February 1 - February 12, 2024 Aurora Viewing in Fairbanks, Alaska

Thursday February 1, 2024 Evening Flight to Seattle : Today we start our journey to Fairbanks, Alaska. We have an evening flight to Seattle and will spend the night there then fly on to Fairbanks tomorrow.

We prepare the house for a weeklong absence and leave for the airport after lunch. We arrive in El Paso in time to eat an early dinner at Olive Garden, drop off the car at the parking place and get to the airport to check in. We discover that our bags are checked all the way to Fairbanks, so we will be travelling light in Seattle tonight. Once we get inside security and settle in at the gate, I go shopping for toothbrushes.

We are flying Alaska Airlines for the first time and we enjoyed their paradigm. After a pretty uneventful flight we arrive in Seattle. Here is a beautiful night view of the city from the airplane. After getting off the airplane, we catch the hotel shuttle and check in. Since our bags were checked through, we had only our backpacks and didn't have to wait on luggage.

*-*-*

Friday February 2, 2024 Fly to Fairbanks and Drive to the Aurora Borealis Lodge :

Fairbanks was completely fogged in when we arrived so the actual touchdown came as a surprise. We later learned that it is ice fog and it only forms if the temperature ia below -30 degrees Farenheit!

As soon as we got of the airplane in Fairbanks, we spotted this shop in the airport with a stuffed moose. Barry stopped by to say hello.

*-*-*

We went to baggage claim and as soon as we got our luggage, and we dug out winter clothes, coats, and boots and put them on. We were already cold and we hadn't even left the building. It was reported to be -41 degrees F outside.

Then went to find the rental car. At the advice of our lodge host, we had rented with Alaska 4X4 because we would need a four wheel drive vehicle to get to the lodge and none of the major brands would guarantee that. As we approached the Alaska 4x4 rental counter, we found another group in line and a sign that the attendant would return in a few minutes. As time stretched on we struck up a conversation with the other group.

The attendant finally came back and told us that all cars were frozen and unable to start with the current -35 degree temperature. She told the other couple there was no hope for a car for them as they had rented an electric model. The group grumbled, then went to make other arrangements. The attendant then told us that they had managed to start the Wrangler Jeep we had reserved. It had to run for a while and then they would check it. She also indicated it MIGHT be ready for our original 3 PM pick up time. It was only noon so we had some time to kill.

Since we needed to get groceries before heading up to the lodge, I tried to take an Uber to get groceries. No luck. There were also no cabs in evidence. By now we were pretty hungry but, unfortunately there are no restaurants outside the secure area - only vending machines and a single kiosk selling minimal food items. So lunch was a tasty picnic of random junk food.

We waited in the airport by rental car counter until after 3 PM and they did not call us so Barry called them. They had decided they couldn't rent us a car for unspecified reasons, but they might have one for us tomorrow. After consultation with the gentleman who runs the lodge, he gave us the number to a cab company who had run people up there in the past. Barry called and we found out, because of the cold temperatures, there were only two cabs in all of Fairbanks operational and they were pretty busy. By now it was starting to get dark and it was time to find a place to stay for the night since it was obvious we weren't going to make it to the Aurora Borealis Lodge.

Here is a map of the Fairbanks area. The airport is in the lower left corner and we were trying to get to the Aurora Borealis Lodge, north of the city. It never occurred to us we wouldn't be able to get a rental car. We also noticed the town of North Pole to the east of Fairbanks. Every year their post office receives thousands of out letters for Santa.

*-*-*

I called the Hampton Inn - they had no rooms available. We had planned to stay at Pike's Waterfront Lodge the last night we were in town so we'd be near the airport for an early morning flight, so I called them. They had both a room and would send a shuttle! We had a place to stay for the night and the means to get there! You cannot imagine our relief at that news!

We walked outside when the shuttle arrived. The cold took your breath away and hurt to breathe. Barry and I had never been in such a cold environment before. We found you really needed to cover your mouth. We discovered the masks I made for Covid worked great. I had brought them along because, well you never know when you will need them. The shuttle took us to the hotel where we collapsed from the exhaustion and the mental strain of the day.

