Arctic man 2014

WOW! What an event! My wife and I attended Arctic Man last year for the first time and it was somewhat life altering. It made us look hard at what we want out of life. What we enjoy. And how far we are willing to go to get it. And this year was even better.

As a result, we bought a bigger trailer, more snowmachines, and a camper. Our friends let us stay in their RV that first year, but we quickly realized we wanted our own space. The upside would be that we can use it year round, if we found the right camper. The downside? Stuff costs money.

So this year, we planned ahead and we did it right. We reserved 3 spots instead of 1. We invited more people. We planned meals to be shared amongst all. We took more time off from work. This is a special event. This is what ushers us into spring in a BIG way, so damnit, here we go!

 

The first night was a little chilly, we hit -1 at our camper. But boy, oh boy! the daytime temps were in the 40's. the sun was shining, and the powder was phenomenal.

Race day is Friday, and unfortunately there was a casualty early on that delayed the race. But after that it was on! Watching the handicap skiers was so amazing. They have life changing disabilities and they were out there tearing it up better than I ever could. To say they have guts is an understatement.

As we rode down the mountain, I caught a glimpse of the campground, and the sight was amazing. Out in the middle of nowhere Alaska, there are approximately 15,000 people gathered to watch a race. The economic impact is incredible. I sat there atop the berm at our camp and stared at all of the Rv's, snowmachines, and various other toys and equipment parked around us for this event. The organizers claim there are about 10,000 Rv's. There are probably just as many snowmachines too. The economic impact is darn near mind boggling. If you figure the dollar amount of vehicles, fuel, food, advertising, and number of people etc that goes into this week long event, all of a sudden you have the fourth largest city in Alaska.

It is a good time to be had by all, and as long as this event goes on, we will be there. The scenery is stunning, the people are awesome, the riding is the best.

Arctic Man- save the date. You'll be sorry if you don't!

The Big One

Recently I attended an Anchorage Chamber of Commerce luncheon, and Anchorage fire chief Chris Bushue brought up a really good point while discussing disaster preparedness. Anchorage sits on an earthquake fault. We are bordered on 3 sides by water. He stated that it's not a matter of "if" Anchorage is going to have another major disaster, it's "when". Last week was the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and after all these years, it's still chilling to think about the death and destruction it caused. We Alaskans take this stuff seriously (at least I hope we all do). It is such a real possibility, that last week first responders ranging from the Coast Guard to volunteer groups to the national guard participated in a multi organization training event in Valdez. Earthquake, Tsunami Training with Alaska Shield in Valdez Having grown up in Alaska, it's something I have always had bouncing around in the back of my mind, but I sat down and REALLY thought about how my family and I would react in a natural disaster. Here is what I came up with:

1. We have a camper and always keep propane in it, along with a change of clothes, linens, etc. If need be, we have alternate shelter. Bonus- it is mobile.
2. We have 2 generators. One generator is run on natural gas and is set up so that it can be plugged into our home's heating system. The assumption is that we will be able to access the nat. gas. At least we'll have heat. The other generator is a Honda portable that runs on gas. We use it for the camper, but of course it can be used for anything.
3. Our camper also has a solar charger hooked up to it's battery, so we have some electrical back up there too.
4. We keep gasoline on hand year round. Whether it's for the snow blower, the lawn mower, or in the snowmachines and cars. If we need it, we have it. is it enough? I hope we never have to find out.
5. Food- We have a freezer that I always try to keep over full and a pantry that is the same. As a kid, we had all kinds of food on hand simply because if my mom felt like cooking something, she would rather open the pantry and start cooking instead of waiting until she could visit the grocery store. I am pretty sure I get that habit from her. However, my wife and I have decided we want to try our hand at canning. Not just because it'll insure more food "just in case", but also because we want to enjoy the experience of catching our own fish, picking our own berries, etc.
6. Batteries- need I say more?
7. Radios- I have a few radios that operate via cranking them up. This charges the built in battery so that then we can listen. They also incorporate short wave bands, weather band, emergency channels, etc. A good way to monitor what is happening in a emergency as TV channels and regular radio stations may be out of service. 8.Bullets- I'm not arming for the zombie apocalypse, but the possibility of having to subsistence hunt or protect my family during civil unrest could happen. I believe we are all too civilized, but I am also realistic. Look at the looting that occurred in New Orleans after the hurricane.
9. Possibly the most important thing- A plan. My family has discussed what to do if there is an emergency. They know where they need to be and what to do. Will everyone remain calm? probably not. Will it all work out? Hopefully so.
Something else to consider- your pets. It's easy for people to prepare, but I am willing to bet we (as a whole) forget about our pets. We have two cats, and after listening to Chief Bushue, I have decided I will have our pet carriers easily accessible so we can make sure they are safe and go with us if we need to go. We always have cat food on hand, but we don't keep water necessarily, so now I know I need to stock up on water for us AND the cats. Not something I would have thought of otherwise....shame on me. Municipality of Anchorage Animal Care and Control Disaster Preparation.
This is just a blog, it's not gospel, and I am NOT an expert, although I used to be heavy into disaster relief as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. I would recommend that anyone and everyone think about this. Visit the Municipality's website there's a ton of info on there about how to prepare your family. There are also links to DHS and other agencies that I thought were helpful too. Stay safe, be prepared.