Fly me to Fairbanks

I’m a professional traveler, I don’t know how I royally screwed up my flight plan at the airport, but I figured it out and finally made it to Fairbanks. It was a stressful and inauspicious start to an adventure, especially one that had been plaguing me with travel blues for almost a month. I booked 2 August house sits in Alaska while I was in Tacoma with a ten day gap I planned to fill with sightseeing. I wasn’t really packed or prepared for an Alaskan adventure, but I’m always up for a challenge. With no rental cars under $300 a day and COVID severely limiting the tours and cruises- I was struggling to find an affordable way to spend my break. I had multiple travel agents working on it, contacted every train, bus and travel company trying to figure out how to spend my time. I got crickets. Luckily, my North Pole hosts are godsends in all ways.

After spending my unexpected 5 hour layover in Anchorage huddled over my laptop, I ironed out a 10 day itinerary with the 9 foot UHAUL cargo van I reserved for the gap. I had to look up the true dimensions of this van to reserve my spot on the ferry from Valdez to Whittier, turns out it’s 18.3 feet. I have no depth perception and even fewer outdoorsy skills- so this should be REALLY entertaining. But I have a plan both sets of Alaskan hosts think is doable and a good use of my time. Now that the hard part of the planning is over, it’s time to really dive in and enjoy Alaska.

North Pole is an adorable little town 15 minutes north of Fairbanks. The house I’m staying here is like adult summer camp. My new four legged friend Oso has been showing me around the woods, the hot tub under giant spruce trees, their beautiful pond, paddle boards and prop planes landing on the airstrip next door. There isn’t much in North Pole itself to see an do outside of visiting Santa, and it’s been hard to want to venture out when this house is a mythical wonderland, but I’ve made good use of my field trips to Fairbanks and beyond.

Eielson Airforce Base is home to the bravest (and most beautiful) soldiers. They were almost as dazzling as the planes they had lined up for the airshow. I seriously couldn’t stop staring at all of the supermodel looking people waving visitors into place on base. I have been to a couple of military bases, but I was almost positive this one hired car show models for the air show. Either way, I was not mad about it. I’ve never been to an air show and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the home owners insisted I check it out. They said it’s a really big deal for the town and that one should take advantage of the opportunity to go on base while I could. Thanks for that hot tip, Jess, literally. The Blue Angels put on an incredible show in the Alaskan azure skies while I sipped local beer and did some epic people watching. It was an incredible day, and I highly recommend checking it out if you find yourself in Fairbanks in early August.

The homeowners recommended a reindeer yoga class at Running Reindeer Ranch. I’ve literally never been to a yoga class, and my yogi experience is limited to a WiiFit demo many many years ago. I could probably identify a handful of poses, but that’s an Alaskan activity I absolutely could not refuse. One of the other students told me they do walking tours and let you engage with the reindeer, and that they thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with these gentle giants. Reindeer Yoga was utterly ridiculous and SO much fun. The class would have been delightful even without our un-potty trained four legged guests. The reindeer were equally as entertaining as the instructor, I’d give it two thumbs (or antlers?) up. They wandered between our mats grazing and looking for snuggles. I taught myself to paddle board in the pond before class, and went to a jazz concert at a botanical garden after. It was a practically perfect day, and it set the bar pretty high for this Alaskan adventure.

I had hoped to pop up the Dalton Highway to visit the Arctic Circle, but a week of forecasted rain and a dirt road drive with no cell service or services of any kind were a bit of an intimidating combination. The fact that most rental car companies prohibit you from taking their cars on this desolate stretch of road made me think it was going to be pretty treacherous. I tried talking myself out of going, but it was something I really wanted to try. I decided I could just start the drive and if the conditions were too bad, just turn around- no worries. Turns out I had completely psyched myself out for no reason. The drive was absolutely beautiful, and I know will be a highlight of this experience for me. The mountains, water, wide open skies, trees…. it was spectacular and I highly recommend you buck up and go if you have a day and a great audio book :) Dolly Parton’s Songteller was an excellent companion, as was Oso. It was pretty interesting to see the Alaska Pipeline wind its way through the forrest and the views were stellar. I probably wouldn’t recommend the drive in snow or pouring rain, but it was pretty doable on a misty day.

The homeowners suggested the Tanana Valley State Fair. It felt like a giant death trap as far as rides and masking go- but there was a wealth of amazing people watching and interesting food stands. I’d definitely recommend checking it out, and come hungry. The largest pavilion was packed to the brim with people for a quilting demonstration, young kids were spinning long lines of plates, and local musicians played in small groups on adorable little stages. I tried a hand dipped reindeer dog, was unsurprisingly completely ignored trying to buy some vintage pins from a booth full of confederate flags, tried not to visibly flinch wandering with several thousand people mingling unmasked, and watched some seriously questionable rides twirl people in unnatural rickety revolutions. Overall, not the best fair I’ve ever been to, but with a $10 admission- I told myself it was a surreal interactive movie experience.

Alaska has a pretty healthy share of craft breweries. I talk about the reasons why I find brewery visits so helpful when I travel here, and I found the absolutely most helpful Fairbanks bartender (Corrie), a great crowd, and delicious beers at Midnite Mine. They had several amazing collaborations: one to support women, one to support cancer, one with dandelion and spruce, and some fantastic fruity sours. The bar is steps away from most of Fairbanks’ highlights, including this moose antler arch and old log cabin. Also, don’t skip on Bad Mother Vintage, I got an awesome vintage Alaska bar hoodie for my roadtrip. Perfectly broken in and a steal at $15.

I was pretty underwhelmed by HooDoo Brew and Lat 65, though their taproom was beautiful. The crowning glory of Fairbanks (both arboreally and in regards to craft beer), in my opinion is Black Spruce. The flavors are unique, inventive and delightfully executed. Candy Cap Crush is a cream ale with rhubarb and candy cap mushrooms, Tropic Like It’s Hot is a Tiki Imperial Sour with pineapple, coconut, and orange- and in the summers they offer it as a beer slushy! I rarely sample IPAs, but the Radiance of the Sun Cara Cara Orange Milkshake IPA was the stuff dreams are made of. I have every intention of making a return trip for another round of delightful beer samples for my birthday. Don’t miss this one, or the Library Bar & Bites, an excellent literary themed bar and restaurant. The drinks are creative and aptly named, and I had a mushroom, onion jam, and brie flatbread on a cauliflower crust that blew my mind.

I’ve had a wonderful time exploring the Fairbanks area, but North Pole’s greatest appeal to me will always be Oso and his beautiful home and parents. What an incredible housesit, it was definitely one for the books. I knew an Alaskan Adventure would open me up to new experiences and growth, but I never would have learned so much about myself and what I am capable of without Jess and Alaska’s help.