After about an hour we bundled up and walked to the restaurant across the parking lot. Thank goodness it was open or it would have been a long hungry night. It was a cold walk but the Pike's Landing Restaurant was warm and cozy. We talked while we waited on our food. I was very impressed with the restaurant. Although it was very busy, the waiter took orders from 4 or 5 tables which each had 2-6 people. I though to myself - this will take forever. But in 15 minutes he came out with everyone's food. Wow! That would not have happened back home. After eating, we bundled up again and walked back to our cozy room.

We went to bed early without a real plan for Saturday and how we were going to get to the Aurora Borealis lodge.

Saturday February 3, 2024 (Hopefully) Get a rental car and get to our lodge!:

This is the beautiful Pike's Waterfront Lodge Restaurant and common area.

*-*-*

We got up around 6:30, showered and went down to find breakfast, talked out various scenarios for the day and went up back up to the room.

In the common area there were several works of art by indigenous Alaskans including this hand carved harpoon and spear.

*-*-*

Here is a beautiful carved whale with baby.

*-*-*

And here is a carved tusk depicting mammoths.

*-*-*

Barry called the car rental and found out they had parked the Jeep outside overnight and were just about to try starting it. We also found out it would not have a block heater. They said they would call at nine and let us know if it was going to be possible to rent it. Meanwhile I looked everywhere for an alternative car rental and found an AWD Ford Escape on TURO. We had never rented with TURO before but I had heard about it. It is like an AirBnB for cars. It had a block heater and the only downside was that it was unavailable until tomorrow morning.

Not hearing anything from the car rental place, Barry called back, they did have a Jeep but it was not "winterized", so we would have to start it and let it run for a while every two to three hours throughout the night. Since we really wanted to get to the Aurora Borealis Lodge, we decided to rent it for a day and come back into town tomorrow to trade for the private rental on TURO. So we booked the Escape for Sunday through Saturday.

Barry went and picked up the Jeep by taking the shuttle back to the airport. I checked out, got our bags to the common area and waited for Barry's return. After not too long he arrived with a lemon-lime colored jeep that would have been perfect except lacking the engine block heater. With the expected temperatures every night going double digit minus, having to start the car every two hours would be a pain.

So we loaded up the jeep and creeped through ice fog on icy roads to a Firehouse Subs near a grocery store on the path out of town. We were very impressed that the Firehouse subs was open and fully staffed given the state of the roads and the brutally cold temperatures. It was also pretty busy. We had lunch and went to get groceries for the week since the lodge is 30 or so miles outside of Fairbanks with no nearby restaurants.

*-*-*

Finally we head up to the lodge and starting about 5 miles outside of Fairbanks the roads were mostly plowed, the fog disappeared and the sky was clear. Apparently the fog is a Fairbanks phenomena. Unfortunately when we turned onto the Steese highway at Fox the roads were no longer plowed and our speed slowed considerably. Nonetheless, we arrived about 45 minutes later and found our room. We felt this was a major accomlishment!

Our room has two large north-facing plate glass windows. A sofa is perfectly situated to look out the windows and watch the northern lights. This photo shows the magical view to the north from our room. We also have a small kitchen and two queen beds. It is a cozy retreat from the harsh outdoors. We got moved in and rested a bit.

*-*-*

We can also look down on a small deck and a conveniently provided thermometer. Yes that does read -35 F!

*-*-*

A view of our room.

*-*-*

Barry started setting up for photography since the skies were clear and the Aurora was predicted to be active. We had spaghetti for dinner with Prego Creamy Vodka Sauce which was really good. Then we waited for the show to start.

We also set a timer to remind us to start the car every 2.5 hours. And because the refrigerator is small (advertised as apartment-sized but in reality dorm-sized) we had to keep the milk and orange juice on the front porch but rotate it regularly from outside to inside before the milk and OJ froze completely.

The northern lights started slowly, at first just a ribbon on the horizon. They peaked around midnight. We could visually see green and some reds but they were diffuse. We did not realize how much they were dancing around until Barry put together his time lapse videos on Sunday. For the most part we watched from inside our room, but Barry went out every two hours to check the camera, make sure the batteries were still working in the cold, change where it was pointed and start the jeep.

