Day 93, 4/3/2011

Matt put the batteries and other things back in the camper that we had to take out over the winter. Maybe if we get her ready to go, then spring will show up and melt all this snow!

Incidentally, the pipes you see there in the foreground are coming up out of our underground fuel tank. It holds heating fuel that feeds our furnace to keep the house warm and heat water. The tanks are buried so the fuel doesn’t gel in extreme cold weather, unless you have a smaller heater (like our Monitor stove mentioned in an earlier post) that uses diesel, and there is still a possibility diesel will start to gel if it gets cold enough and it hasn’t been treated. And yes, that has happened to ours.

Day 94, 4/4/2011

It’s a dreary Monday morning, but at least we are starting to see some breakup on Badger Slough.

Day 95, 4/5/2011

I was beginning to give up hope for my shamrock plant, but it turns out it had just gone dormant over the winter. 

Good thing it can’t see the snow falling outside.

Day 96, 4/6/2011

Soldiers and family members await the start of Fort Wainwright's 1^st Brigade, 25^th Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s deployment ceremony. 

They are scheduled to leave for Afghanistan within the month, and will be there for one year.

Day 97, 4/7/2011

This is what I stepped out of the car on to this morning when I got to work.

We had a high of about 20 degrees yesterday, and the thick ice that has covered everything since what has come to be known as the “Icepocalypse” of last November is still icy and still thick. And it's everywhere.

When I left the building to come home today, it was snowing like crazy again, though. 

Day 98, 4/8/2011

Weather, weather, weather. It seems that’s all I’m posting lately. 

Fresh snow again this morning. Still winter here.

We only got around 2 inches, but other parts of the state are digging out again, especially down the Parks highway near Denali National Park.

Hey, hey, hey, it's time for Arctic Man! During the annual Tesoro Ski and Sno-Go Classic, sledheads from all over Alaska descend upon the small town of Summit, briefly making it the "third largest city in Alaska."

Fortunately, we had a mole in the crowd who lent us some photos to share with you. Here's Matt's co-worker Bruce Hayes hanging out in the beer tent with Ariel Tweto of Flying Wild Alaska fame.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Hayes

When just tailgating isn't enough...you really need billiards, darts and hoops. But wait, where's the bartender?

Photo courtesy of Bruce Hayes

Day 99, 4/9/2011

It warmed up enough yesterday to start the snow on the roof melting again and create a chilly welcome for the birds this morning.

More photos from Arctic Man...

Photo courtesy of Bruce Hayes

Looking down over camp, and taking in the astonishing winter view.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Hayes

Extreme "high marking."

Day 100, 4/10/2011

Birthday party time!

Today we celebrated the birthdays of two family friends, Marie and Cindy Schoemaker.

The cake that Marie brought for Cindy is chocolate on the inside, but displays an Alaskan flavor on the outside. 

Day 101, 4/11/2011

‘Tis the season of washboards and potholes that lead to China.

Day 102, 4/12/2011

Just when you think the woodburning days are over until fall, you wake up to single digits. 

At least it’s warming up… an hour ago it was -3.

Day 103, 4/13/2011

National Park Service Wildlife Biologist Melanie Flamme models her common loon costume. 

Her award winning outreach efforts thrill school children all over the state.

Day 104, 4/14/2011

A local parking lot is a perfect springtime paradigm of ice and melting mounds of snow.

Day 105, 4/15/2011

It’s Jazz Fest time at the UAF Davis Concert Hall. Jazz bands from schools all over Alaska come to compete for honors, and just to jam. Yeah! Slap that bass and scat like Ella!

I’d like to take an opportunity to recognize the greatest man on earth (yes, I’m partial, so what) for his dogged commitment to support the US troops by participating in Red Shirt Fridays. 

Every single Friday without fail, he wears a red shirt to work to champion their voluntary sacrifice and encourages those he works with to do the same. Here’s to those who serve, and to those who never forget them.

Day 106, 4/16/2011

So much ground covered today. Here are a couple of the highlights.

The day started out for Matt waking up at Paxson Lake and snowmachining down to Summit Lake. The weather was glorious, and though there was little untracked snow, he and friend Bruce were determined to find it.

For me back at home, the first race of the running season, the Beat Beethoven 5k at the UAF campus. It was sunny and around 28 degrees when the race started at 11 AM, and hundreds of Alaskans with a severe case of cabin/spring fever came out to have some fun and see if they could cross the finish line before the last note of the 5^th Symphony played.

All along the course, there were car radios and boom boxes blaring, and runners were never out of earshot of the masterpiece. A good time was had by all, young and old alike.

Day 107, 4/17/2011

Today was the Outdoor Show at the Carlson Center. 

These trade style shows are held here a few times a year. Among them, the Women’s Affair Show, the Home Show, and the Holiday Marketplace. This one is a favorite, because it comes up in the springtime and gets folks thinking about all of the merriment that awaits them now that they can come out of hibernation.

Day 108, 4/18/2011

It would appear that not everyone in the 49^th state is in love with Sarah.

Every year, as the snow starts to melt away, large volumes of trash appear alongside the roads. 

It always baffles and amazes me that

1.      People would just throw their garbage out the window…

2.      It is so well hidden by the snow all winter (I saw a mattress in a median yesterday)…

3.     We aren't witness to the same eyesore in the summertime.

I mean really, where does it go? Do folks suddenly have an attack of conscience and decide to properly dispose of their rubbish after spring thaw? Or maybe they think they can be seen breaking the law more easily under 24 hours of daylight.

