October 9 - “Moose on top”

We had some excitement early on yesterday. I got a text from Cary that read: “Moose on top.” Strange. Then he knocked at our door and insisted that there was a moose at the top of the hill. Well, what else was I supposed to do? My only option was to do my best to quell this myth, to nip this fairy tale in the bud. 

I grabbed my coat and phone. One of our fellow travelers was standing alone in the field staring off into the distance. I adjusted my position, heading closer to her. Finally I caught my first glimpse of the object (actually, objects) of her staring. It was a mother and two youngsters. But they didn’t look at all like Bullwinkle. No antlers. No goofy looks. Just a poor mother elk, deformed as often happens when they give birth. Hunchback. Weird snout. An extra two or three feet in height. And before you say anything, they don’t really like it when people call them names (like “moose”). They are very sensitive about their deformity. People did their best to convince me they were mooses. I wasn’t fooled. 

Momma and the two kiddos soon bolted for the woods, so I directed my attention to the very top of the hill where James was calling out and yelling. Best I could tell, he was saying, “Denali!” I headed up there, and sure enough, there in the distance was the outline of a mountain called Denali (or sometimes Mount McKinley). Guess I can check that one off again (we saw that one when we were here before). 

Our morning excursion was a different kind of experience. We went to the Chena Hot Springs. Yep. We were scheduled to crawl into a giant hot tub. 

The road there was a bit scary. Lots of snow around. In fact Ryan did a great job keeping us in the ruts in the snow. 

Upon arrival, we had a box lunch. Turkey sandwich. Tomatoes. Grapes. Nuts. Hummus (yuk). Several cheeses. Crackers. Really random stuff, but really hit the spot. 

After lunch we toured their ice museum. Kind of like the Moody Gardens one. This one was much smaller, though. But the detail was amazing. You can even rent out one of the carved ice beds for the low, low price of $600 a night. My favorite was the jousting scene between two full sized knights on horseback. Amazing detail. 

Next we changed into swimsuits for a dip in the Chena Hot Springs.  They cool it down to 106 degrees for bathing. It was every bit of that. Felt nice and relaxing. I even made an attempt to photo bomb an impromptu photo shoot going on with some young oriental beauties. I was the first one of our group out of the little lake, though. Had all the hot water I could stand. 

Next we climbed back on the bus to head back to the hotel. But wait! Diane couldn’t find her teal  water bottle. That would be green, but also blue. Sort of. It’s so much easier to be blind to these nuances of color. Ryan did a jog back through the property looking for it. But while he was gone, Diane found it. Thanks for all your effort, Ryan. You are awesome. 

Finally we were back on the road and ready for some dinner. There was great speculation therein. Ryan and Aimee were both tight-lipped about where we were going and what would be the fare. Oh, there were some guesses. Leftovers from lunch. The chocolate candies Aimee passed out on our rides together. Or my favorite, McDonald’s. Actually, McDonald’s was never mentioned. In fact I’m not sure there is even one in Alaska. 

As it turned out, the surprise was more than worth it. We went to a family farm (named “Frigid Farms.” Pretty appropriate).  The family fixed us some (allegedly) moose stew, hot tea, and homemade bread. They also had sauerkraut. Chris loved that. I passed. 

Their three dogs greeted us as we drove up. The biggest was a Belgian karackachan, a huge dog that is their chicken guard dog against foxes and the like. The middle sized one was a beautiful golden retriever. Then the smallest was a frisky little black lab. Lots of energy. 

The husband of the family was at work. He is a firefighter in Fairbanks, so I got some stories about their approach to shifts (2 days on, 4 days off. Momma loves that shift). 

The kids all homeschooled until junior high. The youngest, a girl named Marley, was especially proficient at holding her own in conversations with a bunch of strange adults. 

We heard all kinds of stories about life on a farm in Alaska. Growing seasons. Crops that work. Watermelons the size of a ping pong ball. Hunting bear. Oh, and we each got a vial of their homemade lip balm (Thanks, Frigid Farms bees). 

It was quite a popular stop among our group. We all left with a much better sense of Alaskan farm life. Thanks for that surprise, Ryan and Aimee and Gondwana. 

We decided to forego getting much sleep last night. Instead we went upstairs to the viewing deck and hung around with Laurie. We got to be the first ones to see when the lights started their show. It wasn’t nearly as breathtaking as it was last Saturday, but it sure  was … well, more. 

We also saw some satellites passing by, just trekking through on their journey to wherever satellites go. Oh! I saw the first shooting star of the night. And added another later. Meanwhile, the Auroras got greener and greener. Shoots popped up over and over again. We got some really good pictures. And it actually turned into an Aurora Borealis Northern Lights viewing party with our little gang. Lots of fun. 

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ says, Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

Father, be with the Hamlin family. Bless them in their farm life. And watch over Dad as he serves as a firefighter. Amen.