Getting Close

Well technically its still aways off, but the recent sunshine sure makes it feel like we are getting close to the end of my second winter here. Today marks the first day of 10 hours of daylight. Sunrise at 8:15 and sunset at 6:15. Last night I could still see well enough at 7 pm to play ball with Champ. So at least the long long nights are over. Wont be long before its daylight almost around the clock as we gain about 5 or 6 minutes per day. No doubt winter will still throw a few surprises our way (it was minus 3 this morning) but I think the worst is over.







Had a great day Sunday snowshoeing at Hatcher Pass. Lots of deep snow but plenty of sunshine. Hope I get to take my brother and my neice there next month when they visit.

Fur Rondy kicks off this weekend. As part of the celebration I plan to play in a softball tourny on Saturday and Sunday. Being Alaska, the twist will be all players wear snowshoes. Kind of reminds you of the donkey softball games our parents played when we were kids. Should be funny, maybe even fun. Haven;t played in years so who knows what I'll sprain.

Staying Warm

Its still cold up here in the far north reaches of Texas. Currently 20 below. When its real cold you adapt and learn coping strategies to deal with it. Lester has learned that when the Toyo kicks on the place to be is directly in front of it so you get the pure unfiltered heat.

His other trick is to climb under the covers of a freshly made bed and do an all day bivouac.

The weather people say a warm up is in store for later this week. By weekend we may see mid 20's. And the days are getting longer. Sunrise at 8:54 and sunset at 5:33.

Duct Tape

Interesting article in the paper today about the upcoming Iron Dog snowmachine race from Big Lake to Nome and then to Fairbanks. Seems that the racers have taken to duct taping their faces to protect them from the extreme cold temperatures they often encounter. Apparently the stuff works quite well.

Bet you didn't know duct tape was invented in the 1940's to waterproof artillery boxes during WWII. Since then it has been used for any number of things...patching up airplanes that have been chewed up by grizzlies; emergency sled repair for the Iditarod; the list goes on. FYI one thing it doesn't do well is work on air conditioning ducts!

One thing is certain. Alaskans love the stuff. The two Wal Marts in Anchorage sell 10 times as many rolls annually as other lower 48 stores. In 2003, the Wal Mart in Wasilla sold 8600 rolls of the stuff, a record for sure. There is even a fancy duct tape ball in the Anchorage Marriot each year.

Still cold

Minus 18 last night when I went to bed. Still below zero at noon on Wednesday. While cold, yesterday was sunny so I spent the afternoon restocking the woodrack inside and splitting spruce for kindling. The wood pile is diminishing rapidly. Should just have enough to last through April, I hope. According to my recent electric bill the average temperature for Big Lake in January was 2. A year ago it was 12. No wonder the wood is disappearing.

Looks like we will host an Iditarod Sleepover on March 6. So far it looks like 11 fellow adventurers will descend on the cabin for a barbque and then the next day we will head to Willow for the restart. Hope the weather is like last year when it was sunny and not terribly cold. Plan on taking tons of photos.

Bald Lake Outing

The weather really cooperated this weekend. Saturday was a bright sunny day perfect for my first outing with the new skis. Ted Larissa Champ and I made it to the cabin around 2 pm pleased to find it still warm from Friday nights renters. Lots of firewood inside as well. Sweet!

Skied a little and then we had a new favorite. Ciopino. For those who have never had this italian dish, its a tomato base seafood stew/soup. Our version had large Mexican wild caught shrimp, and Alaskan halibut and dungeoness crab. With the salad Larissa whipped together and crusty french bread, it was by far the best

camp food I have ever had. I treated everyone to bacon and eggs the next morning and we made it back to Big Lake in time for the Super Bowl.