Alaska 2010, Day 5

A very unhappy rainy morning "Doody-Duty"

  About halfway into our trek for the day, Mr. Bullington realized that we were taking a 4-hour round trip tour so that I could go to North Pole, Alaska. A whimsically themed little town outside of Fairbanks.  Also, home to The World’s Largest Santa Claus! We’ve not yet had many opportunities for “World’s Largests” in Alaska, but I felt this one would encapsulate the arctic “feel” of the area and my ever-growing need for tchotchkes and Christmas ornaments.  It did not disappoint (me). Aside from the 42-foot-tall fiber glass Santa who reigns over the sadly empty parking lot (Thanks Covid, now you’ve pissed off Santa). Visitors also have the opportunity to visit “Santa Claus House” where one is privy to all of the Christmas décor and homemade fudge that money can buy! You can even meet with St. Nicolas should you plan your trip accordingly and arrive on a day that is not a Tuesday or Wednesday. On this particular Tuesday we were afforded opportunity to gaze longingly at Santa’s empty throne and his vacant workshop. But Mama found a little nativity with Jesus being ushered into the stable on a little Alaskan dogsled! Just like in Bethlehem! 

Even the Mickey D's got in on the holiday action!

Largest Santa in THE WORLD!

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I'm not gonna lie, my selfie game is strong, on opposite day. 

The original plan was to stay in the Fairbanks area, but adventure was calling Mr. Bullington. He began to ask probing questions like “How far are we to the Arctic Circle?” and “Can you drive there?” I had to literally google “The most dangerous road in America” and when the Dalton Highway showed up as #1, he cooled his jets. No more Ice Road Truckers for you, Mr. Bullington, you are stuck with Santa and me.  Instead of staying in Fairbanks, we headed south towards Denali. On the ride to Denali we spotted TWO Moose/Meese!

 We landed in an RV park right outside of the Denali park entrance. An RV park that would’ve normally been a hub of activity full of tourists that now sat empty. The only restaurant open was this little Serbian Place. In precedented times my kids would’ve scoffed at such because they had their palates geared towards pizza and chicken fingers, but during these unprecedented times they were happy to dine on Serbian fare. It was so delicious. The owner, Maja, was a delight and apologetic that we had to wait for a table as the restaurant could only operate at half capacity. The food was amazing and the children gobbled up dishes that they never would’ve tried during normal times. We later learned that this humble little establishment has been written up in Food and Wine magazine and is one of the top restaurants in America on Trip Advisor. Both well-deserved titles! Our waiter was an Alabama boy and the folks at the table next to us were from Paulding County! How’s that for a small world! We made our way back to the RV, past boarded up and empty store fronts, only passing a few other people along the way. So many lives affected by StupidCovid.

A bright spot occurred when Sporty Spice (Charlotte) asked Mae (Theater Kid) to throw the football with her. (Charlotte is trying to perfect her spiral and Mae is working on her Jazz Hands.) Hilarity ensued.

Okay, Football. This is a thing. I'm not giving away my shot.

NFL, Here I come!