Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis - Fort Wainwright, AKAurora Borealis - Fort Wainwright, AK

This was obviously my first time to witness and photograph the elusive Northern Lights.

Aurora Borealis - Fort Wainwright, AKAurora Borealis - Fort Wainwright, AKAurora Borealis - Fort Wainwright, AKAurora Borealis - Fort Wainwright, AK

My blurry, poorly white balanced photos are a sad testament to the glory of Aurora Borealis, at least in comparison to the dozens of well composed images in a google image search of the Northern Lights. I stand proudly by them, nevertheless, just glad to have seen such a sight. Continue reading “Aurora Borealis”

Fairbanks, AK

Ice Museum - Fairbanks, AK via Yea Yea PuebloSummer is over, and fall is quickly fading away up here in Fairbanks. Snow has come and gone a few times already and those wintry previews have me nervously biting my nails in anticipation of winter proper.

Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, AK via Yea Yea Pueblo

Fairbanks, AK via Yea Yea Pueblo

Talking Moose, Fairbanks, AK via Yea Yea Pueblo

In a scramble to see Fairbanks as tourists before heavy snow blankets the borough, we’ve trotted all over town in heavy coats and an overloaded stroller. At this point we have no idea what’s appropriate to wear — it’s cold to us, but some of the locals seem okay with just a light fleece jacket and sandals. Others have already started wearing down parkas and warm wool hats. I personally need lots of layers already, which makes dressing Margot even more confusing and cumbersome.

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Fairbanks’ Newest Cheechakos

This post is coming to you from Fairbanks, AK where we are the newest Cheechakos (or Canadian/Alaskan newcomers)! Our travels through Canada went off without a hitch, but I sure did miss reliable cell service and wi-fi.

Watson Sign Forest, Yukon Territory, Canada via Yea Yea Pueblo

We were your typical tourists: camera and baby clumsily in hand, an overweight dog on a retractable leash, and a dirty Subaru with out-of-state plates.  The back seat became our diaper change-station, the front seat, our refrigerator. We lived in that car for up to 14 hours a day. Margot was patient, even when I wouldn’t let her crawl on the floor of at least two off-putting hotels. She was content to roll around in her pack ‘n play or hang out in the slightly cleaner beds for a energy-burning nightcap.

Watson Sign Forest, Yukon Territory, Canada via Yea Yea Pueblo

Yukon Territory via Yea Yea PuebloWatson Sign Forest, Yukon Territory, Canada via Yea Yea Pueblo

The Watson Lake Sign Forest was a fun tourist destination. We weaved up and down the aisles, looking for artifacts from our respective hometowns. Isaac was a little more successful than I was, oddly enough.

Then there was the beautiful Whitehorse, YT; a beautiful Canadian city with friendly locals and great food. We strolled along the river front, poked around in gift shops and ate BBQ Salmon at the famous Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ on their very last weekend of the season. Many northern businesses shut down for the winter months, presumably because of the lower number of travelers passing through. And little did we know, the Yukon Territory, with an area the size of Germany, Austria and Switzerland combined, only has a population of about 36K, most of which (26K) live in the Whitehorse metro area. My high school was bigger than nearly all of their towns. Mind-boggling!

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