Confession

I admit that it seems I abandoned my blog...the entire summer went by without a word from me. Well, I suppose that's what happens in Alaska in summertime. And the longer you stay away, the harder it is to come back—so many things to write about! But I am hereby making an attempt.

This past summer, I met one of my favorite musicians, decorated a port-a-potty, grew vegetables and berries, hiked to lakes on top of mountains, learned how to curse en Español, won my first championship, rode a motorcycle, hung out with bald eagles and baby beluga whales, went to a Fungus Fair Formal, and visited my favorite ghost town.... Wanna see pictures?

If you've been following my blog, you know that I generally tell stories through photos. So here's a photo album with highlights from summer 2009. Enjoy!

Ready to start planning your own Alaskan adventures for Summer 2010?

Whittier by Plane

In early June, I had a visit from my old friend Michael and his friend Mark, who flew up to Anchorage from Flagstaff on their way up north to shoot photos for a book about climate change in Alaska. Catching up and talking over dinner, I joked that I'd be happy to tag along and help with the plane—they said, hey great, let's go! 20 minutes later, we were off to Whittier for the night.

I haven't seen Michael's photos or heard about the rest of their journey yet, but here are some of my little point-and-shoot pics, on a beautifully rainy and mosquito-y evening flying over the mountains. Click on the picture below to open the album.

Back East

At the end of April, I headed east to visit home.... I hadn't been back since Aimee and Youssef's wedding a year and a half ago, so I was really excited to have some extra time off to see my family and friends. My first morning back in Connecticut, I got out of bed and sleepily opened the blinds and saw—gasp—bright green everywhere! The sight of so much green was actually shocking. When I left Anchorage, there were no buds on the trees and all was brown and gray. It was quite a contrast and felt really good to have sun with some warmth to it for a change.
In my 10 days back at home, I had such a wonderful time hanging out with friends new and old, visiting some of my old stomping grounds,and reconnecting with family.
Check out my album of the whole trip here!

And by the time I got back to Anchorage, the first buds were out!

No Place Like Nome

Yesterday I spent the day in Nome. At first, I was not terribly excited about this trip, but it turned out to be a pleasantly adventurous day. (I've realized it's impossible not to have some kind of adventure in Nome...you may recall my stories from the previous 2 summers.)

I flew out before dawn (and in Anchorage at this time of year, the sun comes up EARLY), attended workshops and presented at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference, saw the Bering Sea frozen over for the first time, and went to a barn dance (!) that evening before flying home after dark (and yes, it gets dark LATE up there this time of year). Click below for the whole photo album:

Life by the Volcano

Well, now I can say I've lived through a volcanic eruption! Or, to be more specific, I've been within 100 miles of an erupting volcano. Nearby Mount Redoubt (see area map here) finally erupted in late March after months of being on "Orange Alert," and a series of eruptions have continued ever since. It may erupt for weeks or even months, according to its historical pattern.

Pictures from National Geographic (click on photos for the full articles):

This is a new level of dramatic, even for Alaska! The airports and air force base shut down, a number of lightning storms initiated by the ash cloud lit up the volcano, and melting snow from the eruption caused mudflows and flash floods to threaten the massive storage tanks at the base of the volcano that hold over 6 million gallons of crude oil (Exxon Valdez Part 2 waiting to happen—right around its 20-year anniversary).
Yesterday, one of the subsequent eruptions finally brought ash fall to Anchorage. I was prepared:
My neighbors' dog even had his own dust mask and protective booties! What a sight.

But, so far Anchorage has only gotten a light dusting. This is how much accumulated on my windshield that day:
I collected a little bit of ash for making pottery glazes, but it was probably not enough for one batch. Maybe I can find more in Homer or Talkeetna, where they got dumped with ash several times so far. Anyway, hopefully Redoubt will simmer down now...stay tuned!

Juneau?

