Cold. Cold cold cold cold cold...

[Judy G. Russell]

When the temperature is -28F and the windchill is at -60F, there is no way to stay warm. None. Your breath fogs your glasses. Your fingers and toes ache. Your #$%@$ eyeballs hurt.

But the northern lights are ohhhhhhhhh so pretty...

1.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496925802_g5ePw-O.jpg

2.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496925894_L4MEd-O.jpg

3.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496925976_JXzuK-O.jpg

4.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496926053_thASH-O.jpg

5.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496926138_qkCEc-O.jpg

6.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496926207_fWGst-O.jpg

[Mike]

I'm so glad you got what you went for. Great pix, as usual, yip!

[Dan in Saint Louis]

But the northern lights are ohhhhhhhhh so pretty...
Oh my. Oh, MY!

[ktinkel]

Oh, dear — did we neglect to mention how cold it gets in Fairbanks? Sorry.

Great shots!

[Judy G. Russell]

I'm so glad you got what you went for. Great pix, as usual, yip!Thanks, Mike! And I'm even more glad we left when we did -- Mount Redoubt (volcano near Anchorage) blew yesterday!!

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh my. Oh, MY!That was kind of what I was saying... when my lips weren't frozen...

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh, dear — did we neglect to mention how cold it gets in Fairbanks? Sorry.It wasn't supposed to be THAT cold!!

Great shots!Thanks!!

[ktinkel]

Thanks, Mike! And I'm even more glad we left when we did -- Mount Redoubt (volcano near Anchorage) blew yesterday!!I missed that — assume it is mostly an ash event? That’s what we had when Mt. Spurr erupted in 1953. It was in the middle of our short summer, endless days of black dust covering everything and filling the sky.

Not pleasant. I think Redoubt is even larger. Did it have any effect on your flight? You were probably far enough away to avoid it — ash is very destructive for motors. Car owners usually wrap nylon stockings over air intakes, but I can’t imagine what an airplane would need!

[ktinkel]

I believe Fairbanks holds the U.S. record for the widest range of temperatures from winter to summer: 65° below zero to 90° above.

Those must be record temps, but 40 below is common, and I am pretty sure 80 above is fairly common in the (brief) summer.

[Judy G. Russell]

I missed that — assume it is mostly an ash event? That’s what we had when Mt. Spurr erupted in 1953. It was in the middle of our short summer, endless days of black dust covering everything and filling the sky.
Not pleasant. I think Redoubt is even larger. Did it have any effect on your flight? You were probably far enough away to avoid it — ash is very destructive for motors. Car owners usually wrap nylon stockings over air intakes, but I can’t imagine what an airplane would need!We fortunately flew out on Saturday, some 24 hours before the volcano blew, and it does appear to be mostly ash, but remember: the last time it blew, it knocked out all four engines of a KLM flight that then dropped two miles in altitude before recovering power... Ulp... So they stopped all flights in and out of Anchorage once it blew.

[Judy G. Russell]

I believe Fairbanks holds the U.S. record for the widest range of temperatures from winter to summer: 65° below zero to 90° above. Those must be record temps, but 40 below is common, and I am pretty sure 80 above is fairly common in the (brief) summer.Forty below is just too cold for anyone with a lick of sense, which I think may explain a lot about the state and its politicians (Sarah Palin may just be a very good representative governor for the loonies who live there!). People kept telling us the summers made up for the winters because they could go fishing at 2 a.m. if they wanted to. I kept wondering (to myself) why in hell anyone would want to go fishing at 2 a.m., and whether summer lasted longer than an afternoon in July anyway!

[Mike Landi]

When the temperature is -28F and the windchill is at -60F, there is no way to stay warm. None. Your breath fogs your glasses. Your fingers and toes ache. Your #$%@$ eyeballs hurt.

But the northern lights are ohhhhhhhhh so pretty...

1.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496925802_g5ePw-O.jpg

2.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496925894_L4MEd-O.jpg

3.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496925976_JXzuK-O.jpg

4.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496926053_thASH-O.jpg

5.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496926138_qkCEc-O.jpg

6.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/496926207_fWGst-O.jpg
<speechless>

...Wow!

[Judy G. Russell]

<speechless> ...Wow!Thanks, Mike. I was really pleased by the way the pictures turned out, and just thrilled that the camera kept chugging away despite the cold.

[rlohmann]

Breathtaking!

Where did you take these?

[Judy G. Russell]

Breathtaking!Thank you!

Where did you take these?A place called Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska. I read that one of the best times to see the aurora was the spring solstice, which happened this year to fall the same week as the spring break at Rutgers and (as usual) as my birthday. So I decided the time had come to see the lights for myself. And d@mned near froze my nose off!

[Lindsey]

Thanks, Mike! And I'm even more glad we left when we did -- Mount Redoubt (volcano near Anchorage) blew yesterday!!

I thought about you when I saw that in the news, and I wondered if you were still there. Glad you got home ahead of it!

TPM tried to contact Bobby Jindal to see if he still thought it was laughable to monitor volcanos in Alaska, but Jindal was not returning calls...

