Fairbanks, Alaska: The Ice-fog Cometh

After several posts on Mexico, I've decided to give you all a quick look at Fairbanks, Alaska in the dead of winter.

I lived in Fairbanks from 1970 until June of 1977 when my son, Adrian Paul, was born. The summers were magnificent, but the winters? When something called an inversion layer kicked in, you found yourself stuck in ice-fog. Meaning? The exhaust from cars would freeze, forming a noxious cloud of near-zero visibility. I can't believe I spent seven  winters walking through and breathing in the stuff. Of course, if you were fortunate to live "up in the hills," -- above the inversion layer -- the air was clear and winter snow-scape beautiful. And living in Fairbanks in the winter meant you could collect quite a few tales to share later in life.

Over the years, one of the lines I most like to share at parties is this: You haven't lived until you've chopped wood at sixty-below!

For the most part, I found winter in Fairbanks to be a beautiful experience. Quiet, star-studded nights. And the northern lights were an unbelievable experience.

Back to the ice-fog. To better understand it and to see some amazing photos, click on the link below. It will take you to the blog of my friend Dermot Cole, a writer for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Happy travels,
Joyce
http://www.newsminer.com/pages/full_story/push?blog-entry-Going+with+the+slow+flow &id=5090287-Going+with