BUCKET LIGHTS
A reader takes her dream holiday to see the aurora borealis in Alaska
URED by dreams of the Northern Lights, we landed at Fairbanks International at the ungodly hour of 2am. It was March and minus 20°C.
We had travelled to Alaska during a cold month as it is only then that Mother Nature stages her great colour extravaganza.
The Chena River in Fairbanks was frozen under a blanket of snow. On the pavements and streets, patches of barely visible black ice waited to ambush the unwary traveller.
My “penguin walk” proved ineffective and that treacherous ice led to my downfall on several occasions.
Tours were available by road and air, and the efficient bus and taxi services made it possible to explore local places of interest.
We knew we’d end up going to the dogs in Alaska, mushing being the official state sport. There’s something very special about sledding over spruce-lined trails with a team of lively, enthusiastic dogs.
As we were so close to the Arctic Circle, harsh weather was not unexpected. On one brutally cold night, we found ourselves freezing up in the dark hills near Chena Hot Springs while the mercury plunged to plentysomething below.
We sallied south on Alaska Railroad’s once-a-week-in-winter train, which would come to a halt — mainly in the remote Hurricane Gulch area — whenever a planted flag or smiling snowman alerted the engineer to off-gridders wishing to board. With bags and boxes, some with dogs, they would climb up into the comfortable guard’s van before the train resumed its journey.
Our destination was the quirky little town of Talkeetna, pretty as a postcard with its old, wooden buildings and quaint log cabins.
Our temporary home was a cabin, a moose-stride away from the Susitna River. We were privileged to be cordially welcomed by Mayor Stubbs, once he’d been located under the counter in the pub attached to Nagley’s General Store. The shorttailed ginger cat has held office here for over 19 years.
We dined on mouth-watering local salmon, sampled the delicious crab, halibut and other seafood, silently apologised to the Red-Nosed One as we tucked into reindeer, and reluctantly skipped the sourdough pancakes as big as grizzly bears’ paws.
The highlight of our stay in Talkeetna was a flight-seeing tour over the Alaska Range, drifting above lonely forests, frozen rivers and offgrid homesteads beside iced-over
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