This is proof that January is the longest month because I have two columns in January. Not that it doesn’t happen other months, but March and May, or July and August, even October aren’t so bad. There is something to write about: Coming spring, fishing, fading summer, Halloween and the coming holidays but what does January offer? Especially THIS January: weather, or the lack of it!
This has been the strangest January I can remember, and to hear others, apparently it’s pretty unprecedented. The Kuskokwim 300 has been postponed until later in February. The Iditarod trail managers are casting around for snow, and flipping a coin where to start: Fairbanks or Anchorage. The Yukon Quest is apparently online to start on Sunday. We’ll see. When we get a storm, it turns out to be rain instead of snow. Pensacola, Florida, had more snow last week than Anchorage, much to the chagrin of both places.
But, of course, we’ve had the usual ration of politics. Maybe a little more because it was inauguration month. I enjoyed watching the boomer senators (and I use that term, very aware of my own advanced age) being set back on their haunches by the incoming Gen X cabinet nominees. Whether I agreed with the youngster or not, I had to admire how they stood up to their inquisitors, answered all questions, and were not afraid to take an opposing position and defending it with facts, not with threats that the questioner was a racist, misogynist, homophobic, or traitor if they didn’t agree. I have a little more hope for the country with them in charge than I did when they were in high school.
The inauguration itself was on Monday last week. Early here. And apparently Washington, D.C., is having a crazy January, too, because it was held inside for the first time since Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985. We were driving to Anchorage that day so we listened to the inauguration ceremony at home that morning( too busy getting on the road to watch it) then listened to the recap, predictions, laments and general debate all the way to Anchorage. At least we were entertained.
I was surprised there was no real dissension, just a tentative wait and see from most of the commentators. There were a couple of cheer leaders but the mood seemed to go from “he’ll dig his own grave” to “It can’t be any worse than the last four years.”
The trip to Anchorage was surprisingly easy. I was not looking forward to it but bit my tongue and packed for an overnight as well as a stuck in the ditch trip. The early morning (we had to be there by 1 p.m.) road was rough and slippery to Cooper Landing. It was foggy along the river and all the way to Tern Lake, but the sun was shining on the hilltops and by the time we were up the hill, the day had brightened and the roads smoother to snow-covered.
I had been dreading the pass, but it was a piece of cake: clear and wide. The berms alongside, though, were too high to see the snow measure stick. Vehicles filled both parking areas and every pullout alongside the road for a couple miles both sides. It was a holiday for some, and everyone was taking advantage of the only place to play in the snow. Most of the rigs we met as we went into Anchorage were pulling a trailer with snowmachines or was a pick up carrying one in the back. Anchorage streets were bare. And the ride back was quick and smooth. And we had the 47th president ready to get to work.
The Alaska Legislature called its session to order on the 21st and so far the preliminaries have gone relatively smoothly. Of course, the legislators haven’t had time yet to get their acts together and begin the bickering and sniping we often see by mid-season, but so far even the governor is in line.
But, hey! We’re gaining daylight. Pushing eight-hour days now, and it just gets better. I’ve been in hibernation mode for the past four weeks, as I believe most of us have, but it’s about time to poke my head out and take a look, like the groundhog. Let’s hope that he sees his shadow on Sunday, and we really do have only six more weeks of winter. But at least January has come to an end.
