Sunday at Fur Rondy!

Sunday dawned once again bright, clear, cold and after our grocery run, we were off to Rondy. Events for the day were dog sled sprints (finals), shopping and reindeer races.

We arrived downtown about 11:30 and once again went and watched the sleds take off. The dogs appear to absolutely love to run and are ready to go. We lucked out later in the day and actually walked up to the winning sled dogs not knowing it. They were getting ready to drive off and the musher stopped to talk to us for a while. Very interesting. Then it was off to shop as some of the stores were having Fur Rondy sales and you can never have enough winter gear.

We stopped and purchased a couple of items at the Outfitter store (50% discount on everything) and then headed back to the fur shops. Yep – I did it – I ordered Mukluks. They are going to be custom made of dark brown beaver and will be ready in 3 weeks. Just in time for spring. While we were there, something odd actually happened. A beautiful, copper color, sheared beaver jacket jumped off of the rack into my arms and begged to be taken home. It was 70% off and I couldn’t disappoint it. (As I used to say to my Dad – “Just look at the money we saved.” That would drive him nuts. I sure miss him!) It should match the mukluks rather well and this will complete my Alaska clothing ensemble I have been working toward. I just have to remember not to wear it downtown for the Fur Rondy grand parade as last year PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) showed up and caused a stir. It will be interesting to see if they show up again this year. (As a side note – PETA means something different in Alaska. But that’s another blog.)

We wanted to cap the day off watching the reindeer races. This is where someone hooks up a sled (plastic type kids sled) to a reindeer and the kids jump onto the sled and hang on for dear life. Unfortunately, the reindeer were late plus we had mis-leading information from one of the sled dog race workers and we missed it. The local newspaper article has a couple of pictures though.

This week is the Native Crafts show and if it is anything like the one we attended a couple months ago, we will be buying family Christmas presents already!

I am counting down to the Iditarod start. Saturday morning we will be up and out early to get good viewing positions and to go see the dogs prior to the start. Start time is 10:00 am local.

Saturday at Fur Rondy

What a wonderful two days! We were up and out bright and early (9:30am) Saturday morning for bagels and then festivities. We dressed in layers as it was -15 when we left the house. After finishing breakfast and arriving downtown, we found a perfect parking spot. Not too far from the festivities for minimal cost. We grabbed the Gators and camera and off we went!

We arrived about 10:30 but the Fur/Pelt Auction didn’t start until 11:00am and we had time to kill. Let’s see, what could be better during Fur Rendezvous than…shopping the fur galleries in search of Mukluks.

The first furrier did not sell them at that particular location but they did have a beautiful black cherry sheared beaver jacket on sale. I looked great in it. It is still at the store. The next shop had Mukluks, just not in my size. They were willing to custom make them for me. I still had to think about it…and go to a couple other stores.

But back to the festival. By this time (11:30) we decided to step into the chowder house to warm up and have some hot chocolate. The countdown had started to the dog sled sprints at noon. Once again, all of downtown Anchorage was a-howl. It is so fun to watch the dogs. Weather was perfect for them (6 degrees) and they were ready to go!

This is where the dogs are being held back in the staging area by sno machines with the brakes on
Here we have the dogs moving up to the starting line

This is after the sprint has started and they have run about 2 blocks.

After watching the dogs take off for about ½ hour, we decided to head over to the dog weight pull. This is similar to a tractor pull in the Midwest only with dogs instead.

There are 4 weight classes of dogs and the dog that pulls the most weight in the shortest amount of time is the winner. The first pull is the empty, 200lb sled. The sled sits on an ice pad while the dog is hooked up to it. Once the dog is released, they have to pull the weight about 20 ft to have a successful pull and go to the next round. Weight is added via 30lb cement cylinders, normally 90lbs at a time. A dog can pass a specific pull anytime but he has to be successful during the next pull.

These dogs were incredible. We watched a 33lb dog pull 920lbs. He was so small up against the sled. I am still amazed he did it. We also saw a 10 year old 141lb dog who has been competing for 9 years. He knew exactly where to stop to be hooked up and how far he had to pull it to be successful. He attempted to break the world record weight pull for his weight class. The picture below is an action shot of Dude pulling 3020lbs. (Yes – three thousand and twenty pounds.) The record is 3000lbs. Unfortunately, he was about 2 feet short of having a good pull. It was still amazing.

The only "bad" part about the Dog pull was it was still cold (6 degrees) and we were sitting on metal benches. Brrrr. The final weight class ended about 4:30pm and I was ready to go home. Five hours in the sun but bone chilling cold was enough. I don't think I warmed up until Sunday - and then it was time to go back for more!

Fur Rondy is Here!

