Arrivederci Alaska

Hey. Well, the past few days have been fantastic, mother nature must have heard my pleas and has made the weather much more to my liking. After leaving Denali a few days ago, we headed up to Fairbanks for two days, but before we left the weather cleared up so me and my cousin went rafting, me for me it was my first time and the second for him. It was awesome! The weather was cooperating and the recent torrential rains made the river run high and faster than normal. There were about 10 or so series of rapids we paddled through and I got drenched on pretty much all of them. The adrenaline rush was worth it though.

The drive to Fairbanks took about two hours, most of which I slept through. It’s a pretty small city. The hotel we stayed at had two parts, an old section and a new building. We originally got two rooms in the old section but the rooms were crap. They were small, smelled bad, one of the lamps didn’t work and the bathroom was a hideous pink tile disaster dating sometime to the Reagan administration. My dad went to see if we could get a room in the new building which they eventually did. There was such a discrepancy between the two rooms it’s kinda crazy. They were so much nicer, cleaner, bigger and updated.

Fairbanks was even quieter than Anchorage but also pretty easy to navigate so we mostly wandered around the city. The sun doesn’t set until 2AM there and then it rises again at like 4, that really messed with my head. The weather has been fantastic though, sun and mild temps for the past few days does wonders for my mood. While there, we went to see a virtual aurora show (tourist trap), the Alaskan pipeline (pretty much a giant pipe), and the Santa Claus House in North Pole, AK (LOL). The Santa Claus House was essentially a giant Christmas gift shop but it did have a few reindeer, very sad looking reindeer, but reindeer nonetheless. One great surprise we found in Fairbanks though was some o f the best Korean food we’ve ever had. We found it on accident really, me and my cousin went bowling in this really industrial looking building complex, and next to the alley was a small Korean place. Well, we were hungry and decided to eat there and my god it was delicious. The Galbi (Barbeque Shortrib), Bi Bim Bap (Rice dish with a bunch of toppings), and 14 different kimchi and other tasty tidbits were amazing. The lady even gave us a free appetizer for eating there. Best place ever.

Fairbanks was our last stop so today was mostly a driving day back to Anchorage so we could catch our flight home tomorrow. We passed back through Denali during the whole 6 ½ hour ride (my butt hurt like crap from sitting still for so long) and stopped a few times to see the mountains and scenery. Tomorrow we have one last day so we might go visit the outdoor market again or something, nothing has been planned.

These past two weeks have been quite an interesting experience. I’ve gotten closer to nature and have met some great people. Regardless, I can’t wait to get back home. Two weeks is a long time to not see close friends, sleep in my own bed or play with my hyperactive terrier, and while I might not miss going back to the scorching heat, it’s something I have gotten used to…and after two weeks of mostly cloud cover and rain, 95 degrees and being poolside doesn’t sound half bad.

All the best,

JP