Thursday, June 5, 2008
Sunrise, Sunset?
Who knows what time it is anymore.. all I know is that it's light out and we can stay up until the cows come home.. and it's gonna be awhile til they come!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Bicycle Commuting
A big controversial topic which seems so silly in the grand scheme of the world is the right of bicyclists on the road.
I don't like to use this blog to bring up controversial stuff because frankly, I'd rather the blog be all fun, but this topic hits close to home for me since I've been commuting daily for 5 years (except this first FAI winter I crapped out on..) and the topic has surfaced again. It all started in State College where the roads are NOT cyclist friendly on the university. In State College, it is illegal to bike on the sidewalks on campus, yet there is no shoulder on any of the roads to safely ride on, and cars regularly cut off cyclists and will proceed at a 4-way stop when a cyclist has been waiting there for their turn. I know this from experience and from watching it happen over the years. The danger on those roads is pretty high, and I've had friends and acquaintances who have gotten hit by vehicles while cycling responsibly. One on particular has been physically messed up since the crash. Luckily the borough has been slowly establishing some bike routes, although many of them don't actually go anywhere useful for the university. Last year I had a near-incident with a CATA bus in State College, when the other lane (the bus' lane) was closed off for construction, and I was in the opposite lane (the open lane) riding towards an intersection. Instead of the bus stopping at the stop sign for 30 seconds for me to get through the stretch of road where I had the right of way, the driver decided to drive towards me, leaving no more than two or three inches maximum between me and the side of the very large bus. If I hadn't been an experienced rider, I probably wouldn't have been able to ride straight and would have gotten hit by the bus. When this incident happened, I was shaking and on the verge of tears for the next hour or so from the panic. I wrote both the local newspaper and the bus company a letter of concern about this encounter, but neither published my letter or even wrote back.
When I moved to Anchorage and then Fairbanks, I was astounded by the bicycle friendliness in town. It was awesome to have separate bike paths along the roads and wide shoulders. I couldn't believe that a car would actually stop to let me go first at an intersection.
There has been a lot of ruckus in our local newspaper about cyclists on the roads recently. I do agree that cyclists should use the available bike paths. Cyclists should be happy that our city actually built those for you. Sorry if there are a couple of cracks in them. You won't get a flat tire from them if your tires are pumped up to the proper pressure. There are a lot of places, especially on the east coast where cyclists don't have the luxury of being separated from cars and buses, let alone a wide shoulder to ride on. I admit, I don't always stop at every single stop sign especially on campus where there are typically no drivers on the side roads, but I definitely take a good look to make sure no one is coming or there already. Every once in awhile I'll even listen to my ipod, but not so loud that I can't hear the outside noises, and definitely NOT when I'm on the roads.. only on the separated bike paths. Just be responsible, be aware of your surroundings, and obey the rules.
If you look in your driver's manual, cyclists are in fact supposed to be treated as motor vehicles. This is out of the AK driver's manual. I know PA is the same. I like this description since it gives the responsibilies of both sides of the line.
MOTORIST: With the increasing use of bicycles, there is a greater need to exercise care while driving when bicyclists are present to insure their safety. Bicycle riders have no vehicle structure to protect them, and are difficult to see in traffic. Some bicyclists lack skill, and many are too young to have knowledge of all the traffic rules. As a driver, you must be alert and courteous to all bicyclists.
BICYCLISTS: Bicyclists are required to obey traffic signs, signals, and all other traffic laws. Always be alert for other traffic.
I really have no particular concern in writing this other than maybe reaching a driver that might not think about cyclists on the road, or reaching a cyclist that might be slacking on their attention span. It happens, we all have our "off" days, but it's worth thinking about, or taking that extra minute to be safe. And to the drivers, don't be angry at all cyclists because there are some out there who ride carelessly. I don't judge all trucks because those are the drivers who seem to cause most accidents in the winter.
I don't like to use this blog to bring up controversial stuff because frankly, I'd rather the blog be all fun, but this topic hits close to home for me since I've been commuting daily for 5 years (except this first FAI winter I crapped out on..) and the topic has surfaced again. It all started in State College where the roads are NOT cyclist friendly on the university. In State College, it is illegal to bike on the sidewalks on campus, yet there is no shoulder on any of the roads to safely ride on, and cars regularly cut off cyclists and will proceed at a 4-way stop when a cyclist has been waiting there for their turn. I know this from experience and from watching it happen over the years. The danger on those roads is pretty high, and I've had friends and acquaintances who have gotten hit by vehicles while cycling responsibly. One on particular has been physically messed up since the crash. Luckily the borough has been slowly establishing some bike routes, although many of them don't actually go anywhere useful for the university. Last year I had a near-incident with a CATA bus in State College, when the other lane (the bus' lane) was closed off for construction, and I was in the opposite lane (the open lane) riding towards an intersection. Instead of the bus stopping at the stop sign for 30 seconds for me to get through the stretch of road where I had the right of way, the driver decided to drive towards me, leaving no more than two or three inches maximum between me and the side of the very large bus. If I hadn't been an experienced rider, I probably wouldn't have been able to ride straight and would have gotten hit by the bus. When this incident happened, I was shaking and on the verge of tears for the next hour or so from the panic. I wrote both the local newspaper and the bus company a letter of concern about this encounter, but neither published my letter or even wrote back.When I moved to Anchorage and then Fairbanks, I was astounded by the bicycle friendliness in town. It was awesome to have separate bike paths along the roads and wide shoulders. I couldn't believe that a car would actually stop to let me go first at an intersection.