[Lindsey]

Not pleasant. I think Redoubt is even larger. Did it have any effect on your flight? You were probably far enough away to avoid it — ash is very destructive for motors. Car owners usually wrap nylon stockings over air intakes, but I can’t imagine what an airplane would need!

Basically, an airliner needs to stay away from the plume! Which is one reason that they monitor active volcanos. I saw a very scary 20/20 episode some years back about a jet that had all of its engines stall when they ran into an ash plume unawares -- it was a volcano that erupted somewhere in Asia, I think. And this was some time ago, before there was the sort of monitoring there is now. The pilots had no clue what had gone wrong, the only knew that the engines had stalled, that they could no longer see out of the front (do they call that a windshield?), and there was something that looked like an electrical discharge gliding over the surface of the plane. It must have felt like entering the Twilight Zone.

Oh--yeah, this is the one. British Airways Flight 009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_009) from London Heathrow to Aukland in 1982. I had forgotten this part: This was a 747, they're flying over the Indian Ocean, all four engines had flamed out nearly simultaneously, and the crew is facing the prospect of having to ditch into the sea if they cannot get a sufficient number of engines restarted. Oh, and they're well above the recommended altitude for an in-flight engine re-start. The passengers can both see and feel that something is badly wrong, and some of them are calm and resigned, some near hysteria.

And then the pilot comes on the intercom, and with typical British understatement says:
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get it under control. I trust you are not in too much distress.
The pilots finally did manage to re-start the engines and get the plane landed safely, but it was a heart-stopping feat of expert piloting that did it.

Oh, ouch -- reading a little farther down, a KLM flight had a similar experience over Alaska after a 1989 eruption of Mount Redoubt. They managed to restart the engines, too, and landed safely in Anchorage, but I'm sure Judy figures that's the kind of excitement she can well live without. (Later: I see Judy was already aware of that one.)

[Judy G. Russell]

I thought about you when I saw that in the news, and I wondered if you were still there. Glad you got home ahead of it!We were sure glad we made it out before!

TPM tried to contact Bobby Jindal to see if he still thought it was laughable to monitor volcanos in Alaska, but Jindal was not returning calls...Poor Bobby... gotta feel sorry for the lad...

[Judy G. Russell]

... I'm sure Judy figures that's the kind of excitement she can well live without. (Later: I see Judy was already aware of that one.)And it was because I was aware of it that I really was hoping NOT to end up experiencing it!!!

[Mike]

Thanks, Mike! And I'm even more glad we left when we did -- Mount Redoubt (volcano near Anchorage) blew yesterday!!
You're welcome, and I'm glad you left when you did, too. I had several friends who had major inconvenience when Mt. St. Helen blew in the early 1990s, and then again in 2004. (Neither was as bad as 1980's eruption.)

[ktinkel]

Volcanic ash can be hazardous for cars too — any engine, basically, that sucks in air. The stuff clogs air filters, and engines stall.

Glad I wasn’t on that British Airways flight — I suspect I definitely would have felt stressed!

Mother Nature can be a bitch sometimes. <g>

[Judy G. Russell]

Volcanic ash can be hazardous for cars too — any engine, basically, that sucks in air. The stuff clogs air filters, and engines stall.
Glad I wasn’t on that British Airways flight — I suspect I definitely would have felt stressed! Mother Nature can be a bitch sometimes. <g>Tough stuff for sure, and I'm very glad I avoided it!

[Judy G. Russell]

I had several friends who had major inconvenience when Mt. St. Helen blew in the early 1990s, and then again in 2004. (Neither was as bad as 1980's eruption.)Not something I want to experience first hand, that's for sure.

[rlohmann]

Thank you!

A place called Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska. [...]which happened this year to fall the same week as the spring break at Rutgers and (as usual) as my birthday.

Ack!

Sorry.

Your birthday was enshrined in my Lotus Organizer, which I've abandoned--perhaps unfortunately, the jury is still out--in favor of Active Desktop Calendar.

I'll do better next year. (sob)

[Judy G. Russell]

I'll do better next year. (sob)No apology needed! I can't even find the calendar where I recorded yours...

[poakes]

Forty below is just too cold for anyone with a lick of sense, which I think may explain a lot about the state and its politicians (Sarah Palin may just be a very good representative governor for the loonies who live there!). People kept telling us the summers made up for the winters because they could go fishing at 2 a.m. if they wanted to. I kept wondering (to myself) why in hell anyone would want to go fishing at 2 a.m., and whether summer lasted longer than an afternoon in July anyway!

You should head to Anchorage for Independence Day. The baseball game followed by fireworks -starts- at midnight so it'll be dark enough to see them after the game.

The Eskimo has a great story about a classmate of hers who attended UA Fairbanks. Poor guy spent a few hours in the toasty warm library one cold February Sunday. When he left the library his eyeglass frame cracked and the lenses popped out onto the ground.

-poakes

[Mike Landi]

Thanks, Mike. I was really pleased by the way the pictures turned out, and just thrilled that the camera kept chugging away despite the cold.
I heard that you can sometimes hear the auroras. Could you?

[Judy G. Russell]

You should head to Anchorage for Independence Day. The baseball game followed by fireworks -starts- at midnight so it'll be dark enough to see them after the game.I would never get my circadian rhythms worked out!

