Freezin' For A Reason

A beautiful day for a swim

When was the last time you thought about jumping into a frozen lake while wearing a costume? I (Jessica) have to admit for a split second I considered it. And in fact the locals here aren't completely crazy because it was for a good cause. Every year the Special Olympics Alaska raises money at their Polar Plunge on Goose Lake. While we didn't take the plunge we did go out to support some of my coworkers who did. Even without getting in the water this was the coldest I've been since moving to Anchorage. Negative 4 degrees is quite toe biting when you're standing waiting for your team's turn. Our little Canon camera felt the same and insisted that the battery was dead after a few minutes of videoing. Thankfully our SLR is much more resilient and had no trouble performing even though the view lens fogged when you placed your eye next to it. It was a memorable experience complete with free soup from Qdoba and a truck from Ice Road Truckers honking when each group jumped. Many safety precautions where taken for the participants including lifeguards in dry suits, firefighters helping the jumpers out of the water and hot tubs inside heated tents.

Studded Running Shoes

Here in Alaska the crinkling sound of studded tires is at almost every stop light. So it was natural that we would join the locals. Less than a week after getting our Subaru we had purchased studded tires on craigslist. Similarly, within a week of Jessica jogging with her co-workers we determined she needed her own studded running shoes.

The balaclava is key to the winter ninja look

In California most people would just skip running if it was icy outside. But with icy roads for half the year in Anchorage runners are a little more serious about finding ways to pound the pavement all year round. Making studded shoes was really pretty simple.

Material:
Shoes (air and gel soles not recommended)
#6 hex head metal screws, 1/2" length or less (10-12 per shoe)
Sharpie
Multi-bit screwdriver (without a bit installed)

I used the Sharpie to plan out where to add the screws. The plan was to space them out so there would always be two or more screws in contact with the ground during the entire stride. I also looked at where her shoes were slightly worn and made sure to add a screw where it would be well used.

The end result turned out great. I did have to warn Jessica to stick to the carpet after she strayed onto the kitchen floor. Also the "cleats" will dig into skin so make sure you don't scrape yourself pulling them off your feet.

Greetings from the Frozen North

At the top of Flattop Mt. 7/2010

If you haven’t visited the 49th state it lives up to it’s tag line of the Last Frontier. Even in downtown Anchorage you can see mountains and moose. There are multiple trails throughout Anchorage. The most notable is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail that leads hikers and cyclists 11 miles from downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park. It is fully paved and follows the coast with terrific views of the inlet and planes arriving at Ted Stevens International Airport. In winter it’s also known for its great for cross country skiing which we’re looking forward to trying during the 5 to 6 months of snow.

Picture taken flying over Triumvirate Glacier near Beluga Lake 7/2010

From living in Oregon Kevin is used to an occasional snow fall that disappears in a few days. But here it seems that our first snow will be melting along with the rest in the coming spring.  We moved in October for the tail end of fall with the first snow falling shortly after Halloween.  Needless to say the landscape looked very different when we moved compared to when we visited for Jessica's interviews in July.  The pictures included here are of our July visit.

Countryside in Palmer 7/2010

A moose family in Kincaid Park, 7/2010