Life in Alaska

[db1486]

8 hours ago, AKwelder said:

Revelstoke is on my bucket list,,please share a few pictures when you go. 

 

If if you come this way let me know, but unless your chasing the northern lights most people avoid the high north in the winter, silly buggers

I'll maybe start a new thread on it when I go.  Very beautiful place when its clear.

Most people go south in the winter to avoid the snow and cold, and I head straight for it lol. I imagine it's nice and longer days for riding by late February? 

2 hours ago, Delta Dirt said:

Question:

Is most of the snowmobile riding done on government lands.  How do you differentiate gov't lands and private lands??

Needless to say we have little snow and no snowmobiles in Mississippi!!

Scenic pictures-----sure looks cold!!!

 

DD

Around here, and I'm sure most other places, there is alot of groomed trails that run through municipal, provincial and private land. That's for the people that come out here to ride that like trail riding and don't know the area otherwise. But for us locals, we know where we have permission to be, and what land to stay off of. I myself, never ride the trails around here. Not my kind of riding. Oh and there's absolutely no snowmobiling on federal government land, such as the National Parks. Provincial parks do allow riding though.

[AKwelder]

Alaska is a whole different deal, we have fewer groomed trails so we ride cross country a lot.  There are areas that they do a some grooming of cross country trails, and some people groom there trail to the cabin or their favorite fishing hole.  There are lots of legacy trails from the days of trap lines, dog teams, winter trials, and cat trains.  Kind of like survey lines cut cross country, or we run the river if it freezes.

 

 

[poor farmer/logger]

We'll have to do a redpower round up winter style  

i very seldom ride on groomed trails. Groomed trails make up about 1/4 at the most of my yearly mileage.  I ride quite a bit in the provincial forests here. Used to be a groomed trail through there but they gave up on it.  I prefer to be in more remote trails where I don't have to worry about someonen who's had a few to many coming around the corner into me. I also don't mind going into unchartered territory where no one else goes and exploring old trails. Find some interesting views and sights sometimes getting off the beaten path. Private land is considered somewhat fair game providing there's no no trespassing signs up. If there is I try my very best to obey them.

[db1486]

2 hours ago, poor farmer/logger said:

We'll have to do a redpower round up winter style  

I like it lol. That would be fun!

[AKwelder]

12 minutes ago, db1486 said:

I like it lol. That would be fun!

And how,  

[Delta Dirt]

Along the same lines as my earlier question------does the Iditarod dog sled race follow a recognized trail------or, are they allowed to take cross country short cuts???

All interesting to an old codger from way down south.

 

DD

[AKwelder]

9 hours ago, Delta Dirt said:

Along the same lines as my earlier question------does the Iditarod dog sled race follow a recognized trail------or, are they allowed to take cross country short cuts???

All interesting to an old codger from way down south.

 

DD

They post a trail that is to be followed for the Iditarod (and check points with mandatory layovers). It is best described as 150 years ago in rural America they had trails to and from everywhere, most weren't maintained roads but it was the route and by it being traveled they kept the way clear.  Also rivers are the true Alaskan trails, we run them on sled and dog sled in the winter and with boats in the summer

They might go a few miles down river, then take a few miles of trail, cut across the lake for a mile, onto a trail for awhile, then another river, and so on.  There are volunteers that post markers along the trail for the races

[Delta Dirt]

"rivers are the true Alaskan trails"

Good way of thinking about it.

I am along the Mississippi River which has historically always been a major navigation/transportation artery for the nation (and still is a major transportation channel with heavy barge traffic).

Back in the 1800's-----the Natchez Trace was started as a short cut land route between Nashville, Tn and Natchez, Ms.  The route was travelled so much by foot, wagon, and horseback that you can still see the worn down original trail in certain places.

The paved Natchez Trace is now a national parkway for automobile, motorcycle, and bicycle traffic------but no horses (even though horses are what developed the original trail).

I met two horseback riders from up near Nashville when they passed by me on their way to Natchez back in 2016.  They had planned to ride the Natchez Trace------but were not allowed to.  They in turn-----travelled the much further old "river route" which brought them by me.

One of the riders admitted that their friend Jack Daniels played a major role in planning their trip-------but Jack didn't say anything about horses not being allowed on the Trace!!!!

Live and learn.  Give us another few years and there will be more regulations.  Enjoy the Alaskan frontier while it's available--------and keep us posted along the way.

 

DD

[Baradium]

And I see that while I've been gone someone's managed to run Sam's Club out of Alaska.

 

Seriously though, what is the thought process to a no notice shutdown like that with employees finding out when there are guards at the building in the morning?  

 

[AKwelder]

2 hours ago, Baradium said:

And I see that while I've been gone someone's managed to run Sam's Club out of Alaska.

 

Seriously though, what is the thought process to a no notice shutdown like that with employees finding out when there are guards at the building in the morning?  

 

yeah, the wonderful business practices of the big box stores. 

[jingles1928]

3 hours ago, AKwelder said:

yeah, the wonderful business practices of the big box stores. 

