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Off To The Land Of The Midnight Sun

28 Comments

Well, OK, not that far — I’m unlikely to get further north than Poker Flats, but I am off to Anchorage. I’ll take a computer, but don’t know what connectivity will be like.

[Evening update from Anchorage]

OK, had a good flight. Flew right over Yosemite and the fire, but unfortunately, things got socked in north of the Oregon border, and only cleared up briefly around Graham Island. It’s kind of dreary here, weather wise, but beautiful. I had dinner (fresh-caught halibut) on the top floor of the Captain Cook Hotel, with a gorgeous view of the Inlet and mountains. More anon.

28 thoughts on “Off To The Land Of The Midnight Sun”

  1. Less than a month to the equinox, you should have a few hours of darkness up there by now. And, if I recall, mosquitoes should be approaching manageable.

    The day I left Alaska in 1995, we had an earthquake at 2AM. Probably very minor, but my hotel was less than a mile from Earthquake Park. Didn’t sleep after that.

    Enjoy your trip.

  2. Oh, then you could check out Yosemite. I hear it’s nice this time of year.

    And something to ponder on the drive, from the AP

    BEIJING (AP) — China said Wednesday it will launch its first unmanned lunar lander by the end of this year, complete with a radio-controlled rover to transmit images and dig into the moon’s surface to test samples.

    [snip]

    The Chang’e 3 and another lander will remain on the moon’s surface, although China plans to follow those with landers that will return to Earth with samples.

    A crewed lunar mission could also be launched if officials decide to combine the human spaceflight and lunar exploration programs.

    Under the SLS schedule, our lunar landing will probably touch down in the middle of a Chinese strip mall.

    1. George,

      You need to keep up with the news. Yosemite is closed as it is in the process of burning to the ground…

      And I though folks said China wouldn’t make it to the Moon for decades…

      1. Geez moby, way to be stupid. To check out Yosemite, Rand need only look out the right side of the plane at the column of smoke. George, didn’t say visit Yosemite while in Alaska, likely because George knows how to read a map.

        1. He also indicated it was “nice” this time of year. I wouldn’t call a raging fire nice…

          2. Well it looks different to us folks here in Nevada, where are beautiful clear skies are full of what is left of the trees in Yosemite.

          3. I’m sorry it’s smoky in Nevada, because a lot of trees (mostly outside the park) have burned. That’s not an excuse to just make things up. But it doesn’t seem to stop you on other topics, either.

  7. the Food Factory in Fairbanks has great cheesesteaks. their motto is “Food just like your mom used to send out for.” have a blast! the museum at Univ of Alaska Fairbanks is outstanding also.

  8. Russia Today is reporting that Russia is considering banning the export of the RD-180 engine to the U.S. (ULA).

    Russian rocket engine export ban could halt US space program
    http://rt.com/news/russian-rocket-engine-ban-039/

    It is almost criminal that the US did not enact one of the recommendations of the Augustine Committee and the 2010 proposed NASA budget and develop a new domestic RD-180 class hydrocarbon
    engine.

    See for example this recent piece about a potential US replacement from Space News:

    Space Propulsion | Development of U.S. Closed-loop Kerolox Engine Stuck in 2nd Gear

    http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/36232space-propulsion-development-of-us-closed-loop-kerolox-engine-stuck-in

    2. Well, the Russians have to get around the problem of losing that business. In fact, by publicly speculating on the ban, they’ve probably lost the market in the long run. All the US DOD and the United Launch Alliance has to do now is point out the proposed ban when the issue of domestic RD-180s comes up again. I bet that will be enough to get that enacted this time around.

  9. Enjoy a beer at Humpy’s, and do make the drive south to the Portage Glacier. The drive is beautiful, relatively short, and if you pay the $35, you’ll get an hour cruise with a national park service officer telling you the history of the glacier that isn’t politically correct.

    It’s still salmon season, so watch for the bears if you hike any trails.

  10. The wife and I just got back from almost 3 weeks in Alaska Wednesday morning. It was incredible. I agree with Eric, get the right hand window seat. We had great westher and there were no mosquitos.

    Better yet, take an inside passage cruise, then get off in Whittier and either rent a car or take the train….

  11. Take a walk along the cook inlet, it’s pretty amazing to go down,
    see the clams, mussels and other life, spitting water, and clicking.

  12. I haven’t been to Alaska, but I do feel compelled to warn you to either wear life jackets or carry inflatable life rafts at all times. Due to global warming/global climate change/extreme weather events, or whatever the current phrase is, those glaciers could let go at any moment and sweep you into the sea, or arctic ice loss could raise sea levels by hundreds of feet, leaving you floating in the ocean, prey for drowning poley bears who might try and steal your personal flotation device.

    There are so many impending climate threats up there I would hardly know where to begin. For God’s sake man, just run for your life. Under some scenarios you should pack speedos and sunscreen. Under others you should take an old WW-II bomber crews’ fur-lined, electrically heated parka with goggles and a face mask. I can’t say which is more probable, because they’re both absolute certainties, so wear speedos under the bear suit and keep a flare gun handy (I’m not sure what it’s for, but if nothing else it could help provide power for solar cells during the arctic winter and let rescue crews find idiot rowers trying to get to the North Pole).

  13. Yet another completely unrelated story, the US isn’t going to get support from the UK for a military adventure in Syria. I wonder if this is in part payback for Obama’s considerable disrespect for the UK a few years back? Once again, Obama’s foreign policy punches above its weight.

    1. Something like first time in 220 years the UK voted no on going to war. What an incredible achievement of smart diplomacy.

      Have you noticed the number of articles based on leaks about Israel? Like we will go to war with Syria because Israel wants us to or that the confirmation of WMD came from Israeli intelligence. Not on InfoWars but places like CNN. It looks like Obama is laying the groundwork to blame the Jews and it certainly seems to be his only overarching foreign policy strategy in the region.

  14. One of my favorite pictures is some of the Buddhist monks sitting around in their orange robes, their bald heads gleaming in the June sun outside the barber shop.

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