We were staying at an Airbnb, and worried that we would have to walk to one of the hotels for pickup and dropoff. Instead, they were very nice and arranged to pick us up, and I got a call the day before to confirm pickup time and location - very well organized. Dave, our tour leader, was interesting, knowledgeable, and an excellent driver (which matters a lot on dark icy roads). He gave us a good strategy for enjoying Chena Hot Springs, especially getting out of the Ice Museum and over to the restaurant as early as possible. We had a good meal and then enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot springs. Around 11 we settled into the little dark room waiting and hoping for the aurora. It was cloudy and the sky did not look promising, so around midnight Dave suggested we head out and hope for better luck at one of the other places he knew. He kept his eyes on the clouds, and pulled off a couple of times along the road.
Evenutally he pulled into a snowy parking lot and we all watched the sky, mostly from inside the van. We saw occasional open spots and a few stars. He mentioned that sometimes a camera will show the aurora before our eyes can see it. I got out my camera and we played around with it. Finally, we saw something that just looked different--and the camera confirmed we were onto something. We watched as long as the show went on. The lights were faint, but they were there! His knowledge and his patience really paid off.
Dave was also helpful with the camera settings, and offered to pull out his tripod. I decided I was more interested in seeing the lights than I was in playing with the camera, but I appreciated the offer.
Réponse de l'hôte
Mar 2019
Hello from North Pole,
thank you so much for leaving us and Dave such a great review. We really appreciate it and are glad that you had a great time. Kind regards, Sylvia