A morning run

When temperatures soar into the 40s and you need to recallibrate the system - tap into the flow and run!

Spring Break - week 2

     How do you know when you've been "driving too hard"?  Well, there comes a time when it is obvious.  This week it began as a total lack of energy and difficulty getting up in the morning.  We needed some down time and had several nice days around the house.  Mid-week, we took a trip to H2Oasis, an indoor water park in Anchorage.  We had fun riding the waterslides and the water was warm, but the building was cold and after 4 hours, we were all chilled.  Next day, shivers turned into fever, turned into calling off the rest of the week.  Griffin and I tried to reclaim some of it by taking a dad-son trip to the cabin.  Middle of the night and I broke into fever and stomach issues.  We cut the trip short and headed back home and to bed.  We are now mending.  Too much activity in week 1, or just bad luck?  I think I'll vote for the latter. 

Spring Break - week 1

     March in Alaska is when things really start to fall into place.  With daylight savings coming to an end, long days are back and suddenly, it's light well past bed time - land of extremes!  And a perfect time for spring break.  It's really more accurate to call it "late winter break".  After a few days skiing town trails, we crammed the car full of gear:  skis, snowshoes, sleds, clothes and spare clothes and headed to Hatcher Pass.  The temperatures were a bit more tolerable this time around and the snow was perfect - "hero" snow.  We started taking powder runs down the mellower slopes where the kids could manage the speed and make turns.

We stayed the night in a small cabin - part of the Hatcher Pass Lodge that's been there since 1967.  In 1963 "Hap" Wurlitzer squatted on the property and years later paid $10 to file the paperwork and claim the 600 acres as his own.  He now runs the Lodge and enjoys his back yard!  

The next day dawned clear and as the sun came up, the sky deepened to an incredible blue.  A long uphill ski brought us up into the Gold Cord Bowl above the Independence Mine.  Here we met Dan Renshaw - part owner of the privately owned Gold Cord Mine.  The mine is no longer in operation other than summer forays into its depth to pick over old tailings.  Dan has lived to some degree in a small cabin perched on the mountain side since he was a child.  He invited us for a cup of tea and was extremely interesting to chat with - welcomed us back at any time for another visit.

A great powder run down followed through the Independence Mine State Historic site and then all the way back down to the lodge.  

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OK - deep breath!  Back to Anchorage for a rest day, then off to Alyeska Resort for a little alpine skiing.  Our kids have skied cross-country for years but had yet to ride the lifts and excitement was high as we got settled into rental gear and dusted off the old tele gear.  Again blessed by clear skies, we progressed from the smaller slopes to the lifts and larger runs.  The younguns took to it like maple syrup on pancakes and were off and running.

There were many "last runs" and we finally limped back to the car about 5 pm.  From here, we continued south to the small town of Hope, Ak.  The Nordic Ski Assoc. of Anchorage owns a small hut in Hope and rents it cheap to club members.  By the time we settled in, made some dinner, play a rousing game of Yahtzee, it was past 10:00 and we collapsed into the loft.  The next morning was "camp time" with a pop-tarts in bed followed by a long breakfast, more games, reading and recovering. At one point, Harriet said, "Dad, you've been driving us hard!"  So, I conceded and only made them go on a short hike out of Hope.  

All this activity has got the beard growing long!  

Several Sparkle Stories took us home where we were greeted at our front door by a friend!

Epic Aurora

    The last several nights have been labeled as "extreme" on the Geophysical Institute website for aurora borealis forecasting.  So, we crossed our fingers for clear skies and got them on Thursday night.  The lights were visible from town amidst all the light pollution, so we woke up the kids, grabbed sleeping bags and blankets and headed up into the hills for a better look.  We were treated to what I think may have been one of the best displays I have ever seen!  Brilliant green curtains waving across the sky.  Purples and reds pulsing and swirling.  Truly unbelievable!  It is very difficult to get good pictures of the aurora and honestly, I didn't even try.  I just wanted to enjoy the full effect.  We watched until around 12:45 - now officially March 9, my birthday.  Couldn't have asked for a better gift!  Here are some pictures from that night submitted to our local newspaper - check them out!

