Snow, Snow and more Snow

Monday, Nov. 28th

 *** Let it SNOW *** Let it SNOW *** 

 ***  Let it SNOW  *** 

The "Chilkoot River" Winter Wonderland.

That has definitely been the theme for November...SNOW.

Once it started snowing here it has not seemed to quit. We wanted to see what winter here was like and we picked a good one. We have had over 100" of snow since the first of the month ( I did the math for you...it's more than 8 FEET !!). That is an all time record amount for Haines in the month of November and already twice what they got all winter last year. Some locals seem to grumble about it lots but for us (so far) it has been nothing but fun !

We have had to shovel the driveway at least 4 times in the past two weeks. The hard part is digging through the berm that the city snowplow leaves blocking the driveway when he clears the street. It's usually about 4 feet tall.

 

One of the reasons we have to dig the truck out is to do one of our jobs. We get paid to deliver a free newspaper once a week called the "Capitol City Weekly" (because it comes from Juneau, the capitol city of Alaska). We drop 360 copies at about 20 different locations around town...rain or snow.

You can check it out at http://capitalcityweekly.com/ 

The job doesn't pay much but it's part of our house sitting job. Besides, it's something to do and a chance to talk with everyone around town.The job doesn't pay much but it's part of our house sitting job. Besides, it's something to do and a chance to talk with everyone around town.

The "Hitch-Up" in early November (notice the drifts).

We enjoyed a nice, quiet Thanksgiving at home. It was nice because my Cowboys got a win (barely) and quiet because we only had 3 friends over. We were not sure if they would be able to make it over as the day started with 12" of fresh snow. By noon the sun came out, they made it and we all feasted on Lori's dinner.

We gave thanks for many things including not being in the MLS at the Hitch-Up for winter (and having to shovel the 92 RV sites).

Check out those snow banks

The next night, Friday, we took a walk to the library to kick off the Christmas season.

Friday is usually our weekly night out when we go to the Elks club for the burger feed (best burgers in town) and a couple of beers. It is also a weekly social event for many in town (including us) and draws quite a crowd each Friday.

This night we would skip the burger feed and eat leftovers so we could go to the biggest social event of the winter.

The library was packed with hundreds of people

The "lighting of the Christmas Tree" at the city library is basically a fund raiser for the library. You pay $10 to get in where you find table after table of homemade cookies, candies and finger foods to help yourself to. Also, there are dozens of tables with  mini Christmas trees decorated and donated by businesses (like one with fishing lures from the Sport Shop) for a silent auction. At 8pm the lights were dimmed when they lit the tree and everyone sang "Winter Wonderland".

Two days after Thanksgiving we celebrated Lori's birthday (her 29th) with a drive out to the Chilkoot River so she could test drive her new birthday presents - snowshoes and a new hat. I know what you are thinking but let me tell you, it is really hard to gift shop in such a small town. There is only one clothes store and there is no spa in town...no really.

There aren't even any restaurants open this time of year in town (except Lori's work and you know she didn't want to go there) so I made her favorites for dinner - Red Lobster's clam chowder and cheese buns with Marie Calender's German Chocolate (birthday) pie.

There was about 2 feet of fresh powdery snow with no tracks when we started. We were going to try and make it the 2 miles to the Chilkoot Lake where we enjoyed so many summer days to see if it was frozen over.

We only made it about 3/4 of the way to the lake when we decided it was best to turn around.

Spaz the W.A.D. was having trouble plowing through the deep snow. Even when she stayed on our trail, her legs would sink to her belly with each step. The snow was also balling up, freezing into ice balls and sticking in the spaces between her toe pads causing her pain and making her limp. 

It is rough going and very tiring when the snow is that deep - even on showshoes or skis. Lori and I could have gone on for miles and miles (wink,wink) but we turned back after an hour because Spaz was tired...not us...really.

Even though we didn't make it to the lake, it was a great day. The river that we spent so many days fishing on was covered in that white blanket of winter peace. There was blue sky, no wind, and the only sounds beside us were bald eagles.

That was one of my favorite fishing spots - it sure looks different now.

