September 17, 2010

Last night we joined our fellow-RVers for a bonfire. We grilled hot dogs, but with a Skagway twist; the grocery store didn't have any hot dog buns so we had our dogs rolled up in tortillas.

Afterwards most of us stayed outside, waiting for the Northern Lights. It was a clear, starry night so the odds seemed good. And sure enough, they appeared! The Northern Lights photograph green, but in the sky they are pale white lights with a hint of green. They change shape, spreading out into bands across the sky, then coalescing into beams like searchlights that reach high in the sky. At one point we saw a strong, white beam of light directly overhead that reached from one horizon to the other. To the north a big curtain of lights appeared and stayed for a long time:
















Wednesday was our last day at Corrington's Alaskan Ivory, and tomorrow morning we will hit the road again. We'll be going south through part of Canada on a different route than the way we came up - we decided to try the Cassiar Highway. It's supposed to be very scenic but more rugged. There are different stories about how rugged it is because the recently there have been efforts to improve the road. We'll see; on our way up here a passing car threw a rock on and cracked our windshield, so it has to be replaced anyway.

There is a lot about Alaska that I haven't put on the blog yet. I don't want to forget it, so I will add it later. We will probably not be able to access email, blogs, or the phone for a couple of weeks. But for now, the weather is great and the road beckons. South, to the land of big, well-stocked, grocery stores!