Midnight Shiftin'

So I am between midnight shifts (5 days last week, 2 days off, 4 days on starting tomorrow night).  I actually have come to really like the midnight shift... I know that may come as a giant shock to many.  But it is nice because it is more relaxed, and there is a great opportunity for hands on training.  Speaking of training, Sam has been helping me out tons, and is an awesome teacher.  Also speaking of Sam, he also has a blog which can be found at http://www.cindy-sam.blogspot.com .  Aside from being an excellent teacher, he is a great photographer... so I encourage you to check out some of his pics (as I could never hope to take such nice shots with my simple point and shoot cam).

Also, some of the pictures I'll have on this post will be courtesy of Sam, just b/c they're freaking beautiful!

With that aside, let's continue...  I took my upper air test and passed it, which is a great relief.  I am now certified to launch weather balloons!  To give those an idea of what the balloon and situation looks like, here is a picture of the balloon waiting to be launched in the launch area:

After the balloon is prepped, we put a radiosonde and parachute on it, and let her rip.  The radiosonde is a little box instrument with a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor, and gps used for tracking and positioning (which in turn helps determine wind speed and direction).

Here is the view from the upper air station (i.e. where we launch the balloon), with the office in the lower part of the picture, and the Chugach Mountains in the background:

Interestingly enough, the office is in a somewhat less developed area compared to the rest of the city.  Due to this, there are a bunch of resident moose in the area.  Here is one that Sam managed to get a picture of a couple of weeks ago...

I have not been fortunate to see any moose at work yet, but I'm pretty sure that has something to do with the fact that it's always 2 or 3 in the morning when I'm out there! There are a ton of tracks in the snow though.

Moving on, I totally forgot to post a picture of the nice snow we had a week or two ago. This is at one of the lakes that I really enjoyed fishing at... it's called DeLong Lake, and is about a ten minute drive from my apartment... about five minutes from the office. Sadly, no more fishing will be taking place until May, unless I decide to take up ice fishing!



All the water is pretty much locked up by now, since it has been below freezing at night for quite some time, and the past several days has not gone above freezing at all!  For the past couple of days the temperature has essentially remained the same.... I believe our high today was only 23 or 24.  The lows the next couple of days are supposed to possibly get into the single digits (yikes).

Something pretty neat about the office I work at, we are responsible for forecasting an area of roughly 1.1 million square miles.  This is the equivalent of approximately 20 NC's.  The area is split into several "forecasting zones", of which several are larger than North Carolina anyways.  As can be imagined, this means that forecasting is focused less on pegging down individual highs and lows, but rather focuses on high-profile storms.

For example, an intense Bering Sea low pressure system came through mid to late week in which hurricane force winds were experienced over a very large area.

Add in such complex topography due to the varying terrain, and the forecasting issues are endless.  What better place to hone one's forecasting skills?

I think I will leave yall with a couple more pictures... some Sam has taken, and one proving I am, in fact, actually in Alaska.  Or at least I have Carly's trust green couch and the smallest Madderson in some apartment somewhere!

Literally taken moments ago. Although with the shorts, I may as well be back home. the insulation in these apartments is amazing. I have the heat off, and the window open, even though its only 15 degrees outside.



Here is a beautiful picture taken by Sam at this place called Potter Marsh. This marsh lies on the south side of town, and is a great area for waterfowl. Mix in the fall colors and it truly is unbelievable. I think it's one of the prettiest places within a fifteen minute drive of town.



Earlier I had alluded to the ability to see Mt. Jefferson and Denali (Mt.McKinley) from this park in Anchorage. Here it is, over 150 miles away, but sticking its neck out over 20,000 ft. in the sky! Looks a little cold for my tastes.

And finally, here is a nicer shot of a view of the Kenai Mountains on the way to the Kenai Peninsula. This is looking across the Turnagain Arm... which is an extension of Cook Inlet. This area is just a short drive south of town... and when I first saw it I called Cameron, basically speechless.



