Over the next hour the aurora became more intense and fascinating. Although many photos were taken, all of us took time to embrace the beauty of the aurora without our screens. The view and experience of seeing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has already made the trip worth it, and everyone cannot wait for the days ahead.
March 22, 2025, Alaska Day Two
After our long day of traveling, we woke up and got breakfast at the hotel, which was way better than the airport food we had eaten the day before. We started our breakfast with a C.O.L.D. open, where we discuss our call-outs, compliment our peers; we discuss obstacles and go over problems and unfortunate events that have happened; we look ahead (meaning what we are looking forward to in the trip); and we have a daily query, where Mr. Ottman asks us to think deeply about the activities ahead.
After our one hour of free time in the hotel, we then went to the Fairbanks Curling Club where we were taught all the ins and outs of the sport and all of the necessities needed to play. After we learned and meeting the very friendly staff, we got on the ice and began curling. It became very competitive very early; some people had fun in friendly games, while others bet their sleeping situations with the loser sleeping on the couch (sorry Chase). It was a main highlight of everyone’s day, and we all enjoyed it very much.
After curling we were starving and stopped at Big Daddy’s BBQ. We had a variety of food such as pulled pork sandwiches and burgers. We didn’t have much time, but it was delicious and a perfect way to spend our free time between activities.
Afterwards, we headed to the Morris Thomson Cultural Center where we met Dixie, who taught us how to make necklaces and accessories with natural resources like moose skin and bones. We then spent time exploring the museum and learned about Alaskan culture before heading out to take the iconic picture under the antlers with our pet squirrel.
We spent our dinner at Salty’s, where we had great meal options. We were all served a brownie with ice cream while having a nice talk with our friends and tour guides before leaving back to our hotel to have a short break before we got to the aurora viewing lodge.
At the Aurora Borealis Lodge, we will try to see the aurora borealis. While driving to the lodge, we could already see a small bit of the aurora. We were very lucky and as soon as we got to the lodge, the northern lights were out! Over the next hour the aurora became more intense and fascinating. Although many photos were taken, all of us took time to embrace the beauty of the aurora without our screens. The view and experience of seeing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has already made the trip worth it, and everyone cannot wait for the days ahead.