Week in Anchorage

We spent the first week of Christmas Break in Anchorage with Nathan's parents and the Hollands.  On Sunday, the temperature was too warm for snow machining.  Instead, we slept in and enjoyed the Bed and Breakfast.  That afternoon we went to Cyrano's Theatre and watched "It's A Wonderful Life: Live Radio Show".  The set was an old fashioned radio studio with the stand up microphones, sound effects table, Christmas decorations, the "Applause" light, and the "On Air" light.  There were five cast members who then performed "It's A Wonderful Life" doing all the characters in unique voices.  We were able to recognize what character was talking based on the voice.  It was wonderful.  A great way to spend the afternoon.  After the play, we went back to the Hollands' house for dinner and games and a fireplace.
On Monday we got up early and met the Hollands at there house at 8 am.  We were going snow machining.  We loaded up the Suburban (Ky, Sharon, and Dave on the front seat; me, Ellen, and Nathan on the back seat).  The back of the Suburban was full of our supplies and clothing for the day.  We drove about 2 hours to Suisitna Landing, a park on the Suisitna River.  We unloaded the three snow machines and got dressed (knee socks, bottom base layer, spaghetti-strap top, top base layer, top mid-layer, wool socks, jeans, Patagonia jacket, insulated snow pants, glove liners, mittens, knit hat, face warmer, helmet, goggles, parka, and boots).
Ky unloaded the three snow machines, we loaded them up with gear for the cabin, and then, after a snow machine tutorial, we were off.  We went through the park (with picnic table covered in mounds of snow), then we began our crossing of the Suisitna River.  The crossing points were marked for us.  The scouts mark the crossings where the ice flows pile up across the river.  The crossing is not flat like I expected.  It is rough, with big dips and climbs as the trail goes over the huge blocks of ice that have frozen together and been covered with snow.  We would parallel the river, then cross, then parallel, then cross, until we reached the other side and rode up a steep hill to the top of a bluff.  This was the first and only time that Nathan and I tipped the snow machine and fell off.

The Snow Machines!

Looking at the picnic tables at Suisitna Landing.  Look at all that snow!

 On Snow Machining and Marriage

The snow machine has two skis on the front that keep it on top of the snow and a track that is less than a foot wide the supports the entire machine and propels it forward.  Therefore, the riders must actively ride the machine.  We have to lean into the curves and if we feel the machine tipping we must adjust and lean the opposite way to keep from tipping over.  

While Nathan and I took turns driving the machine, Nathan drove most of the time (he was a good wind block for me).  This meant that in order for me to watch the snow ahead of us I had to lean to the side and therefore disrupt the balance.  While I was riding I was hit with a great analogy:  Snow Machining is like Marriage.  The passenger needs to trust the driver.  When Nathan leaned to a side, I needed to trust that we were approaching a corner and lean with him even though I could not see the turn.  (Nathan had to do the same thing when I was driving; although he had an easier time seeing over me). If I decided that I knew better than he did and leaned the other way, I would cause the machine to tip and we would both fall off.  Now to the marriage part.  In marriage sometimes the husband is "driving" and the wife needs to trust that he knows best and support him.  The same thing is true when the wife is driving.  With  trust (at times blind trust) we follow and support each other and this keeps our marriage from "tipping".

After traveling ten miles across the river, through the woods, and on top of the lake, we reached the Hollands' cabin.  It is on an island in the middle of Trapper Lake.  They own half the island and the other half is swamp and marshes and is public land (although no one wants to camp in a swamp).  We parked the snow machines in front of the cabin and began unloading, shoveling snow, and looking for trees that fell in the storm (firewood).  

Nathan checking the snow machines while Ky shovels the porch.

Looking out at Trapper Lake.  To the right of the picture is the boat house.

Ellen and I at the Hollands' cabin on Trapper Lake.  This was our destination on our snow machining day.

After unloading and bringing in the supplies we brought we settled in at the cabin.  It was about the same temperature inside the cabin as it was outside (about 20 degrees).  Ky and Sharon worked with the wood stove and got a fire burning.  Ellen and I shared a coat to keep our feet warm.  Dave took the snow machine out on the lake to explore the capabilities of the machine.  Ky and Nathan took the other two snow machines to the spring to get water.

Heading back to the car after snow machining to Trapper Lake (around 4:15pm).