Our 1st Blizzard & Crampons

Wednesday, November 16th

Gotta love the white picket fence

WOW !!.......As I sit here inside writing this, warm and dry, our first Alaskan Blizzard is raging outside. We had just finished digging out from the last big storm that dumped 30" of snow on Haines and got to enjoy about 4 hours of actual sunshine when this storm moved up the Lynn Canal. It started snowing Tuesday night and by morning we had another 12" of fresh snow. Then the wind started blowing and blowing and it is still blowing, sometimes 50 mph! 

We decided we had to go out in it to really experience it so we bundled up and walked to the grocery store.

The getting ready thing is really one of the tough parts. You start putting on layers, then your snow boots, then your hat & scarf. By now, you are starting to overheat as you put your parka and gloves on so you try to hurry out into the storm to cool your body (which doesn't take long). Oh, and don't forget your crampons.

Play the video to come along with us while you are sitting there barefoot in your shorts & tee shirt.

Some of our friends and family were asking about the crampons I mentioned in the last post. For those of you who have not lived your entire lives in the warmer parts of the country, please skip this chapter while the others catch up.

Crampons are devices that go on the bottom of boots to provide grip when walking on ice.

They come in many shapes and designs depending on if you are climbing glaciers on Mount Everest or trying not to fall on your way to the grocery store. 

These are some of the cheapest designs which explains why we have this type. We Paid $20 for two pairs of these at Costco in Juneau.

That's what "crampons" look like (now you know)

They are made of rubber kind of like those black bungee cords. These kind have 2 types of metal grippers, a spring (like chains) up front and small spikes on the heel. 

This is what they look like after you have struggled to stretch the rubber over the soles of your boots (to do it with your gloves on is almost impossible). 

Even with the velcro strap, we have still managed to lose one and not even know it (should not have got the cheapest ones I guess). 

After the first storm, one of our friends came over to plow our driveway clean with his John Deer tractor. We had not had our truck out for 3 days so the plowing was welcomed. 

Oh how I wanted to take a shot at plowing with that John Deer. Since I barely got to drive the John Deer mower all summer long I thought it might be my chance...maybe next time :-(

This is what our driveway looked like less than 24 hours later! He had cleared the snow down to the concrete but you would not have guessed it the next morning.

Some of the locals are saying this blizzard is as bad as any they can remember ever having. They did cancel school today and Lori's restaurant did not open - good thing cause she would not have wanted to walk to work this morning and I wouldn't have been able to drive her. The snow is supposed to let up but the wind is forecast to get worse before it stops.

So we are going to...(new Alaska term)...

...HUNKER DOWN  !!

As brutal and harsh as the winter cold seems, 

it can be equally as beautiful like these ice crystals on the inside of our windows.

 

 

Snow FUN & Bald Eagles

Sunday, November 13th

Well, we survived our first BIG storm of the winter this past week. It was not exactly the "Epic" storm that you may have seen on the news. That storm was about 1,000 miles to the northwest of us (yes, Alaska is a HUGE state) but it was the leftovers from that storm and was "Epic" for us desert dogs. 

It started snowing late Friday afternoon and by morning we had 12"-16" of powdery snow and a winter wonderland.

Luckily, Lori had the day off so we got geared up and shoveled our way out the door and down the driveway.

While we were shoveling, we watched a shuttle bus from the Captain's Choice Motel next door slide past our drive.

 All 4 tires with no chains on were locked as he slid backwards down the steep hill in slow motion, drivers and passengers eyes all wide open with the look of...Oh S*%#. They stopped about 3/4 of the way down when the back end hit the snowbank on the roadside. Lori, myself and the scared passengers pushed the front end around until it was pointed downhill where the driver safely drove it the rest way of the way. The passengers were tourists who were here for the Bald Eagle Festival (more on that later) and had themselves an Alaska Adventure to take home.

There seems to be something about snow...a fountain of youth kind of thing...that makes people feel and act like kids. You can't help but want to lay down and make snow angels, have a snowball fight, build a snow man (or a manman as our little nephew Parker would say), and sled. 

Since we were all feeling like kids we took a walk to Spaz's favorite place, the city park.

