It's like some crazy dream! Six flights in 10 days? Ethiopian food in Seattle? The ferry to Bremerton? Alaska? The aurora borealis? Staying in an igloo? Riding a dog sled? Petting a reindeer? And calling Bigfoot at sunset from the top of a mountain?
But it was real. My partner said he wanted to give me memories to last a lifetime, and he certainly did!
It all started because of a health scare. That's when Gordon told me he'd always wanted to see the Northern Lights, and we should go. To Alaska. I admit my response was, "Are you nuts?"
He's very persuasive.
So at 5:30 in the morning on the last Tuesday in March, we found ourselves flying out of XNA -- first leg to Chicago, then on to Seattle, where his younger daughter and her husband live. We'd spend a couple of days with them, helping feather the nest as they awaited the birth of their first child, our third grandchild. I loved everything about Seattle -- and the time spent with "the kids" was a joy.
Then it was on to Fairbanks.
Me being me, I had my own little side trip scheduled. I reached out to the Barony of Winter's Gate, the Society for Creative Anachronism branch in Fairbanks, and asked if anybody would like to meet up for coffee when I got into town. The great thing about the SCA, even though I don't play much anymore, is that you've always got family wherever you go. It was great fun!
But let me tell you about where we stayed in Fairbanks. It's called Pike's Waterfront Lodge, and I highly recommend it should you ever find yourself in central Alaska. It looks and feels like a hunting lodge -- yes, that means stuffed animal heads, but also big, comfy furniture, a cozy fireplace, a library filled with books you can borrow while you're there, art everywhere and the nicest people you can imagine! Everyone in Alaska is so NICE! I don't know if they're just happy to see anybody they don't already know or they're faking it for the tourists, but I've never been around more pleasant people!
We only spent one night at Pike's, and I wish we'd stayed longer. But we had reservations in the wild -- a place called Borealis Basecamp, about 45 minutes outside Fairbanks. In the snow.
Wow! How can I even begin? The reception area and the restaurant are both in huge yurts. The accommodations include bubbles that look like igloos with huge round windows so you can see the Northern Lights from your bed. You can cross-country ski, go for a five-hour adventure on snow machines, ride a dogsled, slide down a hill on a big red inner tube, walk the reindeer or take a sunset tour to the top of a mountain in something that looks like a troop transport vehicle.
And that led to my favorite moment of the trip. We were booked on the sunset tour with four other people -- dad, his two daughters and one daughter's husband. Of course, on the way up, the talk turned to Bigfoot -- because I am obsessed with seeing one. I said I was going to holler for Bigfoot at the top of the mountain -- and Chris, Rachel's husband, jumped in, saying he would help.
Turns out Chris is an opera singer -- a tenor -- from San Francisco. And I promise you, no better Bigfoot whoop has ever been whooped anywhere!
And on the third night, our last night there, the Northern Lights danced across the sky in yellows and greens and blues, with just a hint of pink once in a while. I can't imagine anything more memorable!