Saturday, August 29, 2015

Inevitable

Now that the winds have died down, we are seeing something that some dread hearing about so I won't say anymore about it for now. Let the picture tell the story.

The ocean is almost calm again though there is still a steady 10 kt wind from the SW. It feels nice compared to just a few days ago.

This afternoon, I went out to visit a group that was working out of a tent on the old airstrip. I had never actually driven out onto the airstrip before and was surprised to see that the surface was actually perforated metal plates which I'm guessing is to distribute the load of the military transport planes. This group was flying UAVs so the surface was only used for takeoff. For landing, they were snagging it out of the air. The group was carefully looking at the weather to see if it was adequate for flying today.

This may be a better view of the surface of the runway. The Weatherport in the background is where they have all of their electronics with multiple 2 KW Honda generators behind it. The large green building in the background is an old hanger from when this was originally built by the Navy in 1947. As you can see, the sun is actually out and it isn't snowing anymore. Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that word....

While waiting for my to-go order for dinner (East Coast Pizzaria) I went to the bluff that I took the storm video. The water is now calm with only a few waves. Not glass smooth but not 20' waves either.

 

11 comments:

  1. Current forecast for Fairbanks, AK......60 degree weather next week.

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  2. Replies
    1. Not just frost but blowing snow. Madness, maybe but preferable to TS.

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  3. I guess it had to happen ... I saw the first geese heading south this morning.

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    1. Just doing my part to get you gradually used to the idea that summer isn't forever.

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    2. Glad there is someone on the planet to keep me grounded - thanks!

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  4. Knowing you were in Barrow, as soon as I saw the word inevitable I thought snow. Just looks like a dusting though.

    Interesting runway at the airport. At least they shouldn't sink into the mud this way.

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    1. It was just a dusting. And only after the wind settled down enough so it wasn't just blowing around all over the place.

      This runway is at the abandoned military airstrip right next to the beach built on sand and gravel. The commercial airport is concrete and asphalt. The bluff where I took the last photo is on the approach to the runway so it's well above the storm surges.

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  5. Concerning your first pic and the word that you weren't supposed to say...

    With all due respect, Richard, please keep it to yourself--keep it north--for several months or more at least.

    Didn't summer just barely begin?...

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    Replies
    1. But we were all taught that sharing was a good thing. Yes, summer just began. Around here, it is less than a month long. The days here are still 16 hours long with sunset around 10:30pm.

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