This time of year you don't go for a walk without having your crampons on your boots or you will surely end up on your butt ...unless you are Lori...who will end up there at least once each walk anyway.

Actually (I don't mean to be a bummer here) it's not a joking matter. So many people get seriously injured, even killed, slipping on the ice that the Haines Fire Department gets state funding to offer a rebate towards the purchase of crampons as a preventive cost saver of money and lives.

The bad part is you have to take them off when you go inside anywhere and put them on when you come out. Also, eventually one of them will come off and you will lose it and not know it.

Took this shot at 5:30 pm

Moonlight shimmering at 8:30 pm

The storm moved out and we were treated to a spectacular full moon rising above the mountains across the bay.

The days are getting very noticeably shorter. The sun rises around 7:45 am and sets by 4:30 pm. The daylight seems even less than that because the sun never rises very high in the sky. It pokes in & out between the tall mountains surrounding town and never gets anywhere close to overhead. 

This is what the scared tourists in the sliding bus had come here to see, the   "Bald Eagle Festival".

Out the Haines Highway, 18 miles from town, there is a wildlife preserve set aside for our national symbol. The "Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve" is 48,000 acres set aside to protect the habitat where the largest gathering in the world of these majestic raptors occurs this time of year. They come to feed on the late run of salmon and socialize. 

If you want to check out the state park preserve, click on this link:

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/chilkatbep.htm

Over 3,000 bald eagles come here every year and it is amazing to see.

Haines has a Bald Eagle Foundation which is like a zoo and a museum dedicated to these birds. Every year they hold the "Bald Eagle Festival" which attracts people from all over the world. A lot of professional photographers come packing these HUGE lens (yes...I get lens envy) to shoot the action. 

Here is a link to visit if you want to know more about the foundation or the festival

http://baldeagles.org/festival 

There is lots of action, although the eagles spend something like 70% of their time just sitting in the trees hanging out.

There seems to be a lot of disputes between the eagles over something...food?...girls?

They are also very vocal and make some really cool sounds, a kind of very distinct whistle that you have to hear to believe.

They also have to constantly fend off ravens and seagulls who hang around trying to steal their fish

In addition to all that at the preserve, you get a few miles of trails alongside the Chilkat river with stunning views like this.

Somewhere along one of these trails, someone will find a crampon that I told you we would lose without knowing it, maybe not until next spring..but sometime.

We all had a lot of fun in the first big snow of winter and look forward to having more. Even Spaz seems to feel younger and act like a puppy, bounding through the snow even when it is belly deep, chasing her frisbee and trying not to lose it.

Maybe you will have fun watching her too.

We're ready!...(we think)

Friday, November 4th

Look for the moon rising over the mountains in the top-right corner

Winter is here and we are ready...at least we think we are. Lori keeps saying things like "I'm freezing" and "it's freezing here" and I try to help by saying "no...not yet you're not" and "no...it's not cold yet". I don't know if I am trying to convince her or me that it is not cold here...yet. Although yesterday, our high was 29, the low was 21 and the 15 mph winds made it feel like 10 (which, don't tell Lori I said this...is FREEZING!!).

Time to make the donuts

We also got our first real snow of the year this morning. We woke to about 4" of cold, dry powder and it was still coming down. Lori had to go to work at 6am (time to make the donuts) so Spaz and I walked her to work where we had a kind of "welcome to winter break-in". We were almost there when, at the exact same instant, we both hit a patch of ice, our feet went flying out from under us and we both landed side by side on our butts, laughing (we thought Spaz was laughing at us too but she denied it). Let the "winter in Alaska lessons" begin. I took this shot when Spaz & I got back home.

It's mine cause Lori is making donuts

We got our winter home ready and have settled in. The owners left for Arizona on Oct. 18th and we have made ourselves at home. It is right downtown and has this incredible view of the Lynn Canal (which is not really a canal) and the mountains on the other side of the fjord. The house is huge (2 stories) but when we both are home we seem to have this power struggle over a certain few square feet - the bay window with one chair and the million dollar view. At least when Lori is at work, I win. 

