Fog only has one benefit

Fog makes the difference in a temperature of 12° as opposed to 7°.  Girdwood is totally socked in this morning. I live literally one block from Max’s Mountain and it is in no way visible (below view). The above view is looking down Alyeska Highway from the T toward town.

It is still 12° outside, and with the fog my little weather station thinks its going to snow. Poor thing can’t see the web cam from the top of Mt. Alyeska shows clear sunny skies with a heavy wool blanket laying on the valley of Girdwood. Looking toward town, still no view.

The fog is icy this morning, like little stinging nettles on your face. The frost still building on the branches like spay on flocking. Last night I looked for the aurora, did it show up in Anchorage? Looks like it is overhead right now. 

Still haven’t seen my magpies this morning, however there are three ravens fighting over some french fries outside. Hmm, wonder where they got those. 

I am enjoying a hot bowl of cream of barley cereal. A couple of weeks ago at the Farmer’s Market in the Mall at Sears, I picked up a bag. It is grown in Alaska at Delta Junction by the Alaska Flour Company. Yea for determined farmers! Barley is so amazingly delicious, full of fiber and iron, and filling. Add some molasses, or local honey or birch syrup for extra goodness. I add pecans or walnuts depending on my taste that day. If you like add any type of cream: heavy, milk, soy, it all adds to the goodness of a well rounded breakfast. The Alaska flour company is attempting to add wheat to the harvest once they get the timing right with the weather. Don’t see why it couldn’t be done if Montana can do it. Some of the great benefits of producing grains in Alaska are the lack of predatory insects, and the reduced need to ship grains up here. I am all for that are you? If so, please head out to the Wednesday market and pick up your bag of barley flour or cream of barley cereal, its hearty and delicious.

Get yer Vitamin D this winter!

Day 7 of frost, still small crystals but forming layers on all the branches. So far I would say we have not had a shortage of sunlight. It was 10° at 9 a.m., so biting. Here we have a beautiful view of Penguin and Raggedtop on the opposite side of the valley. 

The cold and frost did not stop a small group of skiers and riders from hitting the slopes. I should say slope as most of the mountain is closed due to low levels of snow. It has been recommended that only experts take the new Ted’s Express due to icy conditions. Here is Max’s with some little fluffy clouds that just moments before were brilliant pink. The trees in the foreground are covered more with frost than snow.

The icy conditions also apply for walking, keep your ice grips on unless, like me, you walk on the edges of the path. The edges are extra crunchy right now because of the layers of frost building up. But that makes for good foot grip especially with deep tread shoes. 

In my little section of Girdwood, I have been entertained by a pair of magpies, a pair of Steller’s Jays and a few chickadees. However, it has been so cold I have not seen them in a couple of days. My thought is they have moved closer to the mouth of the valley where there is more sunshine. Up here at the T, Max’s will block the sun more and more until late December when I may not see the sun until well after 1 p.m. Last year I lived in a cabin along Alyeska Hiway below Crow Creek Road. We fed a pair of Steller’s Jays all winter. The birds were so used to us giving them sunflower seeds, they would come knock on the window if we were late! 

Here is a photo of Max’s at 11 p.m. tonight. The glow at the bottom is from the mountain lights being on during snow making. We were in Anchorage today and when we returned, the fog was so thick entering Girdwood we could not see the mountain lights from the Seward. It was thick when we left at 3 p.m. coating the trees in a grey shroud. At night, though, there was ice fog creating crystal prisms up and down from the streetlights, it was 12°. The trees at the Seward Highway where you enter Girdwood must have an inch of frost on them. However, once we got to the T, the mountain was clear and the stars were visible. Bizarre little micro climate here.