Chasing the Midnight Sun

We drove north out of Fairbanks so I could get this photograph of the midnight sun at midnight on summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Little did I know I was in for an encounter with what Alaskans jokingly refer to as their state bird, the mosquito. When the snow melts in the spring the permafrost prevents the snow melt from soaking into the ground, leaving standing water everywhere and turning the tundra into one big swamp. Mosquitos thrive in this environment. So not only did I see the midnight sun, I got this video showing why Alaskans refer to mosquitos as “the state bird.”