We wanted to make sure we could run in the Arctic Circle, so we stopped at Ny-Alesund which is at 78 Degrees 55 minutes North latitude.

It is located in the northern part of the Svalbard islands which are controlled by Norway.

There is limited space to go running unfortunately.  So we ran in some 1 K circles.  Our version of the weekly track workout.

Because there is high risk if polar bear attacks.  We did not bring a rifle with us on this trip to carry when we were running. You do get to run with the reindeer though.  They are quite friendly, but usually very busy mowing down everything green in the summer months.

Also interestingly, this is the farthest north post office in the world.  Also, interestingly, this is also the location of a secret NSA station.  They even had some stealth visitors flying in when we were running by.  You can see the plane landing in the in the distance.

Outside of the secret NSA Echelon program, the town is the site of some old mines and most famous for the airship mast where in the early 1920s, explorers used to launch their blimps (Zeppelins) to go up and explore the North Pole.  Even though it is 100 meters away from the main builds, you still have to carry a rifle to go up to it.

No polar bears yet, but stay tuned for more!