Only in Alaska!

[Ron Thorne]

Turnagain Arm begins about :15mins. south of Anchorage, and is part of Cook Inlet, which is part of the Pacific Ocean. It's called Turnagain Arm because when Capt. James Cook sailed into Cook Inlet, then that arm of the inlet, he was forced to "turn again". He was looking for the Northwest Passage, but found two rivers at the end of two arms, instead. The northern arm of Cook Inlet is called Knik Arm.

Cook Inlet has some of the largest tides in the world, and Turnagain Arm has some pretty amazing bore tides. All of this brings us to this pretty cool video capturing a piece of a new sport in Turnagain Arm.

[LennyH]

Ron, in the mid 90s I spent a few weeks on an oil rig in Cook Inlet. It was called Steelhead. I went back there for another 3 day (or so) stint and spent one day on land in the middle of the woods (there was just a small building in the middle of the woods for some reason) on the shore not too far away.

Some experience. One thing I remember about those trips taking that small plane from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula. That plane always got tossed around like a rag doll. The pilots were used to it but...let's just say there was a certain odor in the air whenever I got on to one of those planes.

[Ron Thorne]

Lenny, I didn't know that you had been in our area. Ahhhhh, yes ... Marathon Oil.

Does this look familiar, Lenny?

[LennyH]

Haha! That's the one, Ron. I forgot that I also spent one night on a nearby platform but it was very old and a very different experience.

An interesting life for those people that worked on there. 7 days on...working like 12 hour days, I believe...eating pretty well and some decent facilities and recreation...and 7 days off.

[LennyH]

It's also hard to tell from that picture just how big that platform is. IIRC, it was like 5 stories and you could get lost in there.

[Ron Thorne]

In Seward, Alaska, about 120 miles south of Anchorage, a very unusual race takes place on the 4th of July ... the Mt. Marathon Race. It's a grueling race up, then down Mt. Marathon, which rises in the "backyard" of this sleepy coastal town.

Here are some still photos, and a video taken with a helmet-cam, mostly of a descent.



Strabel breaks Mount Marathon record that stood 32 years








Photos - ERIK HILL — Anchorage Daily News

Published: July 4, 2013

By DOYLE WOODY — dwoody@adn.com

SEWARD -- Even as he sprinted to the finish line and spied the electronic clock overhead that reported he was shortly to shatter one of the most storied and oldest records in Alaska sports, Eric Strabel did not believe the digits.

He thought there must be some timing mistake.

There was not.

Strabel, 31, of Anchorage not only won the men's race at Mount Marathon for the second time in three years, but he wiped out the course record that had stood since 1981 and sometimes seemed nearly unbreakable.

Strabel made the 3.5-mile journey of pain up and down the steep, unforgiving 3,022-foot mountain and back into town in 42 minutes, 55 seconds to eclipse the long-standing record (43:21) of eight-time men's champion Bill Spencer.

For a few moments in the finish chute, Strabel was unaware the record was his. He assumed there was a timing error. He received an incorrect report of his time at the top of the mountain -- he was third to the peak, in 32:19, 36 seconds faster than someone told him -- and felt he was running slower downhill than his blistering descent in 10:08 a year ago. And he did not wear a watch when he raced.

When the news of his breakthrough was relayed to him, Strabel was incredulous.

"Oh, my God," he said. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God.''

There was a lot of that going around.

"Un-freaking-believable,'' said Ben Ward, the 14th-place finisher.

"Holy s---," quoth 2009 champion Matias Saari, who crossed in fourth place Thursday.

Fifth-place finisher Brent Knight did not even speak -- he simply mouthed, "Wow," his eyes wide, his jaw dropped.

And when Spencer, 57, came across the line more than 26 minutes after Strabel, he wrapped the new record-holder in his arms. From atop the mountain, Spencer had seen the police car that escorts the lead runner back into town, glanced at his watch and knew his record was history.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/07/04/2964188/s ... rylink=cpy

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Holy shit. I'm huffing and puffing just sitting here looking at those photos and watching that video. I'm going to take a nap.