There has been a lot of ruckus in our local newspaper about cyclists on the roads recently. I do agree that cyclists should use the available bike paths. Cyclists should be happy that our city actually built those for you. Sorry if there are a couple of cracks in them. You won't get a flat tire from them if your tires are pumped up to the proper pressure. There are a lot of places, especially on the east coast where cyclists don't have the luxury of being separated from cars and buses, let alone a wide shoulder to ride on. I admit, I don't always stop at every single stop sign especially on campus where there are typically no drivers on the side roads, but I definitely take a good look to make sure no one is coming or there already. Every once in awhile I'll even listen to my ipod, but not so loud that I can't hear the outside noises, and definitely NOT when I'm on the roads.. only on the separated bike paths. Just be responsible, be aware of your surroundings, and obey the rules.
If you look in your driver's manual, cyclists are in fact supposed to be treated as motor vehicles. This is out of the AK driver's manual. I know PA is the same. I like this description since it gives the responsibilies of both sides of the line.
MOTORIST: With the increasing use of bicycles, there is a greater need to exercise care while driving when bicyclists are present to insure their safety. Bicycle riders have no vehicle structure to protect them, and are difficult to see in traffic. Some bicyclists lack skill, and many are too young to have knowledge of all the traffic rules. As a driver, you must be alert and courteous to all bicyclists.
BICYCLISTS: Bicyclists are required to obey traffic signs, signals, and all other traffic laws. Always be alert for other traffic.
I really have no particular concern in writing this other than maybe reaching a driver that might not think about cyclists on the road, or reaching a cyclist that might be slacking on their attention span. It happens, we all have our "off" days, but it's worth thinking about, or taking that extra minute to be safe. And to the drivers, don't be angry at all cyclists because there are some out there who ride carelessly. I don't judge all trucks because those are the drivers who seem to cause most accidents in the winter.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Team Spiritus at the Relay for Life
High today: 70
Low today: 36
It was fun being a part of Team Spiritus this year for the Relay for Life. I remember being so intimidated by them all last year. The weather was perfect except for the chilly morning, but the sun rose above the horizon at 4am, and all was dandy. Our team did really well raising money for the Cure and even ended up in 5th place for fundraising!
Low today: 36
It was fun being a part of Team Spiritus this year for the Relay for Life. I remember being so intimidated by them all last year. The weather was perfect except for the chilly morning, but the sun rose above the horizon at 4am, and all was dandy. Our team did really well raising money for the Cure and even ended up in 5th place for fundraising!
Montana
Traveled on down to the "Lower 48" for the first time since the move to Fairbanks and set foot "out west" for the first time. I love flying over the mountains and glaciers between here and Seattle.
Had an awfully long layover in Seattle, so went out and wandered around the city a little bit and got lunch. I remembered why I don't like big cities.. I hate putting on my "city face", you know, walking with a purpose and not making eye contact with people.. having to really watch out for yourself.
Got into Missoula in the late evening. I imagined something very different, but it was a nice place. The college town part was frighteningly like State College, but much smaller. When I walked around campus, I felt like I knew exactly where I was going.. they had something very similar to Old Main, the Old Main lawn, and the layout was just similar in so many ways. Located in a much bigger town though.
There are a ton of rivers and creeks that run through town. Some rapids, some calm. If I were a big kayaker/rafter it would be heaven.
Mmm lilacs!! I miss these.. I wonder if they would survive in Fairbanks if I tried to plant them?
The hiking in Missoula was awesome. Even though the peaks weren't very big, the trails were RIGHT there. It took me 2 mins to bike to the trailhead. This particular hill had an "M" on it for University of Montana, there was one next to it that had an "L" for whatever high school is in town. I learned that the Montanans like to put big letters on their mountainsides. Totally random, but I saw it several other places the next day when we drove to Great Falls and back.
Look!! It's a Johnny Jetta.. this was pretty much the exact car my sister and I used to own. I saw two or three of these in Missoula.
Here is an arrow-leafed balsamroot, which is very common on open slopes at low elevations. (thanks to Don for the addition!)
