Winter fun! When in Alaska, do as Alaskans!

Well, now that winter has set in for the next few months, we are trying successfully to embrace it. Don and I took cross country ski lessons. It is amazing when it is 20 degrees with blowing wind or 4 degrees without wind, one can actually get hot! The first night of lessons the wind was blowing so hard, it was blowing me across an open space without me even moving my legs! We learned the basics, how to slow down, glide, go up hills and saw a few things demonstrated that I can't do. It can be fun and hard work.

Don and I went out to practice, and I screamed ( I can hear my children laughing) when I went down the hills too fast. There are small tracks to put your skis in and then glide on each foot. When going downhill, I can double pole and not use my legs at all. That day I "crashed and burned" twice, including once hitting my neck and head hard. It is not easy for me to get up when I fall, so Don usually pulls me up.

Don had heard about a 1/4 mile speed skate track and went try it out. It is only one of six in the country. The ice wasn't too smooth and he wasn't very impressed.

As you can see there are icicles everywhere. Some are very long and pretty.

The mountains are white and pretty. That picture has a sunset glow on them. The sun rises about 10 am and sets about 3;45 pm. The sun is so low in the sky at midday, I am not sure if it is rising or setting.

Last night we had about 5 inches of snow. The backyard looks pretty deep and the front has a berm between the sidewalk and the street. All of the neighborhood streets are icy. The main roads have tracks in them, and the highways are clearer. I also fell on an icy street and hurt my wrist earlier this week. Fortunately, it healed in a few days. I was annoyed at myself for not having on my cleats and will be more diligent about it in the future.

So far the snow is still pretty and I sometimes think it is not too cold at 15 degrees!

I think that white stuff is here to stay... for at least four more months

Even though I describe myself as "not a winter person", I am trying to embrace the cold and find benefit in it. As you can see the patio furniture is quite covered in snow. We had about 8 inches on Thanksgiving and another 4-5 on Saturday night.

Don had his first downhill ski on Friday after Thanksgiving at Aleyska Resort ( second photo) with a coworker. The area is about a forty-five minute drive from home. They had a good time, but said it was icy and there were too many obnoxious young kid snowboarders.

This week we began cross country ski lessons at Kincaid Park which has lighted trails. There were an amazingly large number of adults and children out skiing. The first day was about 22 degrees with severe winds. It was so windy, the wind blew me across a flat meadow on my skis without my legs moving at all! It was incredibly cold. Even though I was slow, I was proud that I did not fall and kept moving. Tonight it was a balmy 4 degrees and we actually got hot! I forgot my boots at home and missed half the lesson when I went to retrieve them. I was still tired after only half a class. We practiced going downhill with a wedge which I wasn't too good at. Then Don took me to the trail which is groomed meaning it has tracks formed by a machine. It was pretty cool and I improved rapidly. I got new gloves shaped like a lobster claw. They are supposed to be warm to 20 degrees below. They were inexpensive at $29 and actually did keep my hands warm. It is supposed to be very cold for a couple of days and then snow all weekend.

Ice storms

Two days in a row of severe ice storms up to 1/3 inch on the roads. it is unusual for it to be warm enough to rain. Today the schools including the University of Alaska were closed. Good day to catch up on things inside.

Reality check.....I live in Alaska!

Reality check .... it is now winter (at least by my standards!) According to the Anchorage Daily News this year is only the eleventh time since 1939 when record keeping began that the first snow occurred in November. On Nov 2, 3 and 4 we received about 2-4 inches each day. I see a pattern beginning to form. October was about ten degrees warmer than normal.

Matt's new occupation is going to be chief snow blower! He and Don have begun to practice how to use our newest AK necessity.

I have acquired "granny grips" for my boots which are like steel cleats that hook on. Some parking lots and our street are a sheet of ice as you can see in the picture. People say this year because it is warmer than usual we have a mix of rain/ice/snow instead of just snow. Later when it is colder, it will be just snow and less slick.

Oh and also the days are getting shorter. It is weird to drive somewhere at 9:30 in the morning with car lights on and it is still dark outside. We lose about five minutes per day and now have about 8 hours of daylight.

Yesterday I drove by a car that had spun around into a center median and today I saw a car off the road and abandoned near by house. Note to self: better put a tow truck number in my cell phone.

