An Invitation for a Princess: My Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Weekend

In recent years I've turned to non-traditional Thanksgivings for the holiday at the end of November, such as going to a Las Vegas buffet, or going to the beach. This year I made no plans to go home or to spend it with family. Earlier in the year I had hoped that Sam and I would get together but he ended up making other plans. My next idea was to use the long weekend to fly to Florida and scout out some properties to potentially buy. But after the recent hurricane, I started to shy away from that plan. Then I finally got the news from work that I'd be going to Italy for two weeks of training and collaborating on F-35s. This is an endeavor we've been plowing away at since the beginning of the year, so I am very ecstatic to see it coming to fruition. But it meant we would leave at the tail end of the Thanksgiving weekend. So rather than make crazy travel plans and stress myself out, I spent the long weekend at home, by myself, doing me things. I did some self care and I've finally been in the mood for DIY so I worked on my house (side note: it's simple, but I was very happy with a few installations of hooks in my shower, especially repurposing the failed sea turtle ukelele hook I 3D printed years ago into a razor holder - and the green and pink coordinates like Wicked were a happy accident). I sometimes joke that I work hard at DIY because I'm a princess and I want things exactly as I want them. DIY Princess - that might be a good title for my next design book.

Now, I am not usually a "me time" kind of person, nor do I usually enjoy spending time by myself. But after being ghosted by the latest potential match on the dating app, I am just so disheartened. I should also mention that Sam and I have rekindled a bit this month and I feel better than ever about our relationship. So while it's hard to be away from him, I'm honestly so into him that I'd rather be alone in between our visits than try to fill the gap with some local guy who just can't measure up to Sam.

To be fair, I did have a Thanksgiving day invite from a gentleman at work. We had been at a work happy hour the week before and I guess I must have said something about not having family here and not planning to go home for the holiday. I'm guessing he's a bachelor, too, by the way he phrased his invitation. Something like, "I was thinking I'd invite over people like you who don't have family to spend the holiday with; I could cook a turkey and make some sides and all of that. It may just end up being the two of us, though, I'm not sure who else might come." Is he interested in me? He's a nice enough guy I suppose, I don't really know him too well but when I hear him talk over the wall at work he sometimes makes me roll my eyes and other people have picked up on it and commented on it, too. And his stories just go on and on… yeah, probably best I don't give him hope or pursue anything with him, it would clearly only end in disaster and then awkwardness at work and work events.

Anyways, when I bought this house, I had christened it with the name of, "Just Ugly Enough" because it has good bones and a good structure, nothing structural really needed, but the color scheme is atrocious. That way, I don't feel bad splashing up my own, sometimes a bit "out there", color scheme. If it's all cosmetic work that's needed, then I can only improve upon it with some modern updates and fun colors. Contrast that with the very sexy modern house with the amazeball pool and hot tub in the backyard. I still dream about that pool, especially the feature where you can put a chair in the shallow end and sit in the pool without being in the pool. That was my first choice of house, although the commute was terrible, the cost was higher and I felt there was little I could do without taking away from the aesthetic, even though I wanted to. But oh, that pool. And I very much miss having a hot tub, especially now that the temperature has dropped from 80 down to 50 literally overnight.

Alright, so "Just Ugly Enough" has needed a redesign and I've been playing with color schemes since even before I officially owned the house and moved in. But I've not been fully satisfied and convinced of my designs in both the primary bedroom and the main family room, the two areas I want to attack first. The kitchen is meh but it's okay. It's the family room I've really wanted to do something with, and my primary bathroom, but without knowing what to do with the primary bedroom, I've been hesitant to start on the bathroom. I also started to realize how inundating a big paint project is and how little I actually enjoy painting. I could hire someone, but that takes effort too. And even if I hire someone, the decision still needs to be made what color to paint in. After hee-hawing for months, I finally decided to try to fit a close proximation of the color scheme I want to apply to the fireplace and built-in shelves and décor while keeping the main wall color the light boring beige that it already is. With that constraint in mind, I was able to come up with a design I was thrilled with. Oh yeah, I should mention, most of my winning designs and indeed the final design included painting my fireplace a nice shade of hot pink.