Fur Rendezvous has finally arrived bringing crystal clear cold weather. Squirt had to do his business this morning in -15 degrees. Luck for him, I took time to put on his boots. Btw – I think the Fur Rondy clock is off on the web page due to the cold….it’s batteries are slow. :)

Robert and I took the afternoon off and went to the starting line to watch the World Champion Dog Sledding Sprint races. WOW – that was fantastic. All of downtown Anchorage was a howl with about 250 dogs and they were ready to run.

Due to the warmer temperatures we had in late January, most of the snow was off of the streets downtown and the event coordinators had to set up a special track with snow trucked in from parking lots. (They didn’t have to make any.) As noted in the title, this race is a sprint race. Each of the 17 teams team leave the starting line on a separate clock timer so the dogs aren’t on the trail close to each other. Each team is separated by about three minutes at the start. As the teams come to the starting line, they have to be held back because the dogs are anxious to go. Most sprint dogs look different than dogs that run the Iditarod as they tend to be spaniel type dogs. Huskys and Malamutes are apparently for long distance running at a slower pace. This race trail is approximately 25 miles long and the teams will finish in approximately an hour.

Getting the teams to the starting line and stopped waiting for the “go” signal is a challenge. Each team had at least 7 handlers plus the musher holding the dogs back. There were normally 3 people along the dogs keeping the leads from getting crossed and holding the dogs, 4 people holding the sled itself, the musher finishing last minute preps getting ready to start. The really amazing thing was each sled was attached via rope to a snow machine (snow mobile) and the snow machine driver kept the breaks on to hold them back. Even with all of the extra restraint, some teams still managed to pull them forward before they should have.

Each sled had between 13 and 20 dogs harnessed for the run. As one team was heading for the starting line without all of the handlers, snow machine in tow, something must have smelled good as the lead dogs did a right turn toward the sidewalk which brought everything to a halt. Human intervention was required to readjust their attention. None of the dogs had booties on today. I guess even at below 0 if you are running at 25 mph, you don’t need booties. I don’t think Squirt will ever have that chance. He is more of a ‘sit in the sled and direct kind’ of dog. Too bad I didn’t take the camera. Luckily, they run two more times this weekend. The town was so quiet after the dogs left!

Tonight is the celebration of the inaugural class to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. We will be attending the get together and the watching the fireworks. (Note – we don’t get fireworks over July 4th as it is light most of the night….)

Tomorrow is the Dog Weight Pull, Snow Sculptures, more races and the first fur auction (the whole point of the festival). Sunday we are going to go to the reindeer races and maybe more sled races. Check back for pictures!

I see tracks...where's the moose?

Sunday was a spectacular moose viewing day (and Monday wasn’t too bad either). After the snow fall on Friday, running errands and doing chores around the house Saturday, Sunday was a day to play. We chose skiing. It was beautiful. The sun was out part of the time, no wind and temperatures in the low 20’s. As a bonus, we went at 9:00am and there was no crowd at all. They did have the Special Olympics downhill race starting at 10:00am which we watched a few races. I believe all of the participants finished the course and some of them flew down the mountain.

Back to skiing – I successfully stayed upright the entire 3 hours we were there. This is a new breakthrough for me. Of course, they took down the wires, poles, signs, etc. that kept tripping me up when I would exit from the chair lift. With the recent warm weather, downhill was very fast this weekend. I really enjoyed the speed as long as I didn’t have to turn or stop and there weren’t any obstacles such as moguls or other skiers in the way.

The unique thing about this trip besides the Special Olympics event was on the third time up the mountain on the lift, there were fresh tracks going perpendicular to the run from one side to the other. Sure enough as we swung over them we could tell they were moose tracks. The problem was we couldn’t tell which way they were going and because he/she was on a tougher hill, I wasn’t going to get to look at them up close. But don’t worry; I spent the next two runs going down the mountain looking for moose in the brush. (Probably not the smartest thing to do when traveling down a mountain at BLAZINGLY FAST speeds with boards strapped to my feet.)

Of course, all of this potential moose watching inspired me to keep going up the mountain to practice. Sure enough, on the very next ride to the top, there was the moose about one half way up near the edge of the ski run. Of course, I was on the wrong side of the lift and had to scrunch down and over to get a good view for part of the time (luckily I didn’t fall out or drop anything). By the time we got to where the moose was snacking, it had moved into the brush. We still got a great look at it from the lift, practically going right over the top of it. The moose was young enough we fully expected to see Momma near by but finally decided she was probably on her own run with a snowboard. One of the fun things to watch in situations like this is people and what they do. Many had no clue the moose was just off in the brush. Some are lucky they didn’t crash into its rump. Unfortunately after that sighting, the lift broke and we had to go home.

