Chena Hot Springs is like a huge winter wonderland. The van drove an hour northeast of of Fairbanks and it got more and more beautiful as we got closer. All of the trees are caked with snow and ice. We went to see the ice museum last nigtht. I'll try to post a photo - Amazing what they can do with a block of ice and hundreds of tools. Tom and Elizabeth have gone on a two hour snow trail - I passed on that one. It's cold here. The springs are fabulous - so hot, steam coming up - you could hardly see your hand at 11pm last night. The water is dark and hot and steamy. Then around the springs there are snow covered boulders and trees. The trees appear to be ice sculptures at first - but then you realize they are trees. Not too many people here yesterday but it is picking up today. By tomorrow we should have the first charter bus of the Japanese. One is schedule to arrive every day for the next week. It seems this is a popular destination for them, seven hours flight from Tokyo. The attendant told us that 95% of their winter business is Japanese tourists. Well, here's the news! They called our room last night at 12:22 and said the Nothern Lights were out. At 12:26 we left the room - fully dressed and wrapped for the cold. You've never seen three people dress so fast and furiously. We could see them immediately, even with the lights from the buildings around us. It was a huge strip of clean - like a wide rainbow - the colors actually changed - from clear light at first to an emerald green, and then some red color. We couldn't believe the size of the lights. I thought it would be a streak far off - but the area was huge - it felt like a third of the sky was lighted. And it was also very cold! Tonight we take the SnowCat to the top of the mountain - hoping for clear skies and lights.