Icewind's Ramblings

Is it just me or has this happened to any of you? This have been a really busy period for me over the last few weeks with working everyday and then working on the bathroom installing the tile on the walls and ceiling of the shower.  There has not been a lot of time for rest even though I have tried to get to bed earlier. One of the weird things that have also has been happening is my wife’s schedule is changing.  She has been out of work over the last few months when she was on call to travel to Seattle with my daughter for her medical appointments.  Now that is behind them and she has been trying to get back on staff part time with one of the dental offices in Anchorage .  She has been able to pick and choose since dental assistances are in demand here so she has tried several of them before deciding to get back into the routine. During this time off she has not had any schedule staying up late watching HGTV or late night episodes of the old Twilight Zone ser...

Never take advice from anyone with no investment in the outcome. Ice

I’ve been fascinated with the Iditarod for many years now and spent some time around current and former mushers who over the years given me different insights into this crazy and wonderful sport. In the first days out from the Willow restart as you leave the relative flat terrain around the Parks Highway and start the climb into the Alaska Range and the white knuckle experience heading down the steps into Dalzell Gorge. The miles covered these days are very exciting.  Martin Buser has said, "It takes 2 days to climb to the top of the range and less than two hours to get down the other side."  I’ve wondered why these people endure the conditions found on the trail and what it takes for one to run in the Iditarod.  Courage would have to be toward the to of the list, the love of the outdoors and spending endless hours alone with the forces of mother nature . . . both good and bad.  Those traits with a love for dogs, and you have the makings for a musher. If yo...

Last Saturday I made my way to Costco for my normal stop after breakfast for next week’s staples.  I make my way around the store in a clockwise direction which is against the normal flow of people within the store. I do this for several reasons which are logical to me and that is I head to the areas where I have the heaviest items to place in my basket or underneath so as not to crush the lighter or smaller items to be placed in later. I can get my firelogs and my wife’s case of Diet Pepsi and the weeks where I get toilet paper or paper towels they can go underneath the main part of the cart. As I decided if I had an extra gold bar available to buy fresh fruit since it is so expensive here I made my way around to get a few fugi apples for my lunch.  I also grabbed a bunch of bananas for a peanut butter and banana sandwich which is still one of my favorites. I stopped by the large case which had grapes and plums on it and stopped to figure out if I should get a few....

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 experie...

It’s March again which means it is time again for “The Last Great Race” . . . The Iditarod, pitting men, women and their dogs against the extreme and many times harsh elements and terrain of the Alaskan wilderness.  Over a thousand mile distance to work out the rhythm of the dogs and one’s inner self in a place that sometimes defies description. From humble beginnings to a world class sporting event.   The Iditarod trail began as a sled dog trail to carry mail and supplies to and from coastal mining towns.  In 1925, a group of sled dog tag teams used the trail to deliver anti-diphtheria vaccine from a hospital in Anchorage to the then-isolated community of Nome .  Historian Dorothy Page and musher Joe Redington Sr. in 1967 organized a shorter race to commemorate the use of the trail.  The first long race from Anchorage to Nome was in 1973. What some have called the "ultimate marathon" but the distance is only part of what differentiates the Iditarod fro...

Crazy here in Anchorage with a little snow, the Iditarod start and working on the shower all weekend so not much time to write so I’ll post this one that I saw on Grouchy Old Cripple (GOC) site and could not resist replaying it here. I didn't check the numbers, but even so, CFC was a liberal wet dream and I know how liberal wet dreams always turn out.  They waste money and don't accomplish much.  In fact, they usually make things worse. A 15 mpg clunker that travels 12,000 miles a year uses 800 gallons of gas a year. A 25 mpg vehicle that travels 12,000 miles a year uses 480 gallons a year. So, the average Cash for Clunkers transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year.  (Actually, I think it saved even less than that...GOC) They claim 700,000 clunkers were turned-in, so that's 224 million gallons saved per year. That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil. 5 million barrels is about 5 hours worth of US consumption. Mor...