I slept on it for a few nights and then decided to commit to it. I put up painter's tape around the fireplace, and relocated the TV from its perch on the hearth. I pulled my paint color samples out and found the four best ones and put them on the fireplace to help me decide what exact color would work with the lighting in the room throughout the day. Having made my decision, I brought it to Home Depot the weekend before Thanksgiving and got a gallon mixed up. The name of the paint color was, "Invitation for a Princess." Using a roller, I painted the

majority of the fireplace. But, brick is tricky and the mortar here is very deep, so I quickly realized I'd have to go over it all with a brush or small sponge to get all up in between the bricks.

Having painted just the first coat and not getting in the mortar yet, I sat down to watch some TV and admired the color - I was in love! Once I started filling in the mortar, having considered not filling it in or perhaps painting it a contrasting color like white or gray, I realized making it pink too was the right call, and loved it even more. With such a bright color, adding pattern would only make it too busy and painful to look at, I think. Now, with the very tall ceiling I have in the main room, and the fireplace going all the way to the top, I knew painting at height would be an annoying challenge. I have plenty of ladders, that's not the problem. In fact, the ladder I ended up using the most was the one I bought to finish up my water closet in the Palmdale house - just a straight telescoping ladder, nothing fancy. But it is tall! And also, terribly uncomfortable to stand on at length. Hence, it didn't take long for me to tire of painting while on the ladder, my back writing in pain.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, almost out of the blue I decided I wanted to make homeless care packages and hand them out as part of my way of focusing on gratitude. So I perused Amazon, first just searching for homeless care packages, which there were plenty but a lot of it was about warm stuff like gloves and emergency blankets and beanies. I mean, it does get chilly here but I didn't think that should be the focus of the kits I handed out. I did get some other ideas from that search, though, and ended up buying in bulk the following: draw string back packs  (to hold the stuff), beef jerky packets, non-rinse bathing towelettes, and socks. Then I went to the store and bought Ritz with sectioned off sleeves and travel deodorants. I haven't been eating my protein bars lately in favor of lower carb foods, and seeing as they expired soon I thought those would be good to include. And I dug up my stash of hotel-provided mini soaps, lotions, shampoos, body washes and dental kits and mouthwashes.

As is so often the case, I may have been a bit ambitious with my holiday weekend. I had decided I also wanted to see the Wicked movie in the theater and wanted to get my pedicure and eyebrows did. Plus I wanted to do some programming, take a relaxing salt bath, practice my dance routine and workout, clean up around the house, finish packing for Italy and visit Old Chicago for lunch to have a cheat pizza I've been craving for three weeks.

Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, I thought that I might even finish painting the pink, or Invitation for a Princess rather, on the fireplace while the stores were still closed, so I opted to throw a couple samples of the gray I wanted for the hearth and the mantle, made a decision on which one was the best and got a pint of it. This was all just in case I finished and needed the next paint job to keep myself busy.

I ended up working late Wednesday evening and didn't make time to assemble the homeless care packages, so I did that Thursday morning while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then I took my extended glorious bath and booked tickets to see Wicked. I don't think I realized how long that film was - when I got out it was practically bed time but I hadn't yet distributed the homeless care packages. So I started driving towards the Stockyards and definitely came across a "target rich environment." I was nervous the first time I spotted a likely candidate and drove past, but  convinced myself to turn around and get the nerves. I realized I felt better handing the bags out my passenger window - more distance and less ability for someone to grab me, for instance. Homeless people are associated with a high rate of mental illness and PTSD. Once I handed out a few bags, I found my confidence and was able to easily find more people to give the bags to, until I was all out. Even driving away I saw a couple more people whom I hadn't gotten to. I started thinking more about what else I should include in my next round - maybe ear coverings wouldn't be such a bad idea. I made a list on Amazon but it wouldn't deliver before my trip to Italy so I didn't purchase them (yet). But I did make up a few more bags with the remaining supplies I had already, and was able to hand those out today while I was driving around for various things.