[Ron Thorne]

Anchorage man, 78, sets record as oldest McKinley summiteer




Bill Kittredge (left), Steve Gruhn and Tom Choate at the start of their Denali climb. Choate, 78,
became the oldest person ever to reach the summit of Mt. McKinley on June 28, 2013.
Photo: National Park Service — JOHN BRUECK, NPS

Published: July 9, 2013 Updated 7 hours ago

By MIKE DUNHAM — mdunham@adn.com

A pioneer of Alaska mountain climbing has set one -- maybe two -- new records on Mount McKinley. On June 28, three months shy of his 79th birthday, Tom Choate became the oldest person to reach the summit of the mountain.

The previous record was held by Michio Kumamoto of Japan, who reached the top in 2007 at 76.

Choate, born Sept. 30, 1934, is a retired biology professor and self-described "old mountain goat" who lives in Anchorage. He was among the first 130 or so people to ascend the 20,320-foot mountain that now sees thousands of attempts each year. He was a member of the team that, in 1963, made the first north-to-south traverse of the mountain; he reached the summit twice on that expedition.

Choate has since climbed Denali in 1983, 1993, 2003 and now 2013. That streak may present a more telling record than merely being the oldest person ever to stand at the tallest point on North America.

"The more interesting record in my book is that I think it's the greatest duration of time between a climber's first ascent and most recent ascent," said Steve Gruhn, who with Bruce Kittredge accompanied Choate on the trip. Gruhn noted that 49 years, 11 months and one week separated Choate's 1963 and 2013 climbs.

Gruhn was less certain whether anyone else has successfully climbed Denali in five different decades. "But I think that's a safe bet," he said.

Choate made his latest climb with an artificial hip.

"They gave me a new hip last year," he said by phone from Talkeetna a few hours after coming off the mountain Tuesday. "I was only up to four hours of exercise. But up there, waiting for the weather, I got fitter and fitter, where I could do six-, then eight-hour days."

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/07/09/2969243/c ... rylink=cpy

[Ron Thorne]

Famed Katmai brown bears ready for season 2




In this July 2012 photo provided by Roy Wood and explore.org, a group of bears are seen
at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The stars of a widely
popular Internet series are ready for their second season. The stars in this show are the
grizzly bears of Katmai National Park, and they will be coming to a small screen near you
with more cameras and different angles as they fight to get a bounty of salmon before
winter sets in. ROY WOOD AND EXPLORE.ORG — AP Photo

By MARK THIESSEN — Associated Press

KATMAI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska — Stars snarling at each other, mate swapping, dominant males posturing and establishing their territory.

It's not quite "Jersey Shore," but these are among the highlights of the second season of an Internet reality show coming your way this week.

The stars are the brown bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve in remote Alaska. Eight web cams, an increase of five from last year, have been set up at various parts of the park to livestream the daily life and drama of the park's famed bears. Social aspects also have been enhanced, with live web chats planned with rangers and scientists, and a new photo sharing feature.

"We know that Katmai is a cost-prohibitive place to visit so not a lot of people get the opportunity to come here," park ranger Michael Fitz said.

"We still want people to have an understanding of what Katmai is like, and enjoy, especially enjoy the brown bears that are here, so explore.org is able to partner with Katmai to provide many different webcams along the Brooks River so you have a chance to watch the bears and have an opportunity to experience their lives," Fitz said.

About 10,000 people a year visit the park about 250 miles west of Anchorage, which is only accessibly by float plane. Katmai is on the Alaska Peninsula, across the Shelikof Strait from Kodiak Island.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/07/15/2974907/f ... rylink=cpy

[Ron Thorne]

This creek runs into downtown Anchorage, and was the site of the 1st (white) settlers of the Anchorage townsite. A salmon fishing derby is underway there, which is highly unusual in an urban setting.

A kingly leap at Ship Creek


A king salmon that has returned to Ship Creek to spawn attempts to leap over a waterfall near the
William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Dozens of Chinook salmon
in spawning colors can be seen holding in the flowing waters from viewing areas next to the hatchery.
BILL ROTH — Anchorage Daily News

[BeBop]

Ron,
Not to interrupt the flow you've got going on, but I really do enjoy the news and images. I lost my Alaska clients a few years back. And I no longer get vacation time to go on my own volition. Hopefully someday. Wonderful place. I mainly know Kenai Peninsula, north, to Fairbanks, though I've done some trips to Juneau and Sitka to visit my cousin.

[Ron Thorne]

Comments are never an interruption, BeBop.

I'm glad that you've had occasions to visit our wonderful state, and hope you have other chances soon.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Here is a story and some images surrounding a very special event.



