Northern Lights
Started off the last full day in Fairbanks with a proper American breakfast of reindeer sausage and berry french toast at The Bakery Restaurant. I can't say reindeer sausage was all that special, but being in Alaska-- why not have some reindeer? Wandered over to The Roaming Root Cellar after, one of the more classic/cliche shops to goto for souveniers, art, and actual made-in-Alaska groceries.
Dinner that night was at Hungry Robot for their personal pizzas, might have had some miscommunications, but apparently only personal size 10-inch pizzas were available. I at least asked for double pepperoni and it wasn't bad at all, quite good even. Inside also has ice cream and a stylish looking round popsicle freezer, but seating is pretty limited so be prepared to do to-go.
Earlier nights in the trip had forecast cloudy skies at night; they weren't a total loss but were not great. Tonight was different, the forecast for clear skies and an active aurora borealis held true. Had to balance the time I headed out vs. the peak of activity, and also guess on where to go. Wrapped up a quick run and headed out to Cleary Summit, a ~20 mile drive north of Fairbanks, hoping for all that to hold true and for parking to be available.
Turns out everything lined up. While I thought my previous trip to Fairbanks in 2021 turned out pretty good, that trip was early in the current solar cycle, vs. now, which is near the peak. And holy cow, while I had some idea it would be a big difference from all the things I'd seen in the news and on social media (thanks Mammoth Mountain) the past few months, tonight was, as said, a good one. Two hours at Cleary Summit, from midnight to 2am, started off strong, and going from exposure values in the camera, more than doubled in intensity (brightness) as the night went on. Saw the nights not only fill the horizon, as I had seen previous trips, but saw hues of purple I had never personally seen before, with white streaks joining, and the sky changing second by second. Others may have had more intense displays (which I can fully believe based on the activity forecasts I've seen-- tonight was not the strongest at all, not anywhere close), but I was stoked.
Peak was about 90 minutes in, the aurora borealis filling more and more of the sky until they were directly overhead-- my first time experiencing them so intense they were literally dancing over your head. Over the next 30 minutes it was still pretty good, but the intensity decreased, and I decided it was time to get out of the cold and go back to Fairbanks. The sky itself was much green but more of a haze and less intensity so was time. Left absolutely satisified and amazed.