All in all, it was a pretty good Thanksgiving. But I think today, Black Friday, has been even better. I can't quite put my finger on why. I made sure to exercise and practice my dance first thing this morning after leaving a check for the pool guy in our usual lock box - I felt so guilty I hadn't done it the prior weekend I was having dreams about it! Then I got to painting - finishing up as much as I could bare doing the mortar / cracks in between the bricks. It was exhausting. Satisfied with my progress, while not totally complete it was about as much as I could do without moving the ladder and I didn't want to introduce the possibility of getting paint on my wall.

Those activities complete, I decided it was time to reward myself with a pizza at Old Chicago and a pedi/eyebrow waxing. The timing was intentional for the latter to be close to the Italy trip so I'd look and feel as fresh as possible. Finally, an idea struck me to get my sis some get well stuff - rather than sending her a bulky package when she starts chemo. Instead, I decided to go with Massage Envy gifts cards. Naturally, then, that meant I also needed to stop somewhere and get a "get well" card. A Target was the first applicable store I saw - oh darn, I have to go to Target - and I got the cards, but David was so freaked out I had too.  

Returning home, my recycling bins had been emptied, so I picked those up from the street. All in all, it was just a really good day for me. If only I could have more days off work with nowhere to go… kind of like an Invitation for a Princess.

Reflections at Big Bend

When I arrived at the dome place the guy greeting me only spoke Spanish which at first my reaction was, "I don't speak Spanish," but then I realized I know a little bit of Spanish and I could tell him the number of the pod I was staying in at least. He confirmed the number with me and then basically signaled for me to load up my stuff into the UTV and we were on our way. It was pretty hot there when I arrived, I think about 91°, so walking around and hiking up and down the hill to explore the property, as the listing suggested, didn't sound super appealing. I was already enough hot enough and tired enough that sitting in a cold dome with nothing to do but playing my phones and listen to audiobooks etc. seemed like a really nice idea. There's something really magical about having literally no obligations. Nothing to do. I had my dinner ready for later. I had plenty of water and drinks. I had snacks. I'd use the restroom and I had no chores and nothing to take care of while I was in the dome. I considered what this magical feeling was and how I could potentially recreate it without spending $300 a night driving a huge distance to a dome. I think the problem is that when I'm at home, there's always things in my view reminding me of what I could be doing; the overwhelming list of chores and to do's is a burden on me and it's not a burden when away and and being fully taken care of, essentially in a hotel. Maybe that's why I like travel so much, especially cruises when everything is taken care of for you. You don't have to feel the weight of obligations or what you're ignoring. I love planning trips, and often when it's time for the trip to actually happen, it's been so long since I planned it that I don't actually know what's happening the next day or even the next hour. But I just follow along the itinerary mindlessly and I know that my itinerary is taking care of me.

Big Bend, for its part, was better than I expected. The campground was easy to get to and easily navigable. I enjoyed some of the hiking and the nature trails and I saw all sorts of different animals, including the coyote that visited me in the morning at my campsite. I hadn't realized that there were hot springs that we could actually bathe in, so I didn't bring my bathing suit and I sort of regretted that, except that actually it was so hot out, I'm not sure that I would have enjoyed soaking in a hot spring. Some people were getting into the river probably to cool off although that was ill advised. I had to laugh at the Mexicans technically in Mexico across the river selling burritos and tamales to people willing to wade across the river (and thus, across the country border) to pay them $10 for a little tray. The camping was good, I absolutely loved the restaurant that I went to for lunch at the lodge. I kind of wish I had stayed at that lodge, maybe next time. The alien-themed Space Domes were pretty much exactly as advertised, with the exception that I was terribly disappointed to learn that I could not see the stars, not even a single bright star, through my dome from inside on my bed. Even though there was a great view stepping outside. Outside, I had a nice comfy little couch there, and I set up my tripod and I took some spectacular pictures. The stargazing was absolutely amazing. But not being able to see that in the dome kind of took away from the whole point of the dome. Then there are the bugs. So many bugs. I don't know how many bites I have. It's got to be in the double digits. And that was with the Australian grade bug spray. I'm surprised it seems like the bugs even bit me through layers of clothing. They're vicious out here. The Space Cowboys place mentioned that Big Ben is the national park with the most bugs. I believe it! I can't believe it's early November and it's still so freaking hot here. Although when I drove up to that lodge for lunch at the restaurant it got down to about 60° I think. Amazing what elevation change can do.

