I had some errands to run and along the way, I stopped at the large animal research station (LARS) to see if any animals were near the road. There were a number of muskox eating and one more laying around by itself. I was tricked into not riding the for a couple of days this week by the weather service. Snow was forecast and around here, the roads are usually a real mess with the first snowfall.
I also stopped by the Alyeska Pipeline visitors center again and, as you can see, Fall is over. There are no more bright colors on the trees and everything has turned a drab grey color. I guess that's getting us mentally prepared for the nice, bright snow as it'll be a vast improvement to the drab grey. It was a good day for a ride with temperatures in the 50s (°F) though it was a little overcast. It is now two weeks after the "last ride of the season" though they didn't have any other rides advertised. There was an Airheads "Tech Day" scheduled for Sunday afternoon but it was cancelled at the last minute due to a parts problem. It has been rescheduled for next Sunday.
I'm a little surprised at the number of other riders who have mentioned that they have put away their bikes for the season. Many had even cancelled their insurance for the year. But I did see a number of other riders out yesterday enjoying the unseasonably warm weather including a Royal Enfield hack. There was a comment asking about visibility up here. It isn't 200 mile visibility but definitely over 100 miles even with the high clouds. I believe this is Mt. Hess (11,940 feet) and Mt. Deborah (12,339 feet). The next really clear day, I'll take a better picture.
Tuesday Morning - Okay, everything isn't drab grey. Right outside my office, there is this bright yellow evergreen. I don't know what species it is but it does look nice and it is bright. This mornings ride in was wonderful as it was a balmy 25°F and no snow or ice. I did notice a lot of frosted windshields in the parking lots. It's supposed to warm up to about 46°F this afternoon but they are predicting snow for the next week or so. This may be the last ride for a while. One of those things that I'm not used to is riding in the dark. Today was the first time this year when it was still dark at 8:00 in the morning.
Today is turning ut to be one of those clear, sunny days that make you wonder why you have to spend so much time in an office. Fortunately, there are a lot of opportunities to get out into the woods as there is a nice trail system about a hundred yards or so from my building. We are sponsoring a series of "Tech Days" and one of the activities that I volunteered to help with is geocaching. We hid three geocaches around campus and I need to check on them periodically over the rest of the week. Not bad, wandering through the woods is part of my job description at least for a couple of days.
I had some errands to run and along the way, I stopped at the large animal research station (LARS) to see if any animals were near the road. There were a number of muskox eating and one more laying around by itself. I was tricked into not riding the for a couple of days this week by the weather service. Snow was forecast and around here, the roads are usually a real mess with the first snowfall.
I also stopped by the Alyeska Pipeline visitors center again and, as you can see, Fall is over. There are no more bright colors on the trees and everything has turned a drab grey color. I guess that's getting us mentally prepared for the nice, bright snow as it'll be a vast improvement to the drab grey. It was a good day for a ride with temperatures in the 50s (°F) though it was a little overcast. It is now two weeks after the "last ride of the season" though they didn't have any other rides advertised. There was an Airheads "Tech Day" scheduled for Sunday afternoon but it was cancelled at the last minute due to a parts problem. It has been rescheduled for next Sunday.
I'm a little surprised at the number of other riders who have mentioned that they have put away their bikes for the season. Many had even cancelled their insurance for the year. But I did see a number of other riders out yesterday enjoying the unseasonably warm weather including a Royal Enfield hack. There was a comment asking about visibility up here. It isn't 200 mile visibility but definitely over 100 miles even with the high clouds. I believe this is Mt. Hess (11,940 feet) and Mt. Deborah (12,339 feet). The next really clear day, I'll take a better picture.
Tuesday Morning - Okay, everything isn't drab grey. Right outside my office, there is this bright yellow evergreen. I don't know what species it is but it does look nice and it is bright. This mornings ride in was wonderful as it was a balmy 25°F and no snow or ice. I did notice a lot of frosted windshields in the parking lots. It's supposed to warm up to about 46°F this afternoon but they are predicting snow for the next week or so. This may be the last ride for a while. One of those things that I'm not used to is riding in the dark. Today was the first time this year when it was still dark at 8:00 in the morning. 
Today is turning ut to be one of those clear, sunny days that make you wonder why you have to spend so much time in an office. Fortunately, there are a lot of opportunities to get out into the woods as there is a nice trail system about a hundred yards or so from my building. We are sponsoring a series of "Tech Days" and one of the activities that I volunteered to help with is geocaching. We hid three geocaches around campus and I need to check on them periodically over the rest of the week. Not bad, wandering through the woods is part of my job description at least for a couple of days.
Thanks for the photo. That sure doesn't look like 100 miles...scale and air clarity sure does play some funny tricks.
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to get out in the great weather. But haven't those other guys in the Great White North ever heard of Snow Claws? :) -Lori
The year round riders just switch to studded tires. Not just on the hacks but regular bikes as well. Last January, a couple of riders came through on their way to Prudhoe Bay. http://www.bmwmoa.org/news/ride_stories/arctic_circle_beckons_for_doris_wiedemann
ReplyDeleteRichard
And the last picture was made using a 200mm telephoto with a DX format sensor (1.5x FOV crop). That is what is messing with the scale.
ReplyDeleteRIchard
Wow!! Thanks for the link to Doris' article. Incredible. I don't think I am ready for a journey like that yet. But it does plant that little seed. Do you do much winter riding like that?
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know I wasn't nuts on the photo. :) -Lori
I hate it when I miss a ride because of a mistaken weather report. On the other hand, I'm not generally risking snow, ice and other assorted nasties.
ReplyDeleteThe yellow evergreen (shouldn't that be everyellow?) is lovely. Does it stay that color, or is it a seasonal thing? Out of curiosity, what kind of daylight hours do you have there now? I'm just full of questions tonight! :)
The evergreen was green this summer and turned yellow with the other trees. Odd, I never noticed it before. I'll watch and see what it does this winter.
ReplyDeleteWe have about 12 hours of daylight these days. Sunrise and sunset about 8:00.
Richard