Back to It

This past week was my first trip of the year. 1 down 7 to go for Cordova! As is typical when I go to Cordova, the weather was exquisite. Truly, I have never experienced more than a day or two of rain while there. For those of you who don't know, Cordova never sees the sun. It's weather is similar to Juneau and Ketchikan: gray skies, rain and rain.I tell the locals that the sun comes out when I'm in town (obviously).

This week however was exceptional. The trip started with a fly-by view of Mt. McKinley, although I was sitting on the wrong side of the plane to get pictures! When I fly to Anchorage I always sit on the right side of the plane so I can see Denali if the mountain is out. This trip though, the skies were so clear the pilot did a special fly-by where he dropped down to 24,000 feet and circled around the mountain. Those on the left side of the plane had all the views. I did get this nice picture of Mt. Foraker though.

6 Weeks 'till Winter

Local wisdom says that once Fireweed flowers go to cotton, winter is six weeks away.

Autumn has arrived in Fairbanks. We're still having nice days -- 70's, warm and sunny. But nights have a chill that requires an extra blanket. Windows can't be left open at night; and the quality of light has shifted as well. Softening it seems, in preparation for its hibernation.

Cluck Hut Casulties

Last weekend Crossfit Fairbanks hosted the second annual Fairbanks Fitness Derby at the Tanana Valley State Fair. I (wisely) chose not to compete but I did spectate. The derby was intense; each of the five events was a workout that we'd typically do at the gym on one day. These people were completing all five events in one afternoon!

Kayaking the Chena River, Take II

Those of you long-time followers may remember my fiasco of an attempt to paddle upstream on the Chena River over a year ago. If not, take a peek and read it here. It's classic Heather; what can I say.

 

The Goods Are Odd

Let's focus for a moment on the men portion of this blog, shall we?

I've mentioned before that in Alaska there's a saying about the plethora of men compared to women: "the odds are good but the goods are odd." To exemplify this point I give you the following email I received from ClassyBigDee, shortly before I met 007.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is what's available in Fairbanks, Alaska. And, this was not an isolated incident. (You remember my experience with the BARF, right?) Oh, and to you, "Singleandesperate" -- please change your user name.

Is it any wonder that I've been so taken with 007? I cartwheeled* to my laptop to cancel my match.com account after our second date. Suffice it to say 007 is far classier than BigDee. And that's not classy with a 'K'.


*I've been watching a lot of Olympic coverage (albeit through illegal streaming), in particular the gymnastics. Hence the cartwheel reference. What I wouldn't give to be able to do "a roundoff, one-and-a-half twisting flip into another roundoff, backhand spring, half-twisting double flip, into another flip." Sheesh. I can barely get my feet off the ground to do a jump tucks at Crossfit, and not fall over when I land! 

Chena Lakes: winter vs summer

Chena Lakes is one of my go to places -- perfect for snowshoeing in the winter, and kayaking in the summer. It's interesting to compare the seasons in pictures.

Winter sunset:

I believe this was a "sundog" day. The phantom
sun is to the left.

Bright Lights Big City

I ventured to Anchorage last weekend to visit Hollie, Henlie and Jon. It is a long drive but infinitely more scenic than driving between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. No McKinley or moose sightings this trip, but I also didn't get pulled over by the troopers.

The weather in Anchorage unfortunately was dismal: cold and gray, lots of rain. So much for the great Alaska summer! A rainy Saturday was a good day to be crafty -- we made "calming jars".