It would take Barry 15 minutes to get all the layers of clothes on including full face mask, long underwear, insulated ski pants, the world's warmest flannel shirt, ski jacket, and gloves. When he got back in we'd reverse the process and get him undressed. He would also have to immediately remove and wipe his glasses because they would fog over.

At the end of the night, Barry pulled the SD card from the camera and then put the camera in a ziploc bag and forced all the air out. This was to prevent the moist air inside the room from condensing on the camera and getting it wet.

We finally went to bed around 4 AM. All in all not bad for our first night!

Sunday February 4, 2024 Swap out the Car and Settle back in at the Aurora Borealis Lodge:

We awakened in good spirits. Yesterday had been a great success. We made it to the lodge, we solved the car rental problem and we had gotten to see the Aurora last night! All the other trials and tribulations didn’t matter. We had breakfast, and then Barry started processing his images into a time lapse.

When Barry looked at the photos from last night we were very excited. There was more color and activity that we realized. This image is from fairly early in the evening.

*-*-*

Midmorning, we got cleaned up and dressed and headed off to Fairbanks to trade vehicles and grab lunch. It was a gorgeous day and a balmy -15 degrees F which seemed pleasant after yesterday!

We met the TURO car owner at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge and picked up the car. It is cute and red and much warmer than the drafty Jeep. Then we went and filled the Jeep with gas and returned it to the rental place. In the mood for Pizza. we found a House of Fire Pizza place and had some good Sicilian pizza then picked up a few items at Safeway and drove back out of town.

The temperature was dropping and there were clouds starting to move in. We got back to the lodge and met our host and talked with him for a few minutes, plugged in the car and went upstairs. Barry and I took a nap. Then Barry worked some more processing his images from last night.

A time lapse video of the Aurora on February 3, 2024. Barry used the Canon 60Da on a tripod with a fisheye lens.

*-*-*

Barry cooked his fabulous Marie Calendar pot pies for dinner. Barry was in bed by 7 pm. I stayed up and read for a while. The sky is cloudy tonight so probably no Aurora viewing….but I wanted to keep an eye on it anyway. It never cleared and I eventually went to bed.

Monday February 5, 2024 A Day at the Aurora Borealis Lodge:

It is still pretty cold (-20 degrees F) and it was nice to not have to start the car every two hours since we had it plugged in.

Sunrise at 9:35 AM.

*-*-*

After breakfast, we did some reading and, to pass the time, I started cleaning out photos on my iPad/iCloud. I didn't realize how much junk (usually screen captures) and duplicates were on there! Barry worked on improving his image processing by enhancing them in Photoshop before making the time lapse.

Mid-day we bundled up, went outside and walked around the lodge. This is a view of the lodge from the north side. Our room is on the upper right.

*-*-*

We also started the car and checked for an oil leak the owner had reported. A previous client had cold started the car rather than plugging it in. We did find a small leak and reported back to the owner. Apparently that is one of the risks of starting a car after it has cold soaked in sub-zero temperatures. We assumed not being able to start it was the only risk but damage to the engine and oil leaks can also happen. Another complexity of living in Alaska.

We were amazed at the number of really large ravens flying around in this really cold weather.

We napped and then late in the day found a deck for "Scrabble Slam" in one of the drawers. We played several rounds of that. Interesting game.

We had chili for dinner. I made it but didn’t have my usual spices and ingredients. I didn’t care for it too much but Barry seemed to enjoy it. After dinner it was cloudy so we talked, read and went to bed early.

According to our host it did clear during the night and some guests did see the Aurora. Our host also had a tour (there is an adjacent large group viewing lodge) which he brought up from Fairbanks and they saw some activity.

Tuesday February 6, 2024 Another Day at the Aurora Borealis Lodge:

It is starting to warm. This morning was just below 0 degrees F and it might warm into the single digits today! You realize after a very short time here, what a different world Alaskans live in. The snow is ever present and the temperatures are wicked cold. But the sun has started melting the snow on the deck and the trees even though it is well below freezing.

We got up and had breakfast at 6 AM. It was another quiet day but we did go for a short drive after lunch. It had gotten up to +3 degrees F so we wanted to venture out. We drove to the other side of Steese Highway to see the Mt. Aurora lodge. When we had come to Fairbanks in 2019 after the Alaskan Cruise, we had stayed there. It was a very interesting place as it was an old mining dormitory. Apparently it closed during Covid and has not reopened. We were surprised when we got there to see some construction activity. I do hope it reopens as it has a lot of character.