I just got back from a wonderful (though short) trip to Juneau! In my 4 days there, I got to visit Sarah Palin's home and office, meet legislators at the Capitol Building, protest on the Capitol steps, and get to know women's health advocates and feminist activists from all over Alaska, as well as a well-known Lakota tribal leader. After hours, I went cross-country skiing in the backcountry for the first time, tried Juneau's famous Russian dumplings, visited a huge glacier, and found some surprisingly decent bagels (by Alaska standards). Click below for pictures and stories:
Next time I visit, I'll have to stay longer and work less...

Tutus and Sled Dogs

It's been a busy month or so! Click the picture below to see photos (and videos!) from the Ski for Women, Fur Rendezvous, and Iditarod:
Next up: Juneau! I was accepted to attend the 2009 Women's Summit, a 2-day legislative training for reproductive health advocates. After 2 days at the Capitol Building and schmoozing with legislators, I'll be excited to go out and see Juneau for the first time (not counting my pre-dawn layover at the ferry terminal last spring) and visit my friends Aluki, Lisa, and Maple!

No Mail Today

To avoid turning this into a log of moose sightings, I will first report on other news of life in Alaska these days... An exciting development is that we are suddenly gaining daylight super fast every day. It is no long pitch black outside when I leave for work and return home. The past two nights, I felt like I was playing hooky because it was unusually bright out, like mid-day bright, at 5pm. The sudden change took me by surprise. Spring is coming fast! I must admit, I will be sad to see winter go...I've really enjoyed the beautiful, snowy days and even the novelty of twilight afternoons. (Of course, there's still at least a month or two left of winter...and the messiest part is yet to come.)

Things have been going quite well at work too. I presented at an environmental health conference earlier this month (in Portland!) and may get to travel to Juneau in a few weeks to participate in a legislative training for women's health advocates. Also, there's a good chance I'll be going to both villages on St. Lawrence Island in early April to coordinate health fairs and help with community health surveys. And, we have started planning for the summer field season (somewhere in the Norton Sound region) and 2nd annual Field Institute (in Nome), which I am really excited about. It's an honor to be invited to these places and to be a part of the work going on in the communities.

And here in Anchorage, the city (okay, town) is buzzing with many exciting upcoming events:

• This weekend is the annual Fur Rendezvous, aka "Fur Rondy," which began in the 1930s as a festival coinciding with the time that miners and fur trappers came to town with their winter harvest. I hear it's an Alaskan tradition not to be missed, with events like the Running of the Reindeer, World Championship Sled Dog race ("the NASCAR of Dog Sled Racing"), snow and ice sculpture competitions, parades, carnival rides, etc.
• The Iditarod starts soon after that, the first Saturday in March! I'm looking forward to being there for the "ceremonial start" which takes place in Anchorage, before the real competition starts about 50 miles north of here. The race starts downtown, then they run through the city streets and trails, and pass by my house on the Chester Creek trail before heading out of town and running over 1,100 miles to Nome.

Still not convinced that Anchorage is where it's at?

• Last but not least, "on May 23, 2009, ... the City of Anchorage, Alaska plays host to the world's bearded and moustached elite." Well, well... Check out the World Beard and Moustache Championships website for some hilarious pictures of past winners. This is serious stuff, folks.

Alright, I think it's now safe to mention that I saw the mama moose again for the third time this week. This time, she was standing on top of a snow bank next to my mailbox, snacking on the tree above. Finally, a clear shot in the light of day! (And proof that moose eat trees.) Here's a short video for all you fans out there:



It's been suggested that I should name my neighbor...any ideas?

Getting Creative

The 2-inch sheet of ice covering Anchorage has made it pretty difficult to get around these past few weeks. But people here are quite resourceful and don't give up. For example, a friend of mine has taken up the new sport of jogging......indoors......around his living room. Yeah. Pretty funny to picture, but I think this one wins:
Crutches with CLEATS!

Geez, and I thought studded bicycle tires were bizarre...

You can see why I must carry my camera with me at all times.

Chinook Meltdown

Today was the warmest January 16th in Anchorage's recorded history! Quite a shock considering the recent subzero temperatures. The weather suddenly changed dramatically this week due to chinook winds, a weather pattern that brings a midwinter heat wave. Last week the low was about -25°F, and today the high was 50°F.

