Fly Like an Eagle

This past weekend, we went to the delightful town of Talkeetna.  This is a small community on the edge of Denali State Park.  It is also where many climbers go before scaling Mt. McKinley (Denali).

We decided to go "flightseeing."  This means we got into an 8-passenger plane, and flew in between the mountains for an hour.  The day was perfect, the skies were clear, and we got incredible views of the mountains, including Denali.  Rather than going into a long description, we thought we would just load up on pictures here.  If you want more details, let us know!

Two Quick Notes:

First, for anyone interested in a more day-to-day account of what life in Alaska is like, check out our Alaska-best friends' blog:  http://myyearinalaska.blogspot.com/.  Lindsey and John are really cool.  John is Steve's co-clerk (he went to UM law!) and Lindsey is a teacher, so the match fits perfectly!  Hooray!

Second, for anyone out there who may have an "Alaska Supreme Court" google alert set up, we just wanted to say hello!

We're heading to Talkeetna this weekend for a relaxing break.  Next weekend we're going to see the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra providd the score for 2 silent-Halloween films.  Then, on November 6, we're driving to Fairbanks to (1) visit the clerks there, (2) go curling, (3) visit Justice Winfree, and (4) GO SEE MICHIGAN BEAT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA-FAIRBANKS HOCKEY TEAM!

Pictures, updates, and a host of funny Alaska laws and tourist questions to come.  Until then, keep on (ice road) truckin'!

Life in Alaska

Hi, All:

We hope you're having a nice week.  We've been hearing some murmurs from the lower-48 that people want to know what it is like living in Alaska.  (P.S. Isn't it weird that Alaskan's call it the "lower-48" even though Hawaii is technically lower as well?).  We hear that while you're enjoying the pictures, you also want to know what it is like to live in the frozen north.  So we thought we would answer some frequently asked questions we receive:

How Dark Is It?
Currently, the sun rises at around 9a.  It then sets around 6:32p.  Every day we lose about 6 minutes of sunlight. So it is definitely pitch black when we both wake up and drive to work.  But as we head toward December, it will keep getting worse.  Ultimately, we'll have about 5 hours of sunlight.  But then as the summer comes we'll have plenty of light!  And in the winter there are lights along a lot of the trails, so it shouldn't get too bad.

How Do You Stay Happy In The Dark?
Believe it or not, we have actually bought a thing called a SAD-Lamp.  This lamp gives off blue light, which helps keep people happy.  Hooray for happiness!

How Cold Is It?
Tammy's parents were just in town and we think they explained it the best.  It's currently the equivalent of Thanksgiving temperatures if we were in Boston or Michigan.  It's definitely getting colder, but we're not at the worst yet.  We should be getting our first permanent snow any day now, and once that lands we'll have permanent snow on the ground pretty much every day until April.

Do Reindeer Hot Dogs Have Reindeer In Them?
The answer to this depends on your definition of "in them."  Technically, the answer is yes.  And they are really easy to get.  You can go to any hot dog cart along the downtown streets in the summer and get one no problem.  That said, the hot dogs are only about 1% reindeer.  The rest if a combination of fun, other meats . . . just like any other hot dog.

Are Studded Tires Cool?
When Tammy bought her new car, she managed to do some awesome negotiating and got the dealership to throw in a free pair of studded tires.  These tires help cars drive around the roads during the winter, when ice and snow are pretty big threats to the road.  One of the fun facts we've learned is that, unlike Michigan, Alaska cannot salt its roads to get rid of the ice.  Why not?  The moose come out and start licking it if salt is put down.  So Alaskans have to use gravel as a means to provide traction in the winter.  This means the ice is still on the ground, so studded tires (which basically look like tires with nails put in them) are used to help give a little added traction.

Moose?!  On the road?!  Really?
Oh yes.  Moose are a huge threat to Alaskans in the winter.  Ordinarily, moose will have to walk through really deep snow in the winter.  They have really long, awkward legs, and so walking through this snow is quite the pain.  So the moose seek out the easiest path they can find . . . which often means the cleared roads.  Therefore, moose walking along a highway is a huge problem in Alaska and every year many people hit them.  And, as you may have seem in Mythbusters, moose are beasts.  They are like 600+ pounds, and your car is going straight at it. Plus, in Alaska, we hear that it is against the law to brake if you are about to hit a moose (assuming you cannot stop fully before hitting it).  This means many car accidents from moose.

