Fairbanks

I managed to sleep in until 7:30 AM this morning. That still only got me four and a half hours. I will definitely be taking it easy for a couple of days once I get to Seattle. Given that I came from Idaho (MST), spent only one night in Seattle (PST) and then, between the two red-eyes and two nights aurora watching in Alaska (AKST - yet 1 hour earlier), I’m not only very sleep-deprived, my sleep schedule is literally 180 degrees reversed from what it should be.

Because my flight does not depart until 1:45 AM, I decided to take a day room in Fairbanks. I checked into SpringHill Suites, then took a Lyft over to the Museum of the North , located at Alaska State University. This was a nice stop, although I felt like I could not complete appreciate it as my brain was not working at full capacity. The exhibits were organized by geographical region, and each concentrated on a particular Indigenous tribe and the natural history of the region.

One of the stories of which I was previously unaware was that of a small group of Japanese who had settled in Sitka, on the west coast of Alaska. Initially, shipwrecked Japanese ships drifted toward the Alaskan coast and were rescued by international merchant ships. Subsequently, Japanese immigrated to the region to work in fishing and in the canneries. However, like other Japanese-Americans, the 220 Alaskan Japanese-Americans were relocated to internment camps at the beginning of WWII. Ultimately, only about half returned. Although they ultimately did received some restitution, their removal represents a shameful part of American history.

I then made a brief stop at the Morris Thompson cultural and visitor center close to my hotel. They had some nice displays about life in Alaska and highlighted some local personalities of note. I walked down to the Chena River to see if I could find a place to photograph any aurora that might be visible tonight. Two elements are important for good viewing, clear skies and high activity. All week the highest activity was forecast for today. Last night we had a nice surprise of higher than expected activity, but a few clouds marred the images. Today was crystal clear. Like last night, a high period of activity was expected around 9 PM. I hoped to go out and take some urban shots of the aurora over the Chena river.

While waiting, I went to grab a bite at Lavelle’s Bistro , which is attached to the SpringHill Suites. While standing in the hallway waiting for them to open, I suddenly realized that I had stayed at this hotel and eaten at this restaurant maybe 10 years ago when I did a case at Fort Wainwright. It was a strange deja vu. While enjoying my salad, I chatted with Russell who hails from Miami. He is also an enthusiastic photographer and we had a fun time showing each other photos.

At 8:30 PM I walked out to the pedestrian bridge to wait for the light show; it never materialized. With no warming yurt, I was dependent on my layers to keep warm. At just past 9 PM, when no lights were visible, I gave up and went back in to warm up. I’m hoping maybe for a view of some activity from the plane.

My flight is scheduled to land at SEA at 6:30 PM. My plan is to grab a Lyft back to Art Wolfe’s, where I will be staying for a few days, then crash. The next couple of days will be deliberately low key.

This is my last day in Alaska. This coming week I will explore Washington.