Salmon Berry Tours
We flew into Anchorage, and spent one night at the Copper Whale Inn.
The next day, the tour bus drove us to near Talkeetna, where we toured a dog sledding kennel and got to drive & ride dogsleds. It was -20 degrees F, so we were glad for the gear rental from the tour company, which kept us pretty warm, except when we were standing listening to the presentations.
We stayed that night in Talkeetna in log cabins. Our cabin was a little chilly, and we slept on the fold-out futon in the living room near the heater.
The next day, our guide put us on the Alaska Railroad for the scenic 8 hour trip to Fairbanks. It was a flag-stop train, and several people got on or off at remote stops.
That night was our first aurora watching. We stopped enroute to see part of the Alaska pipeline. Very faint aroras. We watched from a local ski lodge that was very rustic and a little chilly.
The next day, we went to the Cheena Hot Springs & ice museum. At first, we weren’t sure about the hot springs, but it was VERY hot and fun. The ice museum has carved ice sculptures, but also ice-carved martini glasses for an appletini.
That night (New Year’s Eve) was by far the best auroras. We went to Aurora Pointe for viewing — a nice dedicated spot that was very comfortable. Strongest auroras were about 1:30am.
The next morning, we tried the Moldovan restaurant across the street from the hotel — one of the few places open on New Year’s Day. Delicious foods and an Eastern European grocery next door to get some of the spices they used!
The last night was an intimate dinner at Frank & Miriam’s, friends of the tour company owner, who live in a “dry” cabin. Auroras were nice, but nearly as spectacular as the middle viewing night. Great food, including Alaska beef & salmon burger (for V).
We flew out the next afternoon (Jan 2) from Fairbanks. Our flight from Seattle to Redmond got delayed with freezing fog and we slept at the airport. Finally got home the next afternoon after further delays.
