Ever since I was a child, I have looked at photos of the green and purple dancing colors of the Aurora Borealis in photographs and knew that someday I would get an opportunity to see them. Melissa and I couldn’t help but use our Alaska airlines companion fare for a Christmas break getaway to experience some Alaska winter and hopefully have a peek at the magical northern lights.
We found a beautiful cabin nestled along the Creamers Migratory Field and immediately feel in love with the quiet and stillness of the recent snow that fell on our arrival day. We snowshoed, visited the Santa House in the North Pole, AK, rented cross-country skis, hiked in Denali National Park, made delicious meals, had a proper dog-sledding experience, and soaked in the Chena Hot Springs.
We drove through the country side just “oohing” and “awwing” at the serene wilderness. Whenever checked the weather, we laughed at how the forecasts are just awful and continually change. We drank heaps of hot tea, and got tired of the on and off of all the winter gear, especially when heading out to the Alaska outhouse in negative temperatures. Our sleeping habits got a bit wonky as we awoke regularly around 3 am for Aurora viewing, and never really got used to the 10 am sunrise and 2:45 pm sunset.
The Aurora is a true mystery as she isn’t predictable and may come out for just a moment and then disappear without notice. We drove North one morning in hopes of a break in the sky and then realized that South was a better go, after an hour we stopped and figured that we had missed our window.
Cruising home now without a glimpse, Melissa proclaimed while staring out the icy passenger window… “Look, look!” I pulled over and within moments a dark green ribbon streaked across the ceiling of the dark nights sky. We danced together in awe, and snapped a few photos with cold fingers before she gently faded into the darkness without any evidence.
Our visit to Alaska sparked our sense of curiosity for what an existence in this harsh land might look like, and fulfilled our spirits of adventures and hopes for more winter fun in the future.
May your days be filled with new discoveries, compassionate hearts, and passionate dreams. <3
Happy 2017 from InspireOut!
1 Comment
Lorraine · January 14, 2017 at 3:50 pm
How jealous I am. My family has always dreamed about visiting the beautiful wilderness of Alaska. I’m hoping that 2018 will be that year for us. I’ll have to talk to you and get tips on what to do and where to go!
Looks like you guys had so much fun!!!!