When we got back from our drive (and plugged the car back in), Barry took this selfie with the Aurora Borealis lodge in the background.

*-*-*

We went inside and Barry and I napped in preparation for tonight's activities. Later to pass the time we played Crazy 8’s for a while before dinner. For dinner we had chunky pot pie soup with bread and Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies.

The skies remained clear and the forcast for aurora viewing was good, so around 8:30 PM Barry suited up and set up the camera on the back deck. We watched the ribbons of the aurora dance for a bit but eventually went to bed, setting the alarm for every two hours or so to check on it. Barry switched out the camera batteries and the intervalometer batteries once because the cold temperatures (-12 degrees F) drain them pretty quickly.

Wednesday February 7, 2024 A Drive Down to Fairbanks :

Tuesday night’s Aurora viewing was pretty good. Barry started early this morning processing the images and made it into a great video. He had moved the camera to a different location and took shorter 10 second exposures. We also uploaded both the time lapse videos from Saturday and Tuesday to YouTube and I posted them on our Facebook page. He also has started sharing the videos with other guests at the lodge. The host starts a text message chain so everyone can be notified of Aurora sightings and Barry added a link to his you tube video.

A time lapse video of the Aurora on February 6, 2024. Barry used the Canon 60Da on a tripod with a 14 mm Rokinon F2.8 lens. This one is intersting because it appears to die out about midway through but then comes back even stronger toward the end.

*-*-*

We had lunch in, then headed down to Fairbanks and went to the Fountainhead Antique Car Museum.

The Fountainhead is in interesting private collection of pre-WWII cars and vintage ladies clothing on display. Both were magnificent. The cars are beautifully restored and the clothes are in immaculate condition. The outfits are paired with the cars of their day. This is a gorgeous blue evening gown circa 1900.

*-*-*

This 1916 Dodge is one of the early motor car stage coaches of Alaska, operated by the Gibson Car Co. It ran from Valdez, Alaska (a southern port) to Fairbanks.

*-*-*

This map shows the trail the Gibson Car company took. The route was retraced by this car in a centennial celebration around 2016. I would imagine the ride was much smoother in the re-creation since almost none of the roads of the original route were paved!

*-*-*

I found this outfit fascinating. It is a complete flapper ensemble, including wig. They had a number of these very finly woven wig/hats which were styled like a hairpiece but were woven out of fine silver or golden yarn or finely beaded and matched the outfit.

*-*-*

Here is a gorgeous 1935 Yellow Packard. It was in mint condition and really breathtaking. You could imaging Jay Gatsby getting out of it at some posh affair. The dress was navy blue velvet with hand applique at the waist. Simple lines but stunning!

*-*-*

The museum also had a number of children's garments and shoes as well as this beautifully preserved hand stitched baby quilt circa 1845. It was displayed with this elaborately embroidered ladies cape which was exquisite.

*-*-*

After we finished looking through the museum, we headed to Fred Meyer and restocked our groceries, ate dinner at Miguel’s (Mexican) where I had fresh halibut fajitas. Then we drove back to the lodge. Oh and Fairbanks got up to 15 degrees today!

Barry used the Canon to capture this close-up of the gorgeous snow-covered mountains to the north.

*-*-*

We read, talked and snoozed until around 8 PM and went to bed. There was no Aurora then but Barry set an alarm for 10:30 PM and got up to put the camera outside. He woke me up at around 11:15 PM because the northern lights were very active. There were multiple ribbons across the northern sky, moving around getting dimmer then brighter.

We eventually went to bed but Barry got up every two hours to check on the camera battery and whether there was still activity. He stopped the camera around 3 and we went to sleep. When I woke up at 6 AM the aurora was still active!

Thursday February 8, 2024 A Day at the Aurora Borealis Lodge :

Wednesday night’s Aurora viewing was epic. Barry was excited to start processing the images right after breakfast. By the time sunrise occured it was already +15 F on the thermometer.

A time lapse video of the Aurora on February 7, 2024. Barry used the Canon 60Da on a tripod with a 14 mm Rokinon F2.8 lens. This is comprised of images taken over 5 hours and the aurora was still going strong when Barry shut it down.

