Day 17 Chena Hot Springs, AK

Good morning! I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would this morning after all of our fun last night. Mike and I were the first to go to the lodge for breakfast and do "the walk of shame" as the lodge we were having so much fun in last night is one and the same, same servers, and yes I was seated in the very same chair that I danced in last night. We must not have been too offensive or else we tipped too much because everyone seems very happy to see us this morning. After breakfast we headed to the hot springs for some rest and relaxation. On the way to the springs we saw a moose in the skate rink (it's a duck pond in the summer) I was snapping some photos and the moose started to run around the pond. I thought it was chasing me so I started to run, to the amusement of some people near by. The moose chased a bunch of ducks into the pond then sauntered into the woods. Wow, that would have been a really good shot. The only thing I've been attacked by so far in the wild Alaska was 2 cute white ducks. Those sonsabitches, I almost had to swat them in the head with my camera. The hot springs felt great and there was a powerful stream of water coming out of the rocks that pounded on the muscles of your upper back and neck. Mike and Patti cancelled their massage appointments after this discovery. I did not cancel. I spent too many hours thinking about it while riding through the could rain to cancel. I went to the massage cabin at ll a.m. and the young man that gave the massage was an expert at untying all of my knots. That alone was worth the ride up here. The massage cabin was old and had grass growing on the roof. Our afternoon was spent napping, going for walks, and doing laundry. Many people come to Chena Hot Springs resort in the winter to sit in the springs and watch the aurora borealis. I think I'll add this to my bucket list. They have a greenhouse and huge organic garden where they grow the herbs and vegetables for the restaurant. They also harness geothermal energy from the ground and springs to their own power plant used to generate all of the electricity and heat for the resort. This resort has been here for 100 years. It's a cool place. The coolest place is the ice museum. Patti, Ella, Joe and I went to the 7p.m. tour. They supply the parkas and we had to bring our own hats and gloves. The ice used for this ice house is taken from the beaver pond in the winter. There is a place for weddings in the ice house and rooms can be rented for overnight. It's 20 degrees in there and the beds look really hard-no thanks. We did not order the appletinis served in ice carved martini glasses that you get to keep. The martinis were $15.00 each, we were not in the mood for appletinis, and the ice carved glasses were sure to melt on our ride out of here.

Jun 28, 2009

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