Chena Hot Springs

Mon, Jun 29th: After a hearty breakfast at 9AM, we drove to Chena hot springs through Fairbanks. When we stopped in Fairbanks for lunch, we also walked along the river and went to the new tourist info center where we got quite some information. Just before Chena, we saw a moose with two calves right by the Hwy. Upon reaching the Chena resort, had great dinner at their restaurant. Then, we rented bikes ($3 for 2 hours!) and went riding along two trails. The sun was shining bright at 10 PM and the trails had great views - but a lot of mosquitos, which bit Manasi a lot. The highlight of the trail was a big beaver pond and beavers lay chilling out there. Those guys are great architects of twig dams.

At 10:30PM, we jumped into the hot pool which was the highlight of the day. It was awesome!!! So relaxing... and so exciting to be there in the midnight sun. Slept soundly after that....

Next morning we were scheduled on a Aurora Ice Museum tour. This is the only ice museum that stays cold year long in the entire world.

Showcases lots of very interesting artifacts including a bar, a wedding chapel, 4 commercial hotel rooms with unique themes, a fireplace and an apple martini served in a martini glass (made of ice which eventually melts in your hand). Steve and Heather Brice are the brains behind Aurora Ice museums and have themselves invented tools used worldwide today for making ice sculptures. A must see if you stay in Chena Hot Springs!