Snow Machining!

So....

If you woke up one morning and the weather forecast said:

Blizzard Waring in Effect until 9pm
10-22 inches of snow expected
high winds, blowing snow, whiteout conditions
Travel in emergency situations only

What would you do?  I'd probably stay in my jammies, heat up some hot chocolate, and curl up with a good book or movie and plan to stay put for the day - or maybe two or three with that much snow.

Well here in Alaska - you would....

do what you were planning to do anyway!  Not only did you probably not bother to look at the forecast, but even if you had it wouldn't matter.

On Sunday morning we woke up and checked the weather and read about upcoming blizzard.  We were pretty certain that our trip to Talkeetna to go snow machining would be cancelled.  We were sure no one would drive us several hours north into the blizzard and even if they did we were certain we'd never go snow machining in a blizzard!

We went down and had breakfast and talked to the bellhop about the situation.  He hadn't even heard the weather forecast, so he turned on the weather radio, and sure enough, heard  the same information we had read.  His opinion?  "You're going.  The only way they would cancel the trip is if there was an avalanche that closed the road."

O.K. then.... off we went to change and get ready to go!

It started snowing and it just never stopped!  We drove up to Talkeetna and went to the Susitna River Lodge where we would spend the night.  We met Howard, Darlene, and Ty who weren't so sure about the snow machining though!  A group had gone out earlier and had a really hard time and they were experieced riders!  There was just so much snow!  The snow on the sides of the drive were higher than my head!  And it just kept snowing! 

The view from our deck at the lodge

We went into town to have some lunch while they thought things over and made a plan.  Talkeetna is a cute little historical town.  It serves as the main base base and jumping off point for climbers attempting to summit Denali.

We went back to the lodge and they decided that we were good to go after all.  We'd be taking a modified route though.  Instead of driving out two and a half hours, having dinner at a roadhouse along the trail, and then getting back after dark, we were just going to go for a little two hour ride.  Plus we were taking two guides - Howard in the front and his son Ty bringing up the rear of our group.

We got geared up - remember - it's all about having the right gear!  My favorite parts of snow machining gear?  Helmet and bunny boots!  Bunny boots are big old white boots that are military surplus.  Not pretty - but soooooooo warm!

Geared Up to Go!

We headed out on the "trail."  Yeah - it wasn't quite a trail.  With more than 20 inches of snow having fallen that day and more coming, Howard in the front pretty much broke trail the whole way.  The snow was blowing up over his head as he plowed through!

Mrs. Rizzuto on her Machine

It was pretty cool!  We got up to about 25 miles per hour, maybe even a bit faster.  But it was really really loud and smelled like gasoline!  Not exactly the peaceful slide through the snow we were used to from the sled dogs!  When we stopped and stepped off the trail - you could sink into snow up to your armpits!  It was just crazy!  Howard just kept saying "This is a lot of snow...... this is a lot of snow.... this is a lot of snow."  It's apparently a lot more snow then they are used too.  In fact, we just heard on the news that they have gotten 113.5 inches of snow in the Anchorage area this winter. 

Mrs. Reiter Rides the Trail!

We got to see a moose off the trail though!  That was pretty cool! It really brought home just how much trouble the moose are having with the deep snow.  He tried walk away from us and the snow was up to his chest.  He really had to struggle to get through that deep deep snow!  It was hard to watch.

When we got back to the lodge we were soaking wet from all the snow!  The guys were really impressed with our natural snow machining ability!  :)  NO ONE FELL OFF!  I know, I know... it's a miracle!  Maybe it's because we were each on our own machine so Mrs. Rizzuto couldn't help push me off! :)

In the evening, we met the "Star Lady" Kathleen who taught us all about the Northern Lights.  Mrs. Rizzuto will be able to explain it to you a lot better - she got pretty scientific about it.  We were suposed to go snow showing at midnight to look for the lights, but it was still snowing so all you could see in the sky was clouds!  Plus the snow was sooooo deep we were worried about stepping off the trail in the dark and sinking!  We opted to head to bed instead!

Our Home Cabin!

Wildlife Count:
Moose - 3 total
Bald Eagles - 2 total