Warm October, Cold November?

After an unseasonably warm October, colder temperatures have arrived in Fairbanks. The temperatures weren't the only thing strange about last month. Usually, there's a few inches of hard snowpack by the middle of the month, but we had stayed snow-free until the 31st. Once November 1st rolled in, we said goodbye to the 50's and 60's we were enjoying and said hello to the 20's. Still, we are warmer than is average for this time of year.

I like to think that we got a warm October because of the previously long, long winter; the longest winter on record. I really have no idea what will happen this or the months to come. Every winter up here had been different in its own way. This time, however, I will be a little bit more comfortable.

On Saturday morning, I slid into Auto Trim Design off of S. Cushman (roads are icy now), and scheduled an appointment to have auto-start installed in my truck. Sure, they are expensive. Yes, you can start your car for free. In the dead of winter, it is such a chore to go through the motions to simply warm up your vehicle. It'll save a lot of time and effort on my part if I could just push a button and continue to work.

Back to snow. We have just an inch maybe of snow still on the ground. It's not enough to pretty things up too much, but more appears to be on the way. Winter sports enthusiasts rejoice! My bike has been itching to float on some fresh powder, and I have already seen some fat tire tracks in the snow.

It may get down to normal temperatures eventually, but I feel lucky to have had it so easy so far. Winters can be really tough for the unprepared. I'm ready to take the (temperature) plunge.

Wautumn is Here! Prepare for Winter!

Under my shoes, you can hear the crunch of yellow fall leaves and...snow?

Two. We have had two snow storms roll through Fairbanks this month. Needless to say, the snow is early, really early. Ever since I moved up to Fairbanks from Texas we have had unusual weather, or so they tell me. Most of the snow has disappeared except in the shady spots, and the leaves haven't completely died. A lot of trees are still green!

Strange to see the green, yellow, and white all getting along together, at least for now. Winter is coming green or not, and I have already swapped out my summer tires for my studded winter ones. Another helpful winter accessory would be getting auto-start (or remote start) installed in my truck this year. Don't get me wrong. I love having to disrupt my daily routines to:

• bundle up
• run (duck walk) outside
• start my truck
• run (duck walk) back inside
• un-bundle
• do something for a few minutes
• bundle up again,
• jump into my truck and go

Auto-start is a bestseller in Fairbanks. Many times, when you leave a hockey game, cars will roar to life as you walk to your cold, sad vehicle. You are forced to sit in coldness while others walk to their warm, bright vehicle that has auto-start. It is like having a small hand-held butler minus all the other butler stuff, of course. Maybe it comes with a hot chocolate dispenser?

They can be as costly as you want them to be. How far will you (or will you not) go to start your car is the question. Some will work only with line-of-sight while others will work a mile away. The fancier models have a screen on the fob that will let you know if you successfully started your car. What service!

These things need to be done before winter hits. Otherwise, all of the automotive shops will be flooded (snowed in?) with procrastinators, leaving you stranded and cold.

We will see if I indeed get auto-start installed this year or not. It is an investment for sure, but it'll save time and possible head injuries from slipping on the ice.

Another thing: why hasn't auto-start taken off in the blazing hot states? I'm looking at you Texas.

Fall Follies in Fairbanks, Winter Coming Soon

The timing of this blog post is a little off for Fairbanks, but it is probably closer to those of you in the Lower 48. Fall is pretty much over up here. The leaves have all disappeared completely, the air is still, and everyone is looking anxiously to the horizon to see if snow is coming. Well, enough talk about winter. Let’s talk about fall.

Now, Alaska has plenty of trees that change color in the fall. What sets Alaska apart are the fall colors of the tundra. Now that is cool! All of the stunted foliage turns bright yellow and red, making the landscape look like a Photoshop image gone wrong, but it is very real. A trip to Denali National Park is not only a great way to take in all of the colors but also to see some of the wildlife preparing for winter (there’s that word again, sorry).

As for myself, I am glad that winter has been put off for a bit. My cabin needs a few adjustments to make it winter-ready. I have put on the shrink wrap on my big windows. It is nothing more than a big sheet of plastic wrap and double-sided tape that has been shrunk using a hair dryer. However, having that extra layer of air between you and sub-zero temperatures makes a huge difference.

Another task that has yet to be completed is new weather-stripping around my door. Last winter I had stuffed blankets under the door to keep the cold out (and keep the expensive heat in). No more! I want some good stripping to put around my door. Oddly, this stuff is hard to find so far.