Every year I’m surprised when Jimmy Hoffa doesn’t turn up in April.

Day 109, 4/19/2011

A cow and her calf, nibbling roadside on my way to work this morning. It’s a nice way to start the day.

Spring is in the air, and the local wildlife is coming around. Yesterday on my way home I saw a bald Eagle circling over Badger Slough, not ¼ mile from our house. That is a sign that the grayling are running again, and soon the little bridge over the slough will be lined with restless fishermen. Matt saw an otter run across the road next to the slough earlier that day. I vowed to find out where it lives so I can try to get some pictures.

Day 110, 4/20/2011

The geese are back!

Cars line the parking lot, and professional photographers haul out their gear, with lenses so big they look like they need their own tripod as if they are on safari in Africa.  The spectacle they’ve some to see is the return of migratory Canadian geese to Fairbanks’ Creamer’s Field, a surefire sign of the end of winter.

A dairy farm (established in 1904) turned waterfowl sanctuary, Creamer’s Field is a sight to see in spring and fall when it’s just covered with various birds on their way in or out. Back when it was a dairy, the family would plow and fertilize the field in the fall, leaving vestiges of the summer harvest there, which drew the birds in. The local Kiwanis Club clears the snow and spreads grain each spring to welcome the birds back.

Just ten days to Happy Goose Day!

Day 111, 4/21/2011

The “Printworthy” artwork of Macy Possenti is displayed at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center as part of First Friday.

The well thought out and executed displays in the MTCVC accurately depict what life is like in Interior Alaska. A must see for out of town visitors, and a treat for locals, as well.

Day 112, 4/22/2011

Is this a drug deal going down in the Sears parking lot? No – it’s a MEAT deal!

Delta Meat and Sausage Company of Delta Junction, AK (an Interior town about 98 miles south of Fairbanks and next to Fort Greely, AK) is a favorite game processor for folks all over the state. They also sell organic farm-raised beef products, and will come into Fairbanks on occasion to deliver.

On predetermined days, the truck will pull into the parking lot at Sears around 11:30 am and those that have ordered boxes (there’s usually a line forming by 11:15) will pay and collect burger, steaks, roasts, and many other cuts by way of the tailgate.

Best thing I ever bought off the back of a truck!

Day 113, 4/23/2011

A long abandoned building in downtown Fairbanks may soon be renovated. The Polaris Building was built in 1952, and was once a busy hotel, with a popular restaurant on the top floor called Tiki Cove. The tallest building in Fairbanks, many life long Fairbanksans have fond memories of this property, but for some years now, it has been an eyesore of disrepair.

A group of architects, designers and artists called The Alaskan Design Forum are trying to bring awareness to the plan to breathe new life into the city’s anathema by asking folks to stop by two large chalkboards that have been fixed to the side of the building and write what they remember and what they hope it could still become.

One of the members of the forum, architect David Hayden, is quoted in a Fairbanks Daily News Miner article as saying “Everybody has a dream. Some say you could fix this building by removing every other floor. Others say it would take four sticks of dynamite.”

Day 114, 4/24/2011

Smokey says Happy Easter!

Day 115, 4/25/2011

A sun dog spotted on my way to work this morning.

Not a good sign if you believe the tales about it forecasting cold weather. (see my post from January 25th)

Day 116, 4/26/2011

Today we had the first rain of the year. Usually I don’t like rain, but in this case it’s different because after so many dark cold months, the very instant you walk outside and smell the air and see how much cleaner everything looks, you realize that it is finally, really and truly, spring.

The quintessence of the season can be found in every new bud that appears at the end of a branch that has long been barren. Though there is still a good amount of stubborn persistent snow around, it won’t be there much longer, for we’ve had 3 days in a row with a high of over 50 degrees now.

Day 117, 4/27/2011

As we approach Fairbanks’ official Clean Up Day, yellow trash bags can be seen lining the roads all over town. 

In an earlier post, I showed the ugly garbage that emerges along the roadsides as the snow melts away. Local towns have designated a day – generally early in May when the snow is mostly gone - for people to form groups and volunteer to pick up trash. Area businesses and agencies provide a safety video for the vols, as well as reflective vests and trash bags.

We don’t want the tourists to come all the way to Alaska and see a trashy Interior!  

Day 118, 4/28/2011

As we are still waking up to sub freezing temps (this morning it was around 25 degrees), the small pond that has formed in the ditch by our driveway from the snowmelt dons a thin blanket of ice.

Unfortunately not soon enough to impede the success of the mosquito nursery lurking within. Hello again, Alaska state bird. We aren’t happy to see you again, but I’m sure the real birds are.

Day 119, 4/29/2011

Early tailgaters begin to gather in the Carlson Center parking lot for the Fairbanks Grizzlies indoor football game. Around here, football season starts about the time most football seasons are ending. It’s too cold to play outdoors, so we’ve adopted arena football. Tonight is military appreciation night, and North Pole native Darren Colledge of the world champion Green Bay Packers will be in attendance.

Day 120, 4/30/2011

Number 864 stays close to her new calf at the UAF Experiment Farm.

Day 121, 5/1/2011

An Alaskan family out for a Sunday drive.

Day 122, 5/2/2011

The quasi-accurate signs at the pipeline viewpoint near Fox.