Enjoying the Midnight Sun

Summer in Fairbanks, Alaska, is definitely a treat. The sun up 24 hours a day, which is always appreciated after the long, cold winters. It's no wonder the town has a huge festival to celebrate.


It is complete with bands,


vendors, and plenty of food stands,


not to mention 80 degree temperatures and some of the best people watching of the year.

Another favorite event is the Midnight Sun Run, with nearly 4,000 participants running or walking 10 kilometers through town, beginning at 10:00pm. Costumes are encouraged, so Hank and Marla went for it!


Other friends opted for the 'free' midnight sun t-shirts that were given out when you paid your entry fee,


and then there were those of us who just watched the parade of people go by from the sidelines.


It's hard not to smile when you're havin' fun in the sun, especially at midnight!

Another baby!

Memorial Day not only brought outdoor fun, it also brought a new member to our group. Althea Meghan was born Saturday night, bringing more joy to everyone.



Of course her birth prompted Mette and I to head to the hospital Sunday morning to sneak a peek at the new family. They're doing great, and we were so excited to meet little Thea!


I'm sure Carrie's going to be a great mom.

Memorial Day Weekend Canoe Trip

Memorial Day weekend usually always includes a cookout...check. Another thing that's always fun to do is to enjoy being outside. A canoe trip down the Upper Chena with some friends was just the thing to fit the bill.


We put in Saturday morning and quickly came across many obstacles. There were several log jams to portage around...


...and many shallow areas forced us to walk the canoes rather than ride in them.


Luckily we got all of the obstacles out of the way at the beginning, which only made the rest of the river that much nicer and the smiles that much bigger.

Mother's Day Trip to Denali (One Day Early)

It's that time of year when everyone wants to be outside and soak in some sunshine because we haven't been able to enjoy the outdoors with skin exposed in quite some time! Yes, this is the time of year, when the palest skin you've ever seen begins being shown. It's a wonder we don't all blind each other just walking down the steet, and for many, it's the favorite time of year.

To catch up on our Vitamin D, I decided to take Mette and Kieran to Denali National Park for some Mother's Day fun in the sun because Max was out of town for work and because the Park Road was open to private vehicles for the first 30 miles. (As you may or may not know, for most of the open road season, the Park Road is closed to private vehicles and you may only drive through the park on one of the Denali buses. They don't want anybody having an accident while looking at the scenery, hitting any wildlife, or messing anything else up.)

Although pretty hazy, the mountain was visible if you looked close. Can you see it in this picture? You may have to click on the picture to blow it up to get a better look.


We saw some people we knew, Kevin and Andi, shortly after entering the park, so we stopped to talk.


While hanging out talking, a man pulled up and pointed out a mama grizzly bear with her two cubs walking around by the river below us. The five of us obviously weren't very good at sighting wildlife, so we were glad to check bears off of our list early in the day. Of course, it was a lot more fun to watch them through the binoculars since you could barely see them with the naked eye.


ZOOMED IN (again you might have to click on the picture to see the bears better)


On the way to Mile 30, the only animal of note, aside from the bears, was a ptarmagin, unless you count the other birds we saw, but I wasn't looking up. Mile 30 marks Teklanika River, where we turned around and headed back to the park entrance.


On the way back out of the park, we added another animal to our list, an Arctic Ground Squirrel. OK, it's a good thing the guy pointed the bears out because obviously the rest of our animal sightings were less than thrilling, unless of course you count the moose running toward the highway while we were driving back to Fairbanks. Luckily he was smart enough to turn around and head back into the spruce trees.

Water Walk and Run 5K

Luckily, by the time I returned from California, most of the snow had melted and I was greeted with sunny, sixty degree weather. In other words, it was time for the summer activities to finally begin!!

Although I normally get together with some friends on to walk after work on Thursdays, it was time to participate in a community activity, so Carrie, Dianna, Melissa, Mette, and I signed up for the Golden Heart Utilites 5K. This one took place after work on a Wednesday, so we all met up a block from the start and got ready for the 'race'.



The 5K was fun, and we finished by walking across the finish line in less than an hour, so it was an evening well spent. There was quite the crowd at the finish line, and rightfully so for there were free hot dogs...


...and a clown to entertain everyone.


As you can see from the clown picure, Kieran joined us as well in his Chariot stroller. For those of you who were wondering, he's getting cuter every day!