Its Warm Up Here

We've had a good run of clear days and very warm weather in southcentral Alaska. It is in the low 80's today. All historical records are being broken. The garden is growing like crazy! I was headed out for my annual red salmon dipnetting trip today, but the Copper River is at flood stage due to the glacial melt the past few weeks. That means dangerous conditions and poor fishing, so I'm holding off. Angel and I awoke yesterday morning to a loud "Whoosh, Whoosh" sound. I grabbed the camera and rushed out on our deck where I snapped a few photos of two fellas flying just a bit low in their hot air balloon. With the warm atmospheric air and high humidity, they were having a difficult time clearing the trees and were less than ten feet above the roof of our house as they passed over. As much as I love aviation and my fellow pilots, (no matter what they fly), I would have been a little upset if they had tore off a good chunk of our roof due to poor judgement. We hopped on our bikes this morning and put on about 15 miles. We stopped to pay a few bills, mail letters, and took a short walk about the Visitor Center gardens. It is very unusual for us to have temps this high. On average, this area has less than 20 days per year above 70 degrees. Last summer we had only three days with 70 degree or higher readings. We are enjoying the nice weather, but the humidity has dropped and we're now at higher risk for more fires.

An update on the progress of our BMW riding friends: Terry, Dan, and Wayne...They almost made it home without incident. Dan was sideswiped by a deer between Libby and Kalispell, Montana. He received only minor injuries (road rash, a couple of broken fingers, and a busted up shoulder), but the accident really ruined an otherwise great trip. Deer in Montana are a significant hazard. In 1974 I had one jump into the windshield of my VW Beetle. I ended up with three severed tendons in my right hand and was lucky to not have suffered more serious problems. Dan was relatively lucky in his encounter also. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Dan. I suspect that Angel won't be too keen on me hitting the "BMW trail" with you guys anytime soon. Despite some pretty good evidence to the contrary, she still thinks that flying is safer. Could be...until you hit a low flying moose!