Tolovana II

Tolovana II

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to the Tolovana hot springs. 

 

Looking back towards the trail head on the way up The Dome.  If you look close you can see Tommy and Sam on the snowmachine and Mitch riding on the back of the sled.  The nice thing about having the snowmachines is being able tow the sleds with all the food.  Yep, there was a huge prime rib in one of those sleds :-{D

I caught this sunset on my way back down the trail to make sure everyone who was skiing made it to the springs.  The picture doesn't even come close to doing the scene justice.

 

Mitch and Sam at the upper tub.

 

My trusty, borrowed, steed for the weekend, and Skidoo Tundra II.  I couldn't believe this little snowmobile carried me all the way out there and all the way back with little complaint.  I think I see one of these in my future.

Chuck, Mitch, Sam, and myself at the trail head after a great weekend.

Tolovana Hot Springs
2012

Right to the airstrip, left to the hot springs

Last year I was invited to join a really fun group of people on their annual trip to the Tolovana Hot Springs. As could be expected it was a lot of fun so when the call came for the 2012 trip there was no way I would miss it.

The springs are located about 50 miles north of Fairbanks as the crow flies. If you don't have a crow, or an airplane, you can access the springs using an 11 mile trail that starts at mile 93 of the Elliot Highway. There are three cabins. All with wood stoves, propane lights, and propane ranges. The two big cabins have propane stoves. And new this year, was a small wind generator and battery bank powering 4 or 5 LED lights in the Main Cabin.

Both hot and warm water are piped in to three different tubs. Two of them are made from large, plastic, water tanks and one from wood. All three of them have great views, both day and night, and are an amazing way to enjoy a chilly Alaskan winter evening under the stars.

North of Fairbanks on the way to the trail head

I was very fortunate to enjoy this adventure, not only with new friends I made last year, but with old friends from college as well. A good time was had by all and I'm glad its starting to become an annual event for me. What a great way to celebrate the cold, dark, winter.

Stay tuned. Over this week and part of the next I'll post more pictures and share the story of our trip.

Winter is finally here

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's time to get the Blog rolling agsin, so here it goes.

I finally feel like winter has made it to Anchorage. The snowshoe are being prepped and I even went to my first ski-swap this weekend in search of some cross country skis. (it was pretty crowded so I left, but I've never seen so many Subarus in one place!)

Time to buy a shovel.

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Valdez Fly-In

My first trip of the season was to Valdez last weekend for the Valdez Fly in and Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) Competition. I left work early on Friday, was on the road by 2:00 and made it to Valdez around 8:00. Ryan and some other friends had already flown down and gotten a sweet parking spot right on the approach for the STOL competition the next day. It didn't take long for me to find them and get my tent set up.

The ride down was amazing. Definetly in my Top 10 Rides. The sky was blue, I only got rained on a couple short times, and Thompson Pass was clear! Last time I was in Thompson Pass the fog was so thick you could barley see 50 feet in front of you. It just felt good to be back on the bike again after a couple light riding years and a long winter.

Just to compare this weekend with the last time I was down there study the pictures below. As you can see, or can't see, it was much foggier the last time around.

2007

2011

If I remember correctly the shortest takeoff was 36 feet and the shortest landing was an amazing 30 feet ( just about the length of the plane).

I had a great time down in Valdez and am definetly planning to return next year for this event. If you would like to look at the rest of my pictures please follow the link below.

2011 Valdez Fly-In Pictures

Have a good one,
Brian

Curling

The rumors are true. I joined the Anchorage Curling Club this winter.

One of my Co-workers was looking for a fourth person for her Tuesday night team so I signed up. Ever since I had the opportunity to try it one Winter Carnival curling always seemed like it would be a fun thing to do. So far it has been a lot of fun!

The club is full of friendly members of all ages. We have two sheets so two matches can be played at once, and a comfortable club house with big windows to watch what is going on out on the ice.

Some people take up golf when they get old. I think I'll stick with this.

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Fog!

This fog is as thick as peanut butter!

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New Key

My computer keyboard at work had a new key this morning. It is a great key and I don't know how I got along without it for so long. I can assure you I will use it daily.

The real question is why was Qbert in town, and why didn't he call me?

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December Thaw

Seriously!?!?!!!!

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Christmas Dinner Take 2

This was the picture that was supposed to accompany the last post.

