Monthly Archives: December 2022

Clam Gulch

Clam Gulch, Alaska

It used to be a tradition. A trip to Clam Gulch, clam gun in hand, on the hunt for razor clams. It was always a fun weekend, and we always came back with clams galore.

Those trips have not taken place in 9 years.

The beaches of Clam Gulch and Ninilchik on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula were once a hot bed for clams. For another year, the counts by the Department of Fish and Game showed poor growth, so the beaches will remain closed.

Ninilchik has shown slight progress with some three year old clams, but Clam Gulch is seeing a mortality rate of 90%.


Decked out for the season

A lit up STR Nenana

Reloading

Went through some firewood this week.

1910 Fairbanks


2 Seconds

Today Fairbanks will see 2 seconds more daylight than yesterday.

From 3 hours and 40 minutes to 3 hours, 40 minutes and 2 seconds.

That’s it.

That’s the post.


Happy Winter Solstice

Photo from the Alaska Digital Archives; Photo credit: P.S. Hunt

The above photo was taken at noon of the Winter Solstice in ’98, as in 1898. P.S. Hunt arrived in Alaska that summer from San Jose, California. It would appear that Hunt named the cabin after his previous hometown.


Way to go Chicken!!

The Chicken, Alaska weather station continues to impress. -63F is the coldest I have ever experienced in Fairbanks.

It was -41F at the cabin on Tuesday morning.


Chilly Chicken

Graphic credit: National Weather Service – Fairbanks

A deep freeze swept over much of Interior Alaska this week. Not only was Chicken the cold spot in the state with a low of -57F, their high ended up being only -50F. They hold the spot as the first location in Alaska to officially see a high of minus fifty or colder this season.

By comparison, the thermometer outside the cabin read a balmy -33F Monday morning.


One and Done

After what was described as a successful inauguration of the Ironman Triathlon in Alaska, the governing body has cancelled plans to return to Alaska’s capital city. By all accounts Juneau put on a decent event, and athletes enjoyed the setting, but logistics were a problem. Bikes, in particular, were more difficult to get to Juneau than anticipated, although with the practice, I expect Alaska Airlines would be able to cut down on those issues, considering how many coolers of salmon and moose racks they transport with ease.

Admittedly, getting to Alaska isn’t exactly a cheap ticket, and once you get here, warm waters to swim in are pretty hard to come by, but I feel for the city of Juneau, because I know the effort Alaskan communities put in, to get an event like the Ironman.

I won’t even get started on Alaska’s attempt to get these two:


Cooling off a bit:


“A Day’s Work”

“A Day’s Work” by Rockwell Kent; Circa 1918-19, Fox Island, Alaska


Bullwinkle vs Rudolph

Battle for the North