All this has me thinking again about what my ideal house would be. I still think I need some sort of a bomb shelter or something in the basement to run away from whatever calamity could happen; one with lots of stores of those food packets that will last forever and water. And I want it to be somewhat comfortable so that if I needed to be there I actually would feel at home. In fact, it might be something that I do a little staycation in once a year just to make sure the supplies are all good and freshen up the water supply or something like that. Be a fun little retreat. Kind of like the dome has been for me here. More and more I think I want a walking track or running track made out of that recycled tire rubber. Something soft but firm that I can walk and run on. Although it would be great if it had a top layer that would not stain my feet so that I could walk barefoot because, you know, I hate putting on shoes and socks.

Two of the features that I really enjoyed in the dome were the light effects. In one case, there were three pretty simplistic pendant lights that were essentially the whole dome's lights and they were on a slow revolving color scheme so they would shift through the colors of the rainbow. I never thought that I would like that until now, but I really enjoyed that. The other thing was a little space cowboy, to match the theme of the place, that would project lasers and different options would project rotating galactic images. The combination of the two made for all sorts of fun colors, but as the night wore on I turned off the pendant lights and just left the galaxy lights running all night. It's a little silly and hokey but you know what, it went with the theme and I quite enjoyed it. Not sure that I would get something like that for my home, but definitely in the theme and mindset of the Space Dome it was so fitting and didn't seem silly at all.

I would say that the area around the Rio Grande campground, although it had some great wildlife chances, was pretty lackluster in scenery. Even where I was supposed to see the Rio Grande it didn't look very grande at all. Going up into the mountains towards the lodge where I went for lunch, that had a little bit more grandeur. It felt a little bit like Yosemite in the way that the monolithic mounds just soared above you with a breathtaking sheer, one of those things that pictures just don't do justice. You have to come and see it. All the more reason I kind of wish I had stayed at that lodge. But lunch with a view was great and truly that food at the lodge was absolutely amazing. I was so excited to have my leftovers for dinner. Kind of wish I had gotten the dessert also but I was stuffed at the time.

Driving down to Big Bend has given me lots of reasons why I dislike Texas. You can tell that the heat is a big problem because people have RVs or lived in buses that have a structure built over the top of them basically to capture the sun so that it's not hitting directly the exterior of their vehicle. One part felt like I was driving through Mexico. It was that poor feeling. Other than that, there's a lot of flatness, and it wasn't really pretty. There were some interesting attempts at tourist traps along the way, nothing that I would actually want to stop at, though. There is one place that looks like a freaking castle in the middle of nowhere, piqued my interest a little bit. I'll have to look more into that one. But overall, even as I was driving through really distant rural areas, I checked Zillow and the house prices weren't that much cheaper. So it seems that there's no benefit in being out in the middle of nowhere. I don't think I've ever seen so much deer roadkill than I have on this drive.

I had to laugh as I was drawing the comparisons between Australia and out here. Not that this is anything like the Australia that I've experienced necessarily, but it was described in the book I was listening to called "In a Sunburned Country." The author is an American travel writer who decided to cross Australia on

land versus the way the most Australians do which would be flying from city to city. So he was talking about these long stretches of boring landscape and nothing to see or do and the occasional very, very old dated structures or the old windmills like from the 1950s. And as he's describing these things I'm seeing them to the left and right of me as I'm driving. So I guess a lot of Texas feels like 1950s America, as does Australia. 

And a quick update if you are following my love story with Sam from Australia, we've completely reconciled as far as I can tell and Sam is super excited to see me when I go out there at the end of December, and we're already planning our next excursions beyond that. I'm so happy that we're back to normal. I think he just needed a little bit of time to process a few things, but we're happier than ever and I honestly don't want to date anyone else.

We'll Always Have Scotland

Sam has been a little colder with me this week and I feel like something is up. He's been consistent with telling me it's okay for me to see people here locally - that he understands I want and need physical attention and that he isn't here to give it to me. My head takes him at his word - he's never lied to me that I know of or hides behind half-truths or anything like that. And yes, we have a pretty unconventional relationship being that we're on the opposite sides of the world and our time zones barely allow us to connect. Still, my heart can't help but cause me to wonder if he's trying to push me away, to ease me into distancing by encouraging me to find someone locally whose arms I can fall into.