Check out the Lynn Canal at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Canal

That arrow points at our winter home as seen from the Lynn Canal (before the snow)

"Island Girl" sits in the snowy marina looking out of place

As always in life, we all have to take the good with the bad in everything. 

The good...great view, big house right downtown.

The bad...big house (hard to heat), and sits on a steep street out front. 


It's a little intimidating to think of getting up and down when the road gets icy but we can walk anywhere we might need to go.

Getting it out should be easier

We got the MLS ready for winter just in the nick of time. We had planned to store it in the warehouse out at the fish cannery but discovered at the last minute that the door was too low to fit it into. We ended up putting it in the barn at the state fair grounds that was used to house the farm animals. That door was a pretty tight fit also but we managed to back it in without wrecking anything and we should not have to worry about it until April. When we went to move it from the Hitch Up all the locks were frozen over with ice and I had to hold burning matches on the keyholes before I could get the keys in. It was the next morning that we woke to 4" of the winter's first snow...just in time!

"Eldred Rock" lighthouse in the middle of the Lynn Canal

As part of our get ready for winter plan, we decided to go to Juneau and do some major shopping. Juneau is the capitol city of Alaska and probably the only US Capitol that you can't drive to. It is about 80 miles down the Lynn Canal from Haines and is serviced by the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System. The Eldred Rock lighthouse is about halfway between the two and was built in 1906. It has some cool history and this is a great link if you want to know more about it.

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=828

The ferries are really pretty nice. They have an indoor deck up front with lots of windows and reclining movie theater type seats and a few booths with tables. They also have a movie room where they show a free movie and a cafeteria where you can get breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have cabins for rent and a partially enclosed lounge deck aft with electric heaters where you can "camp out" for the longer voyages, like the 3 day trip up the inside passage from Bellingham, Washington to Haines. All the vehicles are parked below decks and you can not be in your vehicle while the ferry is under way. It is really amazing to see the size and quantity of vehicles they pack into the car deck, from motorcycles to semis with giant trailers.

One of the guys we met at the RV park this summer is Frank who lives in Juneau. He is a well driller and every year for the past 17 years he brings all of his equipment (including his 5th wheel ) up to Haines where he spends the summer working and living in the Hitch Up RV Park. Since we were planning to take our truck to Juneau, he paid our way in exchange for hauling some of his equipment home for him. It costs about $100 each way for a 21' vehicle aboard the ferry.

Had to back it down the ramp into the ferry (easier than the MLS)

Looking at Haines as the ferry returns

The 4 hour ferry ride is spectacular but the real reason for the trip was... survival. We spent 2 days shopping for food and winter wear at Costco, Walmart, Fred Myers and the "mall". We could save a LOT of money buying groceries in Juneau and we had the truck loaded by the time we headed home. As an example, a 12 pack of soda is almost $10 and a regular size bag of chips is $6.50  in Haines. Almost all food is about 30% more in Haines and a trip or two like this per year is standard for almost all locals. We also needed some new winter gear if we were going to survive until spring without going into hibernation. 

We got back to Haines just in time for me to get a call saying that they needed me to go back to Annette Island ASAP for a couple of days. The job had been shut down by the state until they did some mapping that the state insisted they needed done. I left the next morning and got home on Halloween afternoon, just in time to see how Alaskan kids trick or treat in 30 degree rain with 40 mph winds...they didn't...not one kid came to the house and we had to eat the candy ourselves.

So far, we have really enjoyed the first snow of the year, despite busting our buns. We took a long walk with Spaz who seemed to act like a puppy and loved it. We walked to the Elks club for the Friday night burger feed, best burgers in town (but not 5 guys) and then to the Fogcutter bar for a couple of beers. The next day we took a drive, made it up and down the street without crashing and gave Lori her first driving in the snow experience. Now, she is even ready to tackle the hill without fear (ok...maybe a little fear).

So, we're ready for winter...we think. Time will tell just how ready we are. I know this much......... we are going to enjoy it! 

We are not going to hibernate through it, even if it looks like Spaz is planning to.

This has NOT been rotated !! She's on the couch !!