In Pursuit of Aurora Borealis
The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights is a fantastic natural light display that happens due to ionization of the upper atmosphere. This natural light-show is caused when hydrogen & helium atoms from the sun start getting ionized by the high temperature and losing their electrons. These ions travel through space in a “solar wind”, and when they reach the Earth, they react with the atmospheric elements. Due to the magnetic field of the Earth, these ions usually congregate around the Arctic and Antarctic circles, to form the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) or Southern Lights (Aurora Australis).
The lure of the Northern Lights took us on a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, in February. Spoiler — we did not get to see the Aurora, but it was still a memorable trip all the way to the Arctic circle!
As expected in Alaska in mid-February, it was quite cold, and it was snowing. We called an Uber to take us to the hotel, but no one showed up. The local taxi service also had a long wait, so we decided to go to one of the rental car desks, conveniently located in the arrival hall.
Since we had not booked a rental, we got the last available car, which was a teeny-tiny Nissan Versa Note. A little larger than a Smart-Car, the Note was fairly difficult to drive, and had very low traction on the icy roads. We anyways made it to our hotel, driving slowly. Our hotel was located a bit outside the main town, in a very pretty grove of trees near the Chena river.
We headed for dinner at a local restaurant nearby — The Pump House. A large stuffed grizzly bear greets you as you enter the restaurant. The place was very crowded so must be popular with the locals.
The next morning, we headed to the “Northern Alaska Tour Company” office near the airport. We had booked their tour to the Arctic circle, and back to a log hut just outside Fairbanks for a chance to view the Northern Lights. The drive would be along Alaska’s famous Dalton Highway, which connects Fairbanks to the Yukon River, and onto though remote arctic north unit it ends at the Arctic Sea at Prudhoe Bay.
Our ride was a large bus which had only a few other tourists — a large Japanese group and a few other solo tourists. We set off from Fairbanks around 10AM, with our driver and guide Don. Just a few minutes outside Fairbanks, Don pointed out a pair of moose (meese, moosses?) just off the side of the road. No one on the bus could get a good picture, as the two animals ran off into the forest as our bus passed.
About 1.5 hours away from Fairbanks we made our first pitstop at a small cabin & general store.
The store was closed, but there were some basic restrooms here which we could use. Of course, everyone took selfies with the store, since it had a sign on the porch saying “Almost crossed the Arctic Circle”.
So far, we were driving along Alaska state route 2. Continuing northward, we joined the Dalton Highway, or Alaska state route 11. Don explained also about the trans-Alaskan pipeline which runs along the highway. This pipeline brings oil from the remote Arctic Sea to the southern port of Valdez, near Anchorage.
We stopped near one section of the pipeline, which is one of the longest oil pipelines in the world. The instructional video on the bus also explained about the unique architecture of the supports which are built to ensure that the permafrost layer below the snow does not thaw. If the permafrost did thaw, it would cause the structure above to collapse, so preventing the thawing was a necessary, and not done just to save the environment!
After the brief halt near the pipeline, the bus continued north towards the Arctic Circle. The height of the snow on the roads increased, and even the trees themselves seemed to be converted into frozen crystals.
We soon reached the Yukon River, and stopped at the Yukon River Lodge — a small desolate outpost in the vast tundra. This is one of the last places you can get gas and food before the Arctic circle. We stopped here for lunch, which had been pre-orderd. The options were basic, but everyone enjoyed the cozy dining hall, as well as the steaming hot noodle soup that was on the menu!
Post lunch we boarded the bus again for the last leg of the journey to the Arctic Circle. We crossed a minor snow storm on the way. Looking out of the bus window, it was hard to see the boundary between land and sky — everything was white snow! The snow cleared off after a while, and soon we were there right at the 66 degree North latitude, otherwise known as the Arctic Circle.
We spent some time taking pictures around here, and also sipping some hot chocolate that Don had thoughtfully carried in a flask. It was around 6:00PM that we headed back towards Fairbanks. This time we went to a cabin about an hour away from Fairbanks. We were to spend the night here in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. We spent the whole night waiting for the Aurora, but did not manage to see it. That’s just how elusive it is! However, the experience of the Dalton Highway and the frozen tundra was second to none. In the wee-hours of the next morning, we headed back to our hotel in Fairbanks. After a heavy breakfast at the America’s Northern-most Denny’s, we spent the rest of the day trying to catch up on sleep!
