When I first got to Alaska, I just had to keep pinching myself. "I'm here! I made it to Alaska!" I kept thinking. I'm sure I had a huge smile permanently stuck on my face because people were looking at me a little funny that first day. I drove from Anchorage to Fairbanks the day after I arrived. It's usually a 6 1/2 hour drive, but it took me at least eight because I couldn't help but stop to take pictures at all these beautiful places along the way. Everything was so scenic and surreal.
After arriving in Fairbanks, I had a rough first few days because of a terrible living situation that I quickly realized I needed to get out of. By day three, I had packed up and checked myself into a hotel because I couldn't stay there another night. But just as He always does, God used a bad situation for something good and one of my friends from orientation who had just moved to Alaska with her husband offered for me a place to live with her and her husband..the very next day!
I moved into a nice big house in North Pole, Alaska with Becky and Nate the next day. North Pole is a cute town that's about fifteen minutes from Fairbanks. The first time I ventured into downtown, I couldn't stop smiling and taking pictures. North Pole is the town "where it's Christmas year round!" There are candy-cane light posts, Christmas signs and even a wreath and Christmas tree at City Hall. Not to mention, I got to visit the Santa Claus House where Santa lives and feed his reindeer! I fell in love with the town right away and the small-town feel. Sometimes I would run into coworkers at the grocery store (there's only one in the town) or other times complete strangers would just start chatting with me at the gas station. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It turned out to be the perfect place for me to live!
Feeding one of the reindeer at the Santa Claus House
Although I was no longer working at a Children's hospital, the pediatric unit in the community hospital proved to be a great place to work. My first week, my manager handed me the next month's schedule and said "I gave you 6 days off in a row because I thought you might want to do some exploring. I know you didn't just come to Alaska to work." I was dumbfounded and grateful and started planning where I would explore first.
Every time I had a stretch of 3-4 days off, I would plan an adventure. A few times, I had friends come to town and I took them with me on my adventures. Other times I would go with my roommates or other friends from town, and the rest of the time I just went on my own. I've always been a pretty independent person, but Alaska made me so much more independent. If I wanted to go camping, I didn't wait until a friend had time off, I would just go. I had my first solo camping experience about a month into my contract and after that, I had no problems going on my own. I would join tours flying solo and just make friends along the way. I did a bunch of solo road trips, including one that was 9-hours long in order to go paddle boarding through some icebergs. It was well worth it and the scenery wasn't too bad either!
In my 3 1/2 months in Alaska, I was able to see A LOT. There's still so much I would love to see and do, but I had a pretty big bucket list and hit almost everything. I got to hike to an icefield, hike on a couple of glaciers, ice climb, go into ice caves, deep-sea fish, sleep on a boat anchored in front of a glacier, kayak in Resurrection bay and see dolpins and seals, take several glacier cruises, do some amazing hiking, four wheel, camp in Denali, and visit the historic mining town of Kennicott.
At the edge of the Harding Icefield
Hiking the Matanuska Glacier
But one of my favorite bucket list activities happened my very last week in Alaska. I decided I still needed to see the Northern lights and told my roommates I was driving out to Cleary Summit to watch them. They must've stifled a laugh, knowing that you can't just decide you're going to see the Northern lights anytime. But I was determined. Nate told me I could see them from the backyard if they were out, but I insisted on following the advice of my friend who had recommended Cleary Summit since he had spent many years in Alaska.
As I left the house around 11:30pm, I could see what almost looked like a cloud just above the house. Something about it looked different, almost like there was a beam of light shining through it. "They're going to be out," I told myself with excitement. Within the first ten minutes of the drive, I could see the lights. They were bright green and lighting up in three different sections of the sky. They were so beautiful that it was hard to focus on the road and still look at the lights. If I had known that the lights tend to come and go so quickly, I would've pulled over to stop and watch them. I did stop once to snap a quick picture and then carried on up the road. I was sure the lights would be even better once I reached my destination. But as I arrived at Cleary Summit, the lights were beginning to fade and actually looked much more faint. Not to mention, there was a tour bus of people there. There was a full moon and it had come out even brighter, so now it was difficult to see the radiance of the Northern Lights. I stayed for awhile in hopes that I would see them some more, but ended up leaving disappointed and defeated. I headed home, scolding myself for not stopping off the road when I had seen them earlier. "Well, at least I saw them," I tried to reassure myself.
But at about 4am, I woke up in the middle of the night, looked out the window and saw rays of neon green. "They're out again!" I squealed. I felt like God had woken me up to watch this. I grabbed my warm jacket and camera and headed out the back door. The lights were amazing, so bright and beautiful. It was like ribbons of light in the sky, constantly changing from one place to another. Every now and then some green and pink would dance from top to bottom in the sky. As I watched the green ribbons light up, it was like God was doodling with some pretty colors and was letting me get a peek at his artwork. I stood there dumbfounded, completely in awe of our amazing Father. I couldn't help but think of the verse 1 Corinthians 2 that says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." I felt like I experienced a glimpse of what it will be like when we get to heaven and are stunned at the beauty and awesomeness of God and the place he has created for us.
I got to stay out and enjoy the Northern Lights for almost an hour before they began to fade. As I watched the lights show, I listened to worship music and felt completely overwhelmed by God's love for me. I wasn't disappointed about the lights after all! I felt like I got a private showing in my own backyard and it was incredible!
As my time in Alaska comes to a close, a lot of emotions are swirling around. Leaving this beautiful, unique place is very bittersweet. I am so grateful for the amazing experiences I have had, but sad to leave this wild, incredible place. I will miss the beautiful scenery, the ability to drive for miles and not see a single soul, seeing moose and foxes off the highway, eating fresh moose meat brought in by my coworkers or enjoying some fresh halibut or salmon caught by good friends. I will miss the peacefulness, the opportunities for adventure around every corner, and the wild feel to it all . But most of all, I will miss the amazing people I have come to know who have touched my heart, especially those who helped me to see what it truly means to be an Alaskan. But I have a feeling that I will be back again. This place has too many amazing things to offer to only visit one time!
