For my 2024 Birthday trip our destination was Chena Hot Springs near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a long travel day to get here from Florida along with some flight delays making it even longer. It was made a little easier by the fact that we were able to fly first class for the first time in my life. We arrived around 8 Alaska time which was midnight or time after leaving the house at 5 AM. Since my main goal of the trip was to see the Northern Lights I made my self stay awake for them. Around 11 I figured it was a little early but I would give it a try. I walked back to a darker portion of the property and almost immediately saw a light green cloud over the mountains. I struggled to set the camera up with my freezing fingers and took my first Northern Light photo. I stayed out in the sub zero degree weather for about 1 1/2 hours photographing the lights as the changed. When I left around 12:3o the sky was kind of a greenish blob but without any real definitions or patterns. I was really lucky to get those photos the first night because after that the clouds basically blocked me from seeing anything but a sliver of the lights the next 2 nights. The next day with our schedules messed up we went for an early breakfast 7 AM Alaska time (11 AM Tampa time). After breakfast we went to the Hot Springs. We soaked in the springs for about an hour and a half with temps below zero outside and very few people in there with us. Later in the day we did some dog sledding which was the other main experience we wanted to have on the trip. That night we did a Northern Lights tour where they take you up to the top of a mountain in these little snow vehicles. Up top they have a yurt that is heated and they serve warm drinks or even cups of noodles. You spend a couple hours up there. I got a few shots of a little band of the Northern Lights when we first arrived but the clouds were just too much. The next day we slept in and then did a tour of the geothermal power plant and greenhouse. Later another dip in the hot springs although it was a little more crowded. Definitely had some good experiences and happy to check off a few new things on my todo list.