He and I agreed to always speak up when we were uncomfortable so I told him as much - that maybe it was my insecurities but I felt like he was pushing me away. I told him I've tried seeing other people, which is true, but they're not him, and he's the one I want. I poured my heart out to him - I want him to ask me to be his and to talk about our future but I'm not even sure he wants me like that. And when I ask, the response I get is that we're all good. That is NOT an acceptable romantic gesture when I am scared and uncertain and vulnerable. But how can I push him? I've been such an emotional wreck lately - beyond my norm and not even feeling like myself - and I worry that the emotional roller coaster is what is pushing him away. So I decide to play it cool and do what I can to take him at his word.

Last night he never said good morning to me like usually does. He showed online - I hate that WhatsApp gives me that stalkerish ability but you know I'm going to use it when I can - he showed online eight minutes before I decided to message him, and he didn't get back online or respond until 3 am my time.

It makes me upset because I don't want to lose him. But then, lately, I've started to ask myself if he really is what I want. He refuses to put his arm around me, he puts up a fight when I simply want to hold his hand, he makes excuses not to cuddle, and when he does touch me, he often hurts me with his severe strength. I miss how Brandon touched me - it wasn't super erotic or embarrassing PDA, it was just reassuring and comfortable and constant. I took a newish guy Bert to the hot springs with me last weekend and he started touching me the same way. I liked it, but I'm not sure I am attracted enough to Bert.

So it begs the question - why am I fighting so hard for a relationship that is difficult and makes me unhappy so often? And instantly I know the answer. Sam's infectious persevering positivity through even super annoying or challenging times has inspired me, and he challenges me to be a better person. I haven't had that in so long - if ever, really. I'm always the driving force, I'm always pushing people, and maybe I liked it that someone could top my positivity and make me want to be better. But at what cost? The long-distance thing is cute to begin with, but if he's not serious, how long can I live with him being a vacation fling only? And of our vacations, I've really only thoroughly enjoyed small bits, like Scotland.

He had carried my luggage up and down the stairs for me. He had driven us around because I was too nervous about operating on the other side of the street. We had stopped at random points along the road to take pictures, and I loved that he and I both got excited over the canopy of trees and the animals and the loch. It was like we were the same person. We had our inside jokes, too, we have the same sense of humor. Maybe I've over romanticized it, but I feel like Scotland has been the time I've most enjoyed with him. Well, other than our first two dates when he was here in Dallas for the eclipse, our reason for meeting at all. I remember him kissing me after the first date and him saying, "You don't know how crazy you make me." I loved that. And I remember him holding my hand through the botanic gardens, and him commenting as we walked to my car about how other couples hadn't been holding hands. I tried to recall what I had observed to decide if I agreed with him, and I realized that I hadn't noticed people around at all - he was the center of my attention and the only person I noticed. It was like nobody else existed.

But when he came back to Dallas and I wanted to hold his hand and the like, he talked about how he had already "gotten" me so he didn't need to do all those things anymore. That's almost abusive language, isn't it? We had a fight over it. We've seemed to fight over physical touch every time we've gotten together since. And I'm fairly certain he had his arm around me at the hockey game on our second date, but never again. On the one hand, it's a stupid, shallow thing to make a fuss about when we connect on such a deep level. And on the other hand, it's everything. I'm reluctant now to book my travel - I have been saying for a while that I'd go to Australia after Christmas. But I don't feel terribly welcomed and I am not sure he even wants me anymore. Maybe this is how it ends… he'll just ignore my messages more and more until he fades into memory.

Chasing the Aurora: Chena Hot Springs Resort

I stumbled upon this place while researching tours to check off Life List #7: See an Aurora. I was on the fence about booking a multi-day tour with the premium price it punched, versus winging it and not having the complimentary aurora phone call in the middle of the night. But as I perused their itineraries, I stole shamelessly what sounded like fun - including and probably most importantly, the Chena Hot Springs Resort. Now, those tours only did a day visit or one night stay, whereas doing it on my own meant I could stay for multiple nights. So when I finally decided to make the trip, that's exactly what I did. Unfortunately, the rooms with bathrooms were booked up except for one or two nights so I ended up mixing and matching a little - one room for one night and another room for two more nights. But, that afforded me the opportunity to stay in two different lodges, albeit similar.