I am still happy to have made new friends to socialize with. Yesterday, I played Mahjongg and Monday had bridge for 18 ladies at my house. Today I went to the gym for water aerobics.

So far my Prius is doing fine although I admit to being slightly intimidated by the SUV type vehicles which are about 80% of the cars on the road.

I guess six more months of winter. Hope I like to cross country ski....lessons begin at the end of the month!

Power line trail

Last Friday and today the walking group hiked Powerline trail. It is named such because a large powerline goes through it. It is useful as a landmark to prevent getting lost. It is a popular hike and relatively flat. At higher elevations, a nice view of the city is seen. Last week the trail was snow covered, but today the snow had melted and it was about 40 degrees.

We went there because moose are very plentiful this time of year. They are still fun to see from a distance, but we are cautious if they are near the trail. About a dozen people were with us. It is fun to walk and talk with various people along the way.

The sun was just rising over the mountain at about ten o'clock. The vegetation had a heavy frost/ice which was pretty. A few spots were slick.

Photos for a week in AK

A typical week in AK

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Monday is bridge with the Petroleum Wives who are pictured in the group. It is a lively event with some beginners and some experienced players. Lunch is catered by members and it is always fun.

Other activities I do with the Anchorage Petroleum Wives include monthly meetings, Mahjong, walking, and Cheers. Cheers is a group I started for couples where everyone brings their own wine and a dessert or appetizer to share.

We also square dance about once a week and take round dance lessons. Round dancing is choreographed ballroom dancing.

Alaska Club is our gym. I go about 5 times per week and either do water aerobics or treadmill/elliptical and lift weights.

Our church is St. Elizabeth Anne Seton. We are both teaching religious ed. I have first grade and Don teaches ninth. The pastor is nice and made an effort to meet us and try to learn our names.

Our house is conveniently located in south Anchorage. It has four bedrooms and three baths and a small lot and drive which will be nice when it snows. It also has a three car heated garage.

I have begun to take piano lessons and hope to improve over the long dark winter.

I do most of my grocery shopping at Costco or Walmart since food is so expensive here.

Wacky weekend

Early Saturday am we were woken by our bed shaking with another earthquake. It was about 115 miles from Anchorage and was about a 5.4

Sunday it is snowing in town and the mountain tops are white. Winter is on the way.

You know you are in AK when....part V

you feel the earth move under your feet and you can estimate the rating scale of the earthquake.

you can use your hunting/fishing license for a voter ID.

the entire state is shopping crazy at the same time when the PFD is delivered the first week in October. The Permanent Fund Dividend paid out $1281 for 2009.

the schools give out free reflective tape for backpacks because the kids are either coming and/or going to school in the dark.

you go to a craft fair and see seal skin thimbles.

you have a pair of party slippers in your car because it is the custom to take off your shoes when you enter a friend's house.

you look out your window and see your neighbor has five snowmobiles in his yard.

You know you are in AK when....part IV

It seems like almost every lot has a mom and pop coffee stand.

The little town of Hope,

We keep thinking each weekend will be the last of the nice weather so we try to take advantage of it. We went on a 5K Heart Walk in town this morning and in the late afternoon went on a fall foliage tour. The trees here are mainly Birch and they just turn yellow, not all of the glorious colors of the northeast. Anyway, it was sort of cool weather, but a nice day.
One of Don's co-workers told him about a concert event going on the in the little town of Hope. Hope has one restaurant, one bar, a coffee shop, and a one room school house of sorts and a library. It also has a museum of some historical items. We had dinner at the Seaview Cafe and luckily someone offered us a seat at his table since it only had about four tables and they were all full. He recommended the halibut chowder which was pretty good. We stayed after and heard the band on the deck. I was decked out in warm clothes as it was in the 40s. I guess the band is famous locally and it was the end of the season party. Hope has a small RV/ campground where people stay when fishing. The deck was full of young people dancing and drinking.

The fireweed plant has turned to white plumes at the top indicating winter is near.

It was very foggy on the way home and we were tired.

4.9 Earthquake!

I was playing bridge with some of the Petroleum Wives when all of a sudden we heard a noise and everything started to shake. We were all a little "rattled" as well! No damage and it lasted about 10 seconds.

Matt said he was sitting down reading at campus and had his feet up on a railing. He thought someone shook the railing and did not realize what is was until I asked him about it later.

