Officially the Shortest

 Looks like Gus has me by about a 1/4 of an inch!  On Sunday, Bryant had the measuring tape and level out to do some measurements for a road bike he's been thinking about buying.  After we finished getting him sized up, I measured the boys' height.  I had noticed their pants were creeping up from the ground, so I'd suspected they had grown a little bit recently.  Wyatt is 5' 6 1/2" and Gus is 5' 2 3/4".  That makes me at 5' 2 1/2"  officially the shortest person in our house. 

Old Knik River Bridge

I pass by the Old Knik River bridge on the way home from work each day and I know there is better picture to be taken than I have the ability, equipment or patience to explore.  Recently, I saw a similar bridge in black and white so I decided to give it a try on this one. After about four clicks and a shoe full of snow, I was done and ready to head home. 

Life is Good - At the Cabin

The cabin when you walk in the door

 Bryant and I spent the night at the cabin this weekend and did some exploring via way of snowmachine.  Seeing as we have more snow than usual, it prompted the decision to ride east to the small town of Knik on the Knik Goose Bay Road.  Over the years, we've looked at the route that would take us there but the lack of snow in that direction made it a not so desirable ride.  Not far from the cabin we were able to hook into the "Historic Iditarod Trail" and to our surprise had a smooth 17 mile ride through stands of birch and the black spruce swamps.  In hardly no time at all we'd made our way to Knik.  Along the way, we encountered several dog teams on the trail. The 1000 mile Iditarod Sled Dog race course to Nome, AK used to start on this route, but due to the lack of snow and continued development, Willow, Alaska became the official start a few years back.

On the way back home, we looped north to Big Lake.  We ended up doing a few extra circles, but eventually made our way to Big Lake.  The Iron Dog snowmachine race, which began on Sunday, prompted Big Lake to host an Annual Winter Festival weekend of events. At 5:59 p.m on Saturday evening. we arrived on the ice in front of the Boathouse Restaurant just in time to listen to Ken Peltier, a local country band, play a few tunes in a heated tent.  Bryant kicked us out a couple of seats into the snowbank and I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene surrounding me; the band playing in winter coats, kids sliding on the snowbanks, snowmachines screaming across the lake, and vehicle headlights moving across the ice road.

The next day, we road west toward Sustina River on the Cranford Trail and to our pleasant surprise, the trail was groomed!  Usually most of the trail is a 15 - 20 mile an hour slog up and down snowmachine moguls, but on Sunday, we made it to the river 30 minutes going 40 -50 miles an hour most of the way.  Apparently, the Big Lake Trail committee has gained momentum and acquired groomers and volunteers who are obviously doing a great job. 

From the river, we watched some of the Iron Dog snowmachine racers go by.  Then as we made our way to Flathorn Lake and back to the cabin, we passed the Susitna 100 racers.  They are a group of hearty athletes who by bike, foot, or ski accomplish 100 miles of wilderness trail in 11 1/2 - 40 hours depending on their abilities.  They also have the 50km race.  Everytime we see the race, it's always the end of the pack and they look completely wasted and worn out.  While this race fascinates me each year and I admire anyone who undertakes this event, I haven't quite summoned the energy to commit to the level of actively participating and training.  I guess I'm not tough enough yet.  Or maybe it's crazy enough.
Overall a busy weekend . . . buzzing around the cabin.  Links to our tracks: http://gps.motionx.com/maps/843f5ec0c6a3c9ac25ae0cce5103676d; http://gps.motionx.com/maps/f4b569a6af0a561d9c22fd042ab4e5e3.

School Cancelled

I would like to say it was due to a big blizzard with 4 feet of snow overnight, but it never is that situation.  I predicted last night when I was driving home from Palmer in the rain that I would get the morning phone call cancelling school. For the last 8 miles, I saw only 3 other vehicles on the road, one a cop and two sanding truck.  I drove 20 miles an hour. In my nine years of teaching in Southcentral AK, icy roads are the most likely reason why school is cancelled. 


View out the window this morning

After I received my 3 phone calls at 5:45 a.m. (my principal and automated calls on my cell & house phone), I settled into a few extra hours of sleep.  When I woke up, it was surprisingly nice and even nicer when one doesn't have to head to work!

Cabin Overnight

 Bryant and I decided to head over to the cabin for the night to shovel snow off the roof and snowblow the drive  Because we hadn't been their since New Year's, we were pretty sure we'd be buried in snow.  And we were.  The nice surprise was that whoever plows the roadway, also cleared the berm from our driveway, so that made for an easier snowblow.   There was about a 1 1/2 feet on the roof.  Its a good thing it is only 16 x 16. 

Last week, Bryant finished another log countertop for the cabin.  When I cooked breakfast this morning, I had all kinds of room to spread out or at least 8 more square feet than I did before. I forgot to take a picture of it though. 

Over the years, we've been watching the spruce trees grow and the birch trees die.  The Boreal Forest plant succession is in motion.