Up at 7:30a. We hear there were "spectacular" lights around 2:30 last night, but I'm taking that with a large grain of salt. Breakfast is apple waffles and reindeer sausage. We pack up, then go over to the old lodge to pick out some things from the larger gift shop there--Arctic Circle t-shirts and toques.
Some laying about, then lunch--potato soup and beer bread. More chatting with the guests--they are impressed with Mindy and Martha's prowess in cooking (as I always am). We hear that the next group consists of 19 Asians with a couple of guides, although not the ones we were with previously--it will be a full house, even using the older lodge. Then, we hear we will go out on the 4p plane later in the day. So, more chatting and laying about.
Sven, the dogsled rider and guide, drops by and does his shpiel--he's the Henny Youngman of Bettles, and is apparently fluent in Japanese.
We wandered back over to the visitors' center, and Martha bought a small musk ox plush. She and Mindy have mentioned how expensive musk ox wool is--I would guess so, since they are all in the wild. Apparently, the fur from their bellies comes off in the undergrowth, and is collected that way.
We finally leave at 4:30 for a one hour flight, saying goodbye to Hazel (the manager) and Anna (chief cook and bottle washer). Flight is uneventful but pretty. Two planes were needed to clear out the place--at one point Mindy ominously texted "I think someone is following us". Waited at Wright Air Service for the hotel shuttle--30 minutes later, a cab arrived to hold all six of us (Sarah and Gavin were with us) as well as our luggage. Apparently, the hotel shuttle is down for repairs, and hotel management has never heard of renting a replacement. We got ourselves wedged in and made it to the hotel, only to find that Fairbankians (Fairbankites?) have dinner at 5p, after which the restaurants close. We got a pizza place on the phone and 90 minutes later we were eating. "Fairbanks--Bring Your Own Food!"
Beard Day 7: Running out of beard references.
