The summers in Fairbanks are enough to convince almost anyone to live here. The weather, trees, and almost everything about it seem to be lulling me into thinking that I could actually find myself permanently living in a place like this. Those thoughts, however, are quickly shattered to frozen pieces of imagination when I remember that the winter here is exactly what someone could expect when living in Antarctica. The winter sounds horrific, and there is no way I would want to be here during the -40 and -50 degree temperatures.
Making the most of my time here in Fairbanks is mostly made up of work, but I have found time to do a little fishing, which I will post about later, as well I actually found a pump track here in the frozen north. I cannot believe how incredibly fun riding this simple track is, it blows
my mind. It has been nice to have a track to ride with my bike while I am here for several months this summer. Not being home hasn't given me much chance work on my own pump track, but I do have almost one full loop done, which should be rideable in the next few weeks.
While my family was in town for a while we were able to go out and ride around the track a bit and let Dane go nutz. He rode around on that thing like he was a little champ and loved it. There was one major wreck that knocked the wind out of him pretty good when he lost control and ate dirt from the top of a roller. He was tough about it though and got back on his bike and ripped it up some more, even hitting the jump that I was getting some air on. I can't wait to get our track at home done and see what this kid will be able to do as he rides and improves his skill over the next few years.
Not much else more fun than the pump track!
The photos include Dane cruising around the track, then me on the track, some jumps, a little wheely action and even a little mountain bike teeter totter. Click on any of them to have a better look.
Arch Angel Valley seems as though I should be in Utah hiking around the canyon lands or something. Instead I am high above the tree line in Hatcher's Pass Canyon. One great thing is that this type of terrain and beauty is only five minutes from home.
Blog entrees here have been overlapping the photos and stories that my wife is posting on our family blog, but being away from home five days a week means that any adventures that I find myself on are activities that both my family and I can do. Things change a lot when so much time is spent elsewhere, when I would rather be home with my family every night. Every minute of my time on the weekends is spent trying to catch up with and enjoy my two crazy boys and wonderful wife. This weekend in fact we are headed out fishing in Prince William Sound with good ol Chuck, it should be another great trip hopefully catching some silvers.
The water along the hike is the same glacial silt water that is in most streams here in Alaska, it does give the river a definite Alaska look. The scenery along this hike was spectacular!
