Alaska Adventure Day #8

 Today was awesome. We headed north to the Chena Hot Springs. It is a 40 acre stretch that is privately owned and has been turned into a wonderful little resort. There are all these buildings build like rustic log cabins but house a rec center, restaurant, a swimming pool, gift shop, and hotel. But the main attraction in this little town/resort is the ice museum. It was incredible. We arrived in 80 degree weather and threw on parkas to enter the 20 degree zone. The outside of the building looks kind of small and I was a little dubious as to what we would find inside, my doubts were soon put to rest.

There is almost a cathedral feel to the building. The minute the doors close you feel like you are stepping into a different realm. The ice dampens the sound and reflects the light in a way that makes everything feel dream like. They start off the tour in the ice sculptor's work shop and explain how the artist takes a block of ice and transforms it into all of this....  The walls are made of ice blocks and every few feet you are dazzeled by the detailed carvings that punctuate the room.

In the center of the space there is an ice bar complete with stools made of ice (the tops covered in Caribou hide for your comfort), glasses made of ice, and an intricate pattern inlade in the bar top. 

 The most breath taking piece in the room is this larger than life sculptor of two knights jousting. The photo doesn't properly capture how incredible this piece is. Where the lance of the blue knight makes contact with the breast plate of the red knight there are ice shards jutting out representing the splintering of the wood. The reins of the saddle are these delicate long strings of ice. The detailing was simply amazing.

And all through out the museum there were these ice balls on stands. I thought it was amazing how the artist was able to carve and light an image inside a ball of ice.

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There are themed rooms with beds for rent (only $600 to be cold and uncomfortable for a night), an igloo room with perfect acoustics complete with a xylophone made of ice so you can put the acoustics to the test (Jon tried out his vocal instrument by singing the National Anthem while Ella accompanied him on the xylophone), a sitting area with seating around an ice fireplace, and the whole room was lit by ice chandeliers.

 It will be an outing we will be talking about for a long time. Jon and I thought that we should toast to another great Bartlett family adventure...with ice glasses melting in the 80 degree heat.