Later on Sunday, we went for a drive since the sun was out and saw three more moose in and around Anchorage by the streets and Highways. Not a record but definitely a high sighting day.

Monday’s moose event started when I decided to go get another cup of coffee. I happened to look out my office window and there was a moose across the street in downtown Anchorage munching on a tree. Over the next two hours or so, each time I looked out the window, she had moved. I saw her in several different places over a two block radius. Interestingly enough, after two hours had passed, she was right back where she started from coming full circle. Must have been the tastiest tree!

I love living in this state!

Squirt's Limo is set for repair

We have an estimate, parts on order and a repair start date of March 5th. If Karma is with us, we will have our car back by mid March! Hooray!

Today is my Friday off. Working a schedule with every other Friday off is really nice. There are big, fluffy snowflakes falling right now with about 1/2 inch of new snow on the ground. If all goes well, we will get about 6 inches and it will be perfect skiing this weekend.

Squirt gets so confused and tired when there are extra days off in the week. We have already gone to the grocery store, had company ring the doorbell two times and I tend to move around a lot as I have things to do. Watching him, you can tell he is SO VERY SLEEPY because he drags along from room to room following me. All of this activity interferes with his daily naps.

This week I discovered tracks leading under our back deck. Squirt is pretty sure what ever it is has spent time on the side deck next to the house. I can't tell if they are dog or fox tracks. If you look at pictures of fox tracks - they look like dog tracks. On this same site I found a great moose video from a hospital security camera. Goofy Moose. The bear cub video is pretty cute also. For any of you planning to visit Alaska, this is a pretty good site to find activities and get a good idea what you want to do.

Oh yeah....if your coming - give us a call!!!

Breaking News.....

I forgot to mention....Monday we drove home from work at 5:00pm and had to have sunglasses. Obviously summer is almost here!

In Search of Mukluks

I need a pair of Mukluks. (Note: the verb "need" was accurately employed.) I have needed a pair for several years - since our first vacation to Alaska. They are not only gorgeous but functional. I would wear a pair of mukluks to work or on the weekend. I can't justify buying a fur coat as I don't see me donning a sheared beaver garment on a daily basis. Although, sheared beaver is tough to pass up. Some people would argue but I don't think there is a softer fur.

We went downtown this last Sunday to walk around and go to some of the artisan shops specializing in wood and stone carvings and bronzes. (You can never have too many.) It was also a ploy to go look in the fur shops for goodies. Sad to say many of the shops were closed (not yet tourist season) but we still saw some spectacular items. (If only I could win a lottery.) I think we will have to take vacation one of these days to check out the shops when they are open.

I was eyeballing a coat with leather on the outside and fur on the inside. That would be functional. I still want to look around to make sure it is the perfect one before purchasing. There were some rather nice ear muffs and mittens made out of beaver. No luck on the mukluks though. I think I will have them custom made when I finally do get ready to pick them out. That way I have the fur I want and not what is on the shelf.

We also checked out the store with several of the Regat bonzes on display. I love the Regat studio work - especially the Otters, Totems, Seals/Sea Loins and Wales/Dolphins. Some of the fish bonzes are fantastic also. I could decorate an entire house in these art works - the only thing holding me back is that lottery thing…

Fur Rondy will be starting a week from Friday. This festival started back in 1930 or so to celebrate the trappers coming to town to sell their furs. I believe Fur Rondy continues until after the start of the Iditarod Race on March 3rd. I so look forward to experiencing these two events. If you watch on the Iditarod race on TV, I am sure you will see us in the crowds at the starting line because there is no way I am missing it. (Which means there is very little chance Robert will miss it unless he schedules something out of town.) Of course, you won't be able to recognize us as we will be bundled up against the cold weather. I actually tried to volunteer for the race this year but was too late getting an application in. Look out next year! I still have to decide whether to take Squirt downtown with us for the start. It might be good for him to be there and see that some dogs actually have to work and that snow booties are an integral part of their job! However, I wouldn't want him to distract the working dogs there already. :)

Speaking of Squirt, insurance has accepted responsibility and will be covering the restoration of Squirt's limo! Hooray! Now where is that claims adjuster…..Oh well - one step closer!

Miscellaneous Wanderings

I just realized it has been a week since I said anything. (As many of you know) that’s a long time for me to be quiet. Of course, last weekend was the Superbowl extravaganza and the rest of the week I have been working late. Hopefully it will be back to normal now. This is part of the view from the porch at sunset. Too bad those houses are in the way...