King Winter - and the Iditarod

     King Winter is indeed reigning over the Northland with an iron fist.  Anchorage has received 123.7 inches of snow since October according to the official weather station at the airport.  We got another 4 inches last night.  If it snows another 5 inches in the next 2 months (?), we will break the all time record for snowfall set back in 1954 with 132.8 inches.  That's 11 feet in town!  Of course, the snow has settled, but even then, its 6 feet deep in the back yard!  The snow banks in the front are towering 10 feet tall.  Alyeska Resort, at the end of Turnagain Arm is reporting 746 inches of snowfall since Oct. 1st -  62 FEET of snow!  Honestly, it's humbling - and beautiful.  

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     The 40th running of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race began Sunday in Willow, Ak.  There is a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage the day before and all mushers hook two sleds up to their teams, carry a lucky few (they actually bought the opportunity at auction) in the sleds, throw out dog booties filled with candy to the kids, and high five all the spectators for a short run through town.  With my parents, we took the kids out to watch and had a blast!   We've each chosen a few of the mushers to follow along the way.  Every day we get updates on where they are at present, how long it took them on the most recent leg of the race,  how long their rest stops are, how many dogs they are still running, etc.  This has been exciting for all of us!

The official restart is the next day but is no less of a party!

     I let the tired family stay at home and drove to the cabin in Willow.  From there, I could ski across the lake and through several swamps to get to Long Lake where the mushers come through.  It was an absolute zoo!  Hundreds of snow machines crisscrossing the lake, ski planes landing and unloading fire pits, ice fishing shanties, cases of hot dogs and beer.  The noise was deafening and the exhaust thick.  I saw several riders wearing helmets with ventilator masks integrated into them - interesting.  I skied the length of the lake and got some very interesting looks!  A few years ago, a local politician referred to folks up here in the Matanuska Valley as Valley Trash and it seems that it stuck and many are proud of this distinction.  

     It's all in good fun and everyone is excited to watch these dog mushers as they launch off on an 1100 mile journey to Nome.  They will cross some of the harshest, most remote country that Alaska has to offer, often on a "trail" that has been obscured by snow and wind.  Sleeping little, the fastest will make the journey in 8 or 9 days.  The dogs just love to run - I know how they feel!

A 10 year celebration

    Harriet turned 10 on March 1rst with poise and grace.  10 is a magical age of approaching the world as ones own self.  It is also a numerical milestone, leaving single digits behind.  She has been digging deep and is adapting well to our new surroundings.  It is rewarding to be wingman as she begins to see from a different perspective, internally and externally.

 There is still some missing of friends back in Vermont and birthday season brings this to the surface.   She meets this by writing letters, phoning, or Skype.   And then moving on.

     For her party, we decided to embrace all the snow and go sledding - luge style!

     Mama had to keep her eyes closed and accused me of creating graduate level sled runs.   We ran the banks and jumps till everyone lost steam and then headed back to the house alive - unscathed even!

     The cake theme this year celebrated our surroundings.  Fun to make and yummy to boot!

Fur Rendezvous

     This year marked the 77th celebration of the Fur Rendezvous.  It is a festival to commemorate the annual trading of furs at market and a joyful time for Alaskans to come together and beat the winter blues.  Folks dig to the back of their closets and pull out their fur.  Seal skin hats, fur lined kuspuks, fox hats, wolf jackets, ermine, qiviut, and the list goes on.  Furs in Alaska were born out of necessity and have retained their usefulness and popularity.

     We bought our Rondy pins ahead of time and headed out to the Grand Parade.  Rondy pins are your entry into festival events throughout the week and must be displayed on a coat or hat while attending.  Some folks have been collecting pins for years.

     And if you don't have your pin on, the Keystone Kops will nab you and throw you in their jail until you can buy a pin and your freedom.  As kids, we would always try to outrun them.   

     As we drove away, we saw this guy selling whale baleen on the street corner!  Again, not something you see every day.  I love explaining this kind of thing to the kids and their curiosity is definitely piqued regarding the native population and their lifestlye!  

     After the parade, we headed to the trails for the World Championships Sprint Sled Dog races.  25 teams ran a 25 mile course starting downtown and winding out to the foothills east of town and then back.  And they fly!  These dogs are true athletes and are amazing to watch!

     We met an old friend from high school while watching the races and spent the rest of the afternoon with his family reconnecting.  Hard to believe that was 23 years ago.
     That night, we went to check out the snow sculptures down by the docks.  Large blocks of snow are compressed and then place out for the artists.

     The fire works and the wish lanterns were a great end to a full day of Rondy!