On Thursday the professor I am working with drove us out to Great Falls the long way (through Helena) to test our equipment with NWS's radiosonde. We stopped a lot along the way to take his dog on short hikes. Cocoa (the dog) made it into a lot of pictures!
She loved the snow patches that were still left over.
We passed the continental divide there and back. Now I've passed it in AK and MT. Of course I had to pee on it, so I could contaminate the Missouri River down to the Mississippi River which would eventually make its way to the Gulf of Mexico and wherever the other side goes. Sorry New Orleans...
This was a riot.. we were on the highway and suddenly a herd of cattle was walking towards us.
Check out the video of them! It's pretty entertaining.. turn up your volume!
The drive to Great Falls was neat since we went from the mountains to pretty much... the Midwest!
The drive back to Missoula was better than the drive there... finally felt like we were actually in Montana. This is what I imagined it to look like. .. farms and wide open spaces!
After the work portion of my field work was over, I had most of Friday to play before heading back to FAI. I met up with a friend who I met at the AMS conference in 2006. He was a STEP student in Juneau the summer before I had my internship in Anchorage. Small meteorological world.. at both the Great Falls and Missoula offices, there was some sort of connection to people I knew from my undergrad too. Matt and I headed up to Rattlesnake National Recreation Area for some mountain biking. There are a ton of places to ride around Missoula, I could probably just bike for several weeks and find new trails. Good place to be a cyclist, that's for sure!
On the way back to the airport stopped by the Big Sky Brewery (Moose Drool! I just like the name) with Don to sample their brews. Then it was back home, where the sun shines all the time. It was neat boarding the airplane in Seattle in darkness and the light gradually increasing until the landing at 1am in daylight!
Had an awfully long layover in Seattle, so went out and wandered around the city a little bit and got lunch. I remembered why I don't like big cities.. I hate putting on my "city face", you know, walking with a purpose and not making eye contact with people.. having to really watch out for yourself.
Got into Missoula in the late evening. I imagined something very different, but it was a nice place. The college town part was frighteningly like State College, but much smaller. When I walked around campus, I felt like I knew exactly where I was going.. they had something very similar to Old Main, the Old Main lawn, and the layout was just similar in so many ways. Located in a much bigger town though.
There are a ton of rivers and creeks that run through town. Some rapids, some calm. If I were a big kayaker/rafter it would be heaven.
Mmm lilacs!! I miss these.. I wonder if they would survive in Fairbanks if I tried to plant them?
The hiking in Missoula was awesome. Even though the peaks weren't very big, the trails were RIGHT there. It took me 2 mins to bike to the trailhead. This particular hill had an "M" on it for University of Montana, there was one next to it that had an "L" for whatever high school is in town. I learned that the Montanans like to put big letters on their mountainsides. Totally random, but I saw it several other places the next day when we drove to Great Falls and back.
Look!! It's a Johnny Jetta.. this was pretty much the exact car my sister and I used to own. I saw two or three of these in Missoula.
Here is an arrow-leafed balsamroot, which is very common on open slopes at low elevations. (thanks to Don for the addition!)
On Thursday the professor I am working with drove us out to Great Falls the long way (through Helena) to test our equipment with NWS's radiosonde. We stopped a lot along the way to take his dog on short hikes. Cocoa (the dog) made it into a lot of pictures!
She loved the snow patches that were still left over.
We passed the continental divide there and back. Now I've passed it in AK and MT. Of course I had to pee on it, so I could contaminate the Missouri River down to the Mississippi River which would eventually make its way to the Gulf of Mexico and wherever the other side goes. Sorry New Orleans...
This was a riot.. we were on the highway and suddenly a herd of cattle was walking towards us.
Check out the video of them! It's pretty entertaining.. turn up your volume!The drive to Great Falls was neat since we went from the mountains to pretty much... the Midwest!
The drive back to Missoula was better than the drive there... finally felt like we were actually in Montana. This is what I imagined it to look like. .. farms and wide open spaces!
After the work portion of my field work was over, I had most of Friday to play before heading back to FAI. I met up with a friend who I met at the AMS conference in 2006. He was a STEP student in Juneau the summer before I had my internship in Anchorage. Small meteorological world.. at both the Great Falls and Missoula offices, there was some sort of connection to people I knew from my undergrad too. Matt and I headed up to Rattlesnake National Recreation Area for some mountain biking. There are a ton of places to ride around Missoula, I could probably just bike for several weeks and find new trails. Good place to be a cyclist, that's for sure!
