Cross country skiing at Kincaid

Today Don and I went with our friends, Kitty and Mark, on a 5K ski outing. This week we had the first snow of 2011, so it was really the first time we could be out again. The course was groomed and I did really well, only falling once on a big hill with a curve. It was warm at about 28 degrees with little or no wind. It was fun. We saw a large moose as we were leaving the park. We are having quite bit more daylight now... up to about six hours!

I am never ceased to be amazed at the Alaskan things. I saw a family out with a small child about four learning to ski. The mom had a ski stroller ( for lack of a better word) which I had never seen before. It was like a jogging stroller with ski blades! Sorry no picture.

Chinook and life in a cold climate

The week we were in the lower 48, Anchorage had a Chinook meltdown. That means warm winds came in and much melting occurred. The rooftops mostly melted and the snow melted in the driveways and the cross country ski trails. That was bad because what was left was ice and not fun for anything. People are hoping for snow soon.

Today Don and I went to Westchester Lagoon skating. I don't have skates and don't like to skate, so I just slid around on my boots. There were about a hundred people on the ice, from toddlers learning to skate by pushing a cart or chair, to random people with hockey skates and I even saw a few on bikes!

The sun was setting and it looked pretty over the treetops. To the south we could see the mountains despite it was a very foggy day. There were several bonfires going on the ice. Literally on the ice, they were built in a steel trashcan with a false bottom so the heated part actually wasn't on the ice. I guess that is to not melt the ice! Don read the ice is two and a half feet thick.

After that we went downtown where there was an ice sculpture contest. They were very pretty and ranged from two to about eight feet tall. Some were of fish, bears, suns and one was of an Eskimo couple. I put my face in the hole for a picture.

Around town, the trees are all covered with a thick frost that glistens. I guess it is too cold for it to melt at about 16 degrees.