Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Springtime in Alaska!

Here we are in early May coming closer to the end of what Alaskans know as “break-up”. Although not found on Wikipedia, breakup for Alaskans means the winter coat of snow is melting quickly and ice is beginning to “go out” of lakes and rivers. This process typically moves along quickly and is often measured by the annual Nenana Ice Classic, Alaska’s annual contest where participants buy tickets to guess when the Nenana River ice, near Denali National Park, breaks free from the land. Sort of gambling Alaska style where several non-profit organizations shared the proceeds with the lucky guessers. This year’s jackpot is $338,062 so not a bad payoff!

Good luck to everyone who has entered, and let’s hope for an easy breakup!