Roadtrip to Fairbanks!

Andy and I have been really interested in visiting Fairbanks during the winter. Jake and Lydia, who you've seen in other posts, both went to college in Fairbanks so we invited them along.

A favorite summer stop: ice cream at Miller's Market in Houston.
In the middle of Broad Pass. In my opinion Broad Pass is one of the most beautiful places on the drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks no matter what season it is.

Lots of snow this year!

The middle of the tundra. I love it!

Passing through Denali. For those of you who have never visited Denali, it isn't really a town on the map; the "town" was created for tourists. This is Glitter Gulch, as it is referred to, during the winter: all boarded up and not a soul in sight.

Tripod for the Nenana Ice Classic. Summary of Ice Classic: You can buy a ticket for $2.50 to bet on the day and time that the ice will break up and the river will start flowing. A rope will be attached to the tripod and also to a big clock on shore. When the ice breaks and carries the tripod 100 feet downstream, the rope is pulled tight and stops the clock. The person who guessed the exact date and time, including am or pm, wins the pot. This is a huge thing for Nenana. When the clock stops it sets off an alarm of sorts and the town comes running to see the exact time!

Moosen!

Their coats are so pretty at this time of year!

These vehicles were parked in the hotel parking lot and you can faintly see that they are plugged into the pole. In Fairbanks everyone plugs in their car because it gets so cold that you have to keep your engine warm or you'll be out of luck. Almost every parking lot you go to has plug-ins for people to use while they shop. In Anchorage I would say that a fair amount of people plug in their cars, but not everyone. We don't have a core heater on our truck yet, so we don't plug ours in. Next year we'll definitely be getting one...better safe than sorry.

This tank was also in the parking lot. Some people who don't have a core heater and therefore can't plug in their car cover the hood with blankets. In this case, Dora was keeping the engine warm!