And a lot of trucking companies over the years. BTDT.

Dennis

[AKwelder]

Not something you see everyday

 

vehicle manufacters doing winter testing.  They want to keep it a secret. 

[BOBSIH856]

10 minutes ago, AKwelder said:

Not something you see everyday

 

vehicle manufacters doing winter testing.  They want to keep it a secret. 

  A common sight here in MI. Saw a GM truck under wraps broke down/stopped along the highway last week. Could you tell who the MFG of the car is?

[AKwelder]

7 hours ago, BOBSIH856 said:

  A common sight here in MI. Saw a GM truck under wraps broke down/stopped along the highway last week. Could you tell who the MFG of the car is?

Nope, I didn't get the name on it, 

[AKwelder]

This is a picture the guys are sharing so I won't claim it as current, but it sure has been cold so who knows 

 

 

its has been a bit miserable.  This is just down the road 100 miles or so

[AKwelder]

YIPPEY its 15 below this morning.  Oh well it was kinda nice after last week and it should be colder tomorrow.  I spent yesterday helping the wife with her desire to turn plywood into saw dust in her quest to make a shelf and working on my 1990 F250 from years gone by.  The plate expired in 2010, and it is leaking diesel at the injectors, the charge lights on, and the heater isn't blowing and it need some TLC

 

I took the alternator in last weekend and had it checked, it was good, so i tightened the belt and replaced the really old and corroded voltage regulator, (I also spent some time cleaning up a few of the grounds from the batteries)  and we have a success.  We started last weekend changing the injector return lines out and installed a new set of Viton O-rings. Finished up with my boy last night and that seems to be good.  When i went to check why it was not blowing air I took out the blower motor, and it slowly turned, so I opening up the dash and found a melted switch and pigtail, but no power there.  so I am hunting gremlins today

 

anyone know where the 90 F250 blower gets its power from?

[chip man]

It's going to be the fuse in your fuse box. And I'm not being facetious. I was thinking I could provide you with a wiring diagram, but the online database that I normally use seems to be reducing the amount of available files for older vehicles. I do have a copy of the heater a/c wiring for a '95 f250, but it's PDF so I can't post it.

[MTO]

On 1/27/2018 at 11:48 AM, AKwelder said:

This is a picture the guys are sharing so I won't claim it as current, but it sure has been cold so who knows 

 

 

its has been a bit miserable.  This is just down the road 100 miles or so

hoLy baLls!

[AKwelder]

36 minutes ago, chip man said:

It's going to be the fuse in your fuse box. And I'm not being facetious. I was thinking I could provide you with a wiring diagram, but the online database that I normally use seems to be reducing the amount of available files for older vehicles. I do have a copy of the heater a/c wiring for a '95 f250, but it's PDF so I can't post it.

PM sent

[AKwelder]

33 minutes ago, MTO said:

hoLy baLls!

yeah, kinda hard to breath.  and your balls are sucked up so tight you can't find them at that temp

[New Englander]

I don't know how you take it. I'm in Anchorage now and it's zero. We get a few negative numbers in coastal NH but AK interior numbers are just breathtaking! Do even gasoline engines start?

[AKwelder]

1 minute ago, New Englander said:

I don't know how you take it. I'm in Anchorage now and it's zero. We get a few negative numbers in coastal NH but AK interior numbers are just breathtaking! Do even gasoline engines start?

if they are not plugged in (and we have more than a block heater on them) almost nothing will start after 30 below. And if it does you really wish it hadn't latter.  

 

Here in Fairbanks it isn't that bad, as they say it is a dry cold and we don't get much wind, so you can at least dress warm.   Up north and in Delta Junction they have wind, that is bu far the worst.  When its that cold the wind will freeze your skin so fast that it is almost like a burn, frost bite is in less than a minute at some conditions

[poor farmer/logger]

I'm hoping that's posted with the windchill. If not dam you need to get outa there lol.  Cooling off for a couple days here then it's supposed to bounce back up to thawing temps for one day then right back to -30 temps. Been horrible this winter for temp swings.  Cousins are up here from southern sask. They're about 4 hours away. -10°F here and it was 32°F there.  No snow there either. Closing in on 2' here now. 

[AKwelder]

We had a full lunar eclipse to night.  Just going away.  It was also a blue moon, and a close moon.  Some period of time since  the last time alol three happened,  it was neat to see.   Everyone else went back to bed

 

and it warmed up, we are on three below, 

On 1/28/2018 at 11:54 AM, poor farmer/logger said:

I'm hoping that's posted with the windchill. If not dam you need to get outa there lol.  Cooling off for a couple days here then it's supposed to bounce back up to thawing temps for one day then right back to -30 temps. Been horrible this winter for temp swings.  Cousins are up here from southern sask. They're about 4 hours away. -10°F here and it was 32°F there.  No snow there either. Closing in on 2' here now. 

I am pretty sure that is NOT the wind chill

[poor farmer/logger]

Yikes -40 is bad enough. Can't imagine almost doubling it. 

All clouded over here this morning so no sign of the moon.