Cold snap is over...we think

The cold snap ended in mid to late February and it has been pretty nice in Fairbanks since then. Temperatures were up into the 20s, 30s, and 40s for a couple weeks, with a record temp of around 48F! Luckily the snow didn't completely melt. We have been doing alot of skiing lately. Emily is taking a cross-country skiing class this semester and Luke has been skiing on the Tanana River alot lately. Now that the days are long and the temperatures are good it is fun to get outside. Daylight is close to 12 hours now and gaining 7 minutes a day. Here are a few photos of a recent trip to Skiland, a downhill ski hill located about 15 minutes northeast of our house.

Luke will be heading up north for a caribou hunt in a few weeks and Emily is spending some time south for a few weeks. More posts to come shortly....

The challenging slopes of Skiland

Rena and Anna taking a rest in the lodge.

Yukon Quest

Last weekend Luke volunteered for the start of the Yukon Quest 1000 mile sled dog race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon. It was pretty exciting, the temperature was colder than -30F at the start. Luke's job was to help the mushers get from the dog staging area, down a snow ramp, and onto the Chena River, where a new group of handlers would help hold the dog teams before their start.

He got a close up view of some famous mushers, including Lance Mackey, who won the Quest three years in a row, and last year he was the first person ever to win both the Iditorod and the Yukon Quest in the same year (races are only a few weeks apart).

It was suprising how small some of the sled dogs actually are. Some of the smallest looked to be only about the size of a Brittany (medium sized). There was a guy from Wisconsin, Don Smidt who raced purebred Siberian Huskies, which is rare for people mush competitively anymore, as most of the competitive dog teams are now mixed breeds. Unfortunately, he withdrew from the race at the first checkpoint. The photo of Luke is with the Siberian Husky team.

Here are some more photos of the start (photos courtesy of Lee J. & Brian J.):

COLD

Okay, it reached the coldest temperature of the year at our house. -27.2 F tonight at 10:30pm, it might get colder too. It is currently -43F in town tonight, sure to hit -50 tonight down in town I bet. We've got the fire cranked up and it is 70 F inside the house, trying to stay warm. It's been this cold since Saturday, and should last until early next week. Think warm thoughts for us!!!!

visiting Juneau, Alaska

Emily recently had a nice trip to Juneau, Alaska, in southeast, for a water-resources conference. I went down a day early to visit a friend, and we went downhill skiing (but it was actually quite cold due to the wind). Juneau was beautiful because the weather was clear so I could see the mountains, glaciers, and ocean scenery.

Other good news, Luke got drawn for Dall Sheep hunting permit in an area where his chances of being drawn were only 3%, so it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He is really excited about it, it is in a beautiful area near Tok, Alaska. The area has a 50% success rate, which is quite good for sheep. He is hoping Adam C. will come up to join him.

Last good news is that Emily will be visiting Mexico for 6 days in March and also will be going to Boulder for a wilderness training, and will get to see her brother, Jacob!

the Big Island of Hawaii

Finally we are posting. Emily had a trip to Juneau right after we returned, so didn't have much spare time. The above photo is from snorkeling at the Captain Cook monument in Kealakekua Bay. Awesome fish there, you have to get there by kayak, tour boat, or a 2 mile hike down from the highway into the Bay.

We started the trip flying direct Anchorage to Honolulu, then overnighted at the Honolulu airport and then caught the morning flight to Kona-Kailua on the west side of the Big Island. When we arrived in Kona, we picked up the rental car, stopped at Safeway to stock up with groceries, hit Manna's Korean Bar-B-Q and then headed north to our rental house in the small community of Puako at North Kohala coast. This area is full of the big ritzy resorts, but luckily there are a couple small beach communities tucked off the main drag. This area has some awesome tidal pools and the best white sand beaches on the Big Island. We hit the beautiful but crowded Hapuna Beach, then the shady 'Beach 69', and hiked into Makalewena Beach, walking through the lava fields. This side is really dry and really lava-y!

We took a day trip north and east over to Waipio Valley on the rainy side and hiked down into the valley to the black sand beach. The hike was crazy steep - 25% grade! We didn't really want to risk the Jeep Liberty on that one. It was gorgeous and we saw waterfalls and whales jumping out at sea!

After 5 nights in Puako, we headed south back through Kona-Kailua to restock at Safeway, hit the Chocolate factory, and head to our next rental at Kealekekua Bay, near Manini Beach. Here we went to Place of Refuge and Two Step for snorkeling, which was decent. Then we rented the kayaks and crossed the bay to snorkel at the Captain Cook monument. The snorkeling here was great and highly recommended if you go to the big island.

We drove down to South Point and hiked to the Green Sand Beach, which was amazingly beautiful.

After 4 nights there, we headed to the Volcano for a hike on Kilauea Iki trail and a drive around the caldera. We didn't see any flowing lava, mostly just steaming vents. Joe and Della did a helicopter tour and did get to see flowing lava though. We amazingly did not get rained on in Volcano (or on the Kona side).

Next day we drove to Hilo and hit Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, and the beautiful botanical gardens, which were definately a highlight. Joe, Della, and Luke hit the packer game also.

Next day we flew out of Hilo back to Honolulu and took the bus over to Pearl Harbor. After that Joe and Della headed out and Luke and I took the bus to Chinatown, where everything was closed, and so we went to check out Waikiki Beach. Quite different from the Big Island, but a still a nice beach, just a bit too touristy and high end for our taste.

We had a great time and loved the Big Island. Definately want to go back there, despite the high prices. And I am not kidding, the prices are very high. But you can do it cheaply by camping and cooking your own meals. We only ate out a few times, but each place had awesome food. We ate famous pork chops and delicous ahi at the Manago Hotel, Hawaiian cuisine (pork, fish, poi, etc.) at the Kona Village Luau, Ke'ei Cafe for a snazzy lunch, thai food at the Volcano, very excellent gourmet dinner at the Hilo Bay Cafe. Each place was awesome.

Here are some photos:

Waipio Valley Overlook (North of Hilo)

Waipio Valley Waterfall

Joe and Della on the black sand beach at Waipio Valley

Snowcapped Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes on the flight out of Hilo.

Orchids at the botanical garden north of Hilo.

Luke, Emily, Joe, and Della at Place of Refuge

Green Sand Beach near South Point

Plumeria flowers

Emily and Luke kayaking in Kealekekua Bay to Captain Cook Monument

Emily and Luke hiking through the lava trail to the remote Makalewena beach

Hula dancers at the Kona Village Resort Luau

Doing what we do best.

Akaka Falls, north of Hilo

Antique store near Kealekekua

Empty Makalewena Beach, north of Kailua

Fire dancers Kealekekua Bay, Manini Beach after sunset

Ahhh ..... warmth again.

We are in Hawaii now, on the Big Island. We'll post more later, probably when we get back to Fairbanks.