Land of the Midnight Sun

Alaska is nicknamed the land of the midnight sun and with good reason. In the summer months the sun remains visible past midnight. Hope you have some good blackout curtains or you’ll never get to sleep. On the summer solstice (June 21) the sun is actually visible for 24 hours straight – it’s the longest day of the year and it’s pretty spectacular. We won’t talk about the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year, that’s too depressing to think about at a time like this.

For the past 32 years Fairbanks has hosted a Midnight Sun Run.  It actually starts at 10 pm. My husband and I signed up for the 10k a couple of weeks ago. All day yesterday it rained and I kept telling him that it was a sign we didn’t have to run it. I even begged for him to let me off the hook. I’ve just recently started running again and I feel pretty confident running 3 miles… but 6.2, that’s another story. In any event, he wouldn’t let me get out of it! (He never does) Lucky for me he’s a pretty great guy and he ran, well jogged, with me the whole time. I’m proud to say I didn’t take even one walking step.

After the race we stopped here for some late night food. This is the sky at 12:33.