Fairbanks and the most freezing temps one can experience

We just got back from a long weekend trip to Fairbanks for a little R&R.  Our quick flight down to Fairbanks had us filled with excitement to see sunshine, trees and (hopefully) some wild Alaskan animals.  We were also excited to have our very own car for 4 days.  Yay!!

Many people here in Barrow told us to go to Chena Hot Springs instead of spending time in the "city." With our rented Ford Explorer keys in hand, we strapped Amaury in his big boy car seat and hit the icy road - heading 60 miles outside of town.  However, we made a -not so quick stop- at Fred Meyer.  Have you ever been to a Fred Meyer?  Most of you know how much I love a supermarket, and this was indeed a SUPER market.  They have pretty much everything you could imagine.  It's like Sears meets Safeway.  We stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies, sushi and craft beers.  All luxury items we can't get at our AC in Barrow.


The drive out to Chena was nothing short of gorgeous.  Here is what most of the drive looked like:

Then we started seeing some animals!  I've waited my whole life to see this…..

A MOOSE!!!!

The more we drove, the more we saw!

It was dusk, and the perfect time for wildlife viewing!  Jose and I sat and watched as long as we could before we continued on to our destination.  

The first full day at Chena, we buttoned up our winter gear and headed out.  The weather is as cold as Barrow, but it is sunny and clear.  We were told to hike up to a spot called the Aurorium, which is a heated cabin that looks down into the valley where the hot springs are.  

Notice the springs are still flowing as they are around 115 degrees and up!

You can't tell how steep this is, but we were huffing and puffing!

The cabin!

Walking towards the heated cabin

The great thing about this little spot (other than it is heated by the hot springs water) is the large windows to look out and see the Aurora Borealis light show.  We did the hike in the daytime in order to  make sure we could find our way once it got dark.  

After this little hike up, we continued on to a flatter trail.  

and found some friends!

So these guys also use the trail! 

And you need to GET OUT OF THE WAY!

Check out how happy they are!

Here in Alaska, they call dog sledding  - dog mushing.  Chena offered rides for 15 minutes, but Jose and I opted out.  We wanted to go for longer!

After our afternoon nap and soak in the springs, we geared up around 10pm for our night hike.  Don't worry, Amaury was safe and sound on his daddy's back.  He was so snuggly, that he fell asleep!  Once we made it up to the Aurorium, Jose set up his camera to catch the views.  (If you've never hiked at night in the snow, it was stunning.)  We had our headlamps, but we barely used them because the moon was so bright!  Jose was able to catch a few of the Auroras over the mountains.  I was inside the toasty cabin with Amaury.  

It looks like it's daylight in this picture!

Serious star gazing

A view from above Chena Hots Springs

There was no big light show while we were up there.  Jose captured the last 4 pictures at about 2:30am, when there was a bit more color.  We got a knock on the door that "The lights were out!" Jose geared up and hiked out while I stayed in bed with little one.  

The next day - we were toast.   After all the snow hiking and the late night, we decided to take it easy.  (This was our vacation after all!)  The 3 of us went over to the indoor pool and hot spring.  Jose went in the natural spring first while Amaury and I stayed in the pool.  I went out next.  If you've never experienced a natural hot spring in the winter, it is an experience of a lifetime!  You walk out on the covered walkway (and yes, it is like -20 and yes, you are in your swimsuit!!) and you head straight for the natural lake.  The steam rises up and surrounds all the fir trees covered in snow.  It is quite romantic!  There are pockets of warmer water, then there are spots that will seriously cook you.  I could only stand to stay in for about 10-15 minutes, which is the recommended time.  Plus, my hair began to freeze.  

I walk slowly back to the indoor pool area (you aren't in a hurry because your core temperature is HOT!) and I look for Jose and little Amaury.  They weren't in the pool!  Where did they go?  Amaury let out a big sigh…..he was chillin' in the hot tub with Jose!!  For those of you panicking that my baby was getting cooked, fear not.  It wasn't that hot. 

Once you are done soaking, you are useless.  It relaxes you so much that you don't want to do anything the rest of the day.  Which is why Jose got our dinner to go from the Chena restaurant.  

Speaking of food, the Chena restaurant is FANTASTIC.  They have their own greenhouse, and all the vegetables served are grown right there on the grounds.  We were in heaven!  Plus, they were super accommodating for us and our messy eater, Amaury.  He can feed himself, but sometimes misses his mouth.  He was a complete charmer though, so no one care much about the mess!  

The next day, we headed back to town.  On the Chena road, we found a place that had dog mushing.  I wanted Jose to be able to give it a try, so I stayed back with Amaury in the "waiting room" - the yurt.  If you don't know what a yurt is (we didn't get a picture from the outside) but here is a link to the yurt we stayed in: yurt

The sweet sled dogs

Jose with his favorite little buddy

One day Jose wants to be a musher

Amaury stays warm on the muskox fur.

Click here to learn about a Muskox!

Take a look around Eleanor's website.  Here is a link to her homepage:  JustShortofMagic 

She was really great about squeezing us in her busy schedule.  If you decide you want to visit Fairbanks in the winter, you have to go dog mushing with her!  She is fantastic! 

We headed back into Barrow early the next morning with many new memories and experiences added to our life list.  

From Barrow to Vegas and back

Hello friends!

