Oh the Places You'll Go

Alaska is filled with lots of funny names.  Places around here have Native names, like Eklunta, Talkeetna, Nilichik, etc.  Lots of funny names.  It's taken me a full two years to be able to read and say these names correctly.  A rare talent indeed. 
In February we went on a mini vacation to Chena Hot Springs.  There is a natural hot springs here and lets be honest, you'd want to go to a hot springs when the ground is covered in 3 feet of snow, it's -10 degree's outside, and there's about 6 hours of daylight per day.  

 Keep in mind that Jon and I are both over 6 feet tall.  This snowman made us look much more average in height. 

 

 A real igloo! 

  

  This tree is right next to the hot springs.  I love how the snow forms on the tree from all the steam in the air. 

 We took a snow cat up to the top of a mountain to view the Northern Lights.  The trail was three miles and we rode for about 30 min to the top.  The ride felt like we were put in a blender and bounced around.  As long as you kept your body loose and moved with the snow cat you were fine.  Aisley slept the whole ride up, even though it was wild and crazy.  Ila loved it!  Best roller coaster ride ever in her opinion. 

 Here's our snow cat from the outside.  We rode in the second car.  At the top of the mountain we hung out in a heated yurt and waited for the Northern Lights to show themselves.  What's a yurt you say?  It's a permanent tent.  They are round, have a wooden frame, and are covered by a very heavy duty tent material.

 We ran back and forth from the swimming pool to our hotel room as many times as we could.  Good thing the two buildings weren't very far apart!  I did make Ila bundle up on the way back to our room, wet children and cold temperatures don't mix well.

 I love this little fishy!  Aisley loved her first swimming pool.  The water was nice and warm. 

 We had the pool to ourselves for the most part.  We visited the resort during their off season.  I love going to places without having to deal with the crowds. 

 We went hot tubing in the snow...of course!  Jon and I also took turns getting in the hot springs.  It was amazing seeing the stars while soaking in the hot springs.  They were so bright!  Chena Hot Springs is nestled between the mountains and is so far away from "civilization" that we didn't have cell phone service.  I loved being disconnected from the world for a few days. 

 On the way home we stopped by North Pole, Alaska.  Santa and his elves were already hard at work for next year.  There were tons of ice sculptures depicting all things Santa, his elves, sleigh, and reindeer.  Ila wrote Santa a note asking if his snow ever melted. 

He still hasn't gotten back to her...