Finally the snow came . . .

And so did the ditch divers who cannot drive worth a crap.

The front came through and with it a nice steady snowfall covering the frost on everything the last two weeks and as those who make their way to work in the darkness forgot some of the tenants of safe driving. 

The main on is slow down lest you end up in the ditch or overturned with that unique view upside down sliding to a scary stop hoping someone else doesn’t hit you.  Another is turn of cruise control on icy roads as they can make you veer off the highway when the tires hit uneven ice on the road making the false sense of slowing down when it just spins those tires until you hit the brake spinning you out of control.

After the front stalled over Anchorage it produced some nice fluffy large snowflakes which was pretty to watch once the light of day came but caused major traffic tie ups along the Glenn Highway which was closed for several hours due to out of control vehicles.  It was a long commute for those heading to Eagle River and the Valley. 

It was a coffee kind of day for many people who had time on their hands as they could go nowhere.  Fighting that crave is a waste of time.  It's like trying to control the amount of coffee people drink.  There are always those coffee shacks which cut prices to get you to drop by for a hot latte.  About the only way to slow it down or stop it is to price it like Alaska tomatoes and no one will be able to afford it.

Air cargo traffic at the airport here in Anchorage has slipped a little this year as the economy has tanked all over the country.  Overseas cargo flights are down as Alaska has the fourth largest cargo airport in the world.  Items get shipped in from everywhere . . . Russia, China, you name it coming or going it makes a fuel stop here . . . remember Obama’s stops here last month.

I know we're 1,400 miles from the Lower 48, but why are food and gas prices so high?  I think it's an excuse from retailers to gouge us.  If Target and Wal-Mart can give us 30 days worth of prescription medication for $4 then why can't a grocery store give us a lousy tomato at a decent price?

I must be ranting a little as we approach Solstice with the cold dark nights freezing my brain.  Time for a glass of Beringer’s before I head off to dream land so I can be fresh to watch the idiots in the ditch tomorrow morning on my way to work.  They say we may receive as much as 15 inches before morning but hey . . . its winter in the northland so what else should we expect.

Ice