images on display, but as usual we didn't necessarily all agree on the judge's choices for the various category winners.

Thereafter we made it back to out hotel just in time for the 6:00pm "Meet and Greet" with the two Iditarod contestants who were sponsored by Clarion Suites - the husband and wife pair of Aliy Zirkle

Aliy Zirkle with insulated water container

(runner-up in the last two Iditarods) and Allan Moore  (a dual winner of the Yukon Quest). It was an interesting meeting as they both explained the equipment, training and tactics required to win these long distant sled races and told some funny stories about their experiences. They also brought in some of their dogs for us to meet. And just to cap off the evening, when it came time to raffle the door prizes Sam won a framed poster from the 2013 race autographed by Aliy. Top stuff!

Aliy's sled packed with equipment

With the day's activities accounted for, the four of us enjoyed a game of Settlers of Catan before bed time - which was won by Sam. Again!

A 44 Hour Day

The three leg flight from from Sydney to Anchorage (Sydney -> Vancouver, Vancouver -> Seattle, Seattle -> Anchorage) was smooth and uneventful. Except for the fact that for all three flights (for which we were either too late or unable to do our own pre-flight seat allocation) we found ourselves allocated seats that were 1 to 15 rows apart. At least for the first flight we were able to change this on check-in to be seated together but there was nothing we could do about the other two flights.

Some of Aily Zirkle's dog team

Once on the ground in Anchorage at 3:45pm (after 23 hours in transit but only about three hours after the "time" we left Sydney) the free shuttle to our lodgings took a little longer to show than one of us would have liked - standing outside in the cold waiting while every other hotel shuttle seemed to cruise past twice. Otherwise the check-in was smooth and we were soon catching up with Sam & Keira who had checked-in earlier.

We also found our that one of the Iditarod contestants (Aily Zirkle, runner up the last two years) was also in residence and the truck with her dog team was parked outside. The dogs had just been fed and we were able to check them out.

Our party of four went for a stroll through the Anchorage down town precinct, which Sam & Keira had some familiarity with having been here for two days already.

Keira and Sam in pioneering mode

We ended up having dinner at a Thai restaurant before going to have a look at the snow sculptures. Well, at the remains of the snow sculptures. They had been carved a few days ago and with Anchorage's unseasonably warm weather (40F, 4C) they were looking a bit past their best. A couple had even collapsed altogether. Nearby we could only admire the fortitude of those who were going for fair rides at a carnival in the chilly evening air, but it did provide the opportunity to try a "funnel cake" for dessert.

It was only a few blocks back to our warm room where Laura and I were more than ready for  good night's sleep.

One of the aging snow sculptures

We are going where?

We were thinking of going to somewhere warm about now - like the South Pacific - but instead our son Sam said it would be really cool to see the famous Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska which runs each year from Anchorage to Nome. Of course given the time of year it is likely to be a little more than just cool. The sweetener is that a little further north in Fairbanks at this time of year - close to the equinox - it is pretty much viewing central for the Northern Light, aka the Aurora Borealis, or the "Heavenly Dancers".

So we are off to see the Huskies and (fingers crossed) the Northern Lights, accompanied by Sam and his girlfriend Keira.

At the back end of the trip we are hoping to take in some of Seattle and Vancouver Island before revisiting Whistler where Sam has led us to believe that he can procure worthwhile discounts on some of the activities there - such as zip lining, snow shoe tours and snow mobile excursions.

So it is time to pack the thermals and get ready for our 27th Feb departure.