*-*-*

One of the stills from last night's aurora.

*-*-*

Last night's aurora.

*-*-*

Another image from last night's wonderful aurora.

*-*-*

When one watches the aurora, the colors are not as vivid as they can be in a photograph. While you can still see the pillars and ribbons they are in shades of gray as shown in this image taken with an iPhone.

*-*-*

After lunch, we went outside for a walk as the temperature was relatively warm. Barry spotted this Lockheed P-3 flying overhead while we were out. Late in the afternoon there were F35’s flying around probably from Eielson Air base and we saw three - either the same one three times or multiple planes. We also heard, then saw a C-17 fly overhead. Unfortunately, we couldn"t get any pictures.

*-*-*

It was clear but the Aurora didn’t look too strong on the various predictors. From past experience, it really didn’t get too good until 10-10:30 pm, so we checked the forecast one more time, then went to bed around 8 PM with an alarm set for 10:30 PM. When we got up you could see a faint Aurora but it wasn’t as good as previous nights.

Barry suited up - I equated it to a knight putting on his armor! He took the camera out, got it focused, and started taking photos for a time lapse. By the time he got in, the Aurora had faded but before we got back in bed, it flared again.

Friday February 9, 2024 Our last day at the Aurora Borealis Lodge :

This morning it is +17 degrees F with a brisk bitter cold wind. It is also heavily overcast! Not a pleasant day!

Barry processed the time lapse from last night. Early in the evening it was clear and pretty active. Later it clouded over and you could only see the Aurora on the horizon below the clouds, if at all. Somewhat disappointing. But we did get four images which we sent out to our fellow Aurora watchers. They were excited since they had not gotten any good pictures.

One of the Aurora images from last night.

*-*-*

It was another lazy day. Reading and napping to make up for lost sleep. Barry bundled up after lunch and went for a walk.

It looked like it was going to be dense clouds (and snow was predicted) so Barry and I went to bed. The skies cleared around 1 AM but the the Aurora was pretty diffuse. It got better as the night went on and at 5 AM it was high in the sky with long tendrils. We didn’t take any photos. Barry was pretty exhausted from all the nights of getting up every two hours.

Saturday February 10, 2024 Check out and Head for Fairbanks :

We woke up early and ate breakfast. Then we cleaned the kitchen, threw out left over food and put the room in order. We showered, did final packing, loaded up and headed for Fairbanks.

We had lunch at the Pita Place, walked around Barnes and Noble and Sportsman’s Warehouse - where they had a ready supply of Eskimo Ice fishing shelters! We had never seen them in a store. We saw this bear with a silly snow hat in front of Sportsman's Waehouse!

*-*-*

We also saw this really large raven, enjoying a doughnut someone had thrown on the ground.

*-*-*

After that we went to Northern Threads Quilting Shop and I got a table runner with snowy owls and some wolf fabric. Then we went to Pike's Waterfront Lodge and checked in. I tried to get reservations at the Pump House for dinner but they were booked up. We also contacted the TURO car owner to turn in our rental car. He told us to leave the keys inside and lock the door.

When we walked over to dinner at Pike's Landing Restaurant adjacent to the hotel, we saw the car was running but no one was in it and when we got back from dinner it was gone.

Sunday February 11, 2024 Fly Home - Fairbanks to El Paso:

We set and alarm and got to the airport at a liitle after 5 AM for our 7 AM flight. The plane took off on time.

Barry caught the Alaskan sunrise in flight.

*-*-*

We saw this river while we were still over Alaska. We think it might have been in Wrangel-St.Elias National Park.

*-*-*

As we neared Seattle, we saw the Pacific Range of Canada - this impenetrable mountain range along the west coast of Canada.

*-*-*

At our lay-over in Seattle, we had lunch in this beautiful common area which had restaurants and shops.

*-*-*

We saw the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces covered in snow and then landed in El Paso late in the day. We picked up our car from the parking place and drove the 2 hours home, stopping in Las Cruces for dinner.

It was a fun trip to a dramatically different environment and we got some good images and videos of the Aurora. We will also never forget -41 degree F temperatures and the harsh but beautiful environment of Alaska in winter!