My neighborhood is flooding. We live right next to a creek at the bottom of 2 big hills, and it's been raining for the past 3 days, melting 3 months of snow... The end of my street is blocked off, submerged in a huge puddle of water. Our house is about 5 houses down to the left of this picture:

This is the greenbelt trail tunnel underneath the street where that big puddle is:
And a neighbor's house down the street, near the flooded intersection:
Tomorrow morning when the sun comes up, I'll go check on my neighbors—and keep an eye on my own backyard!

A Normal Day Until...

On this fine -7°F afternoon I started my car, unplugged the block heater, and walked back to the house to hang up the extension cord. (I know, yawn.) But out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone slowly walking toward me, so I looked up—right into the enormous face of a moose! 4 or 5 feet away at most. I gasped and in a split second debated whether to back away slowly or just get the hell out of there. I bolted (knowing that might be a bad decision but unable to stand my ground in front of this massive animal), ran back to the front door that I had just locked, and knocked as hard as I could for Stephanie to let me back in since my keys were still in the ignition.

Once safely inside, I tried to catch my breath as we watched the moose casually continue to cross our yard and begin chomping on the neighbor's tree.

This gal was HUGE! She dwarfed my neighbor's car:
And she spent a good ten minutes eating that tree:
I just can't believe the moose walked right up to me! It certainly was an exciting and terrifying close call. I'll have to pay more attention from now on...

A New Low

This morning, I walked to work on apparently the coldest day so far this winter: 23 degrees below zero. (My car is in the shop, otherwise I might not be so brave.) No more than 5 minutes into the walk, frost sprouted on my neck warmer, gloves, and eyelashes. That's right...my eyelashes. The moisture from my breath actually froze on my eyes! By the time I got to work, I had to be careful not to blink too hard in case my eyes might freeze shut.

Even the banana I was carrying got frostbitten in a matter of minutes:Tomorrow it's supposed to get up to a whopping zero degrees, and after Thursday we are expecting temperatures around 20°F for the next week or so. Woo hoo!

Subzero Lessons

I just returned from holiday vacation in Oregon (a balmy 35-40°F) to find Anchorage in record breaking low temperatures—the coldest subzero stretch in 9 years. I picked a good year for my first winter in Alaska! I am certainly learning a lot already...

In the cab ride home from the airport yesterday morning, the driver told me (in a thick Polish accent) all about how the recent cold spell has been so nice because of the clear skies and "crispy" air—ha ha. But he's right that when there are no clouds and it gets super cold, the bright sun and glittering snow make it all worth it. And the low light makes the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises I've ever seen, especially with the Chugach mountain range as a backdrop in Anchorage. I saw this jaw-dropping sunrise one December morning walking to work—I could not believe the deep pink all over the sky. I couldn't get high enough for a great shot, but here's the view from our office:My favorite new thing about winter is hoar frost, a beautiful thick layer of ice crystals that builds up over time in super cold weather, sometimes in feathery patterns. It looks almost like snow, except that instead of covering up everything, the hoar frost has this way of accentuating it instead (if that makes any sense). It's so gorgeous in town right now with everything frosted over: You can see the crystals if you click on this close-up:
Unfortunately, my car is not nearly as thrilled with winter... Along with problems starting the reluctant engine, I have discovered additional subzero surprises. This morning, at -17°F, I found my car seat was as hard as a rock. At first I thought I sat on something, but then realized the cushion itself had actually frozen—seriously! And aside from the ongoing annoyance of having to scrape all the windows and mirrors and lights on my car every single time I go anywhere, there is the new issue of stubborn frost inside the windows.

Well, I just hope it warms up enough to be safe to play outside again! My new cross-country skis are waiting patiently.

Flashback: Photos from the Move to Alaska

In case any of you missed this and care to see, here are some photos of my journey to Alaska last April. Click on the picture to open up the photo album.

Part 1 - Ferry ride through British Columbia and into Southeast Alaska:

Part 2 - Road trip starting out in Southeast Alaska, through British Columbia and Yukon Territory, and ending in Southcentral Alaska: