Awoke at the crack of 9:30. Quick shower, then breakfast at the dining room (bacon, eggs, toast, home fries--hey, it's a vacation). We managed to get in the 11a trip to the "ice museum", a permanent building made of ice. There's a shell around it with an evaporative cooling system to keep the ice solid in the summer. There are two world-class carvers on site, and they have several permanent installations there--themed bedrooms, an igloo with an ice-xylophone, a wedding chapel, and a ice bar with martinis--you can keep the ice glass. The museum is kept at 20°, so we went to the room to warm back up.
Later we bundled up for that day's big event--a ride on a dogsled. The Bettles dog sled tour (which we skipped) ran 1-2 hours, so when we heard the Chena tour was 15 minutes, we started to feel gypped. However, the actual event was just the right amount of time. We got a running commentary from the musher, who was right behind me--we were all on the same sled, smushed together. I got some great video of the tour...
Before dinner, we geeked out at the Geothermal Tour. Chena is off the electrical grid, so they use the heat from the hot springs to run turbines which power and heat the facility. They also power and heat greenhouses where they grow produce served at the restaurant. We also took a quick side trip to feed their pet goats (not used for their milk--yet).
I had salmon at dinner, then another trip to the hot springs--this time, Martha came along. We were bushed by that time, so it was lights out early. Then, around 1a, we got a knock on the door--the lights are starting! (how would you like that job--running to each building like a cosmological Paul Revere?) We wrapped up and went over to take a look. While it was a little better than what we saw in Bettles, I still think it's mass hysteria. We hung out for an hour, then called it a night.
Beard Day 9: Bundled up for the day.
