Monday, September 5, 2011

The Borealis is Back!!

Chena Hot Springs Road – Monday, September 5, 2011

It seems like it’s been several weeks since we’ve taken a decent hike, so we’ve decided to remedy that deficiency today.  Angel Rocks Trail fits the bill at 3.5 miles round trip.

When traveling, one tends to lose track of days and holidays.  We had forgotten this was Labor Day.  We arrived at the trailhead for Angel Rocks and in one parking lot there were 2 spots left but there was another lot that we wanted to investigate.  It didn’t have any empty spaces and by the time we got back to the first lot, the two empty spots were filled.  So we hung out for about 10 minutes until some one finally left.  We slid into the empty spot and started off on foot.

It must be because of the long cold winters but there were tots and toddlers every where.  The park and trail were being well used due to the holiday traffic.  The trail starts out at about 700 feet of elevation and ends at about 1600 feet. Lots of roots and rocks.  Believe me, we were huffing and puffing pretty good by the time we got to the top.

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Our destination:

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This is what hiking is all about.  You struggle to reach your destination then you are rewarded with a magnificent view and curious critters.

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After the hike we decided to scope out tomorrows activities.  So we drove on up to the end of the road to Chena Hot Springs Resort.  It’s a small secluded facility that has 80 rooms.  The hot spring looks great, we’ll be back tomorrow after the holiday.

After last nights meager borealis display, EJ was more determined than ever to see an active northern lights display.  She decided to stay up until they showed.  I asked her to wake me if they did.  Sure enough, about 11:15PM they started to show up.  And they showed up with a vengeance this time (check out the big dipper in some of the pics).  Around 12:15AM they seemed to be dying down, so we went in to sleep. EJ is now one happy camper and can check off one more item on her bucket list. She still wants to see more, though.

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BG Miles Today

0

BG Total Miles

7186

Eat Out total $

1064.06

BG Total Fuel $

4004.44

Entertainment total $

601.63

Total Camping $

1162.03

E Miles Today

67.73

E Total Miles

2603.25

E Total Fuel $

534.72

Day # of Trip 97

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