One of the nice things about Alaska is live sporting events start earlier. Back in Texas, we would have settled down for the Superbowl about 5pm with the conclusion after 9 or 10pm. Weekend’s over – no more time to do anything. If we had friends over, it would have meant stay up late or come home from work on Monday to a mess to clean up. Here, kickoff was at 2:25pm. Perfect! We had a couple of friends over, lots of snacks and junk food (Robert and I are still eating leftovers) and the game was done by 7:30pm. Not too late - plenty of time to clean up – no continued mess the next day. Bonus points for being able to keep all drinks on the back porch without the requirement to purchase ice to keep it cool. Over the course of the afternoon the water actually froze in the bottles.

Over the last two weeks, we have been experiencing a little mini “break-up”. We had ice jams south of here on the river causing serious flooding, lots of snow melting, working on the driveway to get rid of ice, etc. In fact, some of Squirt’s groomed trails in the yard actually had grass showing. I found out this also means every car in the city is the same color. Dirt black. I had to clean the headlights no less than three times this week for any hope of illumination. Of course, when did I remember I had to clean them? When I was driving and it was dark on the road and my lights were on. Because everything is so gritty I would just pull into the filling station and use the windshield wipers they provide. I felt bad the second and third times though as I really didn’t need gas (and didn’t buy any). I did it late at night and early in the morning when no attendants were there. Please - bring back white snow to cover up the muck because even though P. Phil didn’t see his shadow, winter isn’t over yet.

Speaking of break up – building codes here allow for 40 pounds per square foot (or something like that) of weight (snow) on roofs. Prior to mini break up, people were having problems with ice dams and leaking roofs. There are businesses specializing in roof shoveling and they are busy. Well, we had to have our propane tanks for the grill filled (yes – we still grill out even when it is below freezing). The gentleman who filled the tank was very talkative. As with all strangers, talk turned to weather, snow and problems generated by having lots of snow on area roofs. One of his enterprising and creative neighbors took his snow thrower up on the roof and was removing snow. Just like snow on the mountains, when it finally breaks free (avalanche) all of it goes at once. Unfortunately, it happened with this gentleman and he fell breaking both legs. (I think I will use this as a safety tip in a staff meeting!)

Something else the warm temperatures brought out were the bears at the zoo. One of the local stations had some great videos of them sitting outside of their den and boy were they groggy. It looked like they had some whopping hangovers. People watching them were talking and pointing and trying to get their attention and they basically rolled over and totally ignored the interruptions. They definitely aren’t ready to get up. It has cooled off and it is snowing again. I hope they go back for a second winter nap. I haven’t checked how wild bears compare to zoo bears….are they out and about now or is it still too early?

Squirt’s limo still isn’t in the shop. Everything moves so slowly. I just hope we have the car back before the real breakup starts!

Spring is Here! Spring Is HERE!!

OK – not really but what a beautiful week! The pineapple express (fronts from Hawaii) has been wonderful. We have had sun for the last 5 days in a row. The days are getting longer and the temperatures have been above freezing capping it off with 48 degrees today. I didn’t use a jacket, earmuffs or gloves while running errands. It was nice being able to ignore the 30 minute prep time needed to go out in the cold. I was tempted to put on shorts but instead opened the windows to let fresh air in. Sunrises and sunsets have been perfect. The mountains glow orange during both.

Of course, Robert was out of town this week. He has probably missed the one nice week for the winter as it is supposed to get cold and snowy tonight. Temperatures are headed back to normal which means all of the melted snow will turn back to ice and be very dangerous.

Squirt and I had a small celebration Wednesday as Squirt turned 10 years old. He got to go on a long walk, have a couple of white chocolate covered dog biscuits and a rawhide chew. Our family will celebrate in style tomorrow night after Daddy gets home with t-bone steaks. (Squirt gets the bones.) Robert has searched high and low in Houston for the perfect squeak toy. Yes – this year, Squirt’s birthday present will be imported. I will have to wrap it tonight after Squirt goes to bed so he doesn’t know what it is. He has very good hearing and this is very hard to get away with.

We have also spent several hours over these warm days working on the driveway trying to get some of the packed ice removed. This morning, while I was breaking ice and toting it off, Squirt was sitting regally surveying his property and neighborhood. Sometimes he likes to sit on the front porch where no pesky snow banks block his view. Today for some reason, the best spot was in the middle of the driveway on an ice floe with puddles of water around him. Don’t you wonder what makes dogs tick? He was perfectly happy just a little wet. I on the other hand was tired and potentially cranky for a few minutes but managed to clear about a third of the ice.

Once again, I have the late shift for the airport run. As I have commented before, in the winter the only planes into and out of Anchorage occur in the middle of the night. Tonight is no exception and the plane is already late and I am already yawning. One of these days, I will fall asleep and be awakened by a ringing phone and the words “where are you”. That won’t make for a good pick up run. :)

I can’t wait for spring to get here!

(PS – no update on Squirt’s Limo as our past favorite neighbor affectionately nicknamed the 4-runner. What a long drawn out process.)