Over the weekend I helped a friend load and unload a truck-load of 8-9 foot firewood logs. Man, that is a lot of work, and they aren’t even split yet! I would love to have a wood stove in my cabin because they give off a lot of heat and are more charming than, say, an oil stove that clicks and smells like oil. However, they are a lot of work and not necessarily cheaper. Perhaps someday I will have both in my awesome cabin that I built with my two hands.

Masculine hypotheticals aside, I am almost ready for winter to arrive. I am sorry to not have any cool time-lapse videos up for my time-lapse challenge. The weather wasn’t very attractive all week. I will reschedule it for when the snow starts falling. That, I think, will be more entertaining than the cloudy, hazy weather we have been having.

To all of you down south, enjoy your prospective fall seasons in proper fashion. The next post will likely feature the white stuff! 

Star Trails Timelapse Video

Hey everyone,

Well, I had a busy night getting this timelapse all set up. I was a bit worried about leaving my camera outside for a long period of time, but there was no way I was staying up all night to watch it either. So, I left it out to do its thing and capture hundreds of images of stars.

Then I processed the images in photoshop to create the star trail effect. I did manage to get one shooting star early on if you can see it. The video is a bit dark, and I don't feel like messing with it too much. It was a test after all. I hope that you all enjoy it. The timelapse challenge will probably start the first of October, and extend for at least a week.

We shall see how it all turns out. If you have any timelapse subject ideas please post a comment so I can try it out.

Dry Cabin Living

The power of the ancient Romans is evident from their technological achievements. Many of their theaters, roads, and bridges still stand as a testament to this fact. Another invention that still stands the test of time is indoor plumbing. At least, that is what I used to think. Alaska is still behind when it comes to embracing this “luxury”.

I am speaking facetiously, of course, but it is interesting to live in a place where living without running water is not uncommon or frowned upon. This can be witnessed by visiting the Laundromat near the University. You can wash your clothes and yourself at the same time in one of four showers for a price. The campus also has several shower facilities available at no cost.

My cabin rests above several feet of soil and permafrost, ground that remains below freezing. If the cabin were to sit on the ground it would trap heat underneath it, melt the underlying permafrost, and subsequently cause the cabin to sink. The permafrost is also responsible for the lack of running water in my cabin.

The cold soil and the extreme temperature swings wreak havoc on underground plumbing. The solution is to purchase water at a cheap price and haul the water back in blue camping jugs (yay, Aqua-tainer!). The Water Wagon is a popular place to fill up your jugs. It operates not unlike a gas station/vending machine.

 
Small change is best for this task since one gallon of water costs 1 ¾ cents! I like to use nickels. The water is dispensed out like gasoline and comes out pretty quickly. Then you just heave the now heavy water jug in the back of the truck/car and head on home. It’s that simple!

 
In my kitchen there is a normal sink with two basins. Underneath is where it gets interesting! There are two one-foot long pvc pipes that run into two large, orange buckets. Brilliant! So, the water jugs (equipped with spigots) sit over the sink and operate like a regular faucet, and the water runs into these buckets.

One important thing to remember, and I must stress important, is to empty out the buckets when they are full. Luckily, I have a tray to catch all of the forgetful drops that pour from the full buckets. This incident has occurred a few times already since I moved up here. The buckets are emptied outside in a spot of your choosing.

Everything else is pretty much the same. Although, most places do not have air conditioning since it rarely gets warm enough to need one. I say that after Sunday’s high was 91 degrees! However, this was a record and only lasted one day. Oil heaters are common for some reason. I have yet to figure out this one. I turned mine on the other day to make sure that it worked. My place still smells like exhaust! There is probably something wrong with mine, though.

Oil Heater

What else am I forgetting? There was something else that was different. Oh, yes, now I remember. I don’t have a bathroom! Well, I should say that I don’t have an INDOOR bathroom. I do have an outhouse. This seems to be a hot topic among Outsiders. My outhouse has four walls, a clear roof, and electricity. That’s all I want to say about the subject because there is not much else to say.

Living in Alaska has changed my way of life a little bit, and it is exciting to try and live differently than what I am used to. Dry cabin living is definitely not for everyone, save for those that crave adventure and being out in nature. Speaking of Nature, I think I hear her calling me. Excuse me.