Before even arriving at the resort, I got pretty excited because the lady at the rental car counter told me she goes regularly for an evening soak, dinner at the restaurant and aurora viewing after. And she said the Northern Lights had been great recently, which I was thrilled to hear, of course. Anyways, always a good sign for the locals to praise a place.

Getting there from the Fairbanks Airport was quite easy in a rental car - its mostly straight on one road for about an hour through wooded landscapes spotted with ponds, lakes and rivers. Signs warn of moose, horses and even dog sled teams.

The first thing that impressed me when I pulled in through the one-lane bridge was how little it felt gimmicky or tourist-trappy. It was sprawling and there were a couple well-placed signs directing where to go, but other than that, it could almost have been a private residence or a simple small business from the looks of it.

I checked in easily and was given a real key (not a key card), which I actually prefer because I've had too many instances of the key card getting demagnetized or just not working and it's such a hassle! I decided to check out the lodge and locate my room before lugging all my stuff in, so I stopped in at the Moose Lodge first. My room was on the second floor so I walked the length of the floor hoping to find an elevator. With no such luck, I knew I'd have to carry my suitcase up the steps. Not my favorite thing to do, but that's why I packed lightly. Actually in hindsight, since I'd be moving rooms after the first night, I should have just packed what I needed for the one night into my backpack. But I wasn't really sure what I'd need in all fairness, so here we are.

 

The hallway was very warm, like they were overcompensating for the cold by pumping extra heat into the lodge. I wasn't going to complain, though. I did think it was funny when I got to my room and the fan was on and the window was cracked. I got settled into my room and responded to some messages while I debated what to do first. But it was clear, I couldn't wait to get into the hot springs! I slipped into my bathing suit but then faced a funny dilemma - how does one dress appropriately to go swimming but also not freeze while in transit to the pool when its 44 outside? So I basically put back on the clothes I'd been wearing all day over my swimsuit.

After signing the required waiver, I got my towel and headed to the women's locker room. I wasn't sure what I could or should bring into the pool with me, so I left my phone and pretty much everything in the locker, bringing just a bottle of water and the towel. I showered in my bathing suit real quick and then headed outside - wow that's a cold walk! I made it worse by going to the wrong way despite signs that are fairly clear - I got myself to the outdoor hot tub first and it was quite crowded and not what I wanted anyways, so I got myself turned around and headed to the big outdoor hot spring pool.

Stepping in, the water was HOT! It turns out, the whole pool is not that hot, but by certain rocks it is much hotter, including the ramp entering the pool. The pool was very large - probably 4 or 5 times the size of my backyard pool. There were maybe 20 people in there in their little groups and it felt very spacious. What I didn't expect was that the floor of the pool was loose rocks. Not pokey, thank goodness, although some parts were harder.

The soak was glorious! Getting out was rough because you have to once again subject yourself to the biting cold of the outdoors, and those tiny towels were not blocking any of the wind. I decided at a later time that the key was just to soak in the heat for so long that your body maintains the heat and is happy for the cool, crisp air.

After showering, I headed back to my room to get ready for dinner. The restaurant does not take reservations and the wait has been consistent in my experience here, but there is thankfully plenty of comfortable seating in the lobby, bathrooms and a gift shop to make the wait time more bearable or even productive. The food is pretty average - not bad but not anything to rave about. But they have a wide selection, which is great, and you're kind of a captive audience with very few options (if any - I couldn't find any on Google) nearby. If you're on a bit of a budget, it is definitely worth it to bring your own food, especially non-perishable items. There is a microwave in the Activities Center, although the rooms do not have fridges or microwaves.

I was so tired I could barely stay up to do anything, so I called it a night but set my alarm clock for 1:30 am with hopes of seeing the Northern Lights then. I got up dutifully when my alarm went off, although I could see nothing promising out my window. I took my car keys and drove out about 8 miles or so to one of the trailhead parking lots to see if I getting away from the resort would yield any sightings. However, not being totally committed, I was wearing flip-flops and did not have too many layers on, and I got cold quickly. It didn't help that in the total darkness next to the woods, hearing noises behind me totally creeped me out - is it a bear? A wolf? So I gladly got back in the car, but rolled down the window and sat there for a little while longer to give myself a little more time to see something. No dice, and not really even sure if I was in a good position or "doing it right", I gave up and headed back to the hotel. I crashed back into bed with my next alarm set for 6:30.