Is Alaska Like The TV Show Northern Exposure?
In Anchorage, no.  Absolutely not.  Anchorage is a pretty decently sized city.  That said, 2 hours north of Anchorage is a town called "Talkeetna."  It is believed that this city was the motivation for Northern Exposure.  So, there you go.

What's Your Favorite Thing You Have Eaten So Far?
Tammy cooked a delicious vegetarian Shepard's pie.  It was amazing.  Otherwise, the halibut in Alaska is really delicious -- whether fried as fish and chips or in a sandwich.

Can You See Russia From Your Apartment?
No.  As funny of a joke that was on SNL, it is in no way, shape, or form possible to see Russia from Anchorage (or Wasilla).  The northern lights, on the other hand, are totally viewable!



If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and we'll answer them in our next post!  Until then, keep warm :)

Eklutna Lake!

Good afternoon!

Welcome back.  Life in Alaska is beginning to slow down; the snow has almost hit us and every day we are now facing 20-30 degree weather.  However, for those of you interested in politics, the senatorial race is heating up and we highly recommend you check out some online papers if you want to see awesome political antics.

Anyway, last weekend we decided to take advantage of one of the last nice weekends before winter and went for a hike around a lake near Anchorage.  We went with a few of Steve's co-clerks, and it could not have been more gorgeous.

After a few hours, we decided to take a lunch break along the lake.  The views were simply amazing.

It is beautiful here; you all should come visit!  We'll take you hiking.  And we'll make sure to bring our bear spray as well.

I know some of you have been asking about our day-to-day lives in Alaska.  You want to know what our jobs are like, how it is different living here versus the lower-48, and if we can see Russia from our apartment.  We promise that in our next post we'll minimize pictures and increase text about living in Alaska, including a discussion of how the state PAYS Alaskans, instead of having them pay the state via taxes, through a cool program called the Permanent Fund Dividend.  We'll also talk about why we purchased a SAD-Lamp (and what it is), the big new movie being filmed here, and the Alaskan obsession with Costco.  Stay tuned!

Thankful

Every morning when we walk out of our apartment, we still can't believe that this is what we get to see.

One month in and this has already proven itself to be the experience of a lifetime.  Feeling really thankful this evening.

Views from an Office

Hi, Everyone!

Steve here.  I'm off to work, but before I go I wanted to post a few pictures.  We've been having some incredibly clear weather here, and as a result the mountain ranges have been beautiful.  My office has some pretty nice views (it faces a building, but you can see the ocean in one panel of the 3-panel window).  But my boss's office is incredible.  I think it's the best view in the entire city.  It overlooks all of the water, and has a view of almost all of the mountain ranges along the ocean in Anchorage.  (It should be noted that all of these pictures were taken around 9a, right when the sun was rising . . .)

There's that termination dust again!

Those are called the Alaska range.  I forgot to take a picture of Sleeping Lady.  Next time :)

On a clear day, you can also see Mt. McKinley in the distance.

Or even a cool double-rainbow.

But the best part of the office, and the easiest to view from any office in our chambers, is as follows:

Have a great weekend everyone.  And in light of the upcoming sibling rivalry game, GO BLUE!

Fall is Here!

All pictures are from a walk we took this afternoon.  We were only about a mile away from our apartment.  It really is beautiful up here in Alaska!

For those who have been following this blog for a little while, you may notice that these pictures look somewhat familiar.  They are of the same lake that we posted pictures of if an earlier post.  But if you compare the pictures, you'll notice that the mountains in these pictures have snow on them, while the ones in the past did not.  These are the same mountains as before.  But now there's something called "Termination Dust," which Alaskans use to figure out when snow is coming.  As it gets colder, the snow starts accumulating on the mountainside, and slowly moving down toward the city.  Within the next few weeks, the snow will be at a low enough level that it begins to cover Anchorage, and then we will have officially entered winter.

Happy fall!