Alright.... well I have 5 days off in a little bit and hope to do some more exploring. Hopefully it won't be so cold... but oh well, I guess I have to get used to it anyways!

Back in Action

Alright, so I am back up and running.  Between a dead camera and crappy internet service I was out of commission for a while... but with both problems solved here I am.

So since my last post a lot of stuff has happened!  I got a car (subaru outback), found an apartment on the southeast portion of town (about a 15 minute commute to work in "good" weather, all bets are off otherwise), and finally received my goods!  I tell you, nothing could have made me happier than getting all of my stuff (in tact) on Tuesday and sleeping on my bed again.

I have started work, and it is going well.  I work 10 hr. shifts, preferably 4 per week, with somewhere between 2 and 5 days off after each week.  Unfortunately, tonight marks the beginning of 5 straight midnight shifts (10pm-8am), two days off, then 4 more midnight shifts.  So that should be fun!  The position that I was hired for (essentially working the public desk and doing random duties) is short of people right now, so my training has been somewhat rearranged.  Of utmost importance is my certification for launching weather balloons, or radiosondes, for the compilation of upper-air data for assimilation into weather models (as well as for quick forecasting usage, radar info., and pilot briefings).  I have been reading these two thick, governmentally-written, manuals.... which put any of the most verbose academic journal articles I have ever read to shame.  And I have read hundreds of journal articles.  Originally, people who had to take this exam were given around 90 days to study.... we have two weeks max!

I am being trained by two people, a native Aleut (from St.Paul for all you Deadliest Catch fans) John, and by the guy whose position I am filling, Sam.  John has been super helpful, and tonight will be my first time working with Sam... though by all accounts he's the perfect guy for the job.

Enough of work... because I have had the opportunity to see some pretty cool stuff before work got cranked up.  I apologize for the quality for the some of the following photos, as my battery was pretty much dead, so I had about one second to take a picture.

First, I made a car camping trip down to the Kenai Peninsula, which was cut short by the first big snowfall of the year....you dont want to mess around with some of those mountain passes!  I succeeded in catching a hog of a rainbow trout on the new fly rod, somewhere between 8-10 lbs.  He made me reconsider my claim that all freshwater fish fight like pansies.  I also had my first Grizzly Bear encounter.  He was across the river, swam over to the gravel bar I was fishing on... at which point I gladly conceded my post.  He seemed to be a young male bear, somewhere around 600lbs or so. Not big (for a grizzly).  At that point I decided to definitely carry some bear spray with me starting next spring, and will strongly consider adding a .44 or .454 to my collection of firearms.  

People had warned me, but I guess I was somewhat naive in the threat? I'm not sure, but those bears are freaky!  Anyways, here is a pic on the drive home of some of the Kenai Peninsula lit up with fall colors.  I promise if I had to post all of the pictures I have taken I would never accomplish anything... it's just too freaking beautiful here.

So after the Kenai adventure I have mostly been sticking around town, doing some fishing for rainbows and landlocked salmon in area lakes.  These fish are fairly small (maxing out around 18 inches), but are always willing to bite, and will not shy away from dry flies.

I also went to a lake north of town, Beach Lake, and caught a couple of Arctic Grayling, which was something I had really wanted to do.   They are an interesting fish, with a sort of sail, although not as extreme as a sailfish.  These are little ones, but I am looking forward to chasing the big ones come May.  Here is a pic of one of the Grayling, slippery suckers!

Yesterday I went to this area north of town on the northern tip of what is called the Knik Arm, the norther extent of Cook Inlet.  I took Maddy to try to shoot some rabbits (or grouse).  It was an interesting experience, but long story short I struck out.  It was an awesome time though, and I was afforded an awesome view when the fog finally lifted in the late afternoon.  It was pretty cool to see 6000 ft. mountains as I stood at sea level.  Pretty Intense.

I'm going to go get ready for work now, so more to follow later!

Ok so i cant figure out how to get the pictures where i want them... but I will figure it out later. Enjoy