I woke up the next morning and got ready to go back to the hot springs pool which opens at 7. I wasn't the first one in, but there were only about five or six of us for the first few hours of the morning. Having engaged in a conversation with a local, Rufus, who may or may not have been trying to woo me, I stayed in about two and a half hours - whoops! Instead of going back to my room to shower and get ready, I had brought a fresh set of clothes and toiletries with me, so I basically did all my getting ready there in the locker room. I never ended up using the shower in my hotel room!

Before returning to my room, I stopped by the Activities Center and booked the Aurora Tour from 9:30 pm to 2:30 am that night, as well as the Ice Museum tour for 1 pm. The latter would give me something to do while being "roomless", and the former gave me a much better chance of seeing whatever there was to be seen in the night's sky.

Back at my room, I packed up my stuff and brought it to my car just in time to check out of that room. I left my stuff in the car which actually was quite convenient as I didn't have to go all the way back to my room when I wanted to grab something or drop things off.  

I bought a soda and Gatorade from the cafe and hung out in the Activity Center which was actually quite entertaining and informative. The staff there were really knowledgeable and I learned that there is a dog sledding excursion but you can also just go to the dog yard and pet the dogs. They provided recommendations for hikes of varying lengths and abilities, and talked about the wildlife one may encounter. One activity I passed on but sounded somewhat interesting is the Geothermal Plant Tour.

In preparation for the Ice Museum Tour, I grabbed some extra layers and gloves from my car and returned to the Activity Center to pick up the tour there. The sculptures and architecture sculpted from ice was quite impressive, although to be honest, I was expecting more statues like the award-winning horse sculpture that was in there. Still, it was a fun time, and very cold, as promised. The optional add-on of an Apple Martini served in an ice glass was one of my favorite parts, perhaps because I was quite dehydrated from the hot springs soak that morning (Rufus had offered me water but I declined) and started biting my empty ice glass to get some water. Nevertheless, those of us with glasses partook in the tradition we were informed of, to take the glass out to the parking lot, make a wish, and throw the glasses down to shatter. 

I dropped a couple layers back at my car, and spent some time wandering around the nature trail and then to the dog yard. Unfortunately, the dogs we were allowed to pet were limited to those up for adoption and only if they showed interest. I walked around and most of them were just sleepy and bored looking. One seemed interested but when I approached to pet the pup he or she cowered away. Then one finally got excited about me and tried jumping on me. So I got her to jump up on the box they all have as a little home, and gave her lots of love. In trying to take a selfie, she gave me kisses.

Check in time is technically 4 pm but around 2:30 I headed over to the front desk and asked if it was possible to check in early and sure enough my new room was ready. My thought was to get settled and try to nap all afternoon so as to be able to stay awake for the Aurora Tour. I lugged my suitcase to the room in the far building for the Fox Lodges. Each building is just four rooms connected by one small corridor from the entrance. The nice thing is that there are no stairs. But the rooms are definitely more basic than the Moose Lodge. Still, it was sufficient and I was glad to have a bathroom. Of course, as it seems to go for me, I laid down for my nap and struggled for about two hours during which I don't think I ever got to sleep. I finally relented and got up. I went for a late dinner but started to get anxious as it got closer to tour time since I still needed to added my layers back on (and then some). It worked out, though, I had plenty of time and got to the Activities Center to claim a seat on the bench while I waited with 64 new friends.

I joke, but truthfully I feel I did make some friends on that long and exhilarating tour. First of all, humorously, during role call, my name was called, "Laura, party of 1," and the young woman next to me raised her hand, then "Laura P, party of 1," and I was acknowledged, although obviously I was the first Laura party of 1. Both of us were put into the Bear vehicle with the leading tour guide Alexi (I think?), along with Vanessa and Ethan from Kentucky whom I had met on the Ice Museum Tour earlier that day, a couple from Guatemala, a couple from Mexico City, and another couple. With a half hour trek crammed in these arctic tanks, and a half hour back, plus time in the yurt together, we definitely got to know each other. But I am getting ahead of myself.

