Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs
    sept 7 - 8, 2000

The Springs are beautiful and quiet. At night I soaked in the outdoor Springs which are hot hot hot while the air is freezing. All the water here smells like sulpher which is fun because even when you're brushing your teeth you're still smelling rotten eggs. After the soak I sat outside my cabin and watched moose come down and splash around in the hot water, playing and soaking and drinking.

Seven hours out of Anchorage I arrived in Fairbanks, which wasn't exactly the end-of-the-world where-the-sidewalk-ends kind of place I was hoping for. It's actually more of a typical small town with not a lot to see and do. It's more suburban than Anchorage and could just as easily have been in central New Jersey as close to the top of the world. I expected more because even though Fairbanks is located in the center of Alaska, it's very close to the point where the paved highways end, and not far from the Arctic Circle. I drove a short ways north of Fairbanks to see the pipeline - there's a viewing station just north of the city. This is one of the only places you can get close enough to the pipeline to touch it. The pipeline itself isn't the most exciting thing in the world but it's kind of a cool thing to see.

From Fairbanks it's another hour's drive east to the Chena Hot Springs Resort, which isn't anywhere near as overcommercialized as the natives led me to believe. It's also not incredibly impressive and probably wasn't worth the drive. Part of the reason I came up here was to increase my chances of seeing the Northern Lights - the closer you get to the Arctic Circle the better your chances and the brighter the lights. Unfortunately it was overcast so I didn't get to see them. Bummer. There were indeed many Japanese tourists - there are agencies that arrange to fly them directly to the Springs from Japan. The Japanese believe it's very lucky to conceive beneath the Northern Lights and I guess the Springs appeal to their romantic nature, so a local joke is to stay out of the Springs if any Japanese couples are having a soak. If the Springs are a rockin', etc...

The next morning I checked out and drove into Fairbanks which wasn't looking any more interesting today than it did yesterday. I drove to North Pole, Alaska which is so named for the express purpose of drawing in tourists to its many Christmas-themed stores. Linus would have a fit. Drove about until I found what I was looking for, a big North Pole sign so I could make my cheesy Christmas card. While attempting to photograph myself I met an NBC reporter who had come to the sign to tape himself doing a story on the town mayor. Local reporters here are a one-man show serving as their own researcher, writer, onscreen talent, camera operator, and editor. The guy was really cool and we talked TV for a while then he took my picture for me and I headed out.

Next stop: Denali National Park

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