Family Hunger Genealogy

© Copyright Todd Neel

9/10/2024 Tuesday – 9/11/2024 Wednesday

I stayed two nights here at Chena River State Recreation Area, North Pole, Alaska. This was the second day of two nights.

On my first night of camping near the town of North Pole, AK, I hear on the Fairbanks radio that this was supposed to be a good night for viewing the Northern Lights. I was bored sitting in the camper waiting for darkness, so I drive into Fairbanks to kill time. As I travel into the city, the number of streetlights and electric signs increased. More strip malls and big box stores start to annoy me, so I head back to the darkness of camp near North Pole, Alaska, latitude 61° 13′ 2.5716” N.

Fairbanks is the northernmost part of my trip. It is about 200 road miles or 140 miles “as the crow flies” from the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line printed on our maps. It marks the southernmost point where the sun does not rise above the horizon after the winter solstice (December 21) and does not set below the horizon after the summer solstice (June 21). Imagine, 24 hours of darkness, and 24 hours of daylight, all at the same place if you’re patient! The latitude of the Artic Circle is 66°  33′ N.

The latitude of the north pole is 90° N. The actual north pole is located at the intersection of the Earth’s axis and surface. It is on the moving ice cap, or maybe in the water these days.

I consider driving to the Arctic Circle here, but that would be quite the side trip, and I told Mary I’d be home around the end of September. If I start off down every side venture, every distraction, I will be very late for my date with her. (A distraction? The Arctic Circle a distraction?!?!) During these travels, I decided I’d like to spend an entire year in Alaska and see what it’s like to be in 24-hour darkness, and 24-hour daylight, which occurs above the Arctic Circle. Alas … maybe another lifetime!

When I returned to camp at about 11:30 pm, the western sky was still lit by the setting sun, or maybe it was the glow of the streetlights of Fairbanks. I saw no Aurora Borealis and was getting tired, deciding this was not a good night to view the Northern Lights. I asked the staff the next day at one of the museums what the best times to view the Lights, and they responded that it depends on how strong they are but that the darkest time of the night might be between midnight and 2 am. (I need to plan a nap!) Cloudy weather hampered good sky viewing the rest of my time in the Fairbanks area, so I left frustrated with this goal. They are supposed to get about 200 days per year of good views of the Northern Lights in the Fairbanks area.

I had a layover here, got my oil changed in Fairbanks, did some grocery shopping, and visited museums and the University of Alaska campus.

Photo of museum-quality grizzly, a.k.a. Brown Bear at University of Alaska, Fairbanks. (Is my hat on straight?)