On the way back to the airport stopped by the Big Sky Brewery (Moose Drool! I just like the name) with Don to sample their brews. Then it was back home, where the sun shines all the time. It was neat boarding the airplane in Seattle in darkness and the light gradually increasing until the landing at 1am in daylight!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Mini-Chena Cruise
High today: 65
Low today: 40
Carrie's bro was in from North Carolina for a few days. Trevor, Carrie, her bro and I did a mini cruise down the Chena. Trevor brought his canoe and packraft to use. There were some scenic views of fine Fairbanks housing... fun was had by all!
Low today: 40
Carrie's bro was in from North Carolina for a few days. Trevor, Carrie, her bro and I did a mini cruise down the Chena. Trevor brought his canoe and packraft to use. There were some scenic views of fine Fairbanks housing... fun was had by all!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Sky's On Fire
High today: 64
Low today (so far): 50
This is why I love this time of year. Rain showers, rainbows, sunsets, and the smell of it all to top it off. Only downside would be when I open up the door tomorrow to swarms of mosquitoes... well, let's hope not for now. :-)
Low today (so far): 50
This is why I love this time of year. Rain showers, rainbows, sunsets, and the smell of it all to top it off. Only downside would be when I open up the door tomorrow to swarms of mosquitoes... well, let's hope not for now. :-)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Hey Bear!
High today: 68
Low today: 40
Got to go down to Denali today to move a weather station at the dog kennels. As we were working on wiring the new system, one of the NPS girls says "did you see that bear???"
"What bear?"
"Over there!"
Whoa! Cool! He was checking out our truck not very far away. We were ordered to get into the building but I was able to snatch this shot before the bear wandered down the hillside into the brush.
The weather station is at the dog kennels near HQ. This lady had 8 pups exactly one week ago. Aren't they cuuuuuuuuuuuuute? She is a very proud mama.
I really liked this pup even before she looked cute sleeping. Doesn't look very comfortable though, does it?
Low today: 40
Got to go down to Denali today to move a weather station at the dog kennels. As we were working on wiring the new system, one of the NPS girls says "did you see that bear???"
"What bear?"
"Over there!"
Whoa! Cool! He was checking out our truck not very far away. We were ordered to get into the building but I was able to snatch this shot before the bear wandered down the hillside into the brush.
The weather station is at the dog kennels near HQ. This lady had 8 pups exactly one week ago. Aren't they cuuuuuuuuuuuuute? She is a very proud mama.
I really liked this pup even before she looked cute sleeping. Doesn't look very comfortable though, does it?
Monday, May 19, 2008
Travel bug
High today: 64
Low today: 40
A couple exciting trips coming up. Next week I am going to Montana for a few days to "train" for some field work for my thesis. (aka train a little bit and play the rest of the time.. who said grad school was so bad???) This is a big deal since I've never been west of Indiana in the Lower 48 and out west is where I originally planned to go to grad school. This trip was pretty last minute so I haven't had a chance to get psyched about it yet. The guy who is "chauffeuring" me around is really cool too, so I think the trip will be a lot of fun.
Two weeks after the Montana trip I'm going out to Nome and places along the Seward Peninsula for some more field work with a post-doc I'm working with. For this trip we will be traveling by plane, boat, 4-wheelers, etc. Another really cool place. 
Let the fun begin!
Low today: 40
A couple exciting trips coming up. Next week I am going to Montana for a few days to "train" for some field work for my thesis. (aka train a little bit and play the rest of the time.. who said grad school was so bad???) This is a big deal since I've never been west of Indiana in the Lower 48 and out west is where I originally planned to go to grad school. This trip was pretty last minute so I haven't had a chance to get psyched about it yet. The guy who is "chauffeuring" me around is really cool too, so I think the trip will be a lot of fun.
Two weeks after the Montana trip I'm going out to Nome and places along the Seward Peninsula for some more field work with a post-doc I'm working with. For this trip we will be traveling by plane, boat, 4-wheelers, etc. Another really cool place. 
Let the fun begin!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Back to the Big City
Had to return Aviva and Jud to Anchorage so they could board their cruise in Whittier. I could make a cd of songs that will remind me of this week.. all 1900 miles of it.. containing a lot of Indigo Girls (Galileo for sure, right Vives?) and misc. ones like Umbrella by Rihanna. There were moose not in Denali but on my street in Fairbanks, caribou on the Richardson Hwy that got a teeny bit too close to the car for comfort, bear tracks all along the trails. Some sucker would return to Fairbanks with a new commuter bike (I don't know who that fool is..) and summer would have begun in the state.
We met up with Jud's parents at Humpy's for dinner. Brings back good memories.
The 5th Avenue mall.. my favorite!
The mountain showed her lovely face again on a crystal clear ride back north.
And the frozen lake became liquid once again.
We met up with Jud's parents at Humpy's for dinner. Brings back good memories.
The 5th Avenue mall.. my favorite!
The mountain showed her lovely face again on a crystal clear ride back north.
And the frozen lake became liquid once again.
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