As a welcome back to the US, Abby and I took a weekend and went to Girdwood for a little downhill skiing and relaxation. The well deserved weekend getaway turned out to be beautiful. Near record snowfall for the year combined with some sunshine made skiing conditions perfect.

We stayed at the Hidden Creek B&B. It was a beautiful home, with tremendous hosts. Everything was perfect for a relaxed stay.

The Lights

One of the most common questions visitors to Alaska ask is "how can I see the northern lights?"
After traveling all over this state, in every season and weather condition imaginable, my unfortunate reply is always "good question."

Full moon above Earthquake Park

There is no sure-fire method of viewing the northern lights. Certain scientists, such as those at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute, have become adept at predicting when the aurora is likely to be active. They have even developed a website: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast
to keep those of us that are interested informed about when, and to some extent where the aurora may be viewed.

Abby and I have followed the website tenaciously. We even have the Aurora Forecaster App on our iPhones, ya know? And we have waited with eager anticipation for days deemed to have the right conditions for a higher probability of seeing the northern lights. These days are indicated on the website using a number value to represent the chance of seeing the aurora. A higher number means a higher chance. And on those days we have assembled our camera gear and driven to dark, deserted places in hopes of having optimal viewing conditions. And waited in said deserted places. And waited. You get the point.

It was about 8pm on a Thursday night and we were both exhausted. I was actually lying in bed reading when Abby said "Tonights a 5, do you feel like going?" My first reaction was no. No, I dont feel like getting our camera gear together, plus clothes to stand outside in the single digit temperatures, and going to sit in a dark parking lot for an hour only to come home disappointed, again. My warm blanket and book sound like a much better idea. Then I thought to myself, I've gone out for 3's and 4's. If I stay in on a 5 night, I may very well be kicking myself later. "Fine, let's go."

So we threw some clothes on, grabbed the camera gear and headed out the door. The usual flurry of questions: Are we taking Indie? Do you have gloves and a hat? Do you have the camera? Did you charge the batteries? I reply - yes, yes, yes, and I think so. I know at least one of the camera batteries is charged.

With limited time and energy, choosing a location was easy. Whether trying to photograph Anchorage, or catch a glimpse of Denali on a clear day, Earthquake Park is a staple spot for scenery. When we arrived, there was already about a dozen cars. Abby set up the camera and started testing camera settings by shooting the full moon. She immediately noticed that the battery was low and asked "I thought you said the battery was charged." Knowing that the back up battery was fully charged, I began battery replacement. Between my lack of familiarity with the new tripod and my already numb fingers, it took an extremely long time to get the battery replaced. As luck would have it, the northern lights came out during this time.

Display begins. Photographers frantically try to set up

Needless to say, Abby was not happy and the phrase "You said the battery was charged" was repeated several times with continually heightened frustration. Nevertheless, the battery got swapped, and pictures were taken.

Focusing the camera was the biggest challenge

The one thing we had a hard time with was focusing. Autofocus is not an option with northern lights. The camera gets confused and the result is nothing in the photo is in focus. The manual focus settings I've always used cause the LED display to light up, which completely blinds you from being able to see the focus light. Abby had very limited success focusing by trial and error. The process was complicated significantly by the fact that the evening temperature was hovering around zero degrees. Our toes were completely frozen and our fingers weren't far behind.

Our best attempt at a portrait with the aurora 

People showed up in droves once the display began

B's favorite  

Abby's favorite

We stood outside and photographed for over 2 hours. Everyone at the park was either excited they were there to see the lights, or severely disappointed that they didn't arrive sooner. The excitement of seeing our first real aurora would have certainly kept us out there longer, but neither one of could feel our fingers or toes. Thanks to Abby's photography prowess, we did not come home empty handed. She took two amazing photos leaving the night a success!! We headed home very cold, and very happy.

Faint Aurora with Anchorage city lights

Photographers seem to be split on the subject of  computer-aided enhancement. It seems the most contentious in the realm of photojournalism. However, when you consider photography as an art form....why not? Even as a  novice with photo enhancing software, it's still fun to tinker. 

Stef in Alaska

Considering a possible move to Alaska, Abby's best friend Stef decided to visit us the first week of March. Not only was this week her spring break, but it was also the time when Anchorage celebrates the end of winter and beginning of spring with a week long festival known as Fur Rondy. Rondy, as it is commonly called, includes festivities ranging from fur trading to outhouse racing. The celebration concludes with the ceremonial start of the Iditarod sled dog race. We decided to show Stef the best of Anchorage in the winter time.

During Rondy, especially during the Iditarod start, downtown Anchorage bustles with food, festivities and all sorts of people. The hot dog vendors are out in full force, pushing specialties such as reindeer sausage that smell and taste wonderful on a cold winter day.

Fur Rondy (short for rendezvous) was historically a time for trappers to meet and trade their winter harvests. Fur is still traded and sold in various booths at Rondy and no place on earth is more appropriate to don your ridiculously fluffy, furry headwear.

Typical mushers truck

The ceremonial start of Iditarod is one of the most popular events of the year in Anchorage. The mushers stage their teams along the sides of the street for everyone to see. When the race begins, mushers take off every two minutes for several hours.Spectators line up all over town to catch a glimpse of their favorite veteran or the most interesting rookie.

Starting Line is under the banner in the background

 We all enjoyed trying to weave through the throng to see each new musher start, although nothing could compare to Abby's enthusiasm. Iditarod is her newest obsession!

#22 - Mike Santos 

#42 - Colleen Robertia

Just off the beaten (dog) path is a little Rondy carnival.

 Everything from a Tilt-A-Whirl, to bottle toss to cotton candy make this a bonafide carnival. Several feet of snow on the ground and sub freezing temperatures are not enough to stop Alaskans from enjoying a good carnival!

One particular ride proved too tempting to resist, so the girls decided to take a whirl. Their faces say enough...

WOO HOO!!!

Handlers ready the reindeer

The last event of the day was the annual running of the reindeer. Hundreds of participants arrive in costumes, plain clothes, and some in almost no clothes at all.  Several heats are run that include men, women, children and combinations. Once a heat starts, reindeer and people alike run, slide, fall, and laugh their way down 4th  Street.

Reindeer pass the race leaders

Rondy and Iditarod are wonderfully Alaskan events that are always enjoyable.

We were so happy that Stef could be here to enjoy them with us.