Spring Break . . . Alaska Style

This week is “spring break” in Alaska and the kids are out of school.

Normally one thinks of warm balmy breezes and maybe going on that first camping trip of the season or possibly heading outside to play for long hours.  These were the things I did years ago growing up in the southland but it seems things are a little different here in the arctic.

Spring break here has the kids hunkered down close to a fireplace with the television going or maybe away from everyone in their room on the computer playing some game with a tropical setting so far away from the realities outside their window. 

For those who can brave the winds and cold there is the ‘dress code’ of Alaska . . . Carharts with jackets or insulated bibs to keep warm.  Gloves and sockhead type hats to keep frostbite at bay as well as ‘bunny boots’ or Sorel’s to keep your feet dry and warm.  Kids are kids’ so playing outside during spring break is expected and another of those somewhat different experiences found in this northern exposure.

My morning took an unexpected turn as I took to the streets for my drive to work.  Anchorage overnight and most of the morning had blizzard conditions with high winds and blowing snow making the morning ride to work a trying and somewhat difficult drive.  My wiper fuse blew just after I left my house so the windshield was quickly covered in blowing snow and ice.  I could not see anything and trying to stop while pulling off to the side of the road was hard but safely done.  I stood on the edge of the entrance ramp to the Glenn glad I did not quite make the merge where the vehicles of the morning commute were in full swing with little to no visibility ahead.

I got out and cleared the snow from the windshield, windows, and wiper blades while the wind blown snow cut through my clothes like I was wearing nothing.  I climbed back inside and searched the glove box where I found a box of spare fuses.  Now the fun part . . . where is the fuse panel on this rig?  Is it outside under the hood . . . or was in underneath the dash?  Turns out it was on the left dashboard when you open the door on the panel next to my mirror control.  I found the bad fuse and replaced it with a new one clearing my windshield once again so it was time to get off the side of the roadway before someone hit me with the limited visibility.  I made it to work a few minutes late and as the morning wore on I could see the snow once again building up on my rig as the snow continued to fall and the light of the morning replaced the darkness.

The rest of my day gave way to meetings and phone calls making arrangements to ship equipment and housing units to my projects.  Lunchtime found me at my desk watching the snow fall and the wind whipping the drifts on the vehicles around.  I was happy not to have to go out until I headed home for the afternoon. 

As the day wore on the snow totals around Anchorage and the valley ranged from 6 inches to over 20 inches with wind blown drifts up to six or seven feet.  I saw a picture on the news this afternoon at Alyeska of a car buried in the snow drift with only the top two inches of the antenna showing out the top of the snow.

Temperatures on the trail tonight are minus 10 below zero where several mushers have just passed McGrath with Jeff King leading at 10 pm.

Ice