Photos: World Eskimo-Indian Olympics kick off in Fairbanks


Ash Adams Photo

Alaska Dispatch
July 18, 2013

The 52nd World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) is underway in the Interior city of Fairbanks, making this weekend your chance to witness spectacular competitions of strength, endurance and agility, as well as traditional Native crafts and dance.

The games feature mostly Alaska Native competitors, although a group from Greenland is returning for the third consecutive year, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.

Popular events include the blanket toss, where people are flung into the air on blankets made of walrus skin; and the ear pull, a nail-biting event for onlookers where competitors face off in a tug-of-war, using twine looped around one ear.

Fairbanks has hosted WEIO since 1961, according to the event’s website. In the years since its inception, the games have continued to grow, garnering more participants, onlookers, and media coverage. The website offers a traditional perspective on the games:

To better appreciate the background of these games, envision yourself in a community village hut three hundred years ago with the temperature outside at 60 degrees below zero, and everybody in attendance celebrating a successful seal hunt. While the young men are demonstrating their athletic prowess and strength, the umialiks, or whaling captains, are on the perimeter of the hut looking with great interest at the young adults – one or more of these young men would be incorporated into their whaling and hunting crews – the fastest, the strongest, the one showing great balance and endurance to pain would be the top pick.

[Ron Thorne]

Some of you already know that we've had record-breaking temps this summer all over Alaska. Anchorage just broke another record, enjoying 38 days where the temp was over 70°, including the last 14 consecutive days. Don't laugh at this, please. It's a big deal, especially after last summer's laughable weather.

You know it's hot in Anchorage when adults do this in Campbell Creek, which is practically in our backyard.

This water is about 38°, folks!


Kan Kil floats face-first in the cool waters of Campbell Creek, near Lake Otis Parkway, while beating the heat
on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. Anchorage broke a record on Tuesday for hitting 70 degrees or more for the 14th
straight day. BILL ROTH — Anchorage Daily News



Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/07/30/2963214/b ... rylink=cpy

[Blue Train]

http://www.ibtimes.com/bear-jumps-jet-s ... os-1379113

[Ron Thorne]

[Ron Thorne]

Stubbs the cat, Alaska town mayor, mauled by dog




(CNN) -- He's a beloved mayor, who's held the top office in Talkeetna, Alaska, for 16 years. So imagine the townfolks' shock when he was attacked.

Brutally mauled.

By a dog.

Oh, did we mention, this mayor's a cat?

Mayor Stubbs, a yellow tabby with more responsibility than your average cat, survived -- but is in bad shape.

A punctured lung. A fractured sternum. A 5-inch gash on his side.

Doctors took out a chest tube Tuesday, and he was breathing on his own for the first time since the weekend attack.

"It's a shame," said Ashley Kearns, who works at a pizza shop in the small town about 110 miles north of Anchorage. "He's the mayor, it's not a joke. I know it's ridiculous, but the town is run really well."


<

Thanks, Blue Train.

[Ron Thorne]

ERIK HILL — Anchorage Daily News

Jeet Tamang with his Buddhist snow stupa complete with Buddha figurine, candles, wisdom eyes and prayer flags on Thursday in South Anchorage. Tamang, originally from Nepal, said he always wanted to make a snow stupa since moving to Alaska 23 years ago. "It took me about a week," he said. He spent a couple hours a day at it, figuring out how to shape the structure using metal sheets while dealing with snow that was mostly powder. He is inviting friends and relatives to come by, but advising them "don't wait until spring or summer!"

[Ron Thorne]

Here's one which may have ended up with some additional laundry or dry cleaning required.


ERIK HILL — Anchorage Daily News

Three occupants of a Land and Sea Aviation Cessna 172RG Cutlass were uninjured following
an emergency landing Tuesday afternoon, January 7, 2014, on Boniface Parkway near Perry
Drive south of DeBarr Road.


Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/01/09/3262712/p ... rylink=cpy

[Ron Thorne]

It's that time of year again. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race just concluded its ceremonial start from downtown Anchorage. This year, 69 mushers and 1122 dogs were on 4th Ave. for the start. The race re-starts in Willow, Alaska tomorrow for the 1049 mile race.

You can follow the race at the link below, if interested.

