Temperatures are still down in the -45°F range and the ice fog is getting even worse than it was on Monday. But it does make for some spectacular sunsets. This iPhone pano was taken through the window from my office building at abut 2:30 Thursday afternoon. I must admit that I haven't gotten tired of the view though a little warmer would be fine. I have been using the borough bus as often as possible for my commute as I end up walking outside a minimum of 3¾ miles per day.
Things didn't look that much better this morning with the ice fog and low temperatures continuing. Today being the shortest amount of daylight is encouraging for many people but sunrise isn't until 11:00am and sunset is 2:37pm for about 3½ hours of brilliant sunshine. Still much more than Barrow where the next sunrise isn't until January 22, 2013. From now on, the days get longer, This photo shows a little red tint on the horizon already and it was taken at 8:36am while walking to get coffee. The university is located on a small hill overlooking town so it is usually above the ice fog. According to the EPA, Fairbanks is one of the smoggiest, unhealthiest places to live in the country since their sensors are all down low in the ice fog. If you are in it, it feels pretty grim. (Of course, most of the schools are in it!)
Sunrise at 11:19am. It looks like it'll be a pretty nice day as long as you aren't stuck in the fog. If you compare this with the sunset photo above, you'll notice that there aren't too many degrees difference between the position of sunrise and sunset. They're both pretty close to south.
I'm sure many of you have seen this graphic already but I really did get a kick out of it. Especially since there is no Saturday listed. But we're still around and for some, a little warmth would be appreciated.
And, no work done on the sidecar. Waiting until the welder has some free time...
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and a Happy Winter's Solstice to you too Richard.....
ReplyDeleteRichard:
ReplyDeleteThe Mayans were wrong. We're still here.
Happy Solstice too
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
I don't think the Mayans had anything to do with the silliness going around by some in the 1st world. But some companies made a lot of money off of this playing on people's gullibility.
DeleteBest business is being done with fearful people. There will be soon another apocalypse threat coming.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile enjoy the cold white beauty of your vast land.
I can already feel that days are getting longer again.
On nice sunny days, I don't even notice the short days. It feels like our winter has just started as there are still many more months of winter.
DeleteBeautiful pictures Richard. Happy Solstice! I am not sure I could live up where it is dark most of the winter, not sure how you do it! stay warm my friend!
ReplyDeleteThe otherside is all the daylight during the majority of the year. By mid March, there are almost 16 daylight hours per day. The short, dark days don't seem to last very long.
DeleteHA! I had not seen that weather chart! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThere is something terribly romantic about the adventure of extreme places, you know? I wonder how long I would last with few fresh vegetables and so little light.
My SAD would take me out in short order.
I really got a kick out of that weather graphic. There are plenty of fresh vegetables, they're just expensive. Out at Chena Hot Springs Resort, they grow all of the vegetables for the resort kitchen year around. They have a ready source of heat for the greenhouses and produce their own power via low temperature geothermal.
DeleteSAD, fortunately, I don't think I'm affected by the dark but it does seem to be a common issue up here.
Kudos to you for still walking in the frigid weather.
ReplyDeleteIt may be crappy air quality but I really enjoy the pictures.
As long as the air quality is tolerable, I still enjoy walking outside. You just need to keep an eye out for moose on the trails and roads. The pictures should make OR feel tropical.
DeleteColder and darker than MN for any length of time would be past my threshold. Kudos to you for thriving in those conditions.
ReplyDeleteThriving may be a bit strong but I definitely don't seem to mind the weather. And, until I started riding, I enjoyed the winters as much as if not more than the summer. Now, I think it's the other way around.
DeleteHappy winter - I like the solstice, it means the days are getting longer. But like you, if it's going to be winter, I like it to feel like it. And right on cue, the first day of winter, it stopped raining and started snowing here. It will be a White Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYes, if it's supposed to be winter, I want to be able to enjoy it. There are many people up here who hate everything about winter, this may be the wrong place for them to live. I still think its a great place to live.
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