Arctic Circle Trading Post

"Great gift shop"

We had so much fun visiting this quaint gift shop and home on our journey to the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway.  On our way north, we stopped at this wooden building in Joy, Alaska and were sad to see that they were "out" until 5pm.  We read the sign that said, "Not quite to the Arctic Circle" and smiled as we knew we were on our way.

On our way south, we were excited to stop here to get our certificates that stated we made it to the Arctic Circle.  We met the proprietor, who is a mom to 23 children, 18 whom were adopted.  Her husband is the self appointed "mayor" of Joy who signed our certificates.  We shopped around in the large gift shop where lots of fun momentos and tshirts were stocked.  We were especially intrigued by the old fashioned "limos" that were parked out front.  They looked like they came from another era and were for sale for $1000 each.  We imagined all their kids touring "town" in them and got quite a chuckle.

One of my "favorite" parts of this stop was when I found the cutest outhouses I have ever seen.  They were constructed of logs, snugly fit with moss and decorated with hanging flowers.  Each stall had a wooden toilet seat, air freshener and hand sanitizer.  It's the little things that can make a girl's day better!  After we enjoyed our picnic lunch and had a sit on the hand made furniture on the porch, we headed "home" to Fairbanks.