Today the sunrise was at 9:51am. At 9:51am here looks like your 6:30am there. The sky is dusk, you need your headlights, you can just see the top of the sun. The sun gets to sleep in up here.
(Got this picture here.)Tonight the sunset was at 3:48pm. Just about 15 minutes after the kids get out of school.
Got this picture here.
By the way, those pictures aren't of today.
Daylight is not really a big deal if you are a stay at home mom. Actually I tend to sleep later because it's still dark out. But when I worked, it stunk!!!
Think about it. If you go to work at 8am...it's dark. 100% dark, like it's 4am. Say you get off at 4pm....it's dark. Like turn your headlights on, dark. There are three WHOLE months that I didn't see the sun besides on the weekends and out a passing window. It's NO wonder people have depression up here. We need all those yummy vitamins that sun gives us.
We gain about 5 minutes of darkness/daylight a day. So tomorrow we will have 5 min. more of our sunset. The Solaces up here are HUGE!! In fact, we celebrate Christmas and winter solaces together! It's so big. The winter solaces means we start GAINING 5 minutes of daylight a day. It's the turning point for the sun to come back our way.
(Now do you see why I wanted to go to Florida or New Mexico? I have some sun deprivation going on here!)
Do you now understand why the Alaskan government helps buy plane tickets in February to Hawaii for it's citizens? Do you understand why people take vacations here in January?
It's hard with the daylight/darkness but add the cold, and it is just plain difficult to live up here. Hats off to the people that do it year, after year. I will NOT be one of them.
Some interesting things you probably have not thought about living in the 'lower 48.'
Fourth of July is bright and sunny at midnight. People buy fireworks and save them for New Year's when we can see them.
Camping in the summer, you don't need a flashlight to go potty. (It's light enough, even when the sun is down, to find your way.)
I have two sensitive sleepers in my house and have to put foil on the windows to keep the light out at 3am.
Our electric bills in the summer are less than 20 bucks. In the winter, they are in the three digits.
People can plug their cars in to stay warm, while they grocery shop.
You actually like driving on ice because it fills in the pot holes. (With the weather changing so much everyday, the concrete has a hard time keeping up with a 60 degree change, so it just cracks. Leaving huge holes.)
And of course, you have to check the street corners for crossing moose.
What's an Alaskan post without a moose picture. Here ya go.
Here's one more for the road. They actually printed this one in the newspaper.
12 comments:
WOW thats some very interesting facts...those pix were great!
Bahaha! I love the moose in the sprinkler. Martell has been talking for a while about going to Alaska, but I guess he just watched a documentary about it online the other day and realized just how hard the winters are there. So he has decided on having a summer home there....like we'll ever have money for a summer home. :D Props to you guys for stickin' it out while you must.
I'll have to tell Channon to come and visit you, she spent 3 years in Fairbanks while her ex-husband was stationed there in the army.
I went up to visit her in early June one year, it was almost always light then, and so hard to sleep! I guess sleeping in during the winter only makes common sense!
That sounds like Scotland. In the summer it doesn't get completely dark and in Autumn/Winter the sun doesn't come up until about 10am and then goes down around 4pm. It's actually something I miss. I just thought it was like that everywhere. I miss it most in summer...
I have been fallowing you on your Reading the Book of Mormon.... Any ways I finally found that you have this really cute blog also. Love the pictures. One thought that came while reading your post. Is it true that they pay people to live in Alaska? If so then I now understand why! Thanks for sharing.
So what you are saying is that it's a nice place to visit but...
thanks for sharing that I have always wonder about that.
The light thing in the summer and winter is just bizarre. I don't know if I could handle it. My brother went on his mission Norway and he dealt with the same thing.
By the way, I don't remember when the winter solistice is. When is it?
I am so jealous of you right now! My husband and I would kill to move to Alaska. Well, we THINK we would. Reality is always different than fantasy but Alaska is the holy land to me. Where do you want to live if not Alaska?
Maybe that's why I'm not really bothered by the sunlight thing too much. I've always stayed at home since we've been here and can get out when I want to. I never gave much thought to those who work inside all day and come out into the darkness. I do feel bad for my kids but am glad they don't do away with recess for cold weather. They go until it's -10.
That's really great information. My sister, Geri, lives in Anchorage, and she's never shared all this stuff, maybe because she's just so used to it, she doesn't think about how weird it is. Thanks!
HOLY MOLY! I did not know this! That's just weird! Thanks for teaching me something new today kid!
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