Alaska, Day 2: Fairbanks -> Chena Hot Springs.

After breakfast I took a quick walk to the lake at the hotel.

Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary

The mosquitoes were out in full force so I cut the walk short. Little did I know that "full force" was about to take on a whole new meaning...

About an hour later I met up with the group. I'd known it would be a small group (three passengers including me, two guides) but I was thrilled that the other two passengers were traveling solo too. Santa Rosa's Mary and Aussie Tim were doing separate extended trips with the same tour company, and I was immediately jealous. With Driver Emily and Navigator Sean at the helm, we headed northeast to Chena Hot Springs, our first stop.

Along the way we stopped at Angel Rocks for a short hike to a beautiful view.

I can see Russia!

Tors were formed millions of years ago when molten rock pushed
upward and cooled before reaching the earth's surface

Chena Hot Springs is completely self-sustained, relying on geothermal power for energy. (I won't do the description justice, but you can read more about it here.) They also have an enormous hydroponic greenhouse. The tomatoes in the salad at dinner were delicious.

Northernmost greenhouse in the US

There's also an ice bar featuring sculptures by ice carving world champions. It was built to boost touristm, and only served appletinis, reasons I would've shunned under normal circumstances - but the weather was balmy, and 30 minutes in a freezer would make the hot springs a little more appealing. The sculptures were stunning but I don't need to do that again.

A whole new meaning to "frosted glass"

After a nice dinner of salmon and raspberry pie we hit the hot springs. Very relaxing and allegedly medicinal, but the best part was the moose that wandered over by the lake as we were soaking. Photo coming soon.

Not pictured: moose

Song of the day: Northern Exposure theme