Mt. Redoubt Volcano Blows

Well, they have been predicting an eruption for weeks. They finally got it right a few days ago; however, we in Anchorage have been lucky with the winds. The first ash clouds were carried north then southeast. Today, we weren't so lucky. As we were driving back from Bow Shooting in Eagle River, we noticed a ugly looking dark haze moving our way. As you can see from the photos the volcanic ash sure makes a mess on things. Our snow is no longer pretty and white. It looks like someone threw there fireplace ashes on the snow.

Mount Redoubt

Well - less than 24 hours after being downgraded, Mount Redoubt lets off a little steam. You can see the Ash Cloud which erupted late Sunday Afternoon. The cloud eventually reached an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet or roughly 5,000 feet above the peak of Mount Redoubt.

Springbreak - Alaska Style: We spent most of our time at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Both boys had a great time. Spencer spent the week in ski camp leaning to work the moguls and intermediate slopes. I think he enjoyed the morning ride the most. Nothing like a motorized sled ride to start your day.

Connor enjoyed the challenge of a "Real" mountain. He participated in a "Freestyle" snowboard camp. In the photo below, Connor is lining up for his run at a rail in the Terrain Park.

Nancy hit the slopes and was showing much improvement by the weeks end.

The view from the top of Chair 4 is fantastic in all directions. The photo above is the view looking up Turnigan Arm towards Anchorage. The photo below is a view of the Upper Mountain Lodge with Chair 6 riders heading to the top.

Once you get to the top there are few easy choices. It is always nice to see a "Warning Sign" associated with the run selection directory. After 3 days of skiing there were no bad choices.

Everyone had a good time and look forward to returning as often as we can.

Iditarod Weekend

Spring break in Alaska also means Iditarod Season. This past weekend was the official start of Iditarod 37. We took the opportunity to view the festivities both downtown Anchorage and the official start in Willow, Alaska (90 miles north of Anchorage). The weather both days was beautiful with some sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid-20's.

Saturday there was a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage. This gives everyone an opportunity to see the teams and partake in the excitement. Some photos from the downtown start:

Sunday marked the official start in Willow, Alaska. We met with a local photography group and went to get some shots of the official start. We had to walk about a mile to get to a spot that wasn't over-crowded. I think about half the population of Alaska showed up for the start.

Some photos of the official start. You will notice the lack of buildings in these. Enjoy.

It is an incredible feeling to be lying on the snow, camera ready and have a team of 16 dogs running directly at you. All yapping and having a ball running in the cold snow.

Fur Rondy

Leading up to the Iditarod, Anchorage has a huge festival downtown. Nancy and the boys enjoyed the festivities with some of our friends. Events included a Outhouse Race, a Snowmobile race, a Carnival, a Fur Auction and a Dog Sled Race. The weather was cold but that doesn't keep Alaskans from showing up in full force. Connor enjoyed the snowmobile race and the snowboarders. Spencer loved the rides and the ice slide.

An Alaskan tradition.

Spencer: Ready for the weather and coming down the ice slide.

Trek Over The Top

Opa and I took part in a big Alaskan Snow machine tradition; The annual "Trek Over the Top" snow machine ride between Tok, Alaska and Dawson City, Yukon Territory.

It was quiet a trip as we encountered blowing snow, snow drifts, 80 mph winds and -40 wind chills. On the flip side, we had a lot of fun, met some new people and ate lots of wonderful food.

Our hotel in Tok the morning our adventure was to begin. As you can see from the sign, we had a hard time following directions.

As you can see, the trail didn't have a lot of colorful scenery. The top of the world highway is pretty bare in the winter. The wind piles up snow drifts and snow/ice covers most of the trees in the area. We encountered winds in excess of 70 mph. The snow was falling sideways. Our group did stop at the Alaska/Canada border for a photo shot. What a group. We had 13 trekkers this year.

Some activities around Dawson City included a snow machine trip to one of the Yukon's Gold Dredges. We stopped at historic Dredge #4. This particular dredge operated in the early 1900's and help put Dawson City on the map. Another activity was the snowmachine drop in Dawson City. The event had participants buy yard sticks ($5.00 each), hammer them in the ice of the Yukon River and watch while a snowmachine is dropped from a helicopter from 500 feet. The winner is determined by the stick where the largest piece of the snowmachine lands (or bounces).

As you can see from the photo below, not all activities were outdoors. Each night the local saloon (Diamond Tooth Gerties) put on a show to entertain the crowd. Here, one of group gets into the act. This particular event had the participants dress up and put on wooden snow shoes. This was some performance by Matt.

Opa standing on top of one of the mountains near Dawson City. From the peak, you can get a view of 5 different mountain ranges. Truly a beautiful view.

Spencer demonstrating the powders depth. (Yes, he is standing up)

Strategy Session.