[Ron Thorne]

Patti & I were sitting on our lanai enjoying the gloriously sunny day, after considerable recent rain & wind, when we suddenly got an unexpected treat ... Humpback Whales cruising by, spouting and breaching as they headed north. Other guests had reported hearing tail slaps very early this morning. Sorry, no photos ... yet.

Humpback Whales also live in Alaska, so these are our neighbors.

[Ron Thorne]

A black bear stands behind a telephone pole after it wondered across a road
during a bike race on JBER on Sunday, April 27, 2014. ANDY ROMANG — In2FunPhoto

[bluenoter]

[Ron Thorne]

[Ron Thorne]

Landmark urethane igloo in Alaska for sale

By RACHEL D'ORO

Associated Press April 29, 2014





ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The embodiment of an Alaska cliche is for sale.

The massive urethane igloo that's a must-stop for summer tourists heading up the Parks Highway en route to Denali National Park and Preserve can be had for $300,000.

The 80-foot high structure was erected more than four decades ago over a shell of plywood and two-by-sixes, and was never completed on a 38-acre site, which is part of the sales package. The igloo, which shows its age, has never been anything more than a magnet for cameras and vandals, who set off firecrackers in its cavernous interior before it was boarded up.

But for someone with lots of money to spare, property owner Brad Fisher sees great possibilities for the picturesque location in Alaska's interior. The site, 20 miles from the nearest community at Cantwell, is prime snowmobiling country in winter and hiking in summer, a land of rolling hills and willows surrounded by mountains and splendid views.

Fisher, 55, envisions the igloo as an eye-catching seasonal restaurant and hotel run on green power.

Here's the catch: Creating a viable business could run a new owner at least a couple million bucks to get it ready and up to code.

For one thing, there is no available electricity around, which demands additional costs. According to an estimate 15 years ago, putting in a utility substation would cost $1.3 million. Fisher thinks powering it with such innovations as solar panels and windmills is the more affordable way to go.

It sure would be a shame to see the igloo go to waste, he said.

"If you had the money to get it going, I have no doubt that you could make money there just because of where it is," he said. "I mean, everybody stops and looks at it."

It's a total surprise for tourists who encounter the 105-foot- wide igloo as they tour the interior and the national park on excursion buses, such as those run by Holland America-Princess for cruise ship travelers. Spokesman Charlie Ball said that if bus drivers have time, they'll stop for tourists to snap some photographs of the bulbous structure.

"It's always been a curiosity for our guests," he said. "It's always been a uniquely Alaskan desired photo stop."

Fisher, who has owned the igloo since 1996 through his family business, Fisher's Fuels Inc., rented out four nearby cabins and ran a single fuel pump at the site until 2005.

The property has been for sale off and on for six years. If Fisher has no takers this time around, there are no plans to demolish it. In fact, at some point, Fisher said he would like to recoat it for weather-proofing.

"It's just there to stay," he said.

Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro

[Ron Thorne]

You probably won't hear about this on the national news because we don't have cities the size of Phoenix, Denver, Los Angeles and the like. Nor do we have huge population centers and dense housing on the scale of those cities. What we do have, however, are some serious wildfires, one of which is much larger than any of the wildfires we're hearing about on the national news. Even though it's burning over 100 miles away from us, when the wind blows in our direction, the air quality is seriously degraded. I haven't been able to leave our house several days in the past week.

The Funny River fire burning on the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage is HUGE, having burned over 120,000 acres thus far. That's over 190 square miles! Homes and cabins are being threatened now, so it may receive some national attention. It's the lead story on every local newscast, as you would expect.

It's maddening to think that this fire was likely the result of a careless/mindless human. I know, I know ... wildfires are beneficial to the land and its inhabitants. People's lives, homes and means of making a living are all negatively impacted by this horrific event, however. This is dangerous, difficult, dirty work, to say the least. What terrific people we have assisting in this effort. Bravo!!

With nearly 500 firefighters now engaged with the fire-fighting effort, hopes are higher for slowly gaining control. Canadians and others from the lower 48 states are arriving to assist.






An airplane prepares to drop retardant on a fire burning on the edge of Browns Lake in the
Funny River neighborhood of Soldotna yesterday.




View of portion of the fire from Tustumena Lake




Nurse's Cabin on the shores of Tustumena Lake survived the fire in large part thanks to the Fire Wise preparation and maintenance of defensible space.