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Christmas Dinner

None of us had ever cooked a prime rib before. And to be honest I have never really thought it was as cracked up as most people say it is. Luckily for us I ran into a complete stranger at the store who suggested a recipe he had great success with.

He said to Google "Prime Rib Salted" and it would be the first result. We did like he said and it turned out to be the best, most juicy prime rib I've ever had. Just season, cake with koser salt, and cook for 4-5 hours.

So good.

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Fog

Some fog over the Kinik Arm on my way north.

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Christmas Spirit

I stopped at the Fred Meyer in Wasilla, on my way to Talkeetna, to pick a few last minute things for dinner tomorrow. We're going to try and make prime rib.

Even though the parking lot is crazy and the store is packed everyone was friendly and had a smile on their face. It must be the season.

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Shortest Day of the Year

Taken on the corner of F and 8th (across the street from the office) looking west on the Solstice.

I thought this was a nice 5:00 pm sunset one the way downtown to meet some friends.

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Solstice Moon

Last night I met a friend from work at an old air strip in town to take pictures of the lunar eclipse. This is one of the pictures Jeff got before the clouds slipped in to ruin the view.

One thing I noticed,at least for me, was that the moon didn't look red until I viewed it through some sort of optics like the camera or binoculars.

What is cool about this eclipse is that it marks the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Pretty soon we'll be back to the long darkness days of summer.

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TRON LEGACY

This morning I went to see TRON Legacy at Alaska's only IMAX theatre over by the Target near the Air Force base. Everyone should see this movie. The bigger the screen the better. Disney did a good job with this one and Jeff Bridges is awesome.

I tried to get the mountains in the background but the building is just to big.

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WINTER

Yep, It's winter. I live on the warm side of town but it probably dropped to negative double digits on the East side this morning.

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Another reason to love Alaska

This was taken at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage just after our ASPE meeting. BP is considerate enough to warn you about possible moose trampling situations. I've been waiting about two years to get an actual moose in the same picture as the warning sign.

This is the second post from my phone. Looks like I might have figured out the picture thing!

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First post from smart phone.

So... I finally broke down and own a smart phone and I'm trying to figure out how to post a picture on here. Technology is crazy! This little phone is more powerful and faster then my first computer. It also has 8 times more memory! And that memory is the size of my pink fingernail!

Now how do I get these pictures to post?

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Day of Decision

Downtown St. Ignace, MI
August, 2010

This was the first time I've been home for a real visit in the summer time since I moved to Alaska. I forgot how beautiful it is when you don't have to shovel snow.

It was a day just like this, in 2005, that I decided to go to Juneau, AK. This was a decision that would set the course for me to find myself where I am today.

I got a call in that June morning from a testing lab in Grand Rapids. At this time I had graduated with my Mechanical Engineering degree and was looking for a job in that field. Countless resumes had been sent out since my graduation in December with no sign of a job anywhere.

They were very interested in me but couldn't promise enough work for me to even pay rent. After thinking for a while I decided the job wasn't for me. I thought "What have I done? I just turned down work!"

To clear my head I decided to take the canoe for paddle and put in down by the marina. I paddled East, past town, all the way down to the airport and back. I saw some pretty big rocks in the bay and a few white fish swimming along. The water was calm and a cool breeze kept the sun from making the day uncomfortably warm.

Less than a half hour after I got home the phone rang. It was my good friend Josh asking if I had found a job yet. When I answered no, he asked if I wanted to come to Juneau and work on his survey crew for the summer. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. A couple days later my stuff was packed and I was on the road.

The relationships I made in the past would give the me opportunity to make new relationships that would help me find my way to Anchorage 2 years later.

I'm glad I turned down those guys in Grand Rapids.

Flat Top

Flat Top Mountain

Last week I took my first hike of the year up Flat Top Mountain. Because it was late and still very snowy I didn't venture all the way to the top, though there were people who did. Those same people slide down the steep slope on their rears which was a much faster, but possible more tragic, way to descend.

I will admit I gave the butt slide a try on my way down a much smaller slope, and it was pretty fun. The waste deep snow at the bottom wasn't super fun but I had it better then the guy following me wearing shorts!

I'll be hiking Flat Top a lot this summer, getting in shape for my caribou hunt this fall. You'll be able to see the pictures from this trip and throughout the summer here;

My Smug Mug :D Flat Top