Dave and Ellen on the left and Ky and Sharon on the right.

After snow machining we went to Anchorage and met up with Katie and her parents, Katie's former St. Michael roommate Lacey, Pam and Michael (also from St. Michael), and Michael's daughter, for dinner at LaMex.

Nathan and I at LaMex. 

Ellen, Sharon, Ky, and Dave at LaMex.

Tuesday was our shopping day.  We went to Costco first and bought our non-perishable food items.  This included ridiculous amounts of some items.  Nathan and I had gone through our food inventory that Ellen and I made this summer and used that to determine the amounts needed to feed us through July (our next trip for groceries).  I was going through the store with Ellen and Sharon putting things in the cart thinking this is way too much.  Ellen had to remind me that there was a reason behind the amounts I had determined.  We filled three carts at Costco (just like in August) but the amount we spent was less than we spent in August.  Then we went to Fred Meyer to buy the items that we couldn't get at Costco and filled one cart.  Significantly less than in August.  Nathan had a bet with the checkout lady on the price.  She found several coupons for us just to mess up his guess :).  

After shopping we called Ky and Dave and let them know where to meet us for dinner.  We went to Sorentos (an Italian restaurant).  After dinner all six of us went to see "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows" and then Dave and Ellen headed to the airport to catch their 12:30 am flight back to Utah.  Nathan and I went back the the bed and breakfast.  

Wednesday Nathan and I went over to the Hollands to use their garage to pack our groceries for mailing.  We ended up buying a few more RubberMaids and ActionPackers in the process.  We ended up with 14 total containers that we were going to mail back to St. Michael (not including our perishable groceries).  

On Wednesday night we watched "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol".

Packing up our groceries for shipping.  We filled three shopping carts at Costco and one at Fred Meyer.    We packed those groceries in 14 RubberMaids and ActionPackers.  

On Thursday we went to the post office at the airport and delivered our containers via the loading dock (because we had more than ten), weighed them, loaded them onto a pallet, and paid for them.  We ran out miscellaneous errands.

Mountains around Anchorage.  Beautiful Trees!

The living room of North Country Castle Bed and Breakfast.

On Thursday night we watched "Breaking Dawn: Part 1", then walked to Red Robin for 45 minutes (a quick dinner-snack) and then watched "TinTin".  Every night the snow would start falling.  On Thursday the snow started falling around noon and didn't stop.  By the time we finished our last movie we had at least five inches on the car  and around the wheels.  

Thursday: On our last night in Anchorage, Nathan and I  shipped our containers, then celebrated our accomplishment by watching Breaking Dawn and TinTin.  By the time we got back to the car, we had gotten five inches of snow.  

By the nest morning the snow was up to the bumper of the suburban.  It was up to the top of my boots (just below my knee) no including the snow I pushed down with my step.

On Friday morning we left the Bed and Breakfast (one foot of powder had accumulated around the suburban overnight).  

Friday morning we pack up all our things, loaded the car, said goodbye to our hosts, Cindy and Wray, and headed downtown to pick up Sharon.  Then we went to Costco with our three coolers to buy our perishable items that would be additional checked bags on the flight.  From their we went to the airport for our 12pm flight.  We arrived at 11:30am, unloaded, said goodbye to Sharon, and checked in...3 minutes too late.  

The other truck in the Hollands' drive way.  On Saturday, when I arrived it was visible.  On Friday when we left...well... you can see the side mirror.

Fortunately the lady at the counter didn't put us on standby.  She told us that our checked bags might not be on the plane with us but they would leave on the cargo plane later that day.  We made it to the gate (fortunately again, not behind security) with about five minutes to spare.  Then we boarded our plane (Pam and Michael were on the flight with us back to St. Michael).  90 minutes to Unalakleet.  Our bags didn't travel with us.  After we arrived we were told our plane to St. Michael was already in Unalakleet and we would be leaving early.  Our plane was supposed to leave at 4:30pm.  We left around 3pm.  The plane was so cold when we boarded that the ice you usually see on the outside of the windows of commercial airplanes at 30,000 feet, was on the inside of the windows at sea level.  We arrived in St. Michael at 3:30pm and were met by Tim B. (assistant principal) who drove us home.  The first thing we did when we got home was walk to the post office where we had two packages waiting, just in time for Christmas.