Winter sets in

[lakeside013104]

Family in Healy AK report recent snow and very cold temperatures with high winds. Just another day in paradise and normal for living that close to Denali National park.

The locals report the tourist workers and the tourists have fled 'Gliter Gulch, so they have the roads pretty much to themselves with thousands less travelers on the move.

The newly constructed Three Bears Outpost in Healy is a much welcomed addition for the locals. Much easier than driving two hours north to Fairbanks when supplies are needed.

Life is good!

Lakeside

[MDKMDK]

It's been warmer in places like Homer over the last few winters, intermittently of course, than down here in the Not So Great Lakes region of N/A.
I see 39F in Los Anchorage today.
34F further south in Soldotna?
On a par with us today down here....

[PA12DRVR]

Grit dog wrote:
Y'all are making me miss wintertime up there. (Yes I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the wife said if we'd stayed any longer she would require a plow with a heated cab!). She took to plowing the drive with the quad quite well. Had the cleanest driveway in the 'hood!

Well, you missed winter, it's now once again, non-winter (for the Los Anchorage area anyway)....Friday after Christmas, the truck thermometer showed -14 at the house. This morning, while it was freaking raining (!), showed 36....and of course, my plow truck (which is also the sanding truck) chooses yesterday to develop a glitch....oh well.

[Grit_dog]

Y'all are making me miss wintertime up there. (Yes I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the wife said if we'd stayed any longer she would require a plow with a heated cab!). She took to plowing the drive with the quad quite well. Had the cleanest driveway in the 'hood!

[HollardawgUSMC]

pigman1 wrote:

HollardawgUSMC wrote:
The reason for snow, ice, below zero temps, and long winters is so the residents can have some peace and quiet away from the tourists.

Aw, come-on. When I took my first trip north, I expected to see hordes of tourists, but was very surprised. Well over half the people we met at RV parks, sightseeing locations or along the roads WERE ALASKANS. When I'd ask them about it, they told me they'd been cooped up all that long cold, dark winter and it was time to get out and enjoy their beautiful state. Eight additional year's trips up there and I continue to see the same thing.

We worked an entire summer in an RV Park in Alaska. I think we have a pretty good understanding of the area.

Sounds like you misunderstood something meant as "tongue in cheek" Lighten up. Life is too short to be offended so easily.

[lakeside013104]

PA12DRVR says, "most months of the year snowfall".

Never thought of it that way, but Valdez does not have many months when it does not snow.

Interesting.

Lakeside

[PA12DRVR]

Valdez has a fairly unique combination of attributes for snowfall:

- Consistently in the top 10 for total / total average snowfall (don't think it was ever #1)
- """ """""""""""""""""" for measured rate of snowfall
- """" """""" for "most months of the year" (my wording) with significant snowfall...June, July, and August are the only insignificant months.

Winter of 2012/2013 saw a 20(?) year high of snowfall not only in Valdez but in many other measured areas in Southcentral AK. Of course, I started my snowplow business in the winter of 2013/2014. 😞

I have about 1/2 an acre of driveway and turn-around space that gets plowed with my F550 plow truck. Not a real problem but a bit of a pain-in-the-you know what when I have to fire up the plow rig more than once in any given 24 hour period...like the past 2 days.

Now about those hardworking Alaskans on the street corners of Los Anchorage......

[lakeside013104]

pigman1 wrote:

lakeside013104 wrote:

MORSNOW wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Trouble is, it means that grass has to be mowed year round.

I had to run my snow blower twice today to clear the snow!

Hahahahahahaha and throw a 100 pounds of coal or wood onto the fire!
Life in paradise is filled with chores.

If I remember correctly, Valdez gets around 300" of snow each year. I wonder what they do with so much snow around their homes?

Lakeside

Some of the older homes have outside doors on the second floor. They pile the snow in the parks and open spaces in the town. Anyone going up there in May, June, and even July can see the remnants of these piles. We hit our RV park in early May one year and had a 6' drift behind the RV for the next month. That 300" is a bit misleading as it's snowfall, not the ground depth. It naturally packs down. BTW, a lot of locals make excellent money all winter shoveling off boats, roofs, and stored RV's. They actually quit their regular jobs to do this work. Alaskans are hustlers, and I applaud them for it. Also, no one on the street corners with their hand out or sleeping on the sidewalks, except in Anchorage, they're out working.

Yes Alaskans are good workers and very 'hardy' folks.

In Maine we have had 208" of snow before during the season. Incredible piles of it, everywhere. I realize it settles, but still, 300" is a lot of the white stuff. Valdez is an amazing place, for many reasons.

Lakeside

[pigman1]

lakeside013104 wrote:

MORSNOW wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Trouble is, it means that grass has to be mowed year round.

I had to run my snow blower twice today to clear the snow!

Hahahahahahaha and throw a 100 pounds of coal or wood onto the fire!
Life in paradise is filled with chores.

If I remember correctly, Valdez gets around 300" of snow each year. I wonder what they do with so much snow around their homes?

Lakeside

Some of the older homes have outside doors on the second floor. They pile the snow in the parks and open spaces in the town. Anyone going up there in May, June, and even July can see the remnants of these piles. We hit our RV park in early May one year and had a 6' drift behind the RV for the next month. That 300" is a bit misleading as it's snowfall, not the ground depth. It naturally packs down. BTW, a lot of locals make excellent money all winter shoveling off boats, roofs, and stored RV's. They actually quit their regular jobs to do this work. Alaskans are hustlers, and I applaud them for it. Also, no one on the street corners with their hand out or sleeping on the sidewalks, except in Anchorage, they're out working.

[lakeside013104]

MORSNOW wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Trouble is, it means that grass has to be mowed year round.

I had to run my snow blower twice today to clear the snow!

Hahahahahahaha and throw a 100 pounds of coal or wood onto the fire!
Life in paradise is filled with chores.

If I remember correctly, Valdez gets around 300" of snow each year. I wonder what they do with so much snow around their homes?

Lakeside

[MORSNOW]

Veebyes wrote:
Trouble is, it means that grass has to be mowed year round.

I had to run my snow blower twice today to clear the snow!

[Veebyes]

So sorry for the suffering up there in AK. We made it up to the high 60s today & headed to low 60s tonight. Might need to close house windows. It looks this green year round.


Click For Full-Size Image.

Trouble is, it means that grass has to be mowed year round.

[pigman1]

HollardawgUSMC wrote:
The reason for snow, ice, below zero temps, and long winters is so the residents can have some peace and quiet away from the tourists.

Aw, come-on. When I took my first trip north, I expected to see hordes of tourists, but was very surprised. Well over half the people we met at RV parks, sightseeing locations or along the roads WERE ALASKANS. When I'd ask them about it, they told me they'd been cooped up all that long cold, dark winter and it was time to get out and enjoy their beautiful state. Eight additional year's trips up there and I continue to see the same thing.

[HollardawgUSMC]

The reason for snow, ice, below zero temps, and long winters is so the residents can have some peace and quiet away from the tourists.

[PA12DRVR]

I'll have to get up to Healy to check out the new 3 Bears. A welcome addition, I'm sure. My BIL drove from Squarebanks to Los Anchorage for Christmas (leaving a couple days before) rather than fly when he saw the temp on his hangar door was -38....that's getting pretty close to the magical -40 that tends to be the cutoff for most activities.

We've even had winter in Los Anchorage the past few days...3 days of below 20 temps and snow. Great for the sno-go, not so great for the guy that has to plow 😞

[winniman]

My idea of paradise doesn't include 8 plus months of snow and ice. I get enough of that here in Ontario.