Don said he was talking with some co-workers and heard a loud noise. He thought it was an explosion in the garage beneath his building. He felt pressure in his ears and the windows shook.

Never a dull moment.... but thank goodness we are all fine.

Hatcher Pass

We decided to hike at the Independence Mine Trail at Hatcher Pass. We were surprised that it was the last weekend it would be open as winter is on its way. First we had a picnic on the Little Susitna River and watched some young men in full dry suits raft using pack rafts which are small rafts people put in their packs.

The hike was fairly high with a series of switchbacks and gave us views of the fall colors and a small pond. The Alaska colors are only yellow, not the varied colors of New England.

On the way down we picked small blueberries. There are many various types of berries that are food for bears.

We stopped at the only lodge in the area for a bite to eat. It had very pretty views which was fortunate since the service was so slow we finished an entire Scrabble game before we were served.

We thought it was a day we could safely go out without our usual raincoats, but during dinner the rain began.

It was a fun day.

Biking at Bird Creek

Frequently when we are driving south of town, we see a bike trail and we finally made the time last week to try it out. It passes through a small campground and woods with a view of Turnagain Sound and the mountains on the other side. As we were pedaling downhill, I thought to myself, I am not going to make it back up. In my mind, I was plotting an alternate spot for Don to pick me up. I MADE IT BACK UP WITHOUT STOPPING. Maybe I am not as big of wimp as I think. It was a beautiful afternoon. We think winter is on the way and are trying to enjoy these afternoons outside.

AK State Fair --Land of the midnight sun

Today we went to the fair. It was a surprisingly nice day considering I think it has rained 35 of the last 40 days. Anyway, I was most excited to see the giant cabbage. It wasn't quite as big as I would have expected about 30 inches across or so. It weighed 86 pounds and in front of it was a record breaking 76 inch zucchini. The giant pumpkin was pretty impressive at 902 pounds.

The fairground is in Palmer about 45 miles away. It was pretty nice with paved paths and many vendor stands which we mainly ignored. The flowers were everywhere and quite pretty with all of the rain and some sun.

We saw a goat being milked, a bird show of exotic birds including a South American Condor, and a horse acrobatic show. Two horses were running in a circle parallel to each other and a man had one foot on each horse. Then a lady jumped on and did acrobatic events such as ride on his shoulders while he was on the horses. We saw some so-so bands play and some young Irish dancers. We sat in the sun and had wine and cheese. It was a pretty good day at the fair!

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Don and I went on a bike ride over a lovely trail. We biked along the mudflats and saw Sandhill Cranes and a Snipe. The cranes are very large birds. We stopped to rest (and then turn around) when we got to a large downhill since I didn't want to pedal back uphill. As it turns out we were in the path of departing jets and a few huge ones flew loudly just over our heads!

You know you are in AK when....part III

people begin speaking of "termination dust" which refers to the first sightings of snow on the mountains tops. In the past this meant the end to construction before concrete was invented that could set in the cold.

people watch the fireweed bloom and count the weeks until winter. Old tradition says that winter is six weeks from the top bloom.

people make fireweed jelly.

the road signs are full of bullet holes.

people say something is " a little bit spendy" to mean expensive.

people talk about the various kinds of salmon...kings, reds, silvers, sockeye, pinks, chum and really know all the differences about sizes,nicknames, flavors, when and where they run.

Denail National Park

Denail National Park was one of the highlights for all of us during Lynn's visit. The first day we drove in as far as we could which was only 15 miles and hiked the Savage River Trail. It was an easy hike, rocky and fairly fast flowing.



The next day we were on the required park shuttle for a 53 mile ride which took about 6 hours. We could get off whenever we wanted for a hike and they took frequent rest stops. After a very rainy summer, we were blessed to have a perfect sunny day. We saw two bear families. One was eating berries and didn't even notice the bus. We saw many caribou and some moose as well as reindeer. We also saw ptarmigans, Dall sheep and ground squirrels. We did get out and hike through a soft lichen type meadow. Mount McKinley or Denali as the locals call it was partially visible through the cloud cover. How could it hide at 20000 feet tall? In the end Lynn called it the Denaili Safari.

On the way home, we had a delicious dinner at 229 which is named after the road mile marker.