The Eskimo has a great story about a classmate of hers who attended UA Fairbanks. Poor guy spent a few hours in the toasty warm library one cold February Sunday. When he left the library his eyeglass frame cracked and the lenses popped out onto the ground.I believe every word of it, except that I'm not sure how you wear glasses in a place like Alaska. Every time I wore the balaclava I really needed, my glasses fogged up so badly I ended up sticking them in my pocket!!!

[Judy G. Russell]

I heard that you can sometimes hear the auroras. Could you?No, it wasn't quiet enough (wind and/or breeze blowing), and the aurora wasn't active enough. It sure woulda been nice...

[Lindsey]

No, it wasn't quiet enough (wind and/or breeze blowing), and the aurora wasn't active enough. It sure woulda been nice...

Can you imagine what the ancients thought when they saw and heard the aurora?

One of the things that strikes me about those pictures in addition to the aurora is the sheer number of stars that you can see. You don't realize how much you miss when you live in areas of massive light pollution.

That first picture would make a great Christmas card. You can almost see the stars glitter!

[Judy G. Russell]

Can you imagine what the ancients thought when they saw and heard the aurora?Nope. It was awe-inspiring enough for me, and I knew what it was... I can't even imagine what they must have thought.

One of the things that strikes me about those pictures in addition to the aurora is the sheer number of stars that you can see. You don't realize how much you miss when you live in areas of massive light pollution. That first picture would make a great Christmas card. You can almost see the stars glitter!I really wanted to get out and do some regular star photography because of that very fact -- no light pollution -- but it was just too cold. It may be a reason to go back to Alaska some summer though. As my brother said, it was hard to pick out constellations because of all the stars.

[sidney]

I really wanted to get out and do some regular star photography because of that very fact -- no light pollution -- but it was just too cold

You might want to look into some warmer dark sky places (http://gosw.about.com/od/informationfortravelers/a/darkskies.htm).

[rlohmann]

No apology needed! I can't even find the calendar where I recorded yours...

:)

[Judy G. Russell]

You might want to look into some warmer dark sky places (http://gosw.about.com/od/informationfortravelers/a/darkskies.htm).I was just talking to one of my brothers about doing a desert trip sometime in the next couple of years!

[Mike]

[...Mt. St. Helens...]Not something I want to experience first hand, that's for sure.
Whether in the air, or on the ground!

[Judy G. Russell]

Whether in the air, or on the ground!Exactly. There are some things -- like Africa and the northern lights -- that I want to see with my own eyes. Others, well, television footage is just fine, thanks.

[Jeff]

I was just talking to one of my brothers about doing a desert trip sometime in the next couple of years!

I can highly recommend the "Monument" just out of Junction, although I wouldn't recommend the road after dark, as it's a drunken snake both to the top of the mesa and back down the other side. Actually that kind of surprises me as a dark sky site as Junction is large and well lit. But then out here 'the skies are not cloudy all night'.

- Yeff

[Judy G. Russell]

I can highly recommend the "Monument" just out of Junction, although I wouldn't recommend the road after dark, as it's a drunken snake both to the top of the mesa and back down the other side. Actually that kind of surprises me as a dark sky site as Junction is large and well lit. But then out here 'the skies are not cloudy all night'.We'll certainly add that to the list of places to consider, Jeff. Whatever we choose, we'll definitely camp out for a night or two to make sure we don't have to face roads like that in the dark!!

[poakes]

I would never get my circadian rhythms worked out!

I believe every word of it, except that I'm not sure how you wear glasses in a place like Alaska. Every time I wore the balaclava I really needed, my glasses fogged up so badly I ended up sticking them in my pocket!!!

Dunno. Maybe they spit on the lenses like the scuba divers do?

-poakes

[ktinkel]

I kept wondering (to myself) why in hell anyone would want to go fishing at 2 a.m., and whether summer lasted longer than an afternoon in July anyway!A bit of June, all of July, and even some August. We used to go swimming in Lake Spenard. Temps were in the high 70s into the 80s, and most days were sunny. Beautiful flowers — wild irises, fireweed, domesticated flowers (my mother grew peonies in Anchorage). Glorious summers, actually.

It just took a while for the sun to get around to setting, that’s all.

[Judy G. Russell]

Dunno. Maybe they spit on the lenses like the scuba divers do? That might help briefly, but...

[Judy G. Russell]

A bit of June, all of July, and even some August. We used to go swimming in Lake Spenard. Temps were in the high 70s into the 80s, and most days were sunny. Beautiful flowers — wild irises, fireweed, domesticated flowers (my mother grew peonies in Anchorage). Glorious summers, actually. (a) Temps in the 70s don't say summer to me. (b) I still don't want to go fishing at 1 a.m.!

It just took a while for the sun to get around to setting, that’s all.That's an understatement!!

[sidney]

That might help briefly, but...

I think what you do is wear contacts. Then they freeze to your eyeballs and you never have to take them off.

[Judy G. Russell]

I think what you do is wear contacts. Then they freeze to your eyeballs and you never have to take them off.I suppose that would work!