So obviously we loaded into the little arctic tanks (I'm not sure what they're called but that seems fitting enough) and it was a bit of a bumpy ride with no snow to soften the lack of shocks. But it was warm
enough, especially with the body heat of my fellow passengers in such tight quarters. I think the worst part of the trip is that we were seated perpendicular to the direction of travel and going uphill, so I felt like I was using one oblique side of my abs only and it was wearing me out. There were bars on the ceiling which seemed secure enough, although I wasn't entirely sure if they were meant to be grab bars. But they were cold so you didn't want to grip them for long, plus gripping them puts your arms in an uncomfortable position and blocks your conversation a bit. Nevertheless, not a bad trip, and at least we can chalk it up to an experience!

I had no idea what to expect on this tour - if we'd be going to multiple spots, for example. Turns out, no, they just take us to a specific spot where they have two large yurts set up and nicely heated, with folding chairs. There were two portapotties which were spacious, heated and had nice smelly candles. Once they gave us the rundown, they set us loose to basically do what we wanted for several hours. They played music in the "main" yurt and served complimentary hot beverages and noodles at request. Obviously, the main attraction would be if/when the Aurora appeared, and they said they would make it obvious so we didn't have to be out there watching. We were allowed to bring our chairs out if we wanted. Once we were set loose, many people lined up for beverages or headed outside.

I decided to just sit for a bit and buckle down until I decided to do something different. I don't think it was ten minutes, maybe not even five, before our driver popped his head through the door and said, "Umm, yeah so the Northern Lights have started." So non-chalantly! I thought they'd be yelling it triumphantly!

It wasn't much when it started, but it lasted for the remainder of the time we were out there, putting on more of a show after midnight and even more so right as we left. The first few times I went out with my chair and set up my tripod and made a time of it. But it was really cold and getting colder, so each time I went in and back out again, I brought less, until it was just me and my tripod, leaving my bag and chair in the yurt. At one break from the cold, I had some hot chocolate, and another, I had the noodles, adding Sriracha to my liking. There were periodic meteors shooting also, which made me wonder what the chances would be of capturing one in my pictures of the Aurora.

Imagine my joy when, and I'm not even sure how this happened, my phone captured a one second video of the Aurora dancing and a meteor shooting! It was absolutely beautiful, and if I wasn't already elated from just seeing the Northern Lights, that just quadrupled my excitement. I was so excited when I saw it as I was looking at my pictures in the yurt, but then I looked around and didn't see anyone to share it with. Finally, some of my group came in and I got to show them what I had captured excitedly. They all agreed it was pretty awesome and we exchanged contact info so I could share it with them once we were back in a service area.

Ethan and Vanessa admired all my photos and were struggling to take decent ones holding their iPhone in their hands. I encouraged them to take my tripod and use that, and they were grateful at how much better their pictures turned out and even took some pictures of themselves. I joined them and they were able to get a couple pictures of me and then I did some better ones of them on my phone.

On the way back, those from my group who hadn't yet seen my pictures got to see them, especially the meteor one, and they all shared in my excitement. It was a bit colder so we turned on the heater and while some of them seemed cold still, I was quite comfy in my layers. We got back to the Activity Center and wearily bid adieu and I headed to my cabin to go to bed. I was surprised at how awake I was and that I hadn't nodded off once - I supposed to adrenaline of the experience had kept me going. I couldn't wait to post the pictures so I got the post started, knowing on the slow wifi it would take a while to post, and finally went to bed.

And well, mission accomplished! For the short remainder of my stay, I enjoyed more of the hot springs and the outdoor hot tub, ate at the restaurant and mostly kicked back in my room, reading, napping and writing.  

If you're considering a trip to the Fairbanks area to see the Northern Lights, definitely plan to come during the peak season. And if you aren't a fan of the cold, the hot springs resort is an incredible option. The tour was great, too! 

Aurora Tour - Photos and Vids from Chena Hot Springs Resort 1 Oct 2024