Alaska, Day Four: Hot and Cold

I got up in the middle of the night to pee, and since I was lodging in the cabin out back, I had to get dressed and cross the yard to the main house to do so. On my way back, I stared up longingly at the sky, and I saw a single, sweeping white band of light across the sky, signifying either the aurora or a movie opening. In the end, I decided that it was a movie opening…it seemed too artificial and rhythmic.

The 7+ hour drive north from Talkeetna to Chena Hot Springs was lengthy and a bit white-knuckled given the snow and clouds that pervaded the scene. Toward the end of my journey, I stopped off in North Pole to see the world’s largest Santa Claus. I also attempted to gain entry into the nearby Santa Claus House, but…you guessed it…it was closed. I was, however, able to visit a Taco Bell situated in a strip mall…the first I’d seen of its kind. Fascinating.

Greetings from the World’s Largest Santa Claus

About an hour later, I rolled into Chena Hot Springs Resort, an isolated destination run on geothermal power. Although I think the term “resort” is a bit of a stretch, it’s pretty chill (pun intended).

The Entrance to Chena Hot Springs Resort

Rock Lake at Chena Hot Springs Resort

After checking in at the front desk, my first stop was the Aurora Ice Museum, the largest year-round ice structure in the world. One of the coolest (I’m on a roll here) components of the museum is a section with beds and an outhouse…all carved from ice, of course. For a pretty penny, guests can stay overnight in the museum, although I’m guessing it’s not nearly as great of an adventure as that enjoyed by Claudia and Jamie in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ten points for whoever can pick up that cultural reference.

Dinner at the resort’s restaurant (a salmon burger with tomato and lettuce grown in the resort’s greenhouse) provided an excellent appetizer for the main course…Lost. I know I’m on vacation, but come on…this is the best season ever. Dessert consisted of a two-hour soak in Rock Lake. It was a very otherworldly experience, soaking in burning hot water (which can reach as high as 140 ºF) that smelled of sulphur while the stars shone above, interrupted only by a few multicolored spotlights illuminating the steam as it diffused into the frigid black night.