I woke up every 30 minutes from 11:00pm until 4:00am in a last-ditch effort to see an aurora. I may have seen a greenish haze at around 3:30am, but I’m not sure if I dreamed it up as I was in a bit of a fog by that point. Before leaving town, I headed to the University of Alaska Museum of the North to soak up a generous portion of natural history, social history, and art. My favorite part was “The Place Where You Go To Listen.” The lights and sounds in “The Place” were all linked to naturally-occurring phenomenon like earthquakes and the aurora borealis. Being in the room was like stepping into what I imagine a sliver of God’s experience must be…acute awareness of the slightest tremor or shift, yet when all comes together it is as a symphony. Truth be told, it brought me to tears. Although the video below doesn’t do it justice, I had to capture it as best I could so I might share it with you (make sure you’ve got the volume up).
Highlights from the Museum of The North
On my way back to Anchorage, I stopped briefly in Nenana to visit St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and grab a bite to eat. As the clouds had parted and the sun was out, my return drive through part of Denali National Park and Preserve was breathtaking. At one point, I did find myself wondering “Where is Mt. McKinley? Shouldn’t there be some sort of sign with an arrow that says ‘Hey, look, it’s the highest point in North America! Check it out!’ to keep people from missing it?” In sum, I may or may not have seen Mt. McKinley.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Denali and the Alaskan Range
Although things started off somewhat crummy, I’m really glad I went on this trip. I get the sense that unless you’re an avid arctic outdoorsman, Alaska may be best experienced in the summer, as the majority of the tourist attractions seem to be shut down or greatly reduced during the colder months. Still, had I come in the summer, I would not have been able to partake of dog mushing or the contrast between hot springs and frigid air. As it stands, Alaska and I have unfinished business when it comes to the aurora borealis, the Alaskan Railroad, flightseeing to Mt. McKinley, climbing on a glacier, and much more. Land of the Midnight Sun, I shall return.
2 comments:
wow, steve. checked out the pics, anyway. haven't read anything. typical me. looks like you had a really sweet time. and you are a good photographer as well. nice.
Steve-o--I always enjoy reading your travel blogs--they always make me want to go wherever you have gone--people should hire you to reavel and write about it--what a sweet job that would be--can I be your side-kick?!
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