An Ice Castle in North Pole
I was itching for some yoga, Dan was not quite itching as strongly as me, but he was a willing participant. I found a place online called Heartstream Yoga and Donna’s bio looked varied and eclectic and so it was a go. The studio was located near the Fred Meyer’s and off we went. While we were waiting for it to open, we saw a woman in a tank top distributing flyers. I guess if you live in Fairbanks long enough, you may consider eight degrees toasty.
Donna was indeed eclectic and wacky. She had two dogs, a Shih Tzu and Yorkie there as therapy dogs and they would visit the students and sit on their mats, which I actually found a bit annoying, since I don’t enjoy those types of dogs. Her teaching style was a lot of fun and with ease she related yoga to everyday living, in addition to introducing me to some variations of downward dog that I had never done, with different ways to position the hands. And as coincidence would have it, her son moved to Portland recently.
We snacked on some salmon ceviche I had prepared at the cabin and then headed off to the town about ten miles south of Fairbanks, called the North Pole. The town is on the gimmicky side, as you very well may imagine. What had me laughing is that 220,000 letters a year are sent to the post office addressed simply to Santa Claus. I went in the post office to mail a friend a postcard from the North Pole, but I ended up leaving since the postal workers were moving as slow as molasses. Yet it’s funny to note that the inside of the post office is all decorated for Christmas – 365 days a year! It’s a small town and the only street of interest is South Santa Claus Lane, which has a large Santa Claus, Santa’s workshop and lots of incredible ice sculptures. I am not sure that once the ice melts whether there would be enough for me to recommend a visit here, but during winter, it’s a fun stop. Other than the ice museum, this is the most extensive collection we have seen in one place. There were lots and below are some pictures displaying the handiwork of some fine sculptors from the region.
Sitting on Santa’s Ice Sled
We went home to relax before going out for the night’s activities. We were inclined to take advantage of Tom’s generosity of sharing salmon and I whipped up some dilled salmon, mashed potatoes, frizzled leeks and balsamic onions, and sautéed veggies.
The nighttime dog sledding tour was going to pick us up at 8:45pm at the Visitor Center and we showed up early so we could check out the 1st Friday Artwalk. A woman at the Visitor Center directed us to downtown a few blocks away where she said it was hopping. On route, we saw an establishment called The Venue, and realized that it was THE Venue in Fairbanks, so inside we went. There was a room with unappealing art work (I realize art is subjective, but still, this was all rather ugly) and an overall unattractive group of people with a guy belting out a cacophony of sounds. I looked over at Dan who was in line to get some coffee and he raised his eyebrows with a total knowing look. He commented to me that, if someone is ever remotely a mover and shaker, they could come to Squarebanks and be the leader. This is so true! We were seriously considering walking up to the musician and offering him money, if he’d stop playing – he was that bad!
When we tired of THE Venue, we walked to the Co-op down the street where we were told it was hopping. But the doors were locked. We knocked and knocked and finally someone came to tell us that they closed at 8pm. Well, in defense of Fairbanks, I can say at least they are giving the art scene a try.
Back at the Cultural Center we were picked up by our guide exactly on time. We picked up two more parties and headed up the Steese Highway north to Swen’s dog farm. We were taken to the yurt to gear up and then out to meet the dogs. Swen has 27 puppies and 35 grown dogs, all of them were barking their hearts out. These dogs are made to work and if they are not currently but they think they will be soon, they cannot control their excitement. It’s pretty amazing, it’s like being in a classroom of preschoolers who all just drank an espresso. There are a lot of humans I have met who could stand to invoke some sled dog energy at times.
Swen’s Yurt Is Warm Welcome From the Cold
We met our leader, Riley. Actually, he used to work for Leslie at Paws for Adventures and he commented that Jessica was the toughest woman alive. Riley was born and raised in Iowa, moved to Fairbanks and worked for others for a while before he acquired his own dogs. He rents space from Swen to keep his dogs and leads tours in exchange. It came as no surprise to us, but Dan and I were aware of what a tight knit group the Fairbanks dog sledding community was.
Soon enough we were off and what a grand ride it was. Similar terrain to what we did with Jessica, but in the dark. In and out of the woods, on the open meadows, swishing around corners. Riley told us were going over the oil pipeline, which is below ground when it’s not in danger of melting permafrost. I commented to Riley that all the dogs look different from each other, although there is a common general look between them. I asked if they were purebred. Essentially, they are mutts – border collies, huskies, labs, shepherds. These are the basic varieties of the working dogs found in Alaskan villages and through the generations, the best workers were selectively bred.
Whenever we came to a halt, the team would go ballistic jumping up and down and yelping non-stop. And when we resumed moving and there was no conversation between any of us, the nighttime was very quiet and we tuned into the pitter patter of their feet against the hard snow – a very sweet sound. The headlamp Riley wore cast a light that made the snow glisten. It’s interesting to note that it was about 20 degrees warmer on the hill than in Fairbanks and my toes were not frozen this time.
The expansive landscape that alternated between spruce trees and open meadows were gorgeous, but the open skies which had some clouds and some stars were perhaps the main scenery. Of course these elements and the dogs taking us for a ride was a recipe for the quintessential Alaskan experience and the perfect way for us to bring our adventure to a close.
After an hour of riding, we returned to the yurt and were served a dinner of goulash. Although usually a musher does the serving, Swen’s neighbor Tracy was helping tonight. She is 33, has six children, four of which are foster children and all of which she home schools. He husband leads hunts, and they process all their own meat. Killing the moose and the whole nine yards. They fish their legal allotment of 600 salmon annually and feed it to their sled dogs. Amazing!
Jessica Was Serving Us Dinner
They have big gardens and in the summer their family devotes tremendous energy to canning. They make everything from scratch (a woman after my own heart). She grew up in Fairbanks and is very much a salt of the earth type, and loves her deep roots into Interior Alaska. We chatted about Sally Fallon, fermentation, the benefits of wild food, and making mead. She mentioned that the carrots grown in Alaska are so sweet, as a result of the long days and endless photosynthesis, that when she lacto ferments them – the vats are literally bubbling over. Tracy expressed how happy she is to have the skills to live the subsistence based lifestyle that is so fulfilling to her and her family.
She also told us that her childhood winters used to be 30 below for three weeks, maybe a five day break, another week of 30 below, a couple day break and another few weeks. But that is no longer the pattern, in her lifetime she has witnessed a tremendous amount of climate change. In fact, if by February 22nd, Fairbanks does not dip to 30 below, it will be the warmest winter on record.
Throughout the evening, Dan and I and the other participants would go outside the yurt to check for the lights. We could see them muted behind the clouds, as if they wanted to bust out but were trapped behind the cloak. Snow was in the forecast and it was making the clouds denser than usual. I was disappointed we didn’t see the lights on the nighttime dog sledding tour (I romanticized this as the perfect ending to our trip), but overall we loved our time with the dogs and hearing stories of native Alaskans, and this was still a very special way to spend our last night. We left the farm at 2am and got home by 3am and hit the hay right away.
OK – A Gimmicky Santa Claus Stands Proud on Santa Clause Lane