I guess I should start by saying - Happy New Year!  Happy Valentine's Day!  I didn't realize how long it has been since I wrote on the blog.

To catch you all up on the last 2 months of the Valerio lives, I'll start with our trip to visit mom in Las Vegas.  My sis and her hubs flew down and we all met up with my cousin Cheri and her family down from Idaho, as well as my cousin and Aunt who live down the street from my mom in Henderson.  What a difference a few thousand miles south makes!  We went from 2-3 hours of twilight to 11 hours of 80 degree sunshiny bliss!  Hello long walks outside without a 50 lb coat!

Amaury touching grass for the first time in 5 months!

He also got lots of kisses from his Auntie Kath

He loved hanging with his cousins!

He was curious about his "sister" kitties.  

And of course - he loves his Grandma Ree!

 Jose and I got to enjoy ourselves too.  Thanks to Grandma Ree's babysitting, we had plenty of nights out.  Our first date was paint night.  You show up, order some beers and mahi mahi tacos, and the artist leads you through how to paint a masterpiece.

Don't be jealous of my work as an 'artist.'

No proper trip to Vegas would be complete without a walk down Freemont Street and the Strip.  Fun!!

Amaury and I stayed an extra week to enjoy more time with mom (and the sunshine!)  We came back to Barrow to the sunrise the next day.  The sun was up for about 20 minutes the first day, and now (almost 1 month later) we have about 7 hours or more of sunshine!  It's amazing how the sun lifts your spirits and brings a renewed sense of energy.  

The holidays are over, but the lights still shine

It's been a whirlwind these last few weeks.  Looking back, it's hard to believe where the time has gone, but in reality, the day to day has been more of a struggle.  Jose started working the night shift in the ER (8pm-8am).  For a small town, we envisioned maybe 4 or 5 patients a night, allowing Jose to perhaps get good sleep in (and spend more time with us at home during the day!)  We had high hopes of some quality time together during normal hours.  Boy, were we wrong!

For anyone who has worked the 3rd shift, you know you have to get into a rhythm of your own.  Right away, Dr. V was only clocking in 1 hour of sleep at night.  Poor guy, he would come home wanting so bad to hang out with Amaury and I, but we found him passed out on the floor.  After 2 or 3 nights of no sleep, I put my hubs straight to bed after breakfast.

As soon as we got Jose on a sleep schedule, our little guy started teething big time.  For those of you without kids, I'm sure you know this is not a happy time for little people.  You know a fire truck siren?  Think of that going off in your house off and on for like 4 hours a day.  You do everything you can to help them through, but sometimes earplugs would help a mama get through as well.  (note to self, bring back earplugs next time we fly out of Barrow).  His first tooth popped out mid-December, and his 2nd tooth came in a couple of days ago.  Whew, over that hump for about 5 minutes!

I am a creature of habit.  I like routines and lists.  These unexpected sleep interruptions have thrown me, but have also allowed me to stick to my guns on goals I've set for myself.  I know I need to socialize and laugh with friends, I need a creative outlet, and I need to exercise.  I've dragged Jose out of bed many days (and bribed him with Dominican coffee ready to go) for him to work out with me.  It's been a struggle, but we are always proud of ourselves for our accomplishment.

I'm working diligently on finishing Amaury's quilt.  I'm very happy how it's turning out, and I can't wait for him to use it.  One thing I have a bad habit of doing is thinking about the next quilt while I'm working on my current project.  I've promised myself (and my sweet boy) that I'm finishing this thing by Jan. 6th.  My next project is on my mind, and I'm excited my creative juices are flowing!

The weather in Barrow is cold.  But of course you know that already.  We are starting to see wind chills of -30.  I hear this will be the norm come January and February.  All I have to say is - The Valerio's aren't scared!  Seriously folks, it's cold, but who's outside for long periods of time?  Not us!  Ok, so my husband still walks to work (he is ridiculous).  I'm not so much afraid of the cold and dangerous temps as I am a polar bear sneaking up on him.  That is even more serious.

I believe we are in the final stretch without sun.  The sunrise is Jan 23rd at around 1:30pm.  Once it comes up, our friends here say light comes back pretty quickly.  One thing is for sure, WE ARE READY!

What Barrow lacks in sun, it makes up for in the Aurora.  I've seen the lights pretty regularly these last few weeks.  The most amazing light shows were on Christmas Eve and Christmas day night.  They were both around 11:30pm.  Jose and I agreed that we would text one another if we saw them.  With Amaury being up at random times, I was fortunate enough to catch them transform for over 30 minutes.  Jose had a break in the ER and walked out into the tundra behind the hospital.  He took some incredible pictures of a big sky filled with green light.  He only stayed out about 10 minutes - because it was negative 24.  I watched from the cozy confines of my bedroom window.  It was 70 degrees.

As we begin a new year, I've taken a lot of time to reflect on what 2014 and beyond will bring.  We continue to look forward to Australia.  People keep asking me what's going on with Australia.  Well, there's not much to report.  We've done all the paperwork, and we are waiting....and waiting....and waiting.  So while we wait, we are here in Barrow enjoying our time.  I know there are new adventures to be had here and friendships to cherish.  It's an opportunity not to be taken for granted.  Jose, Amaury and I ate our black-eyed peas today, so we know there is good luck for us in the new year.  Cheers!