Only in Alaska....

Hard to top this story but this should help explain why Squirt (known to some as Eagle Bait 1 or EB1) rarely gets to go outside by himself.

I Stand Corrected.

Yesterday, I commented on the 57 inches of snow.
I mis-spoke.
As of 10pm last night (AST) we have received 74 inches.



Thank goodness we purchased a snow thrower (with a headlight)!

Ode to the 4-Runner

Two and one-half years ago, we purchased our Toyota 4-runner and have really enjoyed cruising around in it. The gas mileage is OK for an SUV. It is roomy, has get up and go, a towing package good for anything available to tow, a pedestal for Squirt to sit and navigate from along with 4 wheel drive. (The salesman couldn’t understand why we needed 4WD in Houston.) We have taken good care of it by changing the oil and rotating the tires on schedule, following the unwieldy warranty maintenance requirements, washing it regularly with extensive detailing twice a year. (Well - it was clean in Houston - a little harder to do in the tundra with 57 inches of snow, mostly below freezing temperatures and the associated road grime.)

And then the unthinkable happened…

Tuesday, we were rear ended by a child of approx. 17, late to school from lunch and driving too fast in in the snowy conditions. I have no idea how fast he was going on impact. It seemed really fast to me but I am probably a little jaded towards the whole incident. Luckily, I saw it coming and warned Robert by creatively saying "Oh S$#)" just before the collision. I don't remember doing that. All I remember is thinking "we are going to get hit". Everyone walked away with no injuries and while the GPS for some reason flew from the dash to the back seat it survived. However the poor little 4-runner now has a banged up rear end. Visual inspection shows the hatch will have to be replaced (will it ever seal again?), the bumper and the plastic on the tail lights (the bulbs survived and are still working). Both police officers commented on our car and how well it performed. One officer was very surprised it came through without more damage. Thank goodness it is still drivable as the Camaro isn't really a winter weather car. The Ford F-150 that hit us didn't fare as well and isn't drivable.

Part of me felt sorry for the boy. You could see the varying realizations going across his face and through his actions. The initial shock, the "I caused this", concern for others, "oh crap I'm in trouble", "oh crap, I'm really in trouble - I'm not going to get out of this one". It was very tough for me to not comment/lecture, etc. on driving, safety, risk and time to grow up, or not make tacky comments about some of this actions BUT having been a teenager at one time in my life - albeit a very good one (as I try to keep my halo from choking me) - I could ALMOST relate to some of his feelings. Plus, we were right on the road to school so he had the pleasure of getting a honk, wave or carloads of teens stopping to talk as they were headed back to school. It took the police about 20 minutes to arrive (very fast considering the number of wrecks this time of year) so there were lots honks, waves and visiting for him.

I was pleasantly surprised at the concern fellow Anchorage citizens showed. One lady immediately offered up her name and phone number as a witness and several cars made the effort to stop get out and ask if everyone was OK or if anyone needed a cell phone. Coming from Houston with the increased crime rate and the dangers of talking to any strangers, it was a very nice change.

We have filed the insurance claim and are in a holding pattern to hear back from them. As with the granite saga, I am sure this will provide fodder for a few days over the course of the next few weeks…

Starting with our rental car when we get it...

My Winter Slope Trip

I have been to the Arctic Circle in January when the sun doesn’t come above the horizon.

I left on Monday toting approximately 70 lbs of arctic gear and flew from Anchorage to Deadhorse. My gear bag contained a parka, bib overalls, heavy boots, arctic mittens and a balaclava made of wool of course, all of this in the height of fashion. (No – not really.) My gear is supposed to keep me warm at 30 below in a 30 mph wind for 30 minutes – it is heavy. It also contained my overnight bag. I was spending one night so I had two complete outfits packed just in case we didn’t get back due to fog. My travel ensemble consisted of Under Armour, jeans, sweater, winter coat, head band, work boots, and leather gloves. You guessed it! I was overdressed for all of the indoor work we did.

Unfortunately, because of the time of year, we flew every flight at night and I was unable to see Denali or the Brooks Range coming or going. There wasn’t any wildlife wondering in our paths either. We landed in Deadhorse without any problems, got on the bus and started our hour long trek to Kuparuk. We passed by the start of the TransAlaska Pipeline and several other well sites. Temperatures were approximately -10 to -6 with fog and blowing snow.

The control centers and drill camps are very nice inside for the conditions that rage outside. The cafeterias are always open, and there are lounges, weight rooms, movie theaters and libraries for when the crews aren’t working their shifts. I toured some of the facilities including a drilling rig and we took time to drive to the Bering Sea. It was covered in ice and I didn’t get to dip a toe into it this time.

