Tag Archives: Fairbanks

Even by Fairbanks standards…

… This could be bad:

Don’t forget to plug in your vehicle…

Starting to get chilly

The Atigun River on a much warmer day

The Atigun River HADS station recorded the State’s first -50F reading of the season on Sunday morning. The weather station is located just north of Atigun Pass, where the Dalton Highway crosses the Atigun River.

Monday morning will bring temperatures close to -40 to Fairbanks. The last time Fairbanks saw -40 in November was in 2011.

Graphic credit: NWS-Fairbanks

The opening of the Al-Can

The first truck through, November 1942

The anniversary of the first truck to travel the Alaska Highway was on Saturday, 20 November. The truck was the first to drive from Dawson to Whitehorse, and then from Whitehorse to Fairbanks. In 1942, that must have been one chilly ride.

The Alaska Highway Guide; 1948

In 1948, The Alaska Highway Guide was published, which listed the scant accommodations and services along the route. The Milepost, which today is the bible of Al-Can travel, would be published for the first time in 1949.


I will be taking the day off.

Camera: Rolleiflex; Film: Kodak 120, TriX 400


Sourdough Wisdom

A rear-wheeled drive GMC Adventure

Overheard the other day:

An elderly resident was asked what’s the best rig for Interior Alaska. He replied, “A two wheel drive pickup.”

There was some shock, and surprise in the answer, as well as a few snickers.

The Sourdough went on to say, “In a four wheel drive truck with a winch, you will get stuck 40 miles away. In a four wheel drive rig, you’ll get stuck 20 miles away. In a front wheel drive vehicle, you might get stuck 10 miles away. But in a rear wheel drive pick up truck, you’ll get stuck at the end of your road, and you can walk back home and have a beer while waiting for the road to get plowed.


Gotcha!

Film Friday:

Camera: Leica M3; Film: Fujifilm 35mm


From the hockey archives:

1936 “Championship Game”: University of Alaska vs Dawson

With the Alaska Nanooks on their second consecutive week off, we dip into the archives for our hockey fix. I’m guessing this was the championship game of the 1936 Winter Carnival tournament. 1936 would have been the second annual winter carnival. Fairbanks won the game, although no score, or photog credit was given.


The Breakfast Joint

Film Friday:

The Crepery mural, downtown Fairbanks

Camera: Leica M3; Film: Fujicolor, 35mm


Nightlights

The Big Dipper behind a shimmering veil

Chinook!

The beaver lodge and pantry

As forecast, a Chinook blew into Interior Alaska this past weekend, driving temps in Fairbanks up into the 40’s. It was +44F at 8am in the valley on Sunday morning. The average high on Halloween is +18F. Also, as expected, our dusting of snow became a few patches of white.

Further south in Alaska: The NWS station in Girdwood at Alyeska recorded 9.5″ of rain in a 24 hour period. Nearby Porter Glacier Visitor Center recorded 10.34″ of rain on Saturday. It is the first 10+ inch precipitation event in 24 hours in Alaska since 2012. The storm total at Portage Glacier was 17.72″, as of Sunday evening. The epicenter for this event is Mount Baker, which is just 75 miles east of Anchorage, but 13,000 feet higher. The forecast for the slopes of Mount Baker “Snow could be heavy at times”. SATURDAY AFTERNOON: 29-35″; SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY MORNING: 108-114″ Possible; SUNDAY AFTERNOON: 82-88″; SUNDAY NIGHT: 100% Chance of Snow, Heavy At Times.

Heli-skiing anyone?