This winter has been the biggest challenge for us yet. The snow first hit us in early October and has been here  ever since. Today it is April 12th and it is still -12 F outside this morning, with calls for even more snow and continued below normal temps. We are sitting at a full 30 degrees below normal over the past few weeks and it looks like it may continue through much of April! Average daily highs are supposed to be in the mid 40's  but we aren't even close to that yet. Most everyone I talk to is begging for Spring.

In February I took a one week vacation in Kona and I really lapped up the sun. Just a few hours out in the warmth and sunshine began to have a restorative effect. I have seen this effect every year I go on vacation (over the winter) but it seemed most dramatic this year. I also noticed that I felt like a brand new person when I returned back to Fairbanks. A large uptick in happiness and general well-being was noticed. The reason for the late February vacation is that it gives you something to look forward to through the entire winter, and then when the vacation is over, you should have just a few short weeks until Spring. This has been my new survival mechanism for far north winters. This year, however, did not go to plan due to the excessively cold and long winter. Spring has certainly not sprung.

After five long winters in Fairbanks, I have had a pretty large swing in my attitude toward the north. Yes, the summers are beautiful, but they are far too short. The far north is a very extreme environment, and it taxes our body to the max, which subsequently is very hard on the mind. The lack of sunlight and warmth just isn't natural for a human being in this day and age. My new plan is to save, save, save, and plan for a day when my time here will not include a lot of the winter. I hope to become a very young snowbird within the next ten years, when the boys are in college.

August 2nd, 2012

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. It's true. This period of time has been a nice test of my will but I am coming through it and this gives me some powerful positive ammo for any future challenges. It really is true that "this too shall pass".
The boys and I have gotten used to our one week on, one week off schedule, but it's still tough. I think they are adapting pretty well. I even find that I enjoy the occasional quiet evening alone. Being alone has always been a challenge for me. Listening to music and talking to myself seem to help make the house feel more occupied. Alone time often sweetens up when Wendy is able to come and visit. Wendy is an awesome person and life feels better with her in it.
August in AK brings the rain and we are certainly seeing that. It is the fair week here and historically it is rained out all the time. It's a bad joke, but true. Some leaves in the yard are starting to change and as I look outside at 10:50 pm, it is a tiny bit dark. The sun is setting before 11:00 now and soon we will have our long nights back.

Recently Wendy and I drove down to the coastal trail in Anchorage and rode our bikes all over it. Very cool, but we got soaked. Rain, rain, rain!
Earlier in July, Samantha and Dominik got to take a ride on the AK Railroad down to Denali Park. It was beautiful and a lot of fun, but a liittle long.
Check out the Rhubarb! That is what 24 hours of light will do for you. I plan on eating a lot of rhubarb over the winter. More until a little later.

June 30th, 2012. Massive changes.....

It has been forever since I filled in on life up here. This is going to be a very brief update and then I will try to fill in the blanks after that. Since I last blogged I have had a divorce, 2 car accidents, a home remodel that went over double budget and a few other big changes. Yikes. The good news is....I am still standing. My iron will has served me well. In fact, life is far better! More soon.

January 18th, 2011

We are moving through January and the sun is beginning to come back. We are now seeing the sunrise at 10:30 and then set at around 3:30. The sunlight is changing at 6 mins/day, so it won't be long until the days are feeling more normal again. It is obvious to me that the sun is supposed to be a big part of our lives, as it seems universal that people start getting tired and cranky by this time of year. Due to the extreme cold up here (pushing 40 out of 60 days at -30F or colder) and the high energy costs, most people live in smaller homes. This leads to severe cabin fever and even divorce! You haven't tested your marriage until it is too cold to do much outside and you just hang out together through the meat of the winter in a small cabin!

We are starting to plan the upcoming season and we have a lot of events planned. In February I will be going to Dawson, Yukon, to compete in an oldtimer hockey tournament. In March, Dominik and I are going to fly to Manitoba to visit family, and then I get a free trip to Jamaica at the end of March! In April we have an oldtimer tourney in Honolulu, followed by an oldtimer tourney in Anchorage. Busy season! Dominik is doing very well competing with the older kids in hockey and Yanik is really a natural at Taekwondo. We are looking forward to camping in Denali this year and also doing a fly in hunt of some kind. We want to go up into the Brooks range again for the hunt. In July, we will be traversing the famous Chilkoot Pass. This is the pass where the miners crossed into AK during the gold rush. It is a 3-4 day trip and it is about 33 miles. I'll take lots of pictures!

Solstice!

Here are a few nice pictures from solstice. The sun rises at 11:00 am and sets at around 2:40.
these pictures were taken at just after 1:00 when the sun was cresting. When summer comes I'll try to match this with another picture where it never sets! These pictures were taken from UAF near the Museum of the North.

More Moose Hunt 2010 (Dominik)

1.Dominik on the way out.
2.Roasting a weiner
3. Sunrise
4. Dominik keeping a careful watch on evening hunt

2010 Moose Hunt

Here are a few pictures from my first moose hunt. I took Dominik with me so it was his first hunt as well.

We took off from Chena Lakes with my buddy Keith and headed up the Chena to a nice spot for setting up camp.
We stayed out for 3 days, but unfortunately we didn't see any moose. We did see 5 beavers, a martin , a bald eagle, a golden eagle, and many other interior creatures. The leaves were also turning so it was pretty. The weather was about 10 degrees above normal during the day at about 70, but the mornings were COOL. Haha.

During off times, Dominik had a chance to do some fishing a caught a couple nice Graylings. That was a thrill for him. While we were hunting, Dominik fell into a routine of falling asleep for the entire time, so I didn't have any help spotting!

Each new trip leads to learning, and this trip was no exception. I learned that you eat well in moose camp. There is no need to skimp because you don't need to worry about the weight like Sheep hunting. I was still in the sheep hunting mode so I brought clif bars and mountain house meals. Keith showed up with bacon and eggs,m pancakes, hotdogs, etc. Haha. I learned my lesson.

Dominik had a great time, but he was ready to come home when it was over. He was TIRED. All those early morning and evening hunts got to him. We'll do it again.