Tuesday, we headed to Alpine via a Twin Otter aircraft as the ice roads weren’t complete. We landed on a gravel and snow packed runway. The sky was absolutely clear and glowing a nice pink color at midday. I took the picture above from an ice road to a drilling rig. Ice roads are exactly that – a road made of ground up ice and then sprayed with water. It is just like standing/driving on a skating rink. Now where did I leave that Zamboni….

I hope the picture conveys what the tundra looks like. (I took it about 2 pm.) This area receives less than 6” of precipitation a year and it is flat. Distances can be deceiving, especially on clear days, similar to Las Vegas (without the people, smog, lights, traffic, buildings, etc.) It is very easy to think a facility is a short distance away. There is snow everywhere, but very little accumulation. It is dry enough that it simply blows from point to point and back. Every time we traveled anywhere, it was with arctic gear. If we weren’t wearing it, it was in a compartment somewhere. Weather changes very quickly and to breakdown can be deadly if you aren’t prepared.

As the day came to a close, because it had been clear, the temperature was definitely getting colder. I believe it got down to -35 that night. I missed it though as we headed back to Anchorage returning by 8 pm. Of course it was snowing here - as it is now.

A Few Winter Pictures...

From the top of Alyeska looking back at Cook Inlet. Girdwood is at the bottom of the mountain.
Squirt on the sidewalk
Our front entry (note the K-State rock placement)
Squirt on the deck
Our driveway across from the garage....I didn't know I had reflective stripes on my boots! :)

Tales from the slope are coming soon!

Our First Tsunami Warning...

Friday nights is the only night we attempt to sit down and watch a TV program (except for professional football and the occasional college game). The show is Numbers and we enjoy it. Whether or not we watch has a lot to do with whether we remember it is on prior to the start. If it was any other night of the week, we wouldn’t remember as Friday stands out because we don’t go to work the next morning.

Last night we did remember and were getting everything ready…lap throws, popcorn, drinks, TV on, etc., when suddenly the TV went black and a bright red banner appeared announcing we were in a Tsunami Warning. There was an 8.2 or 8.3 (depending on which newscast you watch) earthquake off of Russia or Japan (depending on which newscast you watch) and a Tsunami may be heading our way.

Hadn’t thought of that type of event. I’ve blogged about volcanoes, earthquakes and wild carnivorous animals and what we are supposed to do in various situations but Tsunami’s hadn’t really crossed my mind. (Which is actually pretty sad considering the one that hit the Alaska coastline in the 60’s killing people.) As the warning updates came across, I realized they weren’t really sure if anything was going to happen. Since a tsunami in the open ocean looks like any other wave, there is no sure way to know something is going to happen until the water nears the coast. Then it is too late to evacuate.

What would we do? Our house is over 6 miles from the coastline and 400 ft above sea level - I don’t think we would have a problem here. At work, even though we are downtown, our building is still several blocks from the coast and above sea level plus it should be relatively sturdy. If we are at work, my plan is to stay in my office (on an upper floor) and get my camera out. Oh – and obviously at both places – hit the internet to see where the earthquake was and what warnings have been issued. I found this NOAA site last night http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/eventmap.html specifically dealing with West Coast and Alaska tsunami warnings. (How did we ever get timely information before the internet?)

Luckily, last night’s earthquake didn’t cause any tsunamis and we are in the clear this morning. And today there isn't a cloud in the sky and warm - 35 degrees. Who ever though 35 would be considered warm.

BTW - I'm headed to the slope Monday. That should provide some interesting fodder.

It was a tad cold this week....

Yep - it's been cold this week. Today it actually warmed up to 25 and I was very glad to see it. Monday had -15 for the low and with a high of -6. It was a beautiful sunny day though and we went south to Seward. I forget how fantastic the drive is until I make the journey each time. The mountains are so majestic and crisp. The snow appears so very white (even with the snow machine tracks running half way up the mountains). Sadly, I am unable to accurately describe the beauty of the area. You should come see it!

So much for waxing poetically…on the drive down we stopped at Alyeska taking time to ride the tram to the almost top of the mountain checking out the scenery. Due to the cold temperatures, the windows in the tram were iced over but the view from the top is spectacular. I was very surprised at the number of people still skiing and snow boarding in these temperatures as the top of the mountain was significantly cooler than the bottom. Luckily there is a café and you can sit inside and warm up between running outside to look at different valleys and views or skiing down the mountain. I'm guessing a max of one run down the mountain before a trip indoors to warm up was required.

