On Becoming a Noodle

I will be the first to admit that I am not a snow bunny. Yes,  I live in Alaska where we have long winters, but I really prefer to be warm when I’m outside.

So what am I doing here? Well, in brief, because summer is not the topic, … the midnight sun.

But this week’s topic is Favorite Winter Time Activities and I live in a state that has six months of winter, so ….

First, check out what my fellow blog hoppers have to say on the subject.

NEW: WordPress Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=585843 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

An InLinkz Link-up

Code for Link:

;get the InLinkz code

My favorite wintertime activity is to go to Chena Hot Springs and soak in the hot springs.

Chena Hot Springs Resort is located at the end of Chena Hot Springs Road, a forested paved road that parallels the Chena River, 56 miles east of the Steese Highway and Fairbanks. For the last 25 miles, the road passes through a state recreational area, so there are no houses, just the river valley and adjacent alpine terrain. We do a lot of hiking, fishing, camping and canoeing in this area in the summer. Chena Hot Springs is a privately owned, 440–acre, year-round resort that was discovered by gold miners in 1905. By 1912 Chena Hot Springs was the premier place to soak for residents in the booming town of Fairbanks.

In those days, you used dog sleds and horse-drawn sleighs to get there. These days, we drive.

Although all of our pictures are during the day, we usually do this at night so that we can enjoy the aurora while soaking.

The springs are at the center of a 40-square-mile geothermal area and produce a steady stream of 165 degree water that must be cooled before you can soak in it. The facility has several indoor and outdoor tubs, Jacuzzis, an indoor family swimming pool and outdoor Rock Lake – a boulder-ringed artificial lake that provides a wonderful and relaxing vantage point for watching northern lights and, sometimes, moose in winter.

We plan for an entire evening. If we can, we rent a nearby public cabin so we can come back the next day. Sometimes we eat in the restaurant (which features fresh veggies grown in the resort’s onsite geo-thermally heated greenhouses), but more often we pack a picnic dinner and eat in the recreational hall.

Mostly, we’re there to soak. We don’t do much of anything else. The rock pool is filled with languid people who speak in hushed tones through the foggy air. If we’re lucky, we lay claim to one of the just-below-the- water rock shelves so we can completely relax. Our hair is contorted into an ice sculpture (see the example to the right). Your body is completely warm, but your head is above the water and, baby, it’s cold up there

When our hearts start beating too hard, we go inside to take a dip in the cooler family pool and drink some water, maybe lay down on the of the lounge chairs around the inside pool, then it’s back out through the -20 degree (yes, that’s 50 degrees below freezing) air to slide back into the water.

Driving back, we are usually extremely relaxed because when one sits in hot water for several hours, one becomes somewhat … noodle-ized. Hence my odd title for this blog hop.

*I am breaking a long standing tradition in that my husband and I both appear in one of these photos (not the one with the ice sculpture hair, those were some people we know). If you want to play “Spot Lela” now may be your only opportunity.

PJ Fiala writes romances that feature motorcycles and the women who ride them.  When not writing a new story, she can be found riding her motorcycle and exploring this great land. Her writing revolves around people anyone would love to spend time with. No self-absorbed billionaires for her. Currently she has three published books, Designing Samantha’s Love, Dog Days of Summer and Rydin’ the Storm Out. She loves to hear from fans, so look her up and touch base.