Chena Hot Springs Road (Again) – Sunday thru Tuesday, September 11 thru 13, 2011
Sunday(Fairbanks) was a replenish and laundry day. In spite of a thorough analysis of all the laundromats in town several days ago, we’ve put off doing laundry until today. This will be a big one. Frank took care of getting all of the fluids to the correct levels and ready for the road while EJ washed and folded.
Because of Canada’s high prices, we’re trying to stock up on everything we can think of that we’ll need for the next 2 weeks or so. So off to Walmart, Sam’s, and Safeway. Good fresh veggies are getting hard to find. Sam’s has the best price on diesel fuel at $4.199 per gallon.
Still under discussion is what direction we’ll take when we leave Fairbanks. Weather forecasts are showing low temps in the 30’s for the next 10 days. That’s cause for some concern. But at the same time, bright sunny days in the 70’s are predicted. We sense an Alaskan conspiracy here. Tell all the tourists to leave after Labor Day so the Alaskans can have Alaska all to themselves for a few wonderful weeks. We’re dragging our feet. We’re not ready to leave Alaska yet, but we don’t want to get stuck either.
9:05PM the decision is made. Chena River, here we come. We decided we wanted to try to see the Northern lights one more time before we leave.
We arrive at 10PM to the same spot we were in 4 days ago. The lights put in an appearance at 12:15AM and we watched until 1:15 when they faded away. The Aurora Borealis were fairly quiet tonight.
Monday’s discussions center around leaving again. We drag out the maps and the Milepost and finally decide that since the lights weren’t very active last night, we’d give them another chance. We enjoy the scenery, take a leisurely hike and even see some kayakers.
Believe it or not, we actually sat around in shorts and t-shirts today. For supper, we cooked a pork tenderloin on the grill, then sat out by the campfire to enjoy our meal. A butterfly even shows up. Guess summer is not quite over yet.
The Northern Lights put in an appearance at 10:15PM tonight. And it was a great show. You never know how brilliant the display will be, so you just have to be patient. Tonight was pretty awesome, even with the full moon.
Tuesday is here and Frank has come down with a cold. Is it from all the people we’ve come in contact with, or is it the late nights in the 40 degree temps? Regardless, he is out of commission. EJ keeps him medicated and we hope for a speedy recovery. Frank naps, and EJ tries to stay quiet. EJ gets a lot done catching up on the working log and sifting through all the brochures and booklets we’ve collected but no longer need. Frank finally comes dragging out of the bedroom about 5:30PM and we sit outside in shorts and t-shirts again.
More wildlife (Gray Jay) and some boaters on the Chena River.
Frank gives up on the lights at 11:30PM but EJ toughs it out until 1:30AM and gets some pictures. The lights are quieter tonight, but still awesome. (The official rating of the lights is “active” for bright with lots of motion, and “quiet” for pale and fairly stationary.)
Still dragging our feet. We looked at the maps and planned our stops for the way out of Alaska, but we’re still here. It’s hard to leave a place as beautiful as this.
| BG Miles Today | 54 | BG Total Miles | 7298 |
| Eat Out total $ | 1156.25 | BG Total Fuel $ | 4102.92 |
| Entertainment total $ | 1387.63 | Total Camping $ | 1162.03 |
| E Miles Today | 13.05 | E Total Miles | 2734.93 |
| E Total Fuel $ | 557.67 | Day # of Trip | 103 to 106 |
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