Back on the road going toward Seward, the lowest temperature we recorded in the SUV was -20. By the time we reached Seward it had warmed up to 10 degrees. Not bad except for the 30 mph wind blowing through. Walking from the car to the restaurant was extremely cold and required several cups of hot coffee to get the insides warmed up. Squirt went with us (not in the restaurant) but had to stay in the car. He spent a lot of time warming the car up for us (thank goodness for autostart :))

Tuesday we went up the mountains behind our house to Glen Alps to check out the view of Anchorage (remember - we had company). Once again it was sunny and clear and Denail was visible (highly unusual). I think it was about -15 when we got there. I had every inch of skin covered from head to foot with something and didn't stay out long. In fact, if it hadn't been snowy and icy underfoot, I would have run back and forth to the car. I am glad it was a short hike. (I am pretty sure I will be a 20 degree or warmer skier…)

Continuing in the tourist vein, we then went to a couple of local museums. While viewing the exhibits, I am continually amazed at what people (both natives and immigrants) accomplished with the tools and resources they had in various places. One section was about pioneers who first came to Anchorage to help build the Alaska Railroad among other things. (Whatever possessed them to come here and live in those conditions? Wait - people ask me that today...guess some things don't change?) Sometimes it would take a year to get a letter to or from someone in the lower 48. There were pictures of people living in tents - nice in the summer (except for mosquitoes) but ugly in the winter. The baskets and the beadwork is spectacular. Even the clothing difference from the natives that lived in the Aleutians versus the natives living farther north was apparent. Absolutely fascinating! I must say I am thankful for the natives and pioneers who lived here in the past. It might not be as nice now if it wasn't for them!

Sunny Tomorrow!

It’s true! It’s true! We are supposed to have two days in a row with no clouds at all. Bright sunshine. I don’t remember the last cloud free day. I am really looking forward to it.

The down side to this is that in the winter this far north, bright, clear, sunny, cloud free skies can only mean it’s going to get cold. Tonight’s low is expected to be -14 with the high on Monday being -3. Monday night is going to be even colder with -17 and Tuesday’s high is forecast to be -6. Good days for road trips.

We aren’t working the next couple of days because we have company. Our first visitor to share paradise with and of course we haven’t seen a single moose since he arrived. OK – we saw one about 3 am as we were coming home from the airport but who wants to moose watch at that time. (You’re right…I would have but I didn’t think the others were up for it.) In fact, it has been foggy and snowy enough we haven’t been able to really see the mountains.

We went skiing locally today. Once again, I started on the bunny hill but after four runs there, I got tired of walking back to the top and was ready to try the slope. The chair lift here is a little different than the one in Alyeska. I didn’t crash getting off (Hooray!) but it wasn’t easy because each time I got off the chair hit my butt before I could get out of the way. (There is probably a message here but I am ignoring it.) I successfully made it down the slope multiple times without falling. The only negative today was the cold. I could spend about 40 minutes outside before I had to go inside to warm up. I think I will do better as a once or twice a week skier for 2-3 hours at a time instead of the marathon 8 hours for two days back to back.

I believe we are going to day trip tomorrow to Seward. With all of the trips to Alaska and even living here, I have never been to Seward while the sun is shining. I hope to break that record tomorrow. Don’t know what is on the schedule yet for sunny Tuesday. Wednesday is going to be warm (29 degrees) and cloudy. Sounds like a heat wave which means Wednesday’s schedule will include shoveling for some part of it! I keep telling myself I’m getting a lot of good exercise!

Oh Look - More Snow!

Yes - hard to believe. In Anchorage, we have recorded 57 inches of snow since Halloween and every one of them is still on the ground. Yesterday I managed to shovel three times and I rose early today to clean off what fell last night. However, the sun is on its way. Tomorrow our forecast is for a low of -1 and a high of 1. (At least low temperatures normally stop the snow!)

While we were gone for the weekend, Squirt had a doggie sitter that took exceptional care of him. He went for rides, met some other playmates, etc. and generally had a good time as far as I can tell. Anyway, upon returning from Alyeska we had snow to shovel. (Anyone surprised?) As normal, Robert headed out the front and I out the back with Squirt. I finish up the deck and Squirt is ready to go inside. Putting down the shovel, I go up the steps to the back porch and find out the door handle has been locked. (Normally we use the deadbolt only to avoid being locked out just like this.) This was a very important lesson to learn and I am thankful it didn't happen in the middle of the night (5:30am).

OK - now I'm in a pickle. The banks of snow around either side of the house to another unlocked door are waist deep (on me anyway). I listen for the snow thrower and go to the side of the house were Robert is headed. Robert can't hear me yell and he absolutely refuses to look up. (You would think someone waiving their arms in an SOS fashion would garner notice - others in the neighborhood did.) I walk around the house to the other side and wave at him down by the front of the driveway. No luck there either. As he moves down the sidewalk I go to the third corner and wait for him to turn around. Surely he will stop, rest for a second and look around at his surroundings.

Nope.

As he walks back toward the drive clearing the sidewalk, I am following him on the second terrace of the yard waving my arms. Finally he looks up and waves and goes back to walking. Then he realizes there must be something wrong as it is too cold just to be waiving to him from the middle of the snow filled yard while it is snowing and blowing.

I tell him I am locked out and bless his heart, he stops everything, rushes inside, takes off his shoes to avoid getting the wood floors wet, rushes upstairs and unlocks the back door. I tell him,"Thank you for coming to my rescue…Squirt's feet are cold and he wants in."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

It's cold in Anchorage again. This morning the temperature had warmed to -0.6 by the time Squirt and I went outside. On the upside, we are gaining light - today we had 5 hours and 42 minutes representing about 15 minutes more light during the day since December 21.

I found out yesterday that December 2006 was the 3rd snowiest December on record. The airport registered 37" of snow and our house on mid-hillside generally gets more due to the higher elevation. I'm guessing we had 8" more. Bonus though - we are scheduled to get another 6" tonight.

Speaking of snow, as I mentioned before, we went to Alyeska this weekend to downhill ski. Saturday started off a little rough though. We were scheduled to meet friends at 9:00 am to drive about 30 miles South arriving in time to unload the cars, get to the ski school, rent any needed equipment, etc. etc. It snowed most of the evening Friday night and we opted to set the alarm a little early in case we had to shovel before we left. If not, sweet - another hour of sleep!

The alarm sounds at 6:30am and I get up to peek out the window. Sure enough there's another 6" on the ground and still snowing. Time to shovel and throw. Squirt and I leave out the back door to do the decking and groom the doggie trails. I hear the snow thrower start up and head down the first sweep of the drive. (I am positive the neighbors were happy to hear the thrower going at 6:45am on Saturday morning!)

Shovel. Shovel. Shovel.

Pretty soon, I notice all is quiet. "Hum. I wonder if Robert is OK? Did we run out of gas? Did he fall on ice? Surely he didn't finish the entire drive and sidewalks while I only did the back deck? I'd better check once I finish up here."

Shovel. Shovel. Shovel.

Finally - finished! I head inside and don't hear Robert anywhere. I check out the window and only one swipe across the drive had been cleared. Squirt and I wander downstairs to the garage and open the door. There's the snow blower tipped over on its' back with Robert kneeling in front of it. Sure enough...Saturday was the day he ran over the rubber door mat with the snow thrower gumming up the rotating blades. He was using pliers to pull pieces of door mat out that had been chewed off. Needless to say he wasn't very happy but luckily nothing broke and he was able to finish the driveway after all. We made it to the meeting place in plenty of time and he kept telling me I really didn't need to blog about this. But how could I resist??? :)

Back to skiing!

We took another lesson on Saturday and mastered the small bunny hill. Graduating to the bigger bunny hill in the afternoon, we continued to ski and some even went on the lift to the green runs. I, however, stayed on the bigger bunny hill and happily played for about 30 minutes at a time. By the end of the first day it was dark (skiing at night really provides some fantastic snow views) and I was tired, sore and apparently over-confident as I was ready to try a green hill. Guess what happens next….

I successfully negotiate to the lift (duck walking with 5' slats for feet is not easy for me and this is a significant accomplishment), manage to get on the chair, don't fall out of the chair, keep my ski tips up for dismount, stand up, flail and fall right in the path of the other skiers getting off of the lift. This was an omen for the rest of the trip down the mountain. I get up and re-attach my skis and head to the "starting line" - which happens to contain the steepest part of the run. I'm starting to have second thoughts about this.

I take off and can't seem to turn as gracefully as I did on the bigger bunny hill and if I don't soon, I am going to go off into the woods. Solution? Sit down - ok - more like crash. I get up, get my skis on, turn around and start again. I make it all the way to the other side of the slope and crash because I can't turn. Repeat once more only this time, crash in the middle of the run for no apparent reason. Luckily this one was my last crash (that I remember - I may have lost count by then) and I made it the rest of the way down the mountain to the day lodge. By this time it was 7:30pm and I was ready to hike back to the car and call it a night. Taking off the ski boots felt really good.

Sunday, getting out of bed was a challenge. I expected my legs to hurt but my shoulders were exceptionally sore from the tow rope. Putting my coat on was rather difficult. I spent Sunday on the bigger bunny slope and didn't try any greens. The only bad part was the bunny slope was too short and the tow rope continued to wreak havoc on my shoulders and arms. Sunday night, I could barely move anything.

I can't wait to get back out to Hilltop this weekend and try it some more!

In retrospect - "Thud. Thud. Thud." was very apt for this column…

Welcome to 2007

Happy New Year! Best wishes to all!

(Once